Page 50 of Jilted
Amy simply nodded, and then said, “She’s outside.” She put her head down, unable to look him in the eyes.
Brett put his finger under her chin and tilted her head up. He placed a quick, chaste kiss to her lips, then whispered, “I love you, Amy. You’re the only woman I want. And that’s exactly what I’m going to tell her. Okay?”
Amy nodded and then watched as Brett walked away from her and toward Vanessa. Amy blew out a shaky breath.
“You don’t have anything to worry about,” Craig said from behind her.
She’d forgotten he was there. Turning to face him, she smiled weakly, and said, “I know.” But she didn’t know. She was terrified that seeing Vanessa and talking to her would change his mind.
“Seriously, Amy, you really don’t,” he said.
Amy took a seat next to him and tried to distract herself from thinking about Brett and Vanessa. It worked for a little while, but the minutes ticked by, and ten minutes turned into half an hour. She was ready to jump out of her skin. When she simply couldn’t take it any longer, she got up and went outside to check on them.
When she opened the door, she saw Brett holding Vanessa’s face in his hands, and he was pulling away, as if he’d just finished kissing her. Amy’s heart shattered into a million pieces. Brett was kissing Vanessa? Amy cupped her hand over her mouth to stifle a gasp. She would not let him know how much he’d just hurt her.
“I don’t mean to interrupt,” Amy said as she walked down the steps and up to where Brett and Vanessa stood, “but I just wanted to let you know that I’m leaving. Have a nice evening.”
“What? Wait.” Brett released Vanessa and grabbed Amy’s wrist. “Where are you going?”
“To see Lucy.”
“Your sister’s boyfriend drama can wait,” he said.
Amy yanked her arm out of his grasp. She looked over his shoulder at Vanessa, and then back at him. “I’d much rather deal with Lucy’s boyfriend drama than my own. I’m sure it’ll hurt a lot less.”
Brett recoiled as if she’d slapped him. “What the hell does that mean?”
“I saw you just now, Brett. You were kissing her.”
“What? No, I wasn’t. Amy, please, just calm down and let me explain.”
Amy shook her head. “Did you tell her?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Huh? Did you?” When he still didn’t answer, she said, “Did you tell Vanessa that you were in love with me? That you’ve moved on and want to be with me?” Amy didn’t care that she was shouting, or that Brett’s parents probably heard everything she’d just said.
“Not yet,” he said softly.
Not yet? He’d been out here with her for half an hour. What the hell had they been doing? Oh, that’s right. He was too busy kissing her. Amy lost the battle to keep her tears locked away.
“Don’t bother.” Amy spun on her heel and walked away. She hoped, expected, Brett to follow her. He didn’t.
By the time Amy got to the end of the street, she was sobbing so hard she couldn’t walk any farther. How could Brett have done this to her?
Chapter Twenty-One
“Fuck!” Brett dragged a hand through his hair. He turned back to Vanessa. “I think it’s time for you to leave.”
“Is it true?” She took a step toward him. “What she just said...is it true?”
“Yes.” From the corner of his eye, he saw his parents and his brother standing on the front porch. Looked like the secret was out, he thought as he took a deep breath. “I’m in love with Amy, and she’s the woman I want to spend my life with. I’m sorry if that hurts you, Vanessa, but I want you to know that I’m not angry with you for what you did.”
Then he turned and ran after Amy, shouting her name.
Brett rounded the corner, but Amy wasn’t there. Where the hell could she have gone? He fumbled to get his cell phone out of his pocket and called her. It went straight to voicemail. He hung up and called right back. Voicemail again. Brett continued to call as he walked back toward his parents’ house. All his calls went unanswered.
“Fuck!” he shouted again.
Not only did Brett have to make things right with Amy, he had to find her first, and he was now going to have to face his parents – alone. This was not how he wanted to tell them. This was not how he expected this night would go. God, all he wanted was Amy, right here, right now. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her, tell her how much he loved her. Christ, how did he manage to fuck this up already?
“Brett Matthew Hudson...what the?—”
