Page 7 of Worthy Now
“Your dad didn’t,” I blurt out and immediately want to slap myself for being so insensitive. Jake doesn’t seem bothered, waving my callous remark off with a swipe of his hand.
“My dad didn’t have it in him to put up a fight. He gave up on life when Mom passed and never got back on his feet. He refused life-prolonging treatments, no matter how much I begged and pleaded with him. Staying clean was still a daily struggle for me then. I didn’t think I’d be able to handle the business and my siblings on my own. He didn’t care. Who knows what went through his head? I certainly never understood the man. Maybe he didn’t think we were worth the effort. Or maybe he thought a slow, painful death was a just punishment for being such a miserable piece of shit,” he adds, shrugging his shoulders like losing both parents and leaving him sole provider to his family at such a young age isn’t a big deal. But I know better. Underneath the tough guy facade lives a gentle and sensitive soul, and I’d never make the mistake of forgetting it again.
“It’s different for your mom,” he continues. “She knows she has a hell of a lot to fight for, and she won’t give up easily. She’ll make it. There’s no doubt in my mind.” Satisfied with his prediction, he stretches his arms over his head before he slaps his thighs with both hands, startling me and bringing an abrupt end to our chat. “Alright, I’d love to sit here and talk the day away, but I gotta hop in the shower and get some work done.”
“I’m guessing that’s not an invitation to join?” I ask, wiggling my brows and flashing him a sly smile.
“Don’t push it,” he scolds with a stern expression, but the crinkles around his eyes give him away.
“Get out of here,” he orders, notching his chin toward the porch steps. “Let’s end things on good terms for once.”
I give a long-suffering sigh and reluctantly rise to my feet. “Guess I’ll see you Saturday.”
Jake escorts me to my car and waits for me to fold myself into the driver’s seat. Resting his forearms on the roof, he dips his head, looking at me through the open window like he, too, isn’t quite ready for this meeting to end.
“I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but it’s damn good to have you back. I missed you like hell.”
“I missed you, too,” I croak, emotion thick in my voice while my heart performs a little jig in my chest. “I can’t tell you how good it is to be able to talk to you again.” I wait for him to push off my vehicle and start the engine before I do something I might regret. Like throw myself into his strong arms and kiss him until we both run out of breath.
Four
Jake
“Look who’s finally decided to grace us with his presence?” Bobby, one of my subcontractors, booms in his deep, obnoxious voice. “Too late to help with the prep work, but somehow always just in time to reap the rewards.” It’s the day of Megan and Carter’s annual BBQ, and I have both dreaded and looked forward to the event all week.
Attending a get-together with the girl you’re currently dating while also facing the one you’ve loved and pined for most of your life is nerve-wracking, to say the least. Hence why I’d stalled until I couldn’t stall any longer without missing the whole thing altogether. So, when Alicia and I arrive—fashionably late—it doesn’t come as a surprise that everyone else is already gathered around the picnic table on the patio. A horde of kids are running wild in thesizable backyard while Carter’s dog, Boomer, chases after them, dragging what appears to be a small tree across the manicured lawn.
“I’m late because I wanted to make sure you assholes get paid on time,” I grumble, throwing an envelope in Bobby’s general direction before handing out the rest. “You’re welcome, by the way,” I add and suppress the smile threatening to break free at the contrite look on his face. I gesture for Alicia to take a seat before sliding onto the bench beside her. “I also made a salad and dessert. Pretty sure that’s twice as much as you brought.”
“I brought a salad,” Bobby shoots back, looking genuinely offended.
“I think what you meant to say was Jane brought a salad. We all know you didn’t lift a finger to help her, so quit bitching and make yourself useful while you’re sitting next to the keg.” Jane covers her snort with a cough, earning herself a disgruntled look from her husband before he grudgingly complies. Filling a glass, he hands me the foaming beverage with a low grunt and moves on to bust someone else’s balls. I try my best to get comfortable, settling in and conversing with the rest of the group while avoiding Tessa’s gaze like she’s Medusa.
That we called a truce doesn’t seem to make the situation less awkward, and I find myself feeling more and more tense as theafternoon progresses. When I can no longer fight the strange pull between us, and Alicia gives me the side-eye more than once, I excuse myself to search for Carter, feeling like an asshole. I find my friend in the kitchen, preparing snacks and simultaneously entertaining Ariana in her high chair, who seems content sucking on a mushy piece of banana while her father makes faces at her. He takes one look at me and immediately knows something is up.
“Heads up, man. Food is almost ready to be taken out, and it will look a tad strange if you keep hanging out in here by yourself, so why don’t you nut up and tell Uncle Carter why you’re being such a weirdo?” Rolling my eyes, I grab a baby carrot off the veggie tray and pop it into my mouth, giving myself a few extra seconds to get my head straight. “I just needed a breather. I swear you can cut the tension out there with a knife.”
“Or maybe you’re just being paranoid.”
“I’m serious, man. I don’t know how to act around Tessa. There’s this uncomfortable energy between us that was never there before, and I’m here with Alicia, and things are just—different.”
“Why?” Carter asks, taking a break from his cucumber butchering to wipe the baby’s runny nose. “It’s not like you guys broke up yesterday. It’s been years, and I’m pretty sure she hasn’t been living like a nun. So, what’s the big deal?”
“I know it sounds ridiculous,” I say in hushed tones, even though no one is within hearing distance. “But every time Alicia touches me, I have to physically stop myself from flinching. It’s like I feel guilty or something. Like I’m somehow cheating on Tessa right under her nose.” Carter stops cooing at his baby girl long enough to hit me with a knowing look.
“That’s because you still have feelings for her.”
“What?” I scoff, shaking my head in denial. “That’s absurd. I can barely look at her without wanting to shake her. I still can’t believe she thought I was fucking Jessica.”
I told Carter about our long overdue heart-to-heart, and he didn’t hold back when he flat-out told me we were both complete morons for not communicating better. Then he predicted that Megan would have a cow once she found out the real reason her best friend avoided coming home for so long.
“That may be, but you also want to kiss her and throw her onto the next available surface. Nothing hotter than a little hate sex to work off all that lingering resentment.” Carter thrusts his hips like we’re still in middle school.
“Would you grow the fuck up?” I snap, getting irritated. Mostly because his assessment hits a little too close to home. Carter cups Ariana’s ears and shoots me a warning look.
“Watch your language, for fuck’s sake.”
I raise a brow. “You’re the one talking about throwing women onto flat surfaces. Don’t start things you can’t finish. Besides, it’s not like she understands what I’m even saying. Right, babygirl?” I coo, tickling her round belly and drawing the most adorable giggle out of her. “You wouldn’t know the first thing about the naughty f-word, would you? I hope, for your daddy’s sake, that it stays that way for a very long time.”
