Page 75 of Slow Ride

“Wait?What?”Kason raised his voice and started hobbling toward them.

Van cursed, and encouraged them to take their exchange inside before anyone else—especially tabloid reporters, Jordan figured—noticed them.

No one listened to him.

When Wren retreated farther, Kason dropped the gifts he’d been given, the balloon floating away as he attempted to pursue her.Wren was fast and nimble.If she bolted, Kason wouldn’t have a chance, so Jordan tried to intervene.

“Wren, it’s okay.I’m sure he didn’t mean anything by it.It’s new and he hasn’t had a chance to process it himself.It isn’t any of those strangers’ business what happens between us.It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.You and I know the truth.”

Liar.His own mind was railing at him for uttering such bullshit, but he was willing to accept it if it kept them together so they could do better next time.He should have known that wouldn’t fly with Wren.

“That’s no excuse.”She shook her head, launching tears down her cheeks.

Then he did get pissed.No one made Wren cry on his watch.

Kason started to catch on.“You’re upset because I didn’t spill the juicy details of my love life?”

“Don’t.”Wren stabbed her finger in Kason’s general direction.“You didn’t hesitate to brag about how we were involved, but you denied Jordan.That’s not how this works.In fact, it won’t work at all.Because I’m sure as hell not a weapon to be used against him—to gut him like you just did.No.”Wren waved her hands in front of her.She choked on a sob, breaking Jordan’s heart and kindling his rage.

“Come inside, so we can talk.Please?”Kason begged, exhaustion and pain clear in his strangled request.

“There’s no point.”Wren shook her head, causing another round of tears to leak from her eyes.“If you can’t accept Jordan—or should I say the parts of yourself that love him and want him—then there’s no way we can be in a relationship together.I refuse to be with someone who forces Jordan to hide.Where he has to be someone’s ‘Secret Love’ or wonder if he’s even really cared for on the most basic levels.”

Jordan should have spoken up, but it was impossible to defend Kason when Wren was right.He wanted to keep them together, but he wasn’t strong enough to do it alone.

“I’ve done that before and I already know how it would have ended.”Wren turned to Jordan then and said, “You know that, right?Whether or not Johnny died, we were doomed.”

He nodded.

“I’m not going to make that mistake again.It will only hurt worse if we pretend like we’ve found everything we need because I have what I want.”Wren started to cry in earnest then.When Jordan and Kason reached for her, she stumbled away from them both.“I’m not selfish enough to accept that arrangement.”

“You’re leaving me?”Kason lunged for her then, nearly tipping over on his crutches when she remained out of reach.“Don’t go.I need you.”

She looked up then, took a deep if shaky breath and dashed the tears from her face.“I love you, Kason.It’s not enough, though.I’ll always care for you and support you.I’m not going to vanish from your life.But I can’t pretend we have any hope for true happiness.If almost dying didn’t make you see what’s most important, nothing will.Jordan and I deserve better than that.”

Kason didn’t argue.All it would have taken was onesorryor a promise to do better.He said nothing.The last shred of Jordan’s hope evaporated.

“This is over.”Wren spun on her heel.Her shoulders heaved as she broke down.

Jordan had never seen her inconsolable before.

His horrified stare whipped between her and Kason, who was sagging on his crutches, defeated.He looked up barely long enough to croak, “She’s right.Go, Jordan.Take care of her.She deserves you.”

Rick stood off to the side, a smug smirk twisting his lips as they imploded.

Jordan had never wanted to punch someone so bad in his entire life.He snapped at the guy.“You win, asshole.I hope you can live with yourself once you realize what you’ve done.Someday, you’re going to love someone.Then you’ll see that the best things in life can’t be bought.”

Van put a hand on Jordan’s upper arm, keeping him from making a mistake by taking out his frustration and agony on the bastard’s pretty face.He leaned in and said, “Wren needs you.Don’t end up spending the night in a holding cell and leaving her alone.I’ll take care of Kason.You go after her.”

Jordan nodded.He glanced back at Kason, who was standing alone, defeated, in the middle of the hospital parking lot with his giant, flashy bus in the background behind him.Maybe fame and everything that came with it really were more important to him.If so, that wasn’t the kind of man Jordan could give his heart to.

Wren was smarter than him.She’d nailed this.It was time to go.He said simply, “Goodbye.”

Then he chased after Wren, who was already nearing their friends as they piled into their cars to head back to Middletown.

When he caught up to her, he put his hand on Wren’s shoulder and spun her around before squashing her in a bear hug.“I’m so sorry.”

She laid her head on his shoulder and looped her arms around her waist.As he held her and rocked her softly, she shook in his embrace.“No, I am.You deserve so much better than that.I’m so stupid.I believed that this was the time.That he was the right man for us both.That this is the way things were supposed to have worked out that made all the rest of what we’ve gone through worthwhile.I was wrong.So wrong.”

Jordan heard what she didn’t say.There was no sense in putting any more of her tears, angst, or faith into the situation only to be shattered when things fell apart down the line.

Still he couldn’t keep himself from checking over his shoulder one last time.Kason was still where they’d left him, being lectured by Rick.Nothing was going to change.

“Devra, will you guys give us a ride home?”he asked, trying to stay strong for Wren’s sake.

“Of course, but I’m sorry we have to.”She came over and hugged them both, as did Trevon and Quinn.They understood how bad Wren and Jordan were hurting since they’d nearly been torn apart once, not too long ago.

It was ironic that Jordan had been the one to help them, but he was powerless to do the same in his own case.

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