Page 68 of Eight Years Gone

“You’re sure this is what you want? He’s what you want?”

“He’s all I’ve ever wanted.” She winced as Ben removed his hand from hers because she certainly hadn’t meant to say that.

She needed him to understand. “Jagger moved into my family’s home in high school. My dad took advantage of Jagger’s disadvantaged background and the fact that he was a phenom of sorts. He excelled at pretty much everything: sports and academics.”

Ben nodded. “I’ve heard.”

She smiled. “Chiropractors.”

He smiled back. “Chiropractors.”

She traced the outline of her cup. “We were cautious friends at best until my dad made us start studying together.”

Ben sipped his coffee. “And the rest is history.”

She nodded. “Pretty much. Things got serious fast—stayed serious. We were together nearly every day for five years.”

“But he left you, Grace.”

She nodded again. “I wanted to hate him. I’ve put a lot of effort into trying, but I’ve never managed to accomplish it.”

She sighed as she looked at a car passing by before she met his gaze again. “Jagger was Logan’s best friend. They met at the taekwondo studio when Logan joined late in his eighth-grade year. Jagger had been practicing for years by that point. He was already a black belt. He took Logan under his wing—spent a lot of time helping him quickly advance through some of the earlier belts.” She exhaled another quiet breath. “Jagger was there the night my brother died—”

“You don’t have to talk about this. I know it upsets you.”

She’d never talked about the details of that night to anyone but Christy. “I want you to know.”

“Okay.”

“Jagger tried to save Logan, but my brother lost too much blood.”

“It was a gunshot wound?”

Grace nodded, not bothering to ask how he knew. Logan’s death had rocked Preston Valley—had made the news. The rumor mill had run rampant for a long time.

“Logan was struggling with addiction. He got injured at the football state championships our senior year. He got sacked on the last play of the game. He suffered from a major shoulder separation and needed surgery. Shortly after, he got hooked on the pain pills.”

Ben sighed. “Unfortunately, that happens.”

“My dad’s orthopedic center is famous for its pre- and post-surgical super infusions and regenerative stem cell therapies. Patients heal significantly faster when they work with his team, but there was a lot of bad blood between my dad and brother. Logan never forgave my dad for remarrying so quickly after my mom died, so Logan refused to let him help with the recovery process.”

“That’s tough.”

Grace nodded. “Nothing was the same after that. Logan started running with the wrong crowd—Jagger’s older brother and some other guys. When he died, my dad blamed Jagger. He threatened to cut me off if Jagger didn’t leave. Jagger left that night, joined the military, and became one of the best of the best.”

“And now he’s here.”

She covered Ben’s hand this time. “And now he’s here.”

He gave her fingers a squeeze. “I get it.”

Grace smiled. “I appreciate that you do.”

Ben exhaled a long breath. “I guess timing is everything.”

“It is.” But it was so much more than that. She’d been waiting for Jagger for eight years. She’d been in love with him for almost half her life. He’d been “the one” since the beginning. Even if he had come back a year from now or even five, that fact would have remained entirely true. Jagger would always be hers.

“So, you guys are going to try again?”

---