“Dammit.” She set the camera down and pulled her phone from the pocket of her jeans, expecting it to be Daniel calling yet again. But instead, Andre’s name lit up the screen. Her chest contracted. How could she talk to him without losing it? She could barely think of his or Jace’s name without wanting to do tequila shots with a Xanax chaser.
But she’d walked out on the both of them like a yellow-bellied coward. Hadn’t even told Andre good-bye. She knew he deserved better than that. By the third ring, she’d built up enough nerve to hit the button. “Hello?”
A breath. Then: “Hey, bella.”
She bit her lip, just the sound of his voice, the way he said her pet name, making her bones ache. “Hey Andre.”r: Roni Loren
When Andre’s muscles went slack, Jace rolled them both to the other side of the bed. Neither of them said anything for the longest time. They simply lay there on their backs, breathing hard and absorbing the impact of what had happened.
“You okay?” Andre asked, finally breaking the heavy silence.
Jace kept his gaze on the ceiling. “Yeah, you?”
“That was great.” He paused, as if positioning his thoughts. “It’s what I’ve wanted for a long time.”
The sentence hung in the air, as if there were a second half to it. “But?”
Andre released a breath. “I miss her, man. I want this. But . . .”
Andre didn’t have to explain. Jace knew exactly what he meant. What was happening between the two of them was great, but if Evan wasn’t with them, would any of it ever feel truly complete?
Jace climbed out of bed, reality settling down on him like a wet blanket. “I know. Believe me. I know.”
Andre sat up on his elbows. “We can’t just let her go.”
Jace grabbed two fresh towels out of his laundry basket, tossing one to Andre. “She’s never going to want to be with me.”
“You don’t know tha—”
“I got her pregnant, Dre. I took her virginity, and I got her pregnant.” He shook his head, his lungs’ capacity seeming to shrink. “She didn’t even trust me enough now to tell me I have a kid.”
TWENTY-EIGHT
Jace watched the fountain in the center of the building’s lobby get smaller and smaller as the glass elevator climbed to the top floor. The panel dinged, announcing he’d arrived, and Jace briefly considered punching the button to go right back down. He didn’t belong here anymore. He didn’t want to belong here.
But after looking at every possible scenario, including selling everything he owned, he’d come to the same damn conclusion. If he wanted to protect Evan, he had only one choice.
He stepped off the elevator and into the busy but quiet hallway. Men and women in expensive suits politely nodded at each other as they made their way in or out from their lunch break. Jace’s stomach turned.
He’d worked here for years, doing all he could to prove to everyone that he was worth something. That he could be as successful as his father. And Jace had managed to put a dent in that goal. Three years out of college, he’d been one of the top five earners in the company. And he’d been completely fucking miserable. All the slick smiles, the false handshakes, the endless small talk. Like you actually cared about your client’s golf swing.
The whole thing had been like one endless role-playing game where everyone had a script to read from and a cue to follow.
And now Jace was going to step back into that hell.
He straightened the tie he’d dug out of the back of his closet, straightened his shoulders, and headed down the hall that led to his father’s office. Might as well get it over with. A kick in the nuts wouldn’t hurt any less later.
He passed a couple of open doors, but kept his attention forward. One step in front of the other. The muffled sound of hard-soled shoes on ugly gray carpet mixing with the faint click of keyboards. Jace imagined that’s what a death march sounded like. Click. Click. Tap.
He turned to round a corner, but a voice held him up.
“Jace?”
Jace glanced behind him to find his older brother leaning out of one of the offices. Great. Just what he needed. An audience to witness his humiliation. “Hey, Wy.”
Wyatt gave Jace a head to toe once-over, a crease forming in his forehead. “What are you doing here?”
Jace pulled at the knot of his tie. “Don’t ask.”