Evan’s nails dug into the soft earth beneath the tree, trying to find a grip in her spinning world. Jace knew. He knew she’d betrayed him in the worst possible way. “Oh, God, he must hate me.”
“Bella, you need to tell him the truth. Can you come to the loft tonight so we can all talk?”
She leaned her head back against the bark of the tree, tears filling her eyes. “Yes. I’ll be there.”
THIRTY
Evan wiped off the sweat that had formed on her forehead after making the trek up the stairs to Jace and Andre’s loft. She hiked her purse up higher on her shoulder, gripping the strap as if it was the only thing holding her upright. On the long drive here, she’d gone over and over how she could have this conversation. But there was no way to make it any easier. She’d had Marcus meet her a few miles before she hit city limits to give her something she needed to pass along to Jace, but other than that, she had no plan.
The fact was Jace knew a secret that should’ve never been kept from him.
And he probably hated her. Deservedly so.
And now it was time to tell him the information she should’ve provided him with all those years ago.
Her hand shook as she raised it to the door, but she managed to knock and not run back down the stairs. A few seconds passed and she thought maybe they weren’t home, but then the door swung open. Andre stood there in track pants and a standard-issue Dallas PD T-shirt, his tired eyes lighting when he saw her standing on the other side.
She almost imploded with the need to throw her arms around his neck and bury herself in his comfort. But that wasn’t what she’d come here for. And she had no idea where she stood with Andre. She hadn’t betrayed him like she had Jace, but she had walked away from his love to go to Daniel.
“Bella,” Andre said, the word so soft, but landing heavily against her. His gaze traced over her face.
She automatically touched her cheek, knowing her face was probably puffy from crying. “Hi. Is Jace home? I— We all need to talk.”
Andre extended the arm that was holding the door, pushing it wide and giving her a view of Jace sitting in the living area behind him. “Come on in.”
Jace looked her way when she stepped inside, pain marching across his face at the mere sight of her. He turned to the news on TV, his voice coming out hollow. “Andre called you.”
She swallowed hard. “Yes.”
Jace sniffed.
Andre’s large hand cupped her elbow as he stepped up beside her. “Come on, bella. Sit. You two need to talk.”
He led her to an armchair then sat down on the couch next to Jace, leaving her alone to face the both of them. Andre took the remote control from Jace’s hand and clicked the TV off. Jace didn’t stop looking in that direction. “You don’t have to worry about the information going public. I took care of things with Diana.”
Meaning he’d paid that wretched woman. Which made Evan feel even more like shit. “Thank you.”
Quiet filled the room, the airy loft filling with the thick sludge of silence.
She set her purse on the floor and then laced her fingers in front of her in her lap, staring at her hands like they held the script on how to say the right thing. They didn’t, so she went for the only thing she could say. “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you, Jace.”
He winced, closed his eyes. “You told me that night you were on the pill. I would’ve never—”
She shook her head. “I was on it. I didn’t know you had to take it longer than a month for it to be effective.”
He looked at her finally, grief not anger shifting his features. “Why didn’t you come back to me, Ev? I would’ve helped you. Would’ve given you . . . and our baby whatever you needed.”
The hurt in his voice was like tiny particles of glass digging into every vulnerable spot inside of her. “You were nineteen. And you were . . .”
His lip curled. “Go ahead. Say it. I was what? Irresponsible? A fuckup? The guy who took advantage of you because he didn’t know how to keep his dick in his pants? Believe me, it’s nothing I don’t already know.”
“No,” she said, her voice sharper than intended. “I loved you, dammit, and you were on your way to being something. I wasn’t going to be the person to screw that up.”
He scoffed. “Yeah, ’cause look how great I turned out, right?”
She held out her hands. “You did turn out great! Look at what you’ve built for yourself, the man you’ve become.”
“I’m a guy who owns a sex shop, Ev. Who’s been disowned by his family. And who is apparently a deadbeat dad who didn’t even know I had a child out there. Yeah, some man. No wonder you’d rather marry Daniel.”