“Jackie—”
“You’re all I have.”
The faintest crack appeared in my armor as her voice broke. “Shit,” I muttered. “You may need some support, but I can’t be that person.”
Jackie gripped my arm, her nails digging into my skin. “You’re the only one who can help. There’s no one else. You’re it. You and Birdie and Sage. We can be a family again.”
I pulled my arm from her grasp. “We can’t.” My tone was firm but not cruel. “Look, there are support services—”
“Did you cheat on me?”
My eyes flared. “What?”
“You heard me. Were you fucking Hadley the entire time we were together? She was barely legal back then. It’s sick.”
“Inevercheated on you. Not once.” I knew the same couldn’t be said for Jackie. I’d never forget having to go to my doctor for an STD test, wondering if something would come back positive. I’d never forget the relief when I found out that I was in the clear.
“She’s manipulating you. She always has. So, her sister was kidnapped. Boohoo. She’s fine now. I’m the one who needs you, not her.”
“Enough, Jackie,” I barked. “This has to stop. I can’t help you. We’ll never get back together. And I won’t have you bringing dangerous people into my daughters’ lives.”
Jackie paled. “W-what are you talking about?”
“I know you got mixed up with some seriously bad people, Jackie. If you really loved Birdie and Sage, you’d be moving to the other side of the country to keep them safe.”
“They don’t know where I am. I swear, they don’t—”
“How hard do you think they would have to look before they found you? This is where you used to live, where you have ties to a community.”
“No, they won’t find me here.”
I bit back the urge to scream. “Come back to reality. Of course, they can.”
Tears filled Jackie’s eyes. “Hadley stole you from me. All of you. If she would’ve just stayed away—”
“The outcome would’ve been exactly the same.” Only I’d be living a half-life, that same half-full existence I’d lived for years after the accident. I wouldn’t ever go back there.
I pulled out my wallet, searching for a card. I handed it to Jackie. “This is a therapist in town. She’s good. She can help you.” I’d sent a number of folks to her after traumatizing accidents or fires. “But you have to stay away from me now. From Birdie and Sage. From Hadley.”
Jackie stared down at the card. “Why are you throwing me away?”
“You threw yourself away the moment you drove high with Birdie and Sage in the car. That was your choice. You can make amends for that one day, but not by pulling what you are now. Get your head straight. Deal with the mess you’ve made. Then maybe one day you can have a relationship with those girls, but a relationship with me is off the table.”
Jackie’s gaze rose to meet mine, her eyes glittering. “You’ll see. One day you’ll realize we’re meant to be. And I’ll be here, waiting.”
There wasn’t anything else to say, I had to simply walk away. I turned around and headed for the coffee shop. I ordered Hadley’s latte and breakfast burrito in a blur. I barely remembered what I ordered for myself and Hayes.
As I headed back out into the morning light, I scanned the street, looking for any sign of Jackie. There was none. It was as if she had simply vanished into thin air. I wished it were that simple. That I could beam my ex to the other side of the country.
I strode down the sidewalk, the sheriff’s station coming into view. Hadley had the back hatch of my SUV open and sat perched on the back bumper, her face tipped up to the sun. My steps faltered for a moment as I took her in. God, she was beautiful. Everything about her pulled me in.
Those ice-blue eyes opened and looked straight at me. “Hey.” The peaceful happiness slipped from her expression. “What’s wrong?”
I must’ve carried more of the residual tension from my encounter with Jackie than I realized. “Let’s go inside. I’ll fill you and Hayes in at the same time.” I didn’t want to have to recount it more than once. I didn’t want that garbage in Hadley’s head.
“Hell,” she muttered, closing the back of my SUV and then taking the tray of coffees from me.
With my free hand I tugged Hadley closer to me. “No matter what, we’ll be okay.”