I’m silent as this new info sinks into my brain. “And you enjoy it?” All I can think about is courtroom fights. Jas hated conflict of any kind. Why would she pick a job that forced her into constant confrontations?
“I do. Obviously, I had a lot of crap to work through before I was ready to make that decision, but the therapy helped a lot.”
Therapy? I’ve no idea what to say to that. Although, after we lost the kid and Jas left, I kicked the shit out of anyone who looked at me wrong. Took almost a year before my head cleared. Guess that was a kind of therapy, too.
“You must be doing all right for yourself.”
She loops her arms around my waist. “Not as well as you might think. I work in a non-profit, specializing in cases of sexual assault, domestic violence, and discrimination against women and minorities. Keeps me busy.”
“I’ll bet.” Pride washes through me at how much she’s achieved. Would she have done so well if she’d stayed in L.A.? That’s enough to cast a shadow over it all. “Is that part of the reason why you left? Because your dad could offer you more than if you’d stayed with your mom?” And if so, why didn’t she tell me that? I knew her old man had always said she could go live with him at any time, but she’d never seemed at all keen to take him up on the offer.
And then, without warning, she did.
She frowns as though she has no idea why I’d think that. “No. That had nothing to do with it. I couldn’t stay here after what happened. I was so young, Ty. I just needed to get away.”
Unease snakes through me, although I don’t know why. She’s talking about the baby. Obviously. Except I get this unsettling vibe that she’s not.
“After what happened?”
She stares at me as if I’m speaking Greek. “What?”
“You’re talking about losing the baby, right?” Why am I pushing this? Of course, she is.
Isn’t she?
There’s a pause, as though she’s thinking about her answer. But what’s there to think about? “Yes” is all she needs to say.
What else could she say?
Finally, she gives me a small smile that for some reason doesn’t reassure me at all. “Of course.”
I pull her closer. There’s a sick sensation in the pit of my stomach, and I don’t want to discuss this, but I need to know. “Did anything happen you’re not telling me about?” What do I even mean by that? All I know is something’s not right. “Did your mom find out you were pregnant and give you a hard time?” My real question thuds between us.Is that why you lost the baby?Is that even possible?
“No.” She hesitates like she’s debating again whether to say anything more. “I wondered for a long time if the reason I miscarried was because of something that happened, but…no.”
Because of something that happened?I’m about to call her on that when she goes onto her toes and brushes a kiss across my lips. “Do you really want me to show you the stats on the possible causes for spontaneous miscarriage?”
Fuck, no. I hold her tight, as though that’s going to help, and she holds me right back. There’s no need to go over old history. Not when she’s here now.
Don’t fucking go there.
Too late. I already have.
Chapter Eleven
Jasmine
I breathe in deep, and the familiar scent of Ty’s leather and cologne is as addictive as the way he’s holding me—as though I’m his everything, and there’s nothing that can tear us apart.
Grow up, Jas. We lost that battle years ago.
My eyes close, and I sink against his hard body, loving how safe and right this feels. He’s not tearing my clothes off, or shoving me over his desk, or acting like all that’s between us is sex. This is the Ty I fell in love with. The one guy who treated me as though I was someone special. Someone worth fighting for.
It’s an illusion. I can’t let all my barriers down the way I almost did just now. He can never know what happened that day.
When I was seventeen, Viper terrified me into silence. But even then I knew if I confided in Ty he’d never have let that go. It wouldn’t be only his family he confronted. It’d be the whole club, and in the end, he’d be forced to make a choice.
I was afraid that when his back was against the wall and he faced the consequences of defending a girl his family despised, he’d chose his club over me.
