Along his walk, he faced some hard truths.
Ann was right about the baby. They hadn’t been ready, and nature must have sensed it. He felt stupid for being so attached to something so long ago, but he thought he deserved to mourn. What kind of bastard would he be to feel nothing for what might have been his child?
But the other truth, the thing that continued to haunt him and maybe always would… Had Ann really been stringing him along? He’d confessed his love, had thought she had too. Yet… She’d been icy to him that first day when he’d picked up Josh. Why date a guy she thought had not only cheated on her, but dumped her for Selena after such a traumatic experience?
That stymied him. In her place, he well understood her need for revenge. But how much of what she felt for him had been real, and how much was staged? She now knew he had been a victim to Selena’s lies, like her. But what did that mean in the grand scheme of things?
They weren’t moving in together. She had her place, he had his. She’d agreed to take things slowly. Did she have another motive for wanting space? So that whenshedumpedhimthis time, she had her own place to go back to?
He wished he knew what she really thought. He hated feeling stupid. Used. And he wasn’t even sure he deserved to feel bad, because she could be telling the truth. Maybe she did love him after all. He hadn’t been as bad as he’d thought he was in high school. He’d sexually satisfied her. He knew that much.
But the rest? Affection or revenge? Did she love him? Could she after what she’d suffered at such an impressionable age? The more he thought about it, the worse he felt. Ann had a reason to be angry, but she was at heart a kind woman. Maybe she’d started out with the intent to get him back but had lost her nerve. What if he’d been steadily falling in love, and she’d been feeling nothing but gentle affection? What if now she didn’t know how to let him down easily and was going out with him out of a sense of misguided pity? Christ, that would be worse than her trying to make him pay for the past. Dating him because she was too nice to hurt his fucking feelings.
He continued to think long and hard on his way back. He texted everyone who’d called him that he was fine, just needed some time to think. To Ann, he sent the same. A generic but polite message to give him some space alone.
And he felt even hollower without her, moron that he was.
Ann didn’t know what do to. It had been a week. Jack wasn’t talking to her. Maya was beside herself apologizing every time they met. Ann sat on Riley’s couch, trying to believe things could still work out while her friends tried to cheer her up.
“God, Ann. If I’d just kept my mouth shut I—”
“Enough! Maya, so help me, if I hear one more apology from you, I will slap you into tomorrow,” Ann snarled. “He overheard the truth. Fine. The problem isn’t you or him, it’s me. I never should have come up with that stupid idea for revenge in the first place. It was a terrible thing to do, and it backfired on me.”
“Karma,” Maya said, subdued.
“Enough with the meekness. Bitch up, damn it.”
Maya blinked. “Bitch up?”
“I think she means man up,” Riley said. “Except you’re not a man, so…”
“Oh.” Maya grinned, looking relieved. “I like it.”
Ann muttered, “You would. Okay, you two. I’m at the end of my rope. What do I do?”
“About?”
“Hello?Jack.Who the hell have I been talking about?”
“There. That’s what you needed.” Riley and Maya nodded.
“What? A headache from explaining myself to the thickheaded one?”
“I prefer dense,” Maya said. “Kidding. No, you needed some fire under your ass. You’ve been trudging around like the walking wounded. Bitch up yourself. Get over it.”
Before Ann could light into her, Riley put a hand on her shoulder. “I think what Maya means is that we’re worried about you. The last time you fell for Jack, it all imploded. This time the truth came out. So Jack needed his time to process. I think a week is plenty.”
Maya nodded. “Me too. You need to take care of this. No more sulking for you or the sexy vampire. And yeah, I’m going to call him that from now on because he rocked that Halloween costume.”
“And he gave us roses.” Riley smiled.
“White roses. I love flowers.”
Ann didn’t mean to, but she started crying. She’d been overemotional all week and hiding it from everyone. Even her friends didn’t know about her crying jags that lasted all night at the thought of losing Jack again. He was her best friend. A guy who had been everything she’d wanted twelve years ago and today. To learn she’d been wrong about him both hurt and elated her.
“Oh shit. Get the tissues.” Maya literally hurtled the couch and grabbed Ann in a big fat hug. “Get it out, Ms. Weaver. I’m so sor—” she broke off when Ann growled at her. “I mean, I’m sad to know Jack is being an ass again. We should go fix that.”
“Right. Because you’ve beensohelpful up till now,” Riley said drily. She handed Ann a tissue. “Clean up, girl, then get your battle armor on.”
