“Adorable,” Jack said quietly.
When I glanced at him, I saw this expression on his face I was too afraid to read. It seemed a lot like how Lake and River looked at their guys.
“Did things get better?” I asked, moving to Apple’s side to give Mollie pets.
“Yeah. Took a while. Intensive therapy and a friend who had some insights.”
My heart did a somersault in my chest. “Any conclusions?”
“You could say that.” Jack opened the door and waited for me to come out of the stall. “I know that if you’ll have me, I’m yours.”
I looked at him, the eye contact almost painful somehow. “And if I don’t?”
His features tightened. “If you say never, then that’s okay. I’ll…” He looked away briefly. “I guess I’d get over this eventually. It would be harder to stay, but I still would.”
“A masochist, are we?”
He let out a wry chuckle and shook his head. “No, just hopelessly in love.”
Chapter 24
Jack
Seeing Rey again felt like coming home just as much or maybe more than coming to the rescue did.
Saying those words out loud to him scared the shit out of me, but I couldn’t lie anymore.
I wasn’t sure what I thought his response would be, but it wasn’t a head tilt, a heartbreaking, wry little grin, and “We’ll see about that once you’ve met my dad.”
I grimaced. “I know who he is,” I confessed.
“Oh?” Rey’s tone was so, so carefully neutral.
“I may have used my connections to check you and your family out months ago.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Even though I said I didn’t want anyone to look.”
“You gave me his name, and yours,” I pointed out. “And I did it safely, through an actual hacker. I…” I took a few steps away from him on the concrete aisle. “I needed to know what I was up against, if it ever came time to keep you safe.”
For a moment, I didn’t know which way this would go.
“Lying by omission is still lying, Jack.”
“I know.” I shrugged. “I’d still do it again if it meant you were safer.” I could tell he didn’t like my answer. “I’ll never lie to you about anything that’s important.”
His eyes were hard and hurt, when he snapped, “But you did. The one thing, Jack.”
“So, you’re saying that you didn’t think I’d use the information to my advantage at some point?” I knew him well enough to know that was exactly why he’d given it to me andonlyme. “When did you tell everyone else who you were?”
He made a cute growling sound. “The day I used the card.”
“Huh.”
“I fucking hate you,” he said.
I smirked. “No, you don’t.”
He walked into me and wrapped his arms around me. “No, I don’t,” he grunted against my chest.
