“You’re not a mess.” Jack’s arm slid over the back of the couch as he shifted closer to me.
“You don’t have to stay,” I said, but then I remembered. “Oh no. You left your truck there. I’m not sure if Neil—” My hands fell to my lap, and I forced my next breath to be slow and deep. “We shouldn’t leave it there.”
“Sean’s already picking it up for me. He’ll be here soon.”
“You called Sean?” Of course he had. Who else would be better to call?
“I couldn’t have gone back to that house without—” Jack broke off, grimacing.
“He was awful, wasn’t he?” I whispered, swallowing. “It’s so confusing. One second he’s begging me to forgive him, saying he loves me, and then…” I shook my head, wincing. “What does itsay about me that I didn’t see it? Twenty years, and I only saw what I wanted to see.”
“People like that, they don’t always start like that.” Jack shifted my hair behind my ear, stroking my cheek. “They often show the best of themselves. And you’re someone who already tries to see the good in people. That’s all it says about you.”
I searched his eyes, only seeing warmth and kindness. So much kindness. If he wasn’t careful, I was going to latch on and never let go. “I’m sorry. First my mom, then Neil… After all that, you shouldn’t have to deal with me, too.” I pushed his hand away, scrambling up from the couch. “I’ll make you some coffee, but when Sean gets here, you should probably go. You’ve had to see enough of my drama today.”
“Hailey.” Jack grabbed my hand. “This isn’t me ‘dealing with you.’ I care about you. I want to be here. There’s nowhere else I want to be.”
My lips trembled as I stared down at his hand. “But I’m such a mess.”
“You’re not a mess. You’re hurt.” He squeezed my hand. “If you want to be alone, I’ll leave, but I don’t think that’s what you want. I think you want exactly what we were doing. If that’s true, come back here so I can hold you.”
I shifted a step closer, my knees bumping his on the couch. “Are you sure it’s not too much?” I asked.
“It’s not too much,” he said, tugging on my hand.
I settled against him again, and his arms wrapped around me. His heart thumped steady and strong beneath my ear as Islipped my arms around to his back. “Will you tell me? If I ever get to be too much?”
He let out a breath, his hands rubbing circles on my back. “I will, but it’s not going to happen. You’re not weak like you’re thinking. You were so strong today.”
I shook my head against his chest. “I cried all over you.”
“You were sucker punched by two people who should have loved you, and you stood up to them. Yes, they hurt you, but you were the one taking steps to stop it from happening again.”
“You were there, too. It was easier with you there.” Jack was the one who was amazing, not me.
“You don’t understand how hard it was for me not to bundle you up and take you away from them. I was there as moral support and to keep you physically safe, but you were the one standing up for yourself.”
“I don’t feel strong,” I mumbled.
“Because you don’t see yourself the way I do. If you want to change anything about yourself, you can work on changing that.”
I closed my eyes, breathing him in. “I like having you here like this. Too much.”
“And I like being here. Probably a bit too much.”
I let out a hiccupping laugh, relaxing against him.
My heart had slowed by the time Jack’s phone vibrated, and he pulled it out. “Sean’s here. You okay if he lets himself in?”
I’d given Sean a spare key to my apartment, just in case. “Yeah,” I murmured, much too content right where I was.
When the door opened, my eyelids rose to see Sean’s worried expression. “Hey, honey. Heard you had a shitty day.”
I snorted, sitting up a little straighter, but not pulling away from Jack. “Understatement,” I murmured.
Sean moved over to the couch, settling in on my other side, his hand already rubbing my shoulder.
Jack made a sound in his throat. “What the hell, Sean? Weren’t you the one to lecture me?”
