Dad
Jessi, I’m busy. There would be nothing for you to do out here, and I can’t be distracted having to worry about you here alone most of the time. You’re nineteen. You need to learn to be independent. Please drop this.
I toss my phone on the coffee table and lay my head against the back of the couch.What a joke.The dad I know would’ve been happy to have me visit him. But that was before Shannon and the new job changed our whole fucking life.
I close my eyes and pray that I figure out my next move quick.
CHAPTER 21
JACK
Itold Jessi I would be home at nine, but by the time I maneuver the bike into the garage, it’s closer to ten. I picture Jessi passed out in her new bed, her hair spilled over her pillow, and vow to talk more to her about everything tomorrow. Because Mike is right. If we go down this path, it could end badly.
I open the door slowly, trying to minimize the noise in case she’s asleep. Upstairs, her light is on, so I head up and peek my head around the doorframe. The space is vastly different from the rest of my house. It’s light and airy, full of lavender, light blues, and white. It reminds me of her.
Why does her stamping a mark on my home warm my heart? I shake my head. This is precisely why she shouldn’t stay here. I might want more than just to look out for her.
It’s then that I notice Jessi isn’t in the room at all.
I head downstairs, my irritation and panic growing in my gut. I swear to God if she went back to her house without me, I’ll give her an earful she won’t forget.
I spot her tiny frame slumped against the living room couch and relax. Her phone lights up next to her.
I creep up to her and stare at the messages crowding the screen.
Unknown
Whore
Unknown
Liar
Unknown
Loser
Unknown
You know you wanted it
My blood is boiling. I swipe my thumb across the screen, and to my surprise, the phone unlocks. I delete all the texts, and spy Rachel’s name in another text thread.
Jessi
I hope you enjoy dating a sex offender.
Rachel
Grow up.
I thought these two were friends.
I return Jessi’s phone to the coffee table and shut off the TV. Jessi doesn’t flinch. The more I gaze at her, the harder it is to tear my eyes away. She magnetizes me.
Her tanned skin and golden-brown hair shines in the moonlight pouring in from the windows. I could stare at her for hours, but if she wakes up, she’ll think I’m a creeper, so I ponder ways to get her to bed. I don’t want to wake her, but she isn’t staying on the couch. She deserves to be in her own space. Cocooned in her top-of-the-line bed.
As I remove my cut and riding boots, I steal glances at her. Then I bend down and snake one arm behind her shoulders and one under her knees. She smells like a field of flowers. It’sintoxicating. I can’t help but bury my nose in her hair, trying to memorize the exact note of the scent. What I would do to wake up next to her smell every day.
