I let out a shaky breath, pressing a hand to my forehead and squeezing my eyes shut for a second. “I thought Alex was just using me because of the situation.”
I’d thought I didn’t belong and that I never would. I’d thought I was protecting myself by walking away from a family who would take what they needed, chew me up, and spit me right back out.
Jane exhaled a deep, long breath through her nostrils, an apologetic smile forming on her lips. “I’m sure it did come across that way. That’s why I started by saying that there was a misunderstanding. Alex assumed that Jesse had already spoken to you about getting engaged, so when he told Jesse that he had to do itnow, he didn’t realize what it was going to sound like. Frankly, he also wasn’t convinced Jesse was actually going to follow through with it until he saw that look in his eyes.”
“God, that’s what he was trying to tell me. After, I mean.” I let out a quiet groan, dropping my head into my hands. “I feel like an idiot.”
“That’s a fairly normal part of falling in love.” Jane’s voice was kind, but there was a hint of amusement there now.
“Falling in love,” I repeated dryly, feeling like my heart was about to climb out of my chest. “I hate that.”
“Most people do.”
Finally, I looked up at her again. “Okay, so what do I do? I was so convinced I was right about everything that I didn’t listen. Then I walked away and broke both our hearts. Now I don’t even know where he is. I mean, I want to believe I can somehow fix it, but I honestly don’t even know how or where to begin.”
Jane watched me for a moment, then leaned forward and locked her eyes on mine. “Well, I might not be able to help with the rest of it, but what possible reason does Jesse have to be in France?”
CHAPTER 35
JESSE
If anyone had told me a week ago that I’d be standing on the street outside Thomas’s Paris house, flanked by Colin and Zach of all people, like we were about to stage the world’s most polite home invasion, I would’ve laughed.
“We still have time to add a little flair,” Colin said beside me, adjusting his jacket like he was about to walk the red carpet instead of commit what was, at best, a questionable legal decision—especiallyin a foreign country.
“No flair,” I said without even looking at him. “We’ve talked about this. At length.”
“I just think a dramatic entrance sets the tone.”
“The tone isgive me the dog and don’t make this worse for yourself,” Zach muttered from my other side. “We’re not trying to be his entertainment for the day.”
Colin sighed. “Neither of you have any vision.”
“I have vision,” I said. “It involves us scaring the shit out of him and leaving here with Hubert. No bagpipes necessary.”
“We could’ve at least brought a boom box,” he grumbled.
“We’re not serenading him,” Zach said, but he sounded amused now. “Why on God’s green earth would three fully grown men bring a boombox to blackmail another fully grownman? He’s an enemy, not a girl we’re trying to convince to go to prom with us.”
Before Colin could respond, we’d reached the narrow front door that led directly into the little courtyard we’d just marched through, and I knocked without hesitating. “Get it together. Both of you. Game faces on. We’ll debate the appropriateness of bringing a boombox to blackmail during our postmortem later.”
I knocked again, letting my fist fall hard against the wood. A minute later, I finally heard movement inside, the sound of footsteps shuffling toward the door. When it opened, Thomas was visibly disheveled, his hair a mess and his shirt on inside out.
He blinked a few times before he frowned. “Jesse?”
“Hi,” I said pleasantly. “I hope we’re not interrupting anything.”
He didn’t step aside to let us in, but I shoved the door open all the way and scooted around him, walking straight into his house.
“Hey,” he started, spinning fast to scowl after me. “You can’t just?—”
“I can,” I said over my shoulder. “It doesn’t really matter anyway, because I already have. Nice place you’ve got here.”
I looked around at the hardwood floors and overflowing bookshelves. Zach followed me in without hesitation and Colin came too, giving Thomas a cheerful little wave as he walked in like he’d been invited. “Lovely place. It’s very French.”
Thomas shut the door a little too hard behind us. “What the hell are you doing here?”
I took a pointed, slow look around, like I was considering redecorating. In addition to an easel with actual canvasses stacked beside it and overstuffed couches in the living room, there was a dog bed. I grinned. “We’re just tying up loose ends.”
