She just blinked at me, her eyes shining withtears.
“I have about two hundred thousand memories of you like that,” I told her, “and I loved you in every single oneofthem.”
It was raining harder, and the rivulets streaming down the windows made shadows on her face that almost disguised the tears rolling down her cheeks. “Why didn’t youtellme?”
“Because you were fifteen and I was twenty and it just… it wasn’tright.”
“I’m eighteen now,” she said, and she took a deep, shuddering breath. “When is it ever going to be right,Brody?”
I reached over, drew her face close to mine, and Ikissedher.
The feel of her, warm and wet as I sucked on her tongue and she bit softly on my bottom lip… the taste of her and the soft slide of her lips as she entwined her hands in my hair… This was fuckingeverything.
I dragged her closer until she was wrapped around me, until she was sitting in my lap while the windows fogged up and the rain beat down, her heart thumping against mychest.
“I won’t share you, Jessa,” I managed to utter betweenkisses.
“Share me…” she breathed. “What doyoumean?”
“Seth,” I said, and I regretted it the second it was out of mymouth.
Her body wentrigid.
Herfacefell.
“I don’t know what’s going on, between the twoofyou—”
She pulled away, out of my grasp. “I have to go.” She didn’t even look at me when shesaidit.
“Jessa—”
“I have a modeling gig. I’llbelate.”
“I can give youaride.”
“I don’tneedone.”
She was already opening the door, so I gave in. Anxiety was firing off her like sparks, raising the hairs on my skin. It totally fuckingunnervedme.
It always did when she turned tail and took the fuck off—which she didalot.
But I caught her hand, stopping her. “Okay, sweetheart,” I told her. “We’ll talklater,yeah?”
“Yeah,”shesaid.
“Call me if you needaride.”
Her brown eyes met mine. She nodded. Then I let her go. I watched her climb out of my truck and dash off throughtherain.
We didn’t talklater.
Instead, she pretty much avoided me until she left for Europe. She was away for two long months. Then she started college. I left with Dirty on our firstworldtour.
I saw her one more time on a break inthattour.
And then… six-and-a-half yearswouldpass.
If I’d known, I never would’ve let her gothatday.
