I didn’t say anything, just nodded at him to finish.
“When we had that, um, scare.” He puffed out air. “I think why I was so, um—Disappointed, in the results, I guess. Was, well. I knew it would have been the only thing that would have kept us together at that point.”
“I was disappointed too,” I admitted, probably for the first time even to myself.
“I don’t think you were then,” Jace said quietly, his face squinched with pain. “Your reaction. God. It was so, definitive. You wouldn’t even consider ever raising a kid with me. You said you were getting your tubes tied. It broke my heart.”
“Jace—” I reached for him.
He shook his head, and I moved my hand back, stung.
“I was out getting this poppy tattoo, planning a future with you. You’d already booked your ticket to get away from me.” Jace looked at me sadly and stroked the red flower on his arm. “Even before you took the tests. It was already booked. I was so pissed. Hurt. You even contemplated not telling me. Even if you’d been pregnant, you might’ve have left. That’s when I knew you didn’t want me.”
I covered my mouth with my hand.
Jace took a deep breath. “I can’t believe it’s been almost two years.”
“You unfollowed me, and I never heard from you.” I shook my head. “I thought you were relieved for it to be over.”
“No, I just didn’t want to see—I couldn’t see you with anyone else.” Jace lay back down next to me. “I wanted to give you space. I really thought you’d show up somewhere. I never stopped hoping.”
“Part of me has always thought that I was chasing you and you were just humoring the kid who had such an obvious crush on you.” I couldn’t stop a tear from escaping. “It’s been our dynamic.”
Jace wiped my tear with his finger before it rolled down my cheek. “Fuck, Poppy. That’s what you think our dynamic is? You’ve had me completely wrapped around your finger all of these years, and you don’t even know it.”
“Since that first time we had sex, I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you, Jace.” My heart was overwhelmed with his confession. “But I’ve always had my own goals and dreams that were just as important to me. I’ve settled back down in Seattle now. I’m going to start my own horse rescue soon. I don’t want to go on the road anymore.”
“And I’m about to go back out on tour.” He took my hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it.
An endless cycle of heartbreak.
Chapter 17
JACE
There was nowhere I’d rather be than quietly cuddling on the bed after such cathartic and long-overdue confessions. While we wound down from the emotional afternoon, I tried to process what this unexpected reunion meant.
Earlier, after I’d checked in and stepped out onto my hotel balcony to take in the view of the pool, my eyes had been drawn to and fixed on Alex immediately. My heart had stopped. Even from a distance, I’d know her anywhere.
Anytime.
Anyplace.
My first instinct was to ignore her. To try to forget I’d seen her supple, tan curves, sexy hipbones jutting just above her bikini bottom. Her toned long legs. Her succulent tits straining against the tiny scraps of fabric. I’d paced my room. Went and got a beer at the lobby bar. Went back to my room and closed the curtains. Peeked out of the curtains to gawk at her flawless body, hard dick in my hand, stroking one out like a creepy stalker.
Nothing worked.
The next thing I knew I was sitting in the chair next to her.
“Jace?” Alex snapped her fingers in front of my eyes, taking me back to the present.
“You said that I know you better than anyone. I don’t think that’s true. But I want to. I really want to know all of you.”
“I don’t get what you mean.” She blinked up at me, obviously not following what I was trying to say.
“I’d like to go backward in time and start over.”
“Well, I don’t want to play games.” Alex buried her face back into my chest.
Stroking her hair, I really wanted to turn things around for us. “Me either. Maybe all we have done is play games.”
“You’re right. You’re so right.”
“So, let’s be together.” I kissed her head.
“Just like that.”
“Yep.”
She rubbed my stomach, tracing my still-rock-hard abs. All the working out Ty and I had done over the past couple of years had changed my six-pack into an eight-pack.
We lay staring at each other for what seemed like forever.
“So, just like before, you want me to stop what I’m doing to go on tour with you?” Alex didn’t seem all that thrilled at the prospect.
I couldn’t blame her. It didn’t make sense when she had so much going on. It was time for me to make a few changes.
“No. My time is so packed when we are on the road. It will be even worse this time because we are compressing the tour. We’re going hard for four to six weeks then taking at least a week, maybe two, off. Repeat.”
Alex looked at me incredulously. “Well, then I’m not sure what you mean about us being together.”
“I’ll come home to you.”
“Huh?”
I ran my hand up and down her arm and squeezed her to me. “I mean, I’ll come to Seattle on my breaks. Unless you’re gonna be somewhere else, and then I’ll go there.”
Alex’s eyes bugged out like a cartoon character. “You’ll come to me?”
“Sure. Wherever you are.” I couldn’t stop smiling at the thought. “Or we could go away for a vacation. Whatever we want.”
Alex looked around the room, her expression confused. “Am I being punked? Do you mean it?”
I settled even
