I yawned and stretched, my morning wood bobbing against my stomach. “Wow, I haven’t slept that good in weeks.”
“Your phone is going nuts; you should probably have a look.” Alex pointed at where it was charging on the desk.
Picking it up, I saw there were about two hundred messages and a ton contained links to news articles. Figuring it was coverage of Zoey’s grand debut, I clicked on a few of the stories to discover that one very clear picture of Alex and I had been posted everywhere. My hair was a bit matted from being at the party all night, but Alex looked beautiful. Almost like a supermodel.
“Jace Deveraux dating Influencer Alex LeRoux.”
“Zoey who? It’s all LeRoux.”
“Another one Bites the Dust: Influencer Alex LeRoux snags LTZ Drummer.”
All the press would have been fine, but the series of texts from Jessica stopped me cold. Escalating from demands to call, to accusations of avoiding her to downright threats if I didn’t get the paternity test done by the next day, it was the last one that stopped me cold.
Jessica: I’ve tried getting a hold of you all fucking day. I know you don’t take your daughter seriously, but if you don’t take care of this shit then I’m going to the press to tell them the REAL story. You dated my sister, cheated on her with that whore influencer, led her on for years until you slipped her a roofie, and got her pregnant, only to ignore your baby until she got drunk and got killed. I have the story ready to go Jace so fucking call me within the hour, or I’m going to go public.
Jessica: one more thing, if you are out with that bitch again, all bets are off. It’s time to honor my sister’s legacy. You did her wrong, and now it’s time to pay.
My heart stopped cold. Ice prickled down my hairline. I had to get help, find a way to stop this from turning into a bigger nightmare than it already was. Knowing that a story like that—even a lie—would end my career and destroy the band, I had to be strategic. But I didn’t even know what that meant. Wildly looking around the room, I focused on Alex, who was staring at me quizzically.
“Jace, what’s going on?” Alex was calm. “You look like you saw a ghost.”
“Alex, you have to go home,” I implored.
“No, I don’t.”
“Yes. Please” I stared her down.
“Oh hell no. I’m not going through this fucking thing again, Jace.” Alex crossed her arms. “I’m not leaving you. Don’t buy into any drama, you hate it.”
“I don’t want you here,” I said pinching my nose at the lie.
Alex stayed put on the sofa. Staring at me. Like she was trying to figure out what was going on. “I don’t believe you.”
“I need to sort this kid shit out, Alex.” I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for the mixed messages, but it’s for the best.”
“Stop, Jace.” She stood and gripped my forearms. “Just talk to me.”
I pressed my lips together to tamp down any emotion. “I can’t.”
“I love you.” Alex shook her head sadly. “You’re it for me, don’t push me away.”
I turned away, I had to. “I’m not it for you. I’m a fucking mess.”
“Shh… We will get through all of this.” She tried to comfort me by rubbing my back, which made me keenly aware that I was still naked.
“Alex, trust me when I say this.” I strode toward the bathroom. “I don’t want to fuck with you, it’s not fair. That little girl is mine; I know it. All of the plans we made are in the gutter, and I’m fucking devastated about that. But it’s not her fault, and I have to do the right thing for her.”
Alex’s eyes filled with tears. “And I’m not the right thing?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Right now, I just don’t have the bandwidth to think about it. Or factor your feelings or to worry about whether you’ll stay or go in. I have no choice. I’ve got to take care of this situation on my own.”
“You’ve never pushed me away, Jace,” Alex’s face crumpled. “Not like the past couple of months.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. I didn’t want to hurt her, but I also didn’t want to get hurt either. “It’s for your own good, Poppy. I don’t want to make you any more promises I can’t keep.”
“Fine. I’ll go then.” Alex stripped off my T-shirt and put on her clothes from the night before. Like an asshole, I watched her, knowing it might be the last time I saw her gorgeous naked body.
She moved toward where I was standing, stopping next to me. Looking me directly in the eye, a tear slipped down her beautiful face. Then she did something I didn’t deserve. Pressing her soft lips to my scruffy cheek she kissed me and gave me the sweetest smile before she slipped out and shut the door.
Chapter 30
ALEX
After I left Jace, not bothering to collect anything from Ty’s house, I took a Lyft to the airport and caught the first plane home. Stoically, I thought about the past couple of weeks and Jace’s up-and-down moods and erratic behavior. When I arrived home, no one was there so I immediately went into the barn to see my horses.
Nothing made me feel calmer and more peaceful than grooming a horse. Grabbing a brush and curry comb, I spent an hour on Gloria and another hour on Banjo. My head cleared, sadness dissipated, and I knew what I had to do. Give Jace some space and hope he came to his senses. Me foisting myself on him and making it about me wouldn’t help anything.
As I was putting things away, Jen and Becca arrived, and we all went up to the house where I filled them in on the past week and my revelation.
“Alex, I think that’s very mature of you.” Becca hugged me. “The Devereaux’s are very cerebral.”
“Hey!”
