Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 96284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
As much as I would’ve preferred a moment alone with Jake—as in, see Haley off before I headed out—that sounded like a perfect idea for the siblings.
Jake’s soft grin spoke volumes too. He wanted an evening with his sister and son. “Sounds good to me.”
Which meant this was my cue to leave them alone, and I fucking couldn’t. I hadn’t anticipated a wrecking ball of feels at this hour, but here we were. I was gonna take off without a hug, without a kiss, without telling him I loved him so goddamn much.
“I should go home.” I reluctantly got out of my seat and carried my mug to the sink. I took two quick gulps and almost burned my tongue in the process. Then I poured out the rest before I turned around and saw the look in Jake’s eyes. And my resolve broke into a million pieces. He was trying to hide it behind his standard “Got it, firm nod” expression, but that hadn’t worked on me in years.
He was wrung out and needed me.
Fuck it.
I closed the distance between us and kissed him as I locked my arms around his middle. How quickly he hugged me back was all the reassurance I required.
“Well, okay…?” That was Haley.
“I love you,” I said against his lips. “I’m so fucking proud of you.”
He smiled and cupped my cheek, and our foreheads touched. “I love you too.”
Always music to my ears.
I tilted my face to a Haley whose eyebrows were way up there.
“Keep this to yourself, hon. Nobody knows yet.”
Jake cleared his throat. “He’s leaving Sandra after the holidays.”
If I could wait that long. I was already jealous of their Christmas plans. Jake and Haley’s grandmother, Grandma Josephine—or as I called her, Grandma Jo-Jo—was coming to visit. Jake had the kids, so he’d invited Nikki and Russell over too.
“I feel less excluded.” Haley seemed satisfied. “I didn’t think you had it in you, Roe.”
What?
“Had what in me?” I withdrew from Jake and squeezed his hand briefly. “You knew I was bi, right?”
I mean, I’d told her years ago. With how I’d grown up, in a loving family and all, the coming-out thing had never been a big deal. Some knew, some didn’t.
Haley waved that off. “Nikki and I have been frustrated with your unwavering patience for Sandra—yeah, yeah, we’re bitches. Whatever. How many times has she tried to kick you out?”
Oh. I swallowed a rock of guilt, though it had lessened over time. “I’m not making any excuses. The honorable thing would’ve been to wait.” I’d chosen not to. I hadn’t had the strength. “I couldn’t leave Sandra while she was unwell, though. We agreed to get through this as parents—and then we’d decide after.”
Haley’s smile turned a little sly. “And you’ve already decided.”
I looked at Jake. “Yup.” And now I really had to go, even though my man looked so damn happy that I wanted to stay. “You owe your sister some details. Enjoy your pizza.” I kissed him chastely, firmly, before I eased back. “I’ll text you before I go to bed.”
He nodded and kissed my temple.
As I passed Haley, I thought twice about walking out, ’cause I wanted to make sure…
“We’re good, right?” I asked her.
She appeared surprised. “Why wouldn’t we be? Dork, I love you, and you evidently make my brother happy. I’ll find out the hows and whens over pizza—and we’re totally getting extra green olives.”
“The fuck we are,” Jake told her. “You keep those to yourself, you weirdo.”
All right, I was no longer needed here.
I drove home in a much better mood, and it felt good to know Jake and Haley would have the evening to themselves. They always had their semi-sweet sibling banter, but when push came to shove, she was protective of him, and he wanted to see her thrive.
I stopped at an Italian restaurant on the way and ordered food for half an army. I hoped Kathryn stayed for dinner. She managed to bridge some gaps between Sandra and me, and I just wanted to keep the peace for as long as possible. While I waited for the food to be ready, I headed next door to the Walgreens and picked up Callie’s vitamin supplements. My baby girl was fussier when it came to food. I also found a stand with pocket-sized coloring books, so I grabbed a couple for Casper. He looked up to Colin so much, and if Colin loved to sketch and draw, so did Cas.
I was home twenty minutes later, and I shouldered my gym bag and held the paper bag with our food from underneath. I didn’t trust the handles to hold.
Autopilot kicked in, like it always did when I parked outside what was supposed to be my home. Nodded to the doorman, got our mail, took the elevator up. Keep the peace, keep the peace. We had our plan. Get through the holidays, then sit down with Sandra and ask for a divorce. Hopefully keep the peace after that point too. Be patient. Handle any possible hostility before Jake and I could start dropping a couple subtle hints about us being more, both to Sandra and our followers. Which would, fingers crossed, cushion the blow for the day we ventured out in public as a couple. Unless Seth and Haley would have a better strategy. We didn’t know. They were sharp and knew the industry in ways Jake and I didn’t.