That’s exactly why he and I would never work. I’ve left that life behind and have enjoyed the peacefulness that’s come with it.
As I walk into the kitchen to brew a fresh pot of coffee, the doorbell rings. I look over to the microwave and see it’s only now turning eight o’clock. Damn, he’s way earlier than I expected him to be.
Without looking through the peephole, I open the door. That was a huge mistake. Jameson is standing on the other side, looking far beyond pissed off.
“Jameson, why are you here?”
“We have a problem that you need to fix,” he angrily spits out.
“Me? What the hell did I do?” I ask him, pointing at my chest.
“You were supposed to lay low, stay out of their lives, Jace!” His bellow is filled with malice and has me taking a step back.
“I didn’t contact him, any of them,” I solidify, holding my ground.
“How the fuck else would he have found you in this fucking lame town if you didn’t?” His accusations are beginning to piss me off. I’m tired of people putting words into my damn mouth.
“He hired a private detective, you dipshit!” I holler back, unable to control myself anymore. Enough is fucking enough already.
“I would have known if he’d done that, Jace.”
“Obviously you aren’t doing your job well enough then, because he did, Jameson!”
“I will ruin you, Jacey. I swear I will if you don’t make him leave. I won’t have my career nor theirs going up in flames. You fix this, or you pay.”
“And how do you plan on making me pay, Jameson? Your threats are miniscule and inconsequential in my life.” Where the hell does he get off laying threats at my feet this way? He may think he’s got the upper hand, but I’m full of surprises.
“By taking the one thing you love most in this world away from you,” he says with a smile that is anything but friendly.
“No judge will take Hadley from me. Try again, Jameson.” He may not know this, but there is only one judge in this small town, and I’ve planned his fortieth wedding anniversary, planned one of his kid’s weddings and the other’s baby shower. If anything, Judge Cooper would side with me.
“Who said anything about court, Jace?” My mouth drops open with that threat, surely he’s not implying… what, kidnapping her? It was left open-ended, and I do not like that at all.
“Fix this, Jacey, I’m not messing around with this,” he emphatically states before turning around and walking away. I stand in the open door and watch as he gets into his rental car. He shoots me a wicked smile before starting it up and driving away.
I must be in shock, because I’m still standing here when Rayne pulls up. I’m suddenly very grateful that he came before Hadley wakes up.
We have a lot to discuss and I need to tell him about my early visitor.
Rayne’s going to fly off the handle, but I need his help to rein Jameson in. He may not pull a lot of weight around this town with the judge and sheriff, but his threat was very intimidating and I don’t know if he knows anyone that could hurt Hadley or not. That’s not a risk I’m going to take.
Fuck that noise, no one threatens my baby and gets away with it.
9
Rayne
As I pull up, I notice that Jacey is standing in her open doorway with a look of utter devastation on her face. What the hell could’ve happened so early? I know that Hadley isn’t awake yet, I timed this to perfection. I wanted Jacey and I to have our chat over a steaming cup of coffee, lay all of our cards out on the table before Hadley even contemplates opening her eyes for the day. I know once she’s up and about, we won’t have the opportunity to do so.
Grabbing the box from my passenger side seat, I exit the truck and make my way up to the front porch. I’m trying to make just enough noise so I won’t startle her, but not enough to freak her the fuck out.
“Jacey?” I call out her name as I make it to where I’m standing directly in the path of her eyes.
“We need to talk,” she snaps at me before turning around and marching back inside of her house.
“Well, alrighty then,” I mumble as I follow her inside.
When I make my way to the breakfast bar, I take a seat on one of the stools and watch as she pours two cups of coffee. “I need to tell you a story, Rayne, but I need loads of caffeine first.”
“Am I gonna need a shot of whiskey inside of my cup for this conversation, Jacey?”
“We both could use one, but I’m fresh out,” she mumbles. Glancing over at her, I notice that her hands are shaky. My brows go up into my forehead; she really is rattled about something. I just hope whatever it is, is easily solvable.
“Jacey, I need you to talk to me. I’m starting to freak out here.”
“Let’s start at the very beginning,” she says, coming over and taking the stool next to mine. She hands me my cup of coffee before taking a small sip of her own.
“Best place to start,” I respond to her statement. I know I need to hear all the details, but right now, I’m more anxious for her to get to what’s happened this morning that’s got her so upset.
“When I left you that morning, I boarded a plane and went home. But the second I landed at the airport; I knew I couldn’t go back there. Too many memories, too many people that know about us. I just couldn’t go back with my tail tucked between my legs. So, I pulled up a Google map of the United States, closed my eyes, and picked a place. That’s how I ended up here.”
She looks over at me from the corner of her eyes and I nod my head for her to continue. “Understandable, Jacey. But I need you to highlight the crucial parts for me.”
“About twelve weeks after I landed here, I started getting violently ill. I thought I had food poisoning or something, so I made a doctor’s appointment because after three days, my symptoms weren’t subsiding. That’s when I found out I was pregnant. It took some time for it to sink in, but when I gained enough courage, I set off to find you.”
“And did you, Jacey? Find me I mean?”
“Oh yeah, but when I did, you were quite busy,” she angrily shoots back at me.
“Fuck,” I hiss through my front teeth. I can only imagine what she saw when she did find me.
“Didn’t take you long to get over me. What I saw devastated me, broke me, made me hate you for a time.”
“I can only imagine,” I hesitantly say. “And I wasn’t over you then, and I’m still not now.” When the truth of my words spring from my mouth, she rolls her eyes, huffs then pays close attention to her mug.
“I still hate you some, Rayne. I meant so little to you that you allowed women in your bed a few short weeks after getting rid of me. I still see that day clearly in my head. It’s as if it just happened yesterday.”
“What did you see, Jacey?”
“A woman between your legs giving you a blow job while two other women molested you… in fucking public, Rayne!”
“Dammit,” I solemnly say, scrubbing my hands down my face in both embarrassment and frustration.
I can’t believe she saw that with her very own eyes.