Page 21 of My Turn

He rubbed his jaw as he nodded. “Alright. Got it. Mike, who teaches at your school and you barely know, was a better alternative to spending time with me like we planned.”

“How do you know who he is?”

“I’ve seen him when I come by.”

With a sigh, I leaned back against the house. “I was hurt.”

He settled beside me, then took my hand and dragged us down to a sitting position. I dropped my head against his shoulder, letting him pull me into his side.

“There wasn’t a perfect way to deal with it,” he said. “I did my best to protect you. I always have.”

“I know,” I whispered.

Jayce flipped onto his knees in front of me and before I could ask what he was doing, he took my face in his hands. His blue eyes were bright in the dim light and suddenly, everything seemed to disappear. My heart raced as I stared back at him, waiting for something.

What was I waiting for?

From one moment to the next, Jake came to my mind. And once he was there, that’s who I saw in front of me. I knew itwasn’t him, but it was hard to make that distinction, even when I looked at the scar above Jayce’s lip and the difference in the way he held himself.

“You see him.”

My eyes burned as I nodded. He let out a breath and kissed my forehead, then got to his feet. I took his outstretched hand, letting him pull me up.

“Let’s get out of here,” he said.

“I can drive.”

“Fuck no, you can’t. You smell like a distillery.”

He dragged me to his Bronco, then helped me into the seat, even though I didn’t need it. While he walked around to the driver’s side, I focused on my breathing.

Why did they have to be identical? Jake was gone, but he still remained every time I looked at his brother. It gave the term dead ringer a more sinister meaning.

If they weren’t twins, maybe I could imagine Jayce as something more than my best friend, but we both knew it wasn’t possible. He saw the moment my mind made the switch. I knew he returned my feelings, but it was probably just as fucked up in his head. I was his brother’s fiancé. We both had to move on and I think he agreed, especially after tonight.

I knew Jayce well enough to believe that we could stay best friends. He wouldn’t push me to do anything I wasn’t comfortable with.

When he climbed into his seat, he flashed me a heart-stopping smile. I returned it, unable to hold back if I tried.

Chapter 8

Jayce

Alana was sitting cross-legged in the passenger seat and every time I looked over, she was deep in thought. She seemed fine now. I wished I felt the same way.

I was fucking livid. That guy, Mike, needed a few more hits to the skull. I wanted to shatter the bones in his face and hit him hard enough to pop the blood vessels in his eyes. Maybe I could make him go blind. Then he wouldn’t be able to look at Alana again.

His lips had been on hers. I swear to god, I saw red. Not only did I want to kill that motherfucker right there on that porch, but I wanted to claim Alana in front of him. I thought about bending her over the railing and stuffing her full of my cock. He couldn’t have stopped me and neither could she. Once I was inside of her, she wouldn’t even try.

But, again, there would eventually come a moment when she saw Jake, just like she did when I knelt in front of her. Every time, it pissed me the fuck off. There was a second when I thought I might be able to kiss her and I wouldn’t have to worry about all of the other shit anymore, but I saw the change in her eyes. So, we still had a game to play.

Operation Kill Jake 2.0. His very existence needed to be erased so that I could live my happily ever after with Alana, which meant I was going to be doing things I’d never done. Many would call me a monster for them but if it worked out in the end, what the fuck did it matter if I threw my morals away? If vile acts were going to be committed, they should be done in the name of love.

I pulled into a parking lot and shut off the truck. Alana looked at me curiously, but I just winked and headed around to her side. She looked annoyed when I took her hand to help her down and it was an effort not to roll my eyes. My brother failed this woman in so many ways. Who had someone this fucking perfect and didn’t treat her like she was their top priority?

Settling my mask over my face, I jerked my chin and started walking. After we made it a few blocks, the music around us got louder and the street became brighter. We turned the corner and I saw her eyes go wide.

“I haven’t been to the parade in years,” she shouted over the music.

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