Page 48 of Until Waverly

Waverly

This was it.

I was officially insane.

Every time I turned around, Jackson was there.

When Alandria was crying, Jackson.

When she was hungry, Jackson.

Dirty diaper, Jackson.

If he didn’t go home soon, I was going to lose my shit, and we would both be unhappy. Not that I was anywhere close to being happy right now. Having him this close reminded me of the fact I didn’t have him at all. The first afternoon, I’d given him a part of my truth—I’d never intended to keep him away from Alandria. If anything, imparting him with that fact only made him more eager to stay and help rather than going home to his girlfriend.

I just needed to get him out of my apartment. Then everything could go back to normal. Obviously, we’d have to figure out custody and all that, but I needed a few days’ peace. Unfortunately for me, my mother had told everyone in the family to point me back in Jackson’s direction if I needed any assistance.You made this bed, Waverly. Lay in it.Macey’s words were like a knife to the heart. I could hear the anguish in her voice and the raw anger.

I knew when I’d made my decision to go my pregnancy alone, it could very well come back to bite me in the ass when everyone found out. But, in my mind, I’d been left with no choice. Jackson had moved on or used me for a fling. I wouldn’t be the other woman. Yet, by the way my family was treating me, it was obvious Jackson had bamboozled them. Evidently, I never stopped to think things through or rationalize what I saw. Then again, if he was keeping up the charade, he wouldn’t be able to tell them about the svelte girlfriend he had in Nashville.

Yet, even with knowing the truth, I wanted him so desperately I was afraid I’d make a fool of myself if he didn’t leave soon. See, I couldn’t get those images of that night out of my head. He was my Boom. And not having the connection—the everlasting love—I’d felt all those months ago was tearing me up inside. More so when he begged me to explain what happened, like he never did anything wrong. I almost called him a kinky pervert when he asked me again last night.

Denying him was getting harder by the day. I just wanted him to leave me alone. If he stayed away, perhaps I could finally mend my broken heart.

However, he didn’t stay away from my apartment, and he sure as hell didn’t take any phone calls unless it was Ireland or his brothers.

I let out an aggravated exhale. My thoughts were circling, and I was nowhere closer to having the answers needed to understand what was happening right now or why. All I wanted to do was to be left alone. With enough time and distance, Jackson and I could move on, find new love, and be happy or as happy as we could be apart. As it was now, we’d be miserable together, and I couldn’t have that.

It was a little after one when I slipped out of bed. Having Jackson around had its advantages. Once I took my meds like I was supposed to, I could lie down and not have to worry about Alandria. Watching them together, I chided myself for being cruel enough not to tell him when I first had her. I could admit I’d made mistakes where our daughter was concerned. In the thick of it though, I’d believed I’d done what was right for me—us.

I hobbled to the kitchen and found Jackson feeding Alandria. Her little body was curled in his arms, her eyes drooping then closing, only to pop back open to stare at her father. Jackson was right again—the minute he or Ireland saw Alandria, they’d realize the truth. Even with Alandria’s chubby cheeks, blue-green eyes, button nose, and red tufts of curly hair, Alandria was all Jackson.

I turned back to the fridge, and my stomach gave a hardy growl. I’d stubbornly refused any of the meals Jackson made for me, and now I was paying for it. I was past hungry. I was starving. Upon opening the door, I groaned. He’d prepared everything. Each meal had a name on it and instructions for warming it up in the microwave.Because of course he’s that anal.Curious, I opened the freezer and saw the same.

I needed him out of my home.

This couldn’t continue—even if I liked it.

Grabbing the container out of the fridge, I moved over to the microwave, then leaned against the counter after hitting start, taking my weight off my ankle. I couldn’t say it felt better, but being able to move freely went a long way to putting me on the road to recovery.

“Are you ever going to talk to me?” Jackson said, coming up behind me. I’d been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn’t even heard him move or put Alandria down.Shit, I need to get it together.He loomed there, not quite touching me, but his presence did all the same. The hairs on my arms and the back of my neck raised. A shiver started at the base of my spine. It would be so easy to lean into him for comfort.

“I don’t want to do this.” I closed my eyes the second his arms wrapped around my middle. His big palm spread across my stomach, and he groaned. The guttural sound sent a spark of lust through me. The dormant sensation filled me with excitement, a feeling I shouldn’t experience with him. Especially since he had a girlfriend waiting for him. “We shouldn’t.” The warmth of his body cracked the ice wall encasing me. If I didn’t put an end to this, I’d be naked and vulnerable to him. “Please, Jackson.”

“I need you, Waverly. I want to fix whatever I did wrong. Tell me, sunshine.” His breath brushed across the shell of my ear. Oh, how easy it would be to press back into him and give up. “What happened to us? Did I hurt you that night? Fuck, sunshine. When I saw you splayed across your bed, I lost my ability to take my time. I should have though. I’m sorry.”

The thickness of his dick brushed the cleft of my ass, and I stilled. “You were perfect.” I gulped, knowing how much I was giving him in that moment. Mentally, I tried to hurry the microwave up, so I could step away from his drugging words and the hardness of his body. Being this close to him, it was easy to fall back into old trappings.

He groaned. “Then tell me, sunshine. I have to repair this. I can’t stand not holding you. Or being close to you. I hate this wall between us.” He brushed a kiss on my neck. “Let me in so I can remedy this. I’ll tell you whatever you want to hear.” Then he planted another kiss to the sensitive spot behind my ear and moaned. “I fucking need you, Waverly. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

I took a stuttered breath and stumbled out of his arms. “We shouldn’t be doing that, Jackson. You know damn well too.” The microwave dinged, saving me.

“No,” he said, staring at me with this raw carnal edge in his dark green eyes as I retrieved my lunch. “I don’t understand why we shouldn’t be doing anything. You haven’t explained it to me, Waverly.”

“I can’t believe we’re still having this argument.” I sighed. “This isn’t about me anymore, Jackson. This is about you. Perhaps think real hard about what you’ve done in the past thirteen months to make me stop talking to you.”

“The riddles never cease with you,” he murmured, running his fingers through his tussled hair. “I have been working, Waverly. Or did you forget your brother is my boss? Ireland was also pregnant when you were, and I’d been helping at the shop too?”

I doubted he ever got his hands dirty. They were too pretty. Not scarred like Gareth or any of the other guys, including Landon or Hunter. “Working... Sure. Let me ask you something, Jackson. Why are you here? Do you get some perverse pleasure out of seeing me suffer?”

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