Page 138 of Ruled Out

Instantly, I feel the mood between us shift from joking around to something more serious. I can tell by the look on his face that it has something to do with his dad.

Smoothing a palm down the back of my head, Jessie keeps his eyes on me as they glisten in the soft street lighting that illuminates the sidewalk. “My dad got taken back into custody today.”

I pull back, my hands now planted on his shoulders. “He did?”

He nods. “A couple of days ago, I decided to make a statement to the police. I’d never felt like I could speak up, but I got to thinking about what you and Ashley have been saying to me. The support Jensen’s been giving me too. Plus, some of the therapy unearthed memories involving my dad that I couldn’t stay quiet over. I needed to find peace and closure, and speaking up felt like the right thing to do as part of my journey. Maybe even sending a message to others that it’s never too late to come forward and call out their abuser.”

“Jessie …”

He brings his lips to mine, halting me in my tracks.

“I know I should’ve probably told you about my intention to formally report it, but until the second I made the call, I wasn’t sure I could go through with it.”

I swallow hard, my emotions rising into my throat. “I’m so proud of you for doing that, for speaking up.”

He drops his forehead against mine. “Some of the memories that have come back to me involve domestic abuse against my mom. Others potentially explain how some of my scars I covered with tattoos got there. I think I finally worked out why I got the tattoos and why they’re birds.”

“Why?” I ask.

His lips shake with emotion. “I think it was all subconscious like the memories I had were trying to break free and be heard. But I covered them, knowing they needed to be acknowledged, but I was too scared to show my scars. Burying all of this only hurt me more, and as a kid, I didn’t know what to do. So, I just got inked.”

“I-I don’t know what to say,” I reply, relieved tears tumbling down my cheeks on his behalf.

He draws in a steadying breath and wipes at my cheek. “My mom stayed silent for years, probably out of fear of what he’d do. But he can’t get away with it, Mia. I know I’ll have to testify in court. I know it will be in the media. I’m so damn scared, but I have to do this—for me, for her, for us. I have to make sure he doesn’t walk free. The case won’t go to court for a while, but your dad wants to help support me through it financially; he’s going to pay for my lawyer, who thinks my dad will get the book thrown at him and be made an example of. Texas law allows charges to be pressed against him for crimes committed many years ago. Graham told me I should use all the money I earn to make a life for us both. So, I am.”

He tucks a lock of hair behind my ear as his blue eyes scan my face. “We got the house, Sweetheart.”

My hands fly up to cover my mouth. “Really?”

He reaches up and pulls them away. “Really. But don’t cover those pretty lips. I like it way more when I have access to kiss them.”

I shake my head. “I can’t believe it. It’s beautiful, but we’re going to rattle around in it—you know that, right? It’s huge for just the two of us!”

He smirks. “Technically, three, and we’ll probably need all the space we can get with his huge ass knocking around the place.”

Reaching into his pocket, he fetches out his phone and taps the screen a couple of times.

My eyes struggle to focus on what I’m seeing. A big mass of fur is the image in front of me.

“He’s still a puppy, but a rescue,” Jessie says. “We can go meet him tomorrow and collect him in a few weeks.”

My hands cover my mouth again as I stare at the beautiful Saint Bernard puppy. “You didn’t … you got me a dog?”

He nods and swipes to another picture. This one of him lying on his back and playing with a red toy.

“I don’t know what to say,” I reply, taking the phone from Jessie’s hand and staring down at the photo. “He’s beautiful.”

Jessie nods. “The only thing we need is a name. The shelter asked me to think it over before tomorrow so they can complete his paperwork. But I said it was your choice. So, give it some thought.”

I shake my head, already knowing. “I don’t need any time to decide.” I bring my hand to the side of his face and smile. “I want to call him Ginger.”

Looking down at the phone in my hand, Jessie’s eyes are glazed when they return to mine. “None of this would be happening if it wasn’t for the strength you gave me. Turning up at that library was the best fucking thing I’ve ever done, Mia. Shutting out all the noise, telling me I had to keep away from you, and listening to my heart—it hasn’t just changed my life. It’s given me the one person I needed to haul me off a path I didn’t want to be on.”

Setting down his phone beside us, he reaches across into the car door pocket and pulls out a black-and-white top.

When he unravels it and holds it out in front of him, more excitement fizzes inside me.

“Your jersey,” I whisper.

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