Page 71 of The Choices I've Made
I awoke, the pain so real, I was sobbing. My ribs ached, and my throat stung as my body reminded me exactly what it felt like to lose Jake Jameson.
I couldn’t do it again.
I had to find a way to let go of him.
For good…even if it meant destroying myself in the process.
“I can’t believe you let him stay here again,” Millie said the moment she entered the kitchen that morning.
I’d already been up for several hours, trying to calm myself down from my vivid night of dreaming. I’d managed to bake two loaves of banana bread, and I was already elbow deep in cinnamon rolls.
I gave her a hard stare, not bothering to validate her question with an answer.
“Damn, what’s up with you? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?” she asked. “Or maybe the wrong bed entirely?”
I held up my dough-covered hands in her direction. “In about two seconds, I’m going to take my sticky fingers and run them through your hair.”
She rolled her eyes, something she’d learned from me. “Okay, okay. I’ll leave you alone. But, seriously, what were you thinking?” she asked, her sights set on the coffee pot.
I wasn’t sure her version of leaving me alone was quite on par with my own. I watched as she poured herself a tall cup of coffee, looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in a tight tank top and flannel shorts.
“He didn’t have anywhere else to go,” I answered, focusing my attention away from my little sister and back on my cinnamon rolls.
“He has a house!” she exclaimed. “A pretty nice one if I remember correctly.”
“Clearly, you haven’t been by the Jameson place lately. It’s gotten pretty run-down.” I placed the dough in a large bowl and set it on the counter to rise.
“That’s a shame. It’s a beautiful house. But that doesn’t discount the fact that it’s still Jake’s—run-down or not.”
I really hated talking about this with Millie. One, it was really none of her business, and it felt like gossip. Two, I hated being his defender.
“Look, like you said yesterday when you waltzed in here, this is my house now, and I’ll say who stays in it, okay?”
A sly smile spread across her gorgeous face. “Okay.”
We continued to move around in silence as I finished my morning chores in preparation for the new arrivals this afternoon, and she roamed around, looking for something to eat. I thought we’d moved on from the topic of Dr. Jameson until five minutes later when I found my little sister staring at me.
“What?” I said in frustration.
“It’s just…I can’t figure you two out. Are you into each other or not?”
“Not,” I said, hearing a male echo.
I looked over toward the entrance of the kitchen and found Jake standing there, his hair all messy from sleep, wearing a tight black shirt that left nothing to the imagination.
“Definitely not,” I lied, unsure of if I was trying to convince Millie or myself.
“Because that kiss last night—”
“Drop it, Millie!” I shouted, making her jump. The thunderous boom of my voice made her realize a second too late that I was beyond her taunting and usual teasing.
“I think I’m going to head into town for breakfast. Maybe I’ll find Billy and get in an apology for last night.”
“You do that,” I said flatly.
She scurried out of the room, leaving Jake and me alone in silence once again.
As I tried to ignore the sinfully hot man in the room, I attempted to make myself busy, scrubbing down counters that didn’t need it and checking my to-do list for the hundredth time. I felt his eyes on me the entire time.
