Page 20 of Winging it with My Ex
My tears quickly turn from heartbreak to red-hot fury.
I know the kids were counting on me to see this through. But I can’t be the joke anymore. I can’t keep pretending while everyone else laughs behind my back.
“No, I didn’t, and now that I do, I can assure you, Jett and I are done.” I turn my back on her victorious smirk and stomp to my car.
Jett can walk into an active volcano for all I care.
I’m done. I’m done with him. I’m done with Vivi. I’m just done.
thirteen
. . .
jett
I practically flyout of my car the second I throw it into park. I’m picking Hadley up at her house, we’re going to grab a bite to eat, and then I’ve got something super special planned. She thinks we’re going to make snow angels when in reality, I’ve arranged for a horse-drawn sleigh to pick us up after dinner and take us on a ride around Briarwood.
She’s always wanted to do that, and I was too stinking broke to do it in high school because every penny I made went to making sure we kept the house and dad in rehab.
It’s freezing too, so it’ll be easy to convince her to cuddle under a blanket. I swear I can’t seem to hold her close enough these days. I just want to love her. To show it as much as possible. I’d give anything to have that chance again.
When I reach her door, I knock, and I can’t stop myself from grinning ear to ear. I don’t even care if I look over-eager, dorky,or anything else. I just can’t wait to see her and hold her. I’m almost confident enough to try and kiss her again.
I wonder if she’ll let me.
I wonder if she’d freak out if I told her I love her.
The thought makes my heart skip a beat.
I’ve never stopped loving her, but this love feels so much different than when we were kids. It feels more like a choice than an emotion. I’m old enough to know what I’m getting myself into. Old enough to know what having a future with her means.
Forever. Good times and bad. Sickness and health. I’m hers. I’ve always been hers, and now, I’ve got enough experience in life to know I never want to stop. I’ll do anything and everything to make sure we stay together… no matter what comes our way.
The door opens, and I immediately know something is wrong.
She’s in her fluffy bathrobe. Her eyes and nose are red.
“What’s going on? What happened?”
Her lips twist. “You happened.”
I’m not following. “What did I do?”
She works her jaw and furiously wipes away fresh tears. “You know what you did, Jett. Just stop.”
“What did I do?” I shake my head. “What are you talking about?” I have no idea what’s got her so upset, but I just want to fix it. Things have been going so well. What could have happened?
A million years lapse as she stares at me. All I want to do is pull her into my arms, tell her I love her, and I’ll personally body slam anyone who ever hurts her again.
“You and Vivi planned that thing at the pond so you could trick me into fake-dating you.” She hiccups on the last word.
I shake my head. "Yes, we planned it, but not the fall into the pond. That was absolutely an accident. I swear?—"
She lifts her hand. "Stop."
My shoulders sag. I didn't think I could feel worse than that night I sent the text…but I can hear the anguish in her voice. I messed up. Bad. The kind of bad you don’t come back from.
“I didn’t think it was possible you could break my heart any more…” Another hiccup.
