Page 72 of Take Me Home

“I’m not a baby. I can handle it myself. I have to hear him out,” I snapped, my voice cold.

Jake’s face went blank, emotionless like he was watching me burn down a hospital and he didn’t recognize me anymore. His hand stilled on my back before he withdrew it. He stared at me for a moment, then shook his head, his jaw muscles flexing.

“Alright,” he said firmly, turning to walk to the trailers.

I knew I’d messed up. I knew I hadn’t done the right thing. But maybe it was for the best. He had a chance to get out before I sucked him into my whirlpool of mess.

When I couldn’t see Jake anymore for the dark, I turned back to Rob. “You had something you wanted to say to me?”

“I was hoping I could come in,” Rob said, sidling up to me with a smirk.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’ll get us some water and we can sit on the porch. You can say whatever it is you came to say.”

I heard the dogs snarling at Rob as I closed the mudroom door.Good, Rob is scared of dogs. They could keep him on his toes.I thought about how dogs can usually tell a good person. The dogs loved Jake from the jump. He had good energy. Rob, not so much.

I got down two glasses, passing over the ones I usually used when Jake and I hung out. Rob didn’t deserve the good treatment. If I were acting how I really felt, I’d be making him drink from the dog bowl.

Back on the porch, I sat on a single chair so Rob wouldn’t think he could sit with me. I’d scream if he touched me.

“Darcy, I know you’re not happy about this,” he started.

“That’s an understatement,” I snapped.

“But I think we left things unfinished.”

I struggled to not slap him right then. “What exactly seemed unfinished to you?”

I wanted to add some attacks to that, likewhy did you start dating my coworker a week after I broke it off? Are you sure you weren’t just jealous that I had a new, hot love interest? Don’t worry, though. You’ve effectively ended that now.

Thunder rumbled through the night’s symphony of bugs and critters.

“I understood when you said you weren’t ready to get married. But I don't see why we couldn’t go back to dating,” Rob said.

“It wasn’t that I didn’t want to get married. I didn’t want to marry you. I didn’t want to pursue a relationship with you anymore.”

“I don’t see why,” Rob said. “The love we had was so special.”

I nodded, feeling slightly sorry for him that he didn’t get it. “In a lot of ways, it was. But it also wasn’t enough. You loving me in private didn’t make up for the ways you censored me in public. You were ashamed of things about me. I deserve to be loved in a way that’s full. I deserve someone who will love me as I am.”

My heart panged, as that’s exactly what Jake had offered me earlier that night. But that possibility was fading by the second.

“What do you mean, I censored you?” Rob asked, genuinely confused.

“You made me cover up my accent and hide where I was from. You made me change my hair and gave me shit if I didn’t stick to my gym schedule. You wanted me to be your perfectly groomed little pet, and not your partner, so I could look pretty and socialize with the other wives while you hit the golf course,” I said, getting more furious with each piece.

Rob looked hurt. “Your hair looks really pretty tonight, Darcy. You don’t have to straighten it for my work stuff anymore. You don’t even have to come to my work stuff if you don’t want.”

My stomach twisted again, thinking of how Jake said he loved my hair, even when it’s wild. Rob would never.

“Oh, so you could hide me away? So they couldn’t hear my accent that you were just making fun of 10 minutes ago?” I seethed.

“I’m sorry I made fun of your voice. I love how you talk. It’s just changed. I feel like I got left behind,” Rob said quietly.

“Youdidget left behind. I was done. I left. You didn’t say shit to me in the two months that I was still in Raleigh,” I stated.

“Yeah, that’s what I came here to talk about.” He leaned forward like he was going to reach for my hand. I sat up straighter and moved back from him. “Darcy, I want you to come home. I want to try again. I want to do better and then someday, we can think about heading down the aisle together again.”

“Rob, this is my home. This is my life now. I got laid off in May. I work here now,” I said.

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