He kissed my back as I snuggled up and smiled. I closed my eyes.
Home…I’m finally home.
“Jess?”
“Hmm?”
The last few days were finally catching up to me, and I was exhausted.
“Are you still going to move in with me?” Scott asked as his voice cracked.
My eyes snapped open, and I rolled over and looked into his eyes. “Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I?”
He smiled slightly and shook his head. “Just making sure you still want to.”
I placed my hand on the side of his face and leaned over. I kissed him gently on the lips. “We’re having a baby. I want to experience everything together. Scott, why would you think I wouldn’t still want to move in?”
I watched as the hurt moved into his eyes.
“I want you to be one hundred percent sure that this is what you want…that I’m what you want.”
My heart slammed in my chest, and I almost felt sick. He doubts my love for him? Oh god.
My mind went back to Belize, and I thought of Trey. I thought of how he’d made me feel, but it was nothing like how Scott made me feel. I knew that one hundred percent.
I went to say something, but Scott started talking again. “I saw the way you looked at him, Jessie. Lark also told me that when he’d gone to see if you needed help packing, you had been with him. You kissed him good-bye.”
I sat up quickly, instantly feeling defensive. “What? Did you have Lark follow me or something?”
Scott’s face fell. “No, of course not. He told me he was going to help you while I checked you out of the room.”
I spun around and sat on the edge of the bed. I pulled the sheet up and around me. I wasn’t sure if I was pissed at the idea of Lark spying on me or the fact that Scott knew I had kissed Trey good-bye.
Did Lark tell him it was a friendly kiss? Or did Lark tell him I called out after Trey and kissed him? Oh god. My head is spinning.
Scott went to touch me, and I pulled away. I wasn’t really sure why I had, but I regretted it instantly. I was so angry at myself for kissing Trey good-bye the way I had. The guilt had been eating me alive for the last two days.
“Fine. Maybe we should talk about this later,” Scott said.
I felt him get out of bed. I turned and watched as he walked to the bathroom.
“Scott, wait, please. There is nothing to talk about. Of course, I want to move in here with you. I love you. I love you, Scott.”
He turned and looked at me. “I need you to tell me right now, Jessie. Do you love him? In any way…do you have feelings for him?”
I jumped up and immediately said, “No! I mean…I care about him…but only as a friend.” I looked down and away from Scott.
I thought about Trey touching me…the way he’d made me feel. I could almost feel his lips on my skin. Oh my god. What is wrong with me? I do not want Trey in any way!
“You can’t even look at me when you say that,” Scott said with hurt in his voice.
I quickly looked up and into his eyes. “What?” I whispered.
He shook his head as he turned and walked slowly into the bathroom. He shut the door, and I stood there, stunned.
What just happened?
We had made beautiful love to each other, and then a minute later, this…
I shook my head and sat back down on the bed.
I didn’t love Trey. I don’t. I knew that. But…I had strong feelings for him that were starting to confuse me. I closed my eyes and wished I could talk to the girls. I needed to talk to someone about this. I was so confused…but not confused at the same time.
The bathroom door opened, and Scott walked out…dressed. I jumped up and moved closer to him.
“Where are you going?” I asked, panic in my voice.
“I need to get some fresh air. I won’t be gone long,” he said with a weak smile.
I grabbed his arm. “Scott…” I stopped in my tracks when I saw the tear roll down his face.
“The first time I knew I loved you, I pushed you away. I hurt you because I was afraid of my own feelings. I vowed to myself I would never hurt you again. This whole time we’ve been together, I feel like I’ve been trying to prove to you how much I love you. When you walked in and saw Chelsea and Bryce, you automatically assumed it was me. I never wanted that to ever happen. I never wanted you to ever think that I would do that to you. I wanted you to trust me and know in your heart how much I love you. I would never in a million years want to hurt you ever again.”
I shook my head. “I didn’t know it wasn’t you,” I said as a sob escaped my lips.
“But if I had just been able to show you how much I love you and that you are my whole world, you would have never had that doubt in your mind. You wouldn’t have run away, and you would have never met…him.”
I frantically shook my head, panic building in my body. “Scott! Please…I made a mistake by letting him touch me, and I swear to you, I was just confused and heartbroken. I thought you had…I thought you had…put yourself in my shoes! What would you have done if you’d walked into my bedroom and seen two people having sex?” I wiped the tears away quickly. “I love you. I’ve always loved you.”
He smiled at me and wiped away the tears still rolling down my face. “I won’t be the one who makes you hurt again. I won’t. I need you to be sure you are with me for the right reasons and not because we’re expecting a child together.”
I started crying harder. “I’m not. I didn’t even know about the baby before I called you. I love you…I love you.”
“I know you do, baby. But I think you need to make sure you don’t love him as well.” He turned and walked away from me.
I slowly felt myself falling to the floor. I buried my head in my hands and cried. In one moment, my whole world had changed. It wasn’t even the moment when I’d walked in on Chelsea in this very bedroom.
It was the one moment when I’d let another man into my heart.
“Make it stop!” Josh said as he reached for my phone and tossed it at me.
I let out a giggle and didn’t even pay attention to who was calling.
“Hello?” I said, trying not to sound like I’d just woken up.
Of all the mornings when the twins actually sleep in, someone calls and wakes us up.
“Heather?”
I sat up quickly. “Jessie!” I practically screamed. “Is Scott with you? Where are you?”
I heard her sniffle. Oh no. She’s crying. I flew up out of bed and went straight for the closet. I started getting dressed.
“I’m, um…home…at Scott’s house. I need to talk to you, Heather.”
“Yes! Oh my god, of course. Want me to come there?”
There was silence for a few minutes.
“I don’t want Scott to think I’ve left. Can you come here?”
“I’m on my way. It might be closer to an hour though.”
“That’s fine. Heather?”
I stopped getting dressed. “Yeah?”
“Please be careful, and thank you.”
“Always, sweets. See you in a few.”
I hit End and pulled a sweatshirt over my head. I ran back out into the bedroom and sat down on the bed.
“What’s going on? Jessie is back? Scott is with her, right?”
I quickly looked at Josh. My heart skipped a beat at how handsome he was, sitting there with his messy hair. I wanted to run my hands through it and crawl on top of him. I shook my wayward thoughts away.
“I’m guessing so since she’s at Scott’s house, but she’s upset. Do you mind?”
“Of course not. I think Will, Libby, and I will head out and get some breakfast with Mom and Dad.”
I smiled and crawled across the bed. I moved my lips along his neck. “Hmm…what I wouldn’t do to have your parents take the kids for a few hours.”
He pulled back and smiled. His dimple caught my eye.
“I might be able to arrange that,” he said with a wink.