“Why did you hit Andy?” she asked incredulously.
“Because I thought he was cheating on you. When I showed up, a girl was walking around his place, wearing only his shirt.”
She laughed. “I’ve walked in on that a time or two. Andy always has a girl over there.”
“I’m glad you find it funny. I didn’t. I had no idea that you two weren’t together, so I punched him. After we both calmed down, he told me that you two were nothing more than friends.”
“And now, you’re here because you feel like an ass for saying all of that to me yesterday. Well, guess what? I don’t care. I tried to tell you, but you wouldn’t listen. You just wanted to make me feel as bad as possible.”
“I feel horrible for what I said, but I’m not here for that. After he told me the truth, I realized that Ally has been lying to me—a lot.”
“Why do you seem so surprised? That’s what Ally does—she lies.”
“I know that now, but she was my friend. When she came to me this summer, I tried to ignore the fact that she’d lied to Andy about me sleeping with her. She needed help, and I couldn’t turn her away.”
“Why did she need help?” Emma asked.
“When she came to me at the beginning of the summer, she told me that she’d been raped back in California. She’d run away because she’d discovered that she was pregnant, and she was afraid that the guy would hurt her if he found out, so I took her in.”
“Wait a minute—she told me that the baby was yours,” Emma whispered.
I could see the hope in her eyes even though she was trying to hide it.
“I agreed to tell anyone back home that it was mine, so no one would find out that she’d been raped.”
“Oh my god. All this time, I thought you two were finally together and that the baby was yours. She made it seem like that was what had happened.”
“We’ve never been together, and we never will be. The only girl I’ve ever cared about is you, Emma. The minute I saw you, I knew that you were something special.”
“Why are you telling me this now?”
“I was angry with Ally for lying to me about you and Andy, so I went home to confront her. She didn’t know I was home. I surprised her and caught her without her shirt.”
Emma raised an eyebrow.
“Let me finish before you say anything. I saw her without a shirt, and she’s not pregnant. She lied about everything.”
“Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack. Once she realized that she wasn’t going to get away with it, she came clean, and I kicked her out.”
“And she just left? I don’t see her doing that. If she did all of that to hang on to you, she wouldn’t just leave.”
“She didn’t leave without a fight. We got into it pretty bad.”
“I don’t even know what to say.”
“I know what you mean. She even tried to tell me that you and Andy were planning to get married. Imagine her shock when I told her that I’d talked to Andy.”
Emma laughed. “Oh my god. I don’t even know why I’m laughing, but I can’t help it. I fucking hate that bitch, and it makes me so happy to know that she finally got caught. Maybe Andy will believe me now.”
“About, what?”
“The other night, I went to the restaurant where she works with my friend. I got so sick afterward that I felt like I was dying. Andy had to come over and help me. When I told him that I thought Ally had poisoned me since she was my waitress, he didn’t believe me.”
“I bet she did. After everything else she’s done, it wouldn’t surprise me. I wish I could have been the one to take care of you.”
“It’s not your job anymore,” Emma said quietly.
“I want it to be. I’ve missed you so much, Emma. I could never get over you, no matter how hard I tried. If I’d known that you were looking for me, I would have come back. I thought you hated me.”
“I did hate you for a long time, but I couldn’t let you go. I kept hoping that you’d come back just so I could see you again. Once Ally had told Andy that you hadn’t slept with her, we started searching for you.”
Chapter Fourteen: Emma
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to abandon you,” Jesse said as he stood and walked over to me.
“It was my fault for believing Ally. You tried to tell me,” I said, still trying to comprehend everything that he’d just told me about Ally.
He crouched down in front of me. “I don’t blame you for that. We’d just had a fight, and then you walked in to see me in bed with another girl. I would have thought the same thing.”
“She threatened me that night we went to the party on the beach. She said to leave you alone because you were hers. After I saw you in bed with her, I thought that she meant you were sleeping with both of us at the same time.”
“Definitely not. I have never, nor will I ever be interested in Ally, and I definitely wouldn’t sleep with her. I knew I was destroying any chance I had with you when I kept her secret, but I didn’t want to abandon her. If I had known what she was doing, I would have told you what was going on the minute I saw you.”
“Is she gone?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I hope so. Andy is out looking for her now. If she hasn’t left town yet, she will after he gets through with her. I’ve never seen him so mad.”
“This whole situation is a mess—even more so than I thought originally.”
“Tell me about it. She had me fooled, that’s for sure.”
“So, what are you going to do now?”
He shrugged. “The same thing I’ve been doing—going to school. Only now, I don’t have to focus on her all the time. Now, I can focus on getting you back.”
“Do you think that’s a good idea?” I asked. It killed me to say it, but one of us had to.
“Of course it is. Why would you think otherwise?” Uncertainty clouded his eyes as he stared at me.
“Think about it, Jesse. So many things have kept us apart. It’s like fate is trying to tell us something. Maybe we’re not supposed to be together.”
“I don’t believe that. I agree that we’ve dealt with a lot, but that doesn’t mean that we should give up. I’ve always believed that if you want something, then you should go after it until it’s yours. I’m not giving up on you, Emma—not when I just got the chance to win you back. I spent the last two years without you, and it was horrible. I can’t do that again now that I’ve found you. I know this whole thing sucks, but we can move past it. You didn’t come all this way just to let me go.”
I wanted to believe him, but I wasn’t sure if I could. If I did agree to start over, I would constantly be waiting for something else to happen to us.
“I can’t, Jesse. I’m going to New York once this semester is over. We both need to let go of something that isn’t there anymore.”
“If you leave, I’ll follow you this time. I won’t give up without a fight.”
I stared down at him. Every cell in my body was screaming at me to throw myself into his arms, but I was so scared. I was tired of hurting all the time. I couldn’t deal with anything else Ally might throw at me.
“Jesse—”
“Look, give me one chance to prove to you that I’m worth all the trouble.”
“How do you plan to do that?” I asked.
He stood up and pushed me back until I was lying on my bed. He nudged my legs apart with his knees and positioned himself over me.
“I’m going to kiss you. Maybe you’ll reconsider after I do.”
I stared up at him, unable to think of anything to say. I couldn’t think at all with him practically lying on top of me. The heat radiating from his body made me shiver with want. He pushed my damp hair away from my face. My skin tingled where his fingers brushed against it.