Chapter 18

I groggily made my way through the hallway and into the kitchen, which smelled of freshly cooked pancakes and syrup. A small smile spread across my face as I spotted Jace standing in front of the stove, spatula in hand, as he peered over his shoulder at me and smiled.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said softly. "Did you sleep well?"

My eyes wandered down to the kitchen table to see that it was set up for breakfast for three. In the middle of the table sat a plate of pancakes, corn beef hash and bacon. It looked and smelled absolutely delicious. It made my mouth water, even though I knew I wouldn’t be able to stomach it.

"As well as I could manage," I replied softly. "I had a headache from hell that wouldn't seem to go away."

Jace gave me an apologetic look as he dropped the spatula on the stove and exhaled. "I'm sorry. I should have asked if you needed anything last night." He stepped over to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Is the headache gone? I can run to the store and grab-"

"No, I'm fine," I cut in trying to sound as believable as possible. "I'm all better now."

I smiled up in a daze at his sexy lips before pulling his face down so that it they brushing against mine. Our foreheads rested against each other’s as my hands cupped his face causing us both to breathe heavier.

"Oh... I like this," Jace whispered against my lips. His hands tightened around my waist as he pulled me closer. "This makes me want you so bad," he growled, gripping my thigh.

My body couldn't fight the urge any longer. I had no control over my actions in the presence of Jace. He had me in a trance and I wasn't willing to fight back.

My lips eagerly crushed his causing us both to stumble into the stove behind Jace, almost knocking over the pan of sausage in the process.

Luckily, Jace reached out in just enough time to catch it before it could happen to fall. “Crap!”

"Whoa there!" Jackie called out. "Let’s not burn the house down." She laughed, placing a hand to her temple. “This headache is kicking my ass.”

We both looked over at Jackie as she brushed her black locks out of her face and pulled out a chair to sit in. The bruising had decreased significantly over night, making her face look much better than before.    

"Morning, Jackie."

Jace watched Jackie as she continued to rub her head. "You're looking really good. I'm guessing that you slept well." He strolled over to the table and kissed Jackie on the forehead before pulling out a chair for me to sit in. "I hope that you're both hungry."

I nodded my head at Jackie and then took the seat between the two of them. Somehow, being in the middle of them made me nervous and at a loss for words.

The room stayed quiet while we enjoyed the well-cooked breakfast that Jace provided for us.

It took me a while to stomach the food, but I managed to put everything out of my mind and try to enjoy the first good meal that I’d had in days. I had to admit that it felt nice being there with Jace and his sister. It almost felt like a real family. One that I’d never had.

"So Avery," Jackie paused to smile. "I hear that you live here with my brother. That's great because I've been worried about him being lonely. I'm happy that you're here."

Oh shit! I cursed myself realizing that I forgot to tell Jace about the apartment that I got. Not only that, but I also failed to mention the new job.

I looked nervously between Jackie and Jace as they stared at me waiting for a response. I swallowed hard and glanced back down at my half-empty plate feeling lost.

Jace's eyes went wide as he shifted in his seat and grabbed my hand. "Is everything alright?"

I took a deep breath and leaned back in my chair. "I have something to tell you." My heart pounded uncontrollably at the thought of being away from Jace.

Suddenly, I just couldn't do it. I couldn't tell him about the apartment. "I found a new job," I swallowed back the lump in my throat. "I'm supposed to start tomorrow morning."

The look on Jace's face was of pure hurt as he forked his pancakes and swallowed. "A new job," he mumbled. "Where at?" he asked looking back up.

I couldn't stand to look Jace in the eye at the moment. I felt sick to my stomach for making him feel the way that I knew he felt. I could see the hurt all over his face.

"It's at a little pizza restaurant called 'Jan’s Place.' It would be Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays from ten o’clock a.m. until around six o’clock p.m. She wasn't quite sure of the hours," I said nervously.

Jace smiled and squeezed my hand, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. "I've been there plenty of times. Jan is a loyal customer of mine. A little hard to get along with, but you’ll do fine."

He looked over at Jackie and nodded at her. "Maybe Jackie could fill in on those days for you at the diner and you could still work with us on Thursdays and Sundays."

Jackie looked taken aback as she looked up from her plate and looked between the two of us. "I... um... I don't know Jace," she mumbled, looking away.

Jace swiftly reached across the table and grabbed for his sister's hand. "This can be a new start for you. You can sleep here until we can get you a place and you can work in the diner. You never have to see Joe again." He squeezed Jackie's hand as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I promise you that things will get better. I love you." He turned his face away as if to hide it.

The look on Jackie's face matched the screaming of my heart. Hearing those words come out of Jace's mouth had my heart aching. It sounded like the sweetest and most sincere thing that I’d ever heard in my entire life. It pained me to know that I’d never known those words.

Jackie's face scrunched up as the tears poured out uncontrollably. You could see that she was fighting as hard as she could to hide it, but it was no use. Jace had a way of making you feel everything. There was no hiding. "I feel so lost right now," she cried. "Why do I miss him so much?"

Jace jumped up from the table and ran over to his sister's side. He placed both of his hands on her face and squeezed it. "You don't. You just think that you do. Your body and mind is programmed to think that you miss him. What you miss is always knowing that you had someone to go home to." He shook her as she began to shake her head back and forth. "Trust me. You can still have that. You have Avery and me now. You don't need him."

Jace's words froze Jackie in her place. Her body loosened up as she took a deep breath and turned around to face me. "I trust you, Jace. I can see it in her eyes too. You've got a good woman here."

My mind was in complete shock as Jackie made her way past Jace and threw her arms around me. I sat there for a moment not knowing what to do. I felt like running, but a big part of me felt as if I could cry. I didn't do either. I just sat there stiff as a statue.

Finally, Jackie pulled away with a sad smile on her face. "I'm going to take a shower and find some clean clothes. Thank you for breakfast." With that she walked away leaving Jace and I alone in the kitchen.

Jace waited for Jackie to leave before he walked over and squatted down in front of me. "Thank you," he whispered, rubbing my cheek.

I gave him a confused look while trying to put myself back together. "For what?" I questioned.

He smiled and ran a finger over my bottom lip giving me the chills. "For letting my sister hug you. I know that you don't like to be touched."

I turned my head away and bit my bottom lip. I never actually came out and told Jace that. He was a lot smarter than most people that I knew.

He slowly broke my walls down bit by bit and knew all of the right times to touch me.

"You figured that out." I smiled impressed. "You're perfect." The words left my mouth before I could stop them. I threw my hand over my mouth and hid my face, embarrassed by my confession.

Jace cupped my face and forced me to look at him. "Don't be afraid of your feelings. I want to know how you feel." He leaned in and pressed his lips against mine. "Go and get ready." He smiled, his eyes sincere. "There are some people that want to see you."

I wasn't surprised when we pulled up in front of diner. My stomach still managed to do a flip at just the sight of The Indy Go. It hadn't been that long since I had been there, but it had felt like a lifetime. I was nervous.

Jace pulled the keys out of the ignition and looked over at me with concentration. The look on his face looked as if he was trying to figure me out. "Are you okay with coming here?" he finally questioned.

I thought about it for a moment before I responded. "Yes."

As soon as Jace pulled open the door to the diner, Stacy, along with her loose blond curls were bouncing around in my face. She didn't waste time before she threw her tiny arms around me and pulled me in for a hug. It was probably the tightest hug that I had ever managed to survive. She was quite strong for being so small.

"Holy shit, Avery!" she squealed. "I was so worried that I would never see you again. I'm so sorry that I didn't see you leave." She pulled away, but not before planting a soft kiss on my forehead. She really had a way with making a person feel at home. If I had to admit it, I would say that I have grown to be quite fond of her.

I nodded my head and patted her on the back. The softness of her sweater made me feel cozy and comfortable.

I was so lost in the moment that I almost didn't even pay attention to the fact that there were about three more bodies surrounding us. "It's okay," I managed to say.

Before I could take another step, I noticed Dex, Winston and Maple standing in a circle in front of the counter. Winston stepped away first and made his way to stand in front of me. "It's good to see you again." He offered his hand for a shake and I took it without a second thought. It felt good to see them all again.

I smiled and brushed my hair from out of my face. "It's good to see you too. All of you." I looked around nodding my head. “It really is.”

Jace grinned as he cupped my face and looked me in the eye. "No one is happier than I am at this moment. It feels like home here and it isn't complete without you here." His eyes softened before he pressed his lips against mine and rubbed the back of my head. "Welcome back."

Everyone in the room looked shocked as Jace pulled me next to him and kissed the top of my head. Everyone acted as if they’d never seen Jace be affectionate with a woman before.

He just ignored all of the looks and walked me over to the counter. His hand held onto mine as he grabbed Dex's shoulder with his other hand. "I owe you my life, man." He pulled Dex's face close to him and squeezed his shoulder. "Let me know if you ever need anything."

Dex's eyes lit up as he grabbed Jace's shoulder and smiled. "You've already done enough in the past. I owed you, bro."

Dex’s eyes turned to me and he smiled. “I’m glad that you’re okay. You’re in good hands.”

I nodded and smiled. “Thank you.”

I couldn't help but to feel warm and tingly inside from all of the love that seemed to be going around the diner. The feeling was so overwhelming that it brought tears to my eyes. I wasn't used to this feeling and it had me very confused.

"Are you alright, dear?" Maple questioned concerned.

I slowly looked up while trying to hide my moist cheeks. "I'm fine. More than okay."

The room was silent as everyone stood there watching me. I felt like a freak show.

"Well everyone," Jace said breaking the silence. "We're going to take off."

Everyone said their goodbyes and we headed back to Jace's house.

I knew that at some point I was going to have to tell him that I was moving into my apartment in just a few days, but it just wasn't quite the right time.

When we arrived back at the house, Jackie was sitting on the floor with the game Yahtzee sitting in front of her. She looked up with tired eyes.

It looked as if she had been crying again, when we were gone. She forced a smile and patted the two spots beside her. "Remember when we used to play this game?" She looked up at Jace with a childish grin.

Jace grinned back before he sat down next to her and grabbed for the dice. "I do. I remember we used to stay up all night playing. Mom never cared, but when dad got home... he would yell until we put it away and went to bed. We were so in love with this game." He smiled over at me. “Sit.”

Jackie looked up at me as if she was still waiting for me to join them. "Do you like this game, Avery?" She waited for an answer as I found my way to the floor and took a seat next to her.

I thought for a second before I answered. I knew that they would both probably laugh at me. I would have. "I've never played it." I grabbed for a piece of game paper and looked it over. "How do you play?"

Jace and Jackie both smiled at each other before explaining the rules to me. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be and the game was actually fun.

We spent the next couple of hours just laughing and talking while playing Yahtzee. We never had games at my house back when I was living with my parents. I knew the main reason for that was that they didn't want to take the time to teach anything to me.  The thought made me sad, but it was never too late to learn.

Hours later, Jackie went to bed leaving us alone in the living room. I was tired as well, but didn't want to leave Jace's side. It felt good being so close to him and the thought of being alone made me sad. I just wasn't ready yet.

"Tell me what happened with Jackie," I whispered while leaning into his chest.

Jace squeezed me closer to him until my head was resting on his shoulder. He lightly kissed my head and then played with the ends of my hair.

"Jackie was a... is a good woman. She got mixed up with Joe sometime after my father left and my mother passed away a few years later. She was uncontrollable at the time and he took advantage of her. He fed her lies, drugs and anything else that he said would make her happy again. She believed it all." He paused and shook his head. "I've been trying ever since to get her back. She's a tough one. Even now I can't be sure that she will stay."

I swallowed the emotions that were forming as I reached up and touched his chest. It felt warm and firm under my fragile touch. He had been through so much and… alone. "What happened to your mother?" I asked suddenly wondering if I had taken it too far.     

Jace's body stiffened for a moment as we sat there in silence. His heavy breathing made me nervous.

"She kind of lost it after my father left. She got addicted to antidepressants until eventually she gave up on everything and got sick. I took care of her for as long as I could." A tear fell from his face as he squeezed his eyes shut. "She didn't make it."

My heart pounded heavily in my chest as I pulled him as close to me as I could. It broke my heart to think about what he had gone through. He deserved so much better.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered. I didn't know what else to say. I knew that nothing would be able to take the pain away. Mine was always there.

Jace reached out with trembling hands and cupped my face, his emerald eyes burning into mine as he as he shifted to his knees and pulled in closer to his face. "Be with me, Avery," he whispered.

My throat closed up. I tried pulling away from his firm grip, but it was useless. I was weak and powerless when it came to looking into his eyes. I felt as if I was drowning. I was sinking further and further under the water and it was getting harder and harder to breathe.

Jace sat there breathing heavily, chest heaving up and down as he stared into my eyes, his eyes burning with passion.

"Avery, I love you," he said breathless.