for me?
Then, his eyes lock on mine, and a genuine smile brightens his face. He lifts a hand, gesturing for me to join them. I take a deep breath, pulling myself together, then I approach.
“This is Emory,” Sebastian says as soon as I’m close enough for him to tug me to his side where he curls his arm around my waist.
The brunette eyes me, her gaze traveling to the stains on my pants then up to the simple black tee that reads Suck it up, buttercup. Then, she zeros in on the placement of Sebastian’s palm on my hip. Her lips purse. She extends a manicured hand my way. “Jayla. I’m sure you’ve heard of me.”
I knew this was coming, meeting the bitchy ex, but I wasn’t expecting it yet. I should have prepared myself because, holy shit, this woman is runway-model beautiful, and she knows it.
Swallowing down my apprehension, I take her hand, shaking it as firmly as I would a man’s, then I tilt my head. “Jayla, hmm nope. Doesn’t ring any bells. Sorry.”
Her top lip curls, and her eyes dart to Sebastian, accusation written all over her face. “You didn’t tell your new girlfriend about the woman you spent the last seven years with?”
He plays along with my charade—thank God—and shrugs. “Emory knows I was in a long-term relationship before we met. But the simple fact is, she’s my future, and you’re my past. The details didn’t matter.”
If looks could kill, Jayla would slay us both on the spot. She doesn’t say anything else as she turns away and stalks toward Storm.
My shoulders slump. “That was slightly terrifying,” I mumble.
“She never used to be like that,” he says, looking after her. “But over the years, she changed. I guess I didn’t really notice just how much until after we split.”
“Love is blind,” I say, patting his chest.
He looks down at me, his gaze intense and penetrating. “The love was lost there long before it was over between us. I just didn’t realize it.”
I can’t handle the way he’s looking at me, curiosity burning bright in his eyes, so I turn away from him. But he doesn’t let me go far. Stepping up behind me, he wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me back into his firm chest. We stand there in silence. Could he be just as afraid to say how he feels as I am?
When Sebastian finally takes me home, I rub my palms over my thighs and prepare to make up a reason he shouldn’t come up to my apartment with me. I need time to myself to sort through my thoughts. We kiss and fool around, but this afternoon he made it clear this is all a ruse, and I don’t know what to do.
“You look tired, and I’m wiped,” he says, smiling softly. He reaches over the center console and takes my hand in his as he pulls to the curb outside my building. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he murmurs, bringing my hand to his mouth then brushing his lips over the back of it.
Later that night, I’m drinking a beer on the back porch after everyone has gone to bed, my thoughts circling around Emory.
“Hey.” Jake’s deep voice startles me, and I jerk in surprise.
“Hey, man. Thought you were in bed,” I say.
He shrugs then runs a hand through his hair. “I was. Couldn’t sleep, though. Came down to get a drink and saw you sitting out here. What’s up?”
I take a swig of my drink then let the almost-empty bottle hang from my fingers between my legs. Hunching forward, I look out over the yard and say nothing.
“I saw you with Jayla today. How’d that go?” he asks after a beat of silence.
“Brutal,” I mutter. “She was a total bitch to Emory, but Em held her ground.”
Jake sits beside me, resting his elbows on his bent knees like I am. “Figured she would be. I still can’t figure out why Storm still hangs out with her. I thought you were the thread holding those two together, but here we are.”
“They were friends long before Jayla and I got together,” I say—not that he doesn’t already know that.
“Emory seems cool. Must have balls of steel to take on Jayla.” He chuckles.
I grin, thinking about the look on Jayla’s face when Emory acted like she’d never heard of her. “You should have seen it. It was fucking awesome how Em cut Jay down today. I just hope she keeps her distance now.”
“Doubt