Poison & Wine - Melissa Toppen Page 0,53
a single moment of it. Well, except maybe for the part where you ran away right after.” He smiles up at me and I swear it’s like I’m looking at the old Jace.
Something inside of me swells, making me feel full and weighted.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I say before turning around and heading inside the house.
“Knock, knock.” I tap lightly on the apartment door before pushing it open. “Jace,” I call, stepping inside.
“I’ll be out in just a sec,” he calls from the bathroom.
I close the door behind me, looking around the small space. It’s weird, how even though I own this it feels like I’m walking into a stranger’s house.
I turn, visions from the night of Tommy’s funeral flashing through my mind. Jace’s hands on my body, his thick length inside of me as he took me against the door. Just thinking about it makes my skin flush.
“Hey.” I jump at the sound of Jace’s voice, turning to see him exit the bathroom in dark jeans and no shirt.
It’s the first time I’ve gotten a good look at his body and I’m stunned by how in shape he is. Then again, he did spend three months in rehab. I’m sure he had a lot of time to exercise while he was there.
He looks almost as I remembered him, only a little more filled out. Plus a small stretch of ink going down his side that wasn’t there when we were kids.
“Hey.” I force my eyes up his face.
“I’m almost ready.” He turns to grab the shirt off his bed. He slides it over his head before turning back to me. “Thank you again for doing this.”
“It’s really no problem.” I force a smile.
“How was work last night?”
“It was work.” I shrug. “A pretty quiet night to be honest.”
“Well given your line of work, I would say a quiet night is a good night.”
“Yeah.”
“I still can’t believe you’re a nurse. You said you were going to do it and you did, despite everything.” Something passes over his face but it’s gone before I can pinpoint what it is.
“It wasn’t easy,” I admit. “But I love it.”
He smiles as he takes a seat on the edge of the bed, sliding his shoes on. His hair is still wet from the shower, but based on the scruff on his face, it’s clear to see he didn’t shave. A little part of me celebrates. I always loved him with a beard. Though I wouldn’t say he has a beard per se. But it’s definitely filling in.
“We won’t be gone long. I’m sure this isn’t how you want to spend your day off.”
“It’s okay.” I shrug. “I could think of worse ways to spend it.” My admission brings a small smile to his lips.
“Welp, I’m ready.” He stands and walks toward me.
“Awesome.” I turn, opening the door and trying to keep my mind from going back to a couple of days ago when my back was pressed against it. I still have marks on my skin as evidence, as if I need a physical reminder. I’m pretty sure that night will be embedded in my brain for the rest of my life.
I step out into the warm afternoon heat, Jace not far behind me. He pulls the door closed as he exits the apartment and follows me silently to my car.
Dropping into the driver’s seat, I wait until Jace is inside and has his seatbelt latched before starting the engine.
His head turns toward the backseat as I pop the car into reverse and back out of the driveway.
“For Ellie?” he asks as I switch into drive and slowly take off down the street.
“Huh?” I question.
“The car seat.”
“Oh.” I glance behind me before turning my focus back to the road. When I brought him home that first day, and then for the funeral, I’d removed it. I’d figured that was easier than answering unnecessary questions. But now that he knows about her, I didn’t think to take it out again. “Yeah. It’s easier than having to swap when I, uh, babysit her.” It feels weird saying that, considering she’s my daughter.
“Makes sense.” He nods, not questioning it further.
We make the short drive in silence, the radio playing softly in the background. Jace already told me what complex the apartment is in, though when we pull into the lot he has to direct me on which way to go.
After pulling into a vacant spot outside of building 400, I slide the car in park and kill