CHAPTER SIXTEEN

"Jesus, Mom, why didn'tyou ring or message me?" Leilani cried.

And why won't you stop fucking drinking?

She knew the answer. Her dad. Well, that her dad had died. But was that really a good enough reason?

Surely her mom could've just grieved and moved on.

Right?

She had a daughter to live for, after all. Was Leilani not important enough? Did her mom not realize that by letting herself die, she was leaving her alone in this world?

For the rest of her life.

To navigate being a woman.

Becoming a wife.

A mother.

A...fucking everything.

How was she going to do it on her own? Live without a mom, a family, or anyone. Her friends were moving on with their lives and she no longer fit.

She didn't know if she wanted to fit into who they were all becoming.

That made no sense. Leilani wanted to get married and have a family, but there seemed to be a disconnect that she couldn't put her finger on.

"It's nothing, just some bloating. Go, be with your friends." Her mom replied, forcing herself off the sofa.

"Mom! Look at your ankles." Leilani cried when the blanket fell away.

"It's normal. Part of having cirrhosis. You heard the doctor." She waved her off.

Leilani followed her.

"Mom, you have to stop drinking." She snapped before she could stop herself. This conversation never went well, and they always ended up fighting.

Didn't they say tough love was important? Usually, the other way around, but here she was, being the damn parent.

"Leilani, please don't start. You know I'm grieving your father." Her mother cried angrily.

"Oh, my God. He's been gone for years. I've grieved him too. He was my father."

"You were a child. It was different."

Leilani gasped.

How dare she dismiss her emotions like that? As if one was more painful than the other. Well, two could play that game.

"Yes. It was. I lost a parent. You lost a husband. Two different things. Both of us need to love him and honor him, not destroy ourselves because he has gone."

"You don't know what you are talking about." Her mom whirled around. "He was my life. My life Leilani. I relied on him for everything. Then he left."

Leilani crossed her arms.

"So the answer is to destroy yourself and then just leave me behind?"

Her mom glared at her, the anger making her yellow tinted cheeks pink for a moment. Hell, maybe this is what she needed. To fight.

Fight for her goddamn life.

"Maybe you should move out. I don't want to spend the rest of my life fighting with you," her mom said, as Leilani's mouth fell open.

Tears prickled in her eyes as the pain of her words worked their way inside her.

"Mom," she whispered.

Instead of apologizing, her mom turned from her and walked out of the room, her dressing gown flapping behind her.

She was drunk and ill, Leilani knew that, but it still hurt to hear her say that to her.

She dropped her face into her hands and let out a guttural cry.

They both knew she couldn't leave. Leilani paid the bills. Her mom couldn't live without her now because she was unable to work.

But it hurt anyway.

She wiped her eyes and walked back into the living room, picking up her bag. She'd ring the doctor in the morning, but right now, Leilani needed some fresh air.

She quickly got changed into a pair of black leggings and a tight white tank top, then slid on her black sweatshirt. Pulling her dark hair up into a ponytail, she then grabbed her phone and keys, then ran down the stairs.

Unsure whether she was going to drive somewhere or go for a run, Leilani opened the front door and stepped outside. It was early evening, and the temperature was cooling down fast.

Maybe you should move out.

She lay a hand on her car and shook her head. If her mom didn't want to live, then how could she keep her alive?

She glanced back at the house, wondering if she should go back inside.

"Hey, princess." A deep, familiar voice said behind her.

Leilani's head shot up.

Oh, my God.

Leaning, with large muscular arms crossed, against a very expensive large silver vehicle, was Jacob Dufort.

Outside her house.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, taking a few steps toward him.

"You never messaged." He straightened and took two steps himself, looking a little smug. So, normal Jacob.

There was still a good yard between them, and it felt like a mile after what they'd done on Friday. Yet she felt like he was a stranger.

"So you drove over here?" she replied quietly. Leilani studied him, watching his smirk fade.

He took another step.

"You look sad, princess."

So did he. Or at least not the same cheeky Jacob she'd met in the past.

"I'm okay," she replied. "Are you?"

"I will be if you take two more steps this way," Jacob replied, his lip quirking.

She took one.

He smiled; this time it was genuine.

"Hi," he said.

Leilani smiled. "Hi."

"One more step, princess." His words an instruction. And damn it, she complied, walking into his arms.

The warmth of his body enveloped her as she lay her head on his chest. It was everything she didn't know she needed.

When Jacob pressed his cheek against the top of her head, she realized he needed her too.

That was a surprise.

––––––––

"WHERE ARE YOU takingme?" Leilani asked, her fingers still running over the soft leather of the seat.

"Turn it on, here." Jacob said, showing her the heated seat button. "Trust me, I know your body will love the heat."

"Excuse me?" she asked, coughing awkwardly.

"I had my mouth between your legs, princess. I know what your body likes."

Her cheeks blazed.

He might be right, but she wasn't sure she was ready for all the lust and excitement that went along with being with this man.

She had been upset, and that hadn't disappeared because of one hug.

"I don't want to go to the club."

His eyes left the road and met hers momentarily. "We're not going to Sailors."

She should have asked before climbing in the car, but Jacob had run his hand along her cheek and then pressed his mouth to hers, not really kissing her but waking her body wake up, then asked her to come for a drive with him. She had been unable to say no.

Jacob looked utterly gorgeous. His blue jeans fit him more perfectly than she'd ever seen on another man in her life, and his black t-shirt did nothing to hide his ripped body underneath.

She was dying to slide her hand under it and feel those sexy abdominal muscles again. Then an image of his long, thick cock filled her mind.

Damn.

But she didn't want to go back to the club.

Lunch with her friends had made her realize just how crazy Friday with Jacob and Carter had been. Not that she wasn't already aware, but sitting with the two couples who would never dream of doing such things—she assumed—had made her feel bad about what she'd done.

But that didn't mean she wasn't insanely attracted to this man. Her body had flared at his touch and wanted more.

"Then where are you taking me?"

"You'll see." Jacob shot her a half smirk.

When they ended up on Philly's South Street, Leilani thought he might be taking her out for dinner. But he parked and, after instructing her to stay put, circled the SUV and opened her door.

Then took her hand and led her to a place she never would have expected Jacob Dufort to take her.

Philadelphia's Magic Garden.

"Sorry, we're closing in ten minutes." The man at the desk said.

"We'll need an hour." Jacob said, pulling out a handful of crisp large bills and sliding them across the desk. The young man glanced at the money for a long moment, then up at Jacob.

"I can do forty minutes, otherwise I'll get fired." He said, nodding and gathering up the notes.

"Deal," Jacob said, then took her hand again.

"Did you just pay six hundred dollars to get us into the Magic Gardens?" she gasped.

"Eight. Have you been here before?" Jacob asked, leading her inside.

My God.

Eight hundred dollars.

"No," she replied, her brain almost exploding as the colors and art overwhelmed her senses.

Every surface was tiled with shards of ceramic, glass, mirrors, bottles—woah, was that a bicycle spoke—and offcuts of all manner of knickknacks.

Every surface.

As they continued making their way down staircases, along hallways and out into different sections of the gallery, they were met with different murals and mosaics by a range of artists.

"I met Isaiah Zagar once," Jacob said.

"The artist?" she asked, spotting his name on the wall.

"Yup. He's pretty old now, but he was at an event Amelia, my cousin, put on," Jacob said. "I heard him once talking about how he loves using shards as they represent the pieces of life that people just throw away and consider junk."

Huh. That was pretty deep. She was surprised and took a moment to let her gaze roam Jacob's face, realizing she didn't know him very well.

And that there might be a lot more to him than just a very sexy body and a kinky lifestyle.

Of course there was. He had a big, loving family and a successful business.

But with all his playful flirting and, well, Friday, she had never noticed the layers underneath.

They stopped and stared at one mosaic as Jacob slid his hands into his pockets. It was beautiful. Almost mad in a way as a pair of what seemed to be eyes—but not—stared back at her.

"But it's not junk, is it?" Leilani replied.

"I suppose that's over to each of us." Jacob dropped his eyes to hers. "He was able to make art from trash. Make a fortune. Someone else tosses the same material into the trash each week."

She glanced back at the art and slowly nodded.

"Is that how you make your millions? By turning trash into art?" Leilani asked.

She knew he had made money in hedge funds, but was he talking about his own life?

Jacob laughed, one hand sliding out of his pocket and laying it low on her back. She turned a little farther toward him. "No. That was a mix of privilege, a very expensive education, learning how the game works, and luck."

She liked the fact that he was humble enough to admit that. Damn, she didn't need to like this sexy man any more than she did.

On that, why had he been parked outside her house? And why, with those sad eyes she kept seeing, had he chosen her to be the person to spend time with?

"Why are we here?" Leilani asked, as he brushed a lock of hair over her ear.

"I'm trying to piece my life together, princess. Instead, it feels like it's splitting into shards, much like this art," Jacob said, glancing around them.

When his eyes landed back on her, she saw that same hurt she'd noticed in her driveway.

What was going on in his life?

Would he tell her if she asked?

"I drove around for hours today looking for answers. Tell me why I found myself outside your house, princess?" he answered her silent question, but directed it back to her.

"I don't know," Leilani whispered.

Jacob's thumb brushed over her bottom lip.

"Neither do I."