32. Jacob

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

jacob

" I don't know the guy very well," George says. "I only met him a couple of times, back while we were all in college. He gave me a bad feeling, but I couldn't put my finger on it back then. According to Jay, he messed Lacey up pretty badly. You should be talking to Lacey about it though, man."

After a stiff, uneasy morning together, I told Lacey I had some work stuff to take care of. I drove over to see George at his ranch, hoping that he could give me some clarity.

"It's not something she seems too interested in talking about."

I pick up a brush and start brushing down my side of the horse separating me and George. Thinking about someone hurting Lacey makes my stomach churn and my anger flare.

"Honestly, I don't even think she said too much to Jalynn about it, either. Who knows though, dude? Maybe all of the tension was because you're a sorry lay," George suggests, trying to lighten the mood and managing to get a chuckle from me.

"I told you, nothing happened."

"As in truly nothing happened, or as in, she made you promise not to kiss and tell?" George prods.

"Nothing happened," I lie again.

"Yeah . . . you keep saying that. But you're a lousy liar."

Sitting in Lacey's driveway, I wonder whether I should even be here. The answer that keeps coming back to me is that I need to trust Lacey's answer. If she wants me here, I need to believe it. I see her peer out the window and realize I need to get inside before she comes to the wrong conclusion about my delay.

"Hey, babe," she says as I walk in, "did your work errand go okay?"

"Yeah, it went fine." I close the door behind me and take a seat on the bench to pull off my boots.

"Want something to drink?" Lacey opens the fridge door and inspects our options, not waiting for an answer from me.

"We need to talk, Lacey," I say. She looks over her shoulder at me.

"I know," she says and sits next to me on the bench. "I hardly know where to start."

Lacey tells me about the dream from last night and how Ben wanted her to quit her job. Ben was working nights at the factory outside of town, so her boss agreed to schedule her around Ben's factory schedule. That way, she could continue working without Ben knowing.

"Nearly nine years of my life was spent in a relationship with him. I never saw a future without him in it until somehow our relationship transitioned from me nursing the bruises his dad left on him to Ben leaving bruises on me," Lacey says.

"Do you love him?" I ask in a hushed voice.

"I did, but our bond was different. It wasn't a storybook romance. He didn't make me feel weak at the knees. We were both broken in a way that even Jalynn couldn't understand."

"Did Jalynn not know what was going on?"

"Not really. I hid it as best I could. I knew she wouldn't understand why I stayed with him. She actually tried to get me to break up with him senior year of high school. She said he was manipulating me, and she didn't like the way he treated me. But I didn't listen. I was already in love with him by that point."

Lacey stands and crosses the room into the kitchen where she leans back against the counter to continue. I sit quietly and wait until she's ready to talk. Her hands are trembling, though she tries to still them on the counter behind her, and I just want to wrap her up in my arms and keep her there, safe.

"Jay and I got an apartment together our freshman year of college. Ben was furious. He moved, too, even though he wasn't taking classes. He just didn't want me living two hours away. At the time, I thought it was sweet of him. I didn't realize it was because he didn't trust me.

"We fought constantly. He was so jealous of everyone, even Jalynn. The week before finals of our first semester, he stopped by our apartment unannounced. I was in the kitchen with a guy Jalynn had brought home the previous night. Ben lost his shit."

I watch as Lacey's fingers graze the scar above her eyebrow that I've always been curious about. She comes back to the bench and takes a seat facing me again, her knees pulled up to her chest.

"That's what this scar is from?" I ask, reaching over and running my thumb gently down the scar. I feel sick thinking of some bastard leaving cuts and bruises on my girl.

"Yes."

"And you stayed with him?" I ask.

"No, we broke up. But that summer, Grammy passed away, and Ben was there, being sweet again. When school started again, Jalynn moved in with George, and I moved in with Ben. We were only a little over halfway through the school year when Ben's brother died, though, and I moved home with him. I let a lot of stuff slide for way too long, blaming his behavior on the grief. Things started to change for me after I found out through the gossip mill in town that he'd started sleeping with a girl from his work. It took finding out about him cheating on me to realize how far my life had spiraled.

"Ben came home that night to me sitting in the den with my bags packed and the plane ticket from Jalynn in my hand. I told him I was done. I was leaving him. He yanked the plane ticket out of my hand and tore it to pieces. I stood, mustering up what little courage I had, and went toe-to-toe with him. He threatened me. Told me the only way I'd ever leave him is if I was dead."

"How long ago was that?" I ask through gritted teeth.

"It was about two months before I got here. I knew if I was going to get away, I was going to have to have a better plan. He wasn't going to let me go. I already had some cash hidden away, and I saved up every penny I could and searched the papers for a cheap camper. I didn't know how much I'd have to move around and didn't want to have to worry about rent and deposits for a place to stay. One evening after Ben left for work, I bought the camper and made a run for it."

"Does he know where you are?" I ask.

"No. I don't think so. And I don't think he would come this far after me even if he knew where to look."

"Are you sure about that?"

"He's probably replaced me with his new little toy from work. I just pity the poor girl. She has no idea what she's got herself into, I'm sure."

"But he knows how close you and Jalynn are. He probably knows that would be the most likely place for you to go. If I were looking for you, that's where I'd start."

"If you're trying to make me feel safe, it's not working," Lacey says, her brow creasing with concern. "He wouldn't come all this way," she says again, as though she's trying to convince herself. "I'm not worth all the trouble to him."

"You're worth all the trouble in the world, Gypsy." I kiss her head and pull her tightly against me, wishing I could chase her demons away.

On Sunday, Lacey and I walk into my parents' house for the weekly family dinner. The house is filled with the aroma of a feast, and I know Mom must be trying out recipes in preparation for Thanksgiving dinner. My stomach grumbles as I take in the fancy spread.

When we make it to the start of dinner without Mia giving me a hard time, I should have known something was up. Turns out, she was just waiting for the perfect moment to light the match and watch me burn.

"Tell me," Mia begins, "how's it going living together? Has Jacob overstayed his welcome yet, Lacey?"

I choke on my fucking sweet potato, sucking a chunk down into my lungs. My face heats up, and I'm coughing and gasping for air, unable to speak. Lacey stares back at Mia like a deer in headlights. Our living arrangement isn't exactly a secret, but I definitely haven't filled my parents in yet, it being temporary and all.

"Excuse me?" Mom asks, her eyes wide as saucers as she looks back and forth between me, Lacey, and Mia.

Damn it, Mia.

"You okay there, son?" Dad asks. He reaches over and hands me my glass of water. I take it from him and gulp it down.

"Oh. Did I let the cat out of the bag? Oops," Mia says, pushing the food around on her plate and stifling a laugh.

"You moved in together?" Mom asks.

I finally clear my lungs of the sweet potato, though they're still on fire, and sparing a glance for Mia, I turn my attention back to Mom. Now is as good a time as any to get this out of the way, I guess.

"Ashley got me kicked out of the house," I explain. "I didn't move in with Lacey. I've just been staying with her while I get Nana's house livable."

"Anyone interested in taking bets on how long that's going to take him?" Mia pipes up, earning another glare from me. She might be laughing now, but she won't be laughing when it's her turn.

"You know our door is always open if you need a place to stay, Jacob," Dad points out.

"I know, Dad. And I appreciate that. Lacey was nice enough to allow me to stay with her for a while, though."

"And this way you don't have to find a place to go park when you're feeling extra friendly," Mia adds, wiggling her damn eyebrows at me.

I glance over at Lacey. She's focusing excessively hard on her plate, one hand shielding her reddened face. Damn Mia.

"Thanks for that, Mia," I say. I reach under the table and give Lacey's knee a squeeze, hoping she doesn't break up with me after this.

"Good point," Dad says, now joining in with Mia. "Though maybe it could be fun feeling like a teenager again." He shrugs. "I know your mother and I like to?—"

"Nope..." I interrupt him. "I've got to stop you there, Dad. I do not want to hear you finish that sentence."

Lacey is never going to agree to come back to another family dinner, and I can't say that I blame her.

"Has Jacob taken you over to Nana's house, Lacey?" Mom asks, taking mercy on us and changing the subject. Lacey's gaze shoots up from her plate to Mom.

"No, he hasn't."

"Jacob, you should take her over there before you start your work on the place. I bet Lacey could give you some good tips on the remodel. You might appreciate knowing her preferences later down the road," Mom says.

Great. Now Mom is ready to start planning for grandkids from me and Lacey.

"Can we move the conversation on to something other than mine and Lacey's relationship?" I ask.

"No fun," Mia whines.

I pick up a roll and chuck it across the table at her.