“Yes, you do! Tell me!”
“No way,” Lacey said, folding like always. “I can’t. Please don’t try to make me. I love you, Kacey, I do, but I promised to keep it a secret. If you want to know, you ask him.”
Kacey scrunched her nose up and glared. “But I don’t want him to tell me, because he’ll guilt me with those eyes, and I’ll be head over heels all over again while he’s just looking to screw.”
“You don’t know that. Maybe you should give him a chance.”
“No, I know him. More than you. He doesn’t do relationships, which is what I’m in the market for.”
“Okay, if you know all that, then why are you worried about it? You are way too concerned with him for someone who is dating someone else,” Lacey pointed out and Kacey’s glare deepened.
“Shut up and you know why. He was really my first true love. It’s hard to get over that. I’m trying, but it’s hard.”
“Because you believe in him.”
Kacey didn’t answer as her eyes clouded with tears. She didn’t believe in him. She knew the real Jordie—he just piled all kinds of cocky-ass behavior and bad choices on top of himself.
“You know, that’s how it was with Karson and me. I never stopped loving him,” Lacey said, looking out into the living room where Karson was sitting with Mena Jane cuddled into his chest. Looking back at her dipwad brother, Kacey’s heart skipped a beat. She’d always known he was going to be a good daddy. He took care of her like she was his. Sometimes it was annoying, but she still was thankful for everything he did for her. She respected him and looked up to him. He liked Liam, approved of them, so she knew what the best thing for her to do was. But for some reason, Jordie wouldn’t get out of her head.
“I can’t trust him,” Kacey said then, bringing Lacey’s attention back to her. “He hurt me so bad. Broke me.”
“I know,” Lacey said with a nod. “And, believe me, you don’t owe him anything. I’ll be the first to tell you that, but I would talk to him. I would see what he has to say and then make your decision after that.”
Kacey eyed her, knowing that Lacey was up to something. Or maybe the meds were making her loopy. “You know what he wants to talk about.”
“Maybe,” Lacey said with a sly grin.
Why did that piss her off? “When did you two get so close?”
“When I saw the real Jordie, the good Jordie. I think if you gave him the chance to show him to you, you’d forgive him.”
“I have forgiven him. A long time ago. But I can’t let go of him. No matter how hard I try.”
“So maybe that should tell you something,” she said and shrugged. “Or keep dating Liam and see how that goes. Either way, I just want you to be happy, Kace. That’s all.”
“I know,” she moaned, dropping her head to the island. “I just want to be happy.”
“Then follow your heart,” she said just as the back door opened. Kacey didn’t have to turn to know it was Jordie. Plus, Lacey greeted him with a bright grin and said, “Hey, Jordie! Whoo-weee! Someone went and saw Billy Ray.”
Sitting up, Kacey turned in her seat, and it really took everything out of her not to turn into a puddle of goo before sliding off the chair and just dying. It was downright wrong for someone to be as fucking hot as Jordie Thomas was. Standing before her in a thin gray shirt and athletic shorts was the man she fell in love with so long ago. His beard was trimmed up to perfection, not too long or short, just perfect and shiny. His hair was in a badass Mohawk and he was simply beautiful. She’d always thought he was the most gorgeous man she had ever seen—and she still thought that. But at that moment, she could see how much weight he had lost.