Page 26 of Burning Love (Looking For Love #7)

NO EXPLANATION NEEDED

J ace had no idea why he’d talked as much as he had.

Looking down and seeing Talia in his arms told him no explanation was needed.

She leaned back, the tears in her eyes now rolling down her cheeks.

“Don’t cry for me,” he said.

“It’s hard not to. You’re this big tough guy that no one gets to see. You’ve got issues, Jace. Don’t doubt that.”

He snorted. “We all have issues.”

“We do. I’ll be the first to admit it. You’re not alone in this world though sometimes I think you are.”

“I’ve never felt alone.”

Which was a lie.

Right after his mother died, he had.

He thought for sure his father would say he was on his own. It was too hard to do.

Or when he turned eighteen, that the obligation was met.

That was why he didn’t want to give an opinion on how his bedroom should be set up in his father’s house.

Why set himself up for more heartache only to be left alone?

But when he was asked if he wanted to change his name, he knew his father would keep his word.

“You feel it now,” she said. “If I left, you would have held this all in like you’ve done for the past almost two decades on your mother’s birthday, right?”

He didn’t know how she could know him so well in the short time they’d been together.

“Most likely.”

“And tonight you got to talk some.”

“Thanks for that.”

“Do you feel better?” she asked.

He leaned down to kiss her. “A little.”

“Then it’s better than you saying no.”

“How was your day?” He was talked out about himself.

“Well,” she said. “Not to hit you with this, but it’s funny now.”

“Make me laugh. I could use it.”

She narrowed her eyes at him and moved out of his arms, then returned to the island to finish eating.

He joined her.

“I had a call with West and Braylon today.”

“Okay. Do you talk to West a lot?”

He didn’t think much about the guy being a billionaire, just that he was Talia’s older brother and stand-in father.

“Not much. I mean, he’s there if I need him.

He wasn’t always in the past few years. He’s just really busy.

Before he met Abby, he didn’t talk to anyone for long stretches other than Laken or Braylon who were in the office with him.

Here is another funny story. My mother summoned him home two years ago.

A few months before my college graduation.

We set up this fight so that West thought he had to intervene when it was actually to get him here so that my mother could lay into him for working himself into the ground and not putting family first. She all but forced him on a vacation. ”

“How did your mother force your adult brother on a vacation?”

“She has her ways for piling on the guilt,” she said, waving her hand. “It doesn’t matter. He did it because he did some self-reflection of how he was acting and treating people. Or ignoring us. He met Abby on that vacation. She’d won the trip.”

“She’s not from New York?”

“She lived in the Albany, New York, area but was in Aruba the same time as him. Talk about fate. Anyway, they had a long distance thing, which wasn’t that long of a distance by plane.

I’m getting off track. That isn’t what was funny today.

I had the call with West. The video comes up and there he is with Braylon looking mad.

For West, that’s a normal look. Braylon is usually all smiles. ”

“Elias told them about me,” he guessed.

“Nope, my mother did. That wasn’t that big of a deal. West made some stupid comment about he could overlook the age, maybe. That it could be I need a father figure in my life.”

“I’m not your father and I hope to hell you don’t think I treat you that way.”

“No to both. I told him it was kind of gross to think that.”

“Does our age difference bother you?”

He hadn’t thought it did, but now that she’d made that comment he wasn’t so sure.

“I don’t see you as almost the same age as West when I look at you. No. It really doesn’t. Do you see me as someone younger than Janey?”

“No. I told my father today that you’re much more mature than Janey is.”

“You talked about me with your father?”

His head went back and forth. He hadn’t planned on saying that part either, but it seemed as if he had diarrhea of the mouth tonight.

“It came up. Kelsey met you and she talked to my family about it. They want to meet you too.”

“Oh. I don’t have a problem with it, but it’s up to you. You met my mother and Elias.”

“He brought me beer.”

She closed one eye at his smirk. “Elias and I are probably the closest. When I was younger, he wasn’t as hard on me as he should have been or how West wanted him to be.”

“He was more a brother than a father?”

“Yes. Then when I went to work with him, he understood enough to give me some rope knowing I wouldn’t hang myself, but rather figure out how to make a pretty little knot for my future.”

“It’s nice to have that support.”

“You’ve got it now with your father and siblings. Even your stepmother. Are you close to her?”

“Close enough,” he said. “I came into their life ultimately as an adult. She made me feel welcome but never once tried to be a parent to me. I helped out and did what was asked. She treated me the same as she did Kelsey and Janey for holidays and around the house. You know, do your chores and be respectful, but otherwise she was hands off.”

“Did you want her to do more?”

“No. I had a mother and at that time in my life, the last thing I needed was someone coming in trying to be another.”

Lauren had tiptoed around him. He’d heard the talks between his father and Lauren at night when they hadn’t known.

He’d get up to get food when he thought everyone was in bed, but his father would be talking with Lauren in their room on the first floor.

Maybe he stood in the hallway once or twice early on to listen in.

He wanted to know if she was going to force his father to kick him out.

One night it was Lauren standing up for him to give Jace time to open up with his father more. This woman, whose life he’d disrupted by just existing, was standing up for him.

The second time, it was his father telling Lauren how much he appreciated everything she’d done to make Jace feel welcome. Lauren had replied she’d always wanted a son and she knew he did too. It was their chance to have one.

“Was there any conflict with your father and Lauren with you coming into their life? Or with your stepsisters?”

“I never saw my father and Lauren fighting over me. Maybe they had conversations behind closed doors, but that’s it.

I didn’t want pity and they knew enough to temper that.

Janey was five when I moved in. To her I was just someone else to give her attention since Kelsey was ten and didn’t want to play with her sister. ”

She laughed. “Did you play with Janey?”

“Maybe. At times. I offered to watch her. To watch both of them when I was home. They did so much for me and it was the least I could do.”

“Which was nice of you.”

“It’s not as if I had a lot of friends when I moved here. Going back to you and your call. They were mad over my age?”

“Oh. I’m getting off track. Sorry. The age thing is a side note. They looked into you somewhat.”

“What?!” Not that he thought he had anything to hide, but it was more than a bit intrusive.

“They didn’t find anything that concerned them other than this.”

She put her phone on the counter after opening it and turned it toward him.

He saw his calendar picture and the heat filled his face.

“I had no control over that. It was part of the job.”

“Which I said. I told them it was five years ago too. I didn’t see the big deal, but it had more to do with the comments. They think you’re a player.”

His shoulders dropped. “I’m not sure I’d call myself a player, but I’ve never lied about things either.”

“Nope. I told them that too. I even pointed out that we had an understanding. This was no different than giving any guy I date months to get to know each other and then moving on if it wasn’t working out.”

He wasn’t sure why the thought of her moving on made his gut want to lurch his dinner up.

“What did they say?”

“There wasn’t much for them to say. Braylon loosened up some and West finally relaxed and we got to work. I know I’m the baby in their eyes. I’ll admit that for a few years I gave them a reason that they had to look out for me. They had a much harder life than I did.”

“Thanks to them.”

“That’s right. West felt that he spoiled me and I don’t know what hard work is. Maybe he’s right. Or he was. But I’ve worked hard in the past year and a half trying to find what I wanted to do. He’s proud of me even though he doesn’t say it.”

“You’re doing a good thing for people.”

“I am. I think it shocked him I chose this. In his mind, Nelson and I feel entitled and yet Nelson is busting his ass and proving he’s got what it takes. Though I took a different route and am not making money for West, I’m still working.”

“You’re giving him good public opinion and presence,” he said. “That’s just as important.”

“It is. But that isn’t why West donates as much as he does. We got help growing up. He’s trying to give back because he knows it’s the right thing to do. Kind of like you and your career.”

“Yeah. Not that I’ve got much in common with a billionaire.”

“Don’t look at the zeroes after his name. That’s meaningless. I don’t look at those things when I meet someone.”

“But you would if someone was trying to get to know you for your family. You admitted that.”

“That’s right. I’m guarded that way and have had to be because I’ve gotten burned. All of my siblings have. There isn’t much we can do about that other than be on the lookout. I’d like to think I know you well enough that you don’t care about that.”

“I don’t. I know you’re better than me.”

“Stop right there,” she said, putting her hand up, her body rigid. “Don’t. Many would say I had my job handed to me. I kind of did even though I have to work for it. But that doesn’t mean I think I’m better than you.”

“It has nothing to do with your job, your family, or your worth. It has to do with your heart. You’re just a better person than me, Talia. I’m damaged and you’re not. It boils down to that.”

“I hate that you think so little of yourself,” she growled.

“You’re mad at me?”

“Do you think?” she asked, getting up. She grabbed her purse. “You sabotage yourself to think you’re damaged rather than seeing all the good you’ve made of yourself and your life. You need to get out of your head more than anything else.”

“Where are you going?”

“Home. You can use the alone time to think. It seems you like it enough.”

She slammed out his door and he wondered what the fuck just happened when he thought things were going so well.