Page 42 of The Comeback Road (Leaving #2)
Jace
I jolted awake to the sound of a knock on my window. Blinking against the harsh light of the morning sun, I found Sloan standing there with a knowing look on his face. I cracked the window, letting in the chilly morning air.
“Whatcha doing out here? Sleeping in your car?” Sloan asked as he brought the steaming coffee to his lips.
“Yeah, I…I didn’t want to leave,” I admitted. After hearing Magnolia and Sloan the night before, what if she needed me ? I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, fighting the urge to sink back and close them again.
“So what’s your plan? Are you just going to sit out here until she talks to you?”
“Nah, I just don’t want to be far if she needs me.” I shrugged, and Sloan kept his eyes trained on me.
“Would have been good if you realized that before the whole Jess debacle…”
Yeah. He wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know.
“You aren’t…you aren’t here because you feel guilty, right? Lexie would have gone regardless because that’s who she is.” He sipped his coffee, and I glared at him.
“You know that’s not true.”
He shrugged at me, as if saying he didn’t know.
“I…I’ve made the worst mistake of my life.
I picked Jess because it was safe, believe it or not.
I’d already lost her and was fine—more than fine.
It really didn’t affect me much at all. But Lexie?
” I said her name on a sigh, and Sloan continued to lean against the car, arms crossed, waiting for me to continue.
“I’m in love with her, man. I think I’ve been in love with her since the second I saw her having a meltdown about wine and talking to herself in the middle of the grocery store,” I confessed, a ghost of a smile touching my lips.
My heart was racing. “It’s so fucking terrifying.
I think part of me knew she had the ability to destroy me with just one look, so I ended it before it even had a chance to begin.
How fucked up is that?” My voice cracked, and I was embarrassed for a second until I remembered that he was Sloan. My best friend.
“You were afraid of getting hurt,” he said. “It’s normal to have those reactions…but…it doesn’t make it right, or easy to forgive.”
My head hung low. “I know. So what do I do?”
“That, I can’t tell you, but something tells me you’ll figure it out.” He tapped the roof of my car and headed to the house. I felt the weight of his words around me as the truth of it all settled in my chest, heavy and undeniable. I am in love with Lexie.
“Why don’t you come inside and warm up a bit? Magnolia about had a coronary when she saw you spent the night out here in your car. I’m sure she’s inside aggressively cooking eggs, muttering about how you could have frozen to death.”
Taking a deep breath, I turned off the engine to my truck, feeling the weight of the moment settle in my chest. I was in love with Lexie, and I wouldn’t let fear dictate my choices any longer.
I followed my best friend, each step fueled by the hope that I wasn’t too late.
There was no way I was giving up on her.
My starlight.