Page 17 of When Ben Loved Jace (He Loved Him #2)

Adrien looks puzzled. “What test?”

I explain while we continue eating, my story seeming to amuse him, so I lean into every lurid detail.

Adrien fans himself. “Greg must have come up with that little scheme after Jace and I had parted ways. What a shame! I would have given it all up willingly for a piece of that sizzling hot meat.”

“Really?”

“No. In retrospect, sure. But not at the time. I was too head-over-heels in love with Jace.” He jabs a spoon in the air, as if finding his original train of thought.

“Greg was the one who called us. He’d driven up there to visit his family and ran into Victor or something.

I’m not entirely sure. All I remember is that he wasn’t doing well—”

“Victor?” I interrupt, wanting to get the details right, because this feels important.

“Yes. So of course Jace goes racing up there to check on him. I mean it. He hung up the phone, packed his bags, and drove off. Just like that. I was irritated, but not overly concerned about my relationship with him. I trusted Jace. Do you? ”

I nod, suddenly feeling vulnerable.

“I wish I hadn’t,” Adrien says after studying me again.

“Not that it would have made a difference. He must have cheated on me. I could never get him to admit it, which infuriates me even now… But in my heart, I know he did. You don’t come back into town and refuse to kiss your boyfriend.

Jace broke up with me almost immediately.

I’m sure in his mind it was the noble thing to do.

Even though I probably would have forgiven him.

I loved him that much.” Adrien’s forehead creases, first with pain, then with a scowl.

“Well the jokes on him, because I’m a rich and powerful attorney now, in a big beautiful house, while he’s a measly stewardess who can’t even afford to live in a trailer park and oh my god…

I’m just a bitter old queen, aren’t I?” Adrien buries his face in his hands before dragging them down with a sigh.

“You’ll have to forgive me. I’m obviously not over him.

I probably never will be. Not completely, anyway. ”

“I know the feeling,” I say with a lump in my throat.

“Do you really?”

“Yeah,” I say with a nod. “The circumstances were different, but some guys leave a mark on your heart. By scarring it.”

Adrien searches my eyes. Then he raises his coffee cup. “Amen to that, sister.”

We clink what I’m guessing is china and take sips before laughing to dispel the tension.

“I’m relieved to see that Jace’s standards haven’t dipped quite so low again,” Adrien says playfully. “You clean up nicely. And at least you know the difference between a fruit spoon and a table spoon.”

“I had to guess,” I admit.

He smiles at this confession. “I hope you have better luck than I did. Jace really is a catch. I want him to find someone. I really do. He’s my friend. I’m just glad he didn’t end up with Victor.”

“Speaking of which,” I say, feeling as though I’m venturing into forbidden territory again. “How come they aren’t together?”

Adrien shakes his head. “I don’t know. Victor has become something of a taboo subject between Jace and me.

We didn’t see each other for some time after the breakup.

I needed to heal. When we started talking again, I didn’t want to know, and he never offered any information.

I prefer it that way. But to answer your question, I assumed that whatever drove them apart in the first place is what keeps them from being together now.

It can’t be easy loving someone like that. ”

“I guess not.”

“Just be careful,” Adrien says, seeming for once as if he genuinely wants to help.

“If Victor shows up again, don’t underestimate the effect that might have on your relationship with Jace.

Old loves can shake you to your core. What I mistook as mere tremors of nostalgia became an emotional earthquake that tore us apart. ”

I swallow and nod, fearing the truth of his words.

— — —

I pull up to Adrien’s house a week later, eager to finally see Jace again.

I’ve been stopping by every day while he’s out of town so I can take care of Samson.

I’ve also straightened up the place, so everything is where it used to be before Jace drove the trailer here.

I like being surrounded by his possessions while he’s gone.

It makes missing him a little easier to bear.

I’ve gone through the old photos he showed me and even found an album full of cookie fortunes—the collection that Greg mentioned previously.

I brought the one Jace gave me when we first met and added it to the others, drawing a heart on the front, so we’ll always be able to find it again.

Although I don’t expect to ever forget its wisdom.

Persistence holds the key to what you seek.

Thank goodness I didn’t give up. At times, I convinced myself that I had, but my heart never truly stopped hoping. I’m glad I didn’t ignore that need. Especially now, when I’m about to reap the rewards.

I park alongside the curb, like Adrien requested (okay, insisted) so he can still pull his fancy whatever-it-is into the garage.

Jace’s car is parked ahead of mine, my pulse already picking up.

It quickens further when Adrien rushes out to meet me, because judging from his drawn expression, something is very wrong.

“He’s going to kill me!” Adrien cries in despair.

“What happened?”

“That mangy cat must have snuck out when I was trying to feed him.” Adrien’s head whips left and right. “I looked everywhere!”

“Are you sure he’s not hiding in the trailer?”

“Jace already checked when he got here. ”

Shit shit shit!

“When did it happen?”

“This morning.”

I had an early class and asked Adrien to fill in for me, so I could stay at my apartment overnight. Allison broke up with Ken, and I wanted to be there for her, especially since I haven’t been around much lately.

“I wrapped my head in a scarf,” Adrien is ranting, “to cover my nose and mouth because of my allergies. I couldn’t see very well. The oven mitts didn’t help either. I must not have pulled the door all the way shut behind me.”

“It’s my fault as much as yours,” I assure him. “But you’re certain it happened this morning? You saw Samson then?”

Adrien nods, his expression miserable. “I thought he would have come back by now.”

The sun has already begun its descent. This isn’t good.

“Where’s Jace?”

“Out looking for him,” Adrien says. “Listen.”

We both hold our breaths.

“Samson!”

Jace’s voice is distant, but I think I can orient on it. “I’ll do what I can,” I say before taking off.

“Good luck!” Adrien calls after me.

My heart nearly breaks when, a few blocks over, I see Jace shaking a bag of Samson’s favorite treats. He notices me, his face crumpling.

“We’ll find him,” I say while hugging his torso.

Jace nods, steeling himself. “It’s too soon for this to happen.” His voice is hoarse, no doubt from calling Samson’s name over and over. “I haven’t been able to introduce him to the area yet. People are going to start coming home soon. What if he—”

A car drives past us. I don’t need Jace to expound on his fears.

“Samson!” I shout, my voice carrying more than his. These pipes are good for more than just singing. “Here kitty-kitty!”

We walk another block, Jace shaking the bag of treats while we peer into every shadow and check between houses.

“He probably did this on purpose,” Jace grumbles.

“Adrien?” I ask in surprise before shaking my head. “He seemed really upset about it.”

Not only that, but I’ve gotten to know him a little better over the past week.

Sure, he can be a diva, but Adrien also loves to dish celebrity gossip, which has been fun, and he’s told me some funny stories about Jace.

I even worked up the courage to ask for sugar on my grapefruit during the most recent breakfast we shared, which he provided…

along with a lecture about diabetes. I probably have my sister to thank, but I’m used to being around people who have abrasive personalities.

They can be refreshing in a world full of pleasantries and platitudes.

“Adrien never forgave me,” Jace says miserably.

“For breaking up with him?”

“And the rest.”

I hesitate to ask, given the strain he’s under, but I need to know the truth. “Is he the one you cheated on?”

Jace nods in confirmation, a mixture of emotions playing out on his face. “That’s when I first met Samson.”

“Really?” I ask before calling his name again.

Jace nods. “Victor wasn’t doing so well.

His mother had Alzheimer’s and had been getting worse for years.

He tried his best to take care of her, but it had reached the point where she wandered off down the street in her bathrobe during a winter storm.

By the time the neighbors found her, his mother’s feet were—” Jace grimaces.

“She had to be hospitalized. Permanently. Victor couldn’t hide her condition from the doctors.

He took that really hard. We didn’t realize how bad it had gotten until…

Greg would always check on Victor when he was in town.

We all would. Greg was worried enough by what he saw that he called me, and when I went to see for myself…

Victor needed me. And I needed him. Maybe it was a moment of weakness, but at the time—” Jace swallows. “—it felt more like love.”

“You need to tell Adrien that,” I say, taking his hand. “So he can finally move on. He already suspects. But without knowing the reason behind what you did, he probably feels rejected. Like you simply chose Victor over him.”

Jace looks at me quizzically. “I take it you’ve been getting to know each other?”

“Yeah. Trust me on this one. Adrien is a stone-cold bitch. He can handle the truth.”

We’ve reached the corner of the block. I stop and call Samson’s name again while Jace shakes the bag of treats. The despair on his face deepens when the cat fails to materialize .

“How did meeting Samson factor into all of that?” I ask as we resume walking.

Jace, overwhelmed by emotion, has to collect himself before answering.

“Victor had gotten Samson as a gift for his mother, hoping it would help if she had something to focus on. He was still a kitten when I met him on that trip. Victor wasn’t the best pet owner.

He couldn’t even take care of himself, so… ”

“You brought him home with you,” I finish, when it’s clear that Jace isn’t able to.

“Eventually,” he croaks.

We’ve got to find that cat! My boyfriend’s heart will break if we don’t. And so will mine. I pick up the pace, calling Samson’s name over and over again, while trying to imagine how a cat might think.

I stop in my tracks suddenly. “Maybe we’re doing this wrong.”

“How so?”

“We keep moving around while calling for him. What if he’s trying to find us?”

Jace glances over his shoulder. “Should we double back?”

I think about it and shake my head. Samson isn’t likely to follow our path by sticking to the sidewalk. A cat would cut through yards and jump over fences. We’re almost back to Adrien’s house anyway. “Come on.” I grab Jace’s hand and lead him there.

Soon, all three of us are standing in the driveway, calling his name and shaking treats. Ten minutes later, we hear a plaintive meow.

Samson appears from beneath a bush across the street. Jace takes off like a shot, sprinting to meet him. He’s cradling the cat to his chest as he rejoins us.

“Oh thank god!” Adrien says, hurrying over to give Samson a series of rapid kisses on his furry head. “You nearly gave me a heart attack, you filthy little rodent!”

Adrien pulls back, suddenly self-conscious. Then he splutters while trying to wipe hair off his lips. “I need my allergy medication,” he says with flushed cheeks before retreating into the house.

I laugh and move close to my boyfriend, so I can tickle Samson behind his ear. “Welcome home. You must be hungry. Are you ready to eat?”

Samson meows again.

“Let’s get him inside,” I suggest.

Jace nods, his eyes welling up with tears. “You did it,” he says. “You found him. Thank you, Ben.”

My heart swells with affection. I’m so grateful to have them both in my life. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep it that way.

“Anything for the boys I love!”