The Closer You Come

The moisture in her mouth dried when she noticed the floral-printed luggage stacked in the foyer. How long did the woman hope to stay?

Jase stopped in the living room, and Brook Lynn moved beside him. A pretty brunette in her late twenties sat on the couch. She wore a crisp gray blouse and black slacks, and despite the heat outside, she looked as fresh as a newly bloomed rose. Her makeup was perfectly applied and demure. The slenderness of her bones gave her a regal air Brook Lynn would never be able to achieve.

Studying the competition, she began to feel like an idiot for ever being jealous of her sister, who would never make a play for Jase now that Brook Lynn was dating him...and Jase would never do anything with Jessie Kay to jeopardize their relationship. But this Daphne person was a whole different story. She had what Jase never had but had probably always wanted. A family.

A little girl sat at Daphne’s side. She wore a white sundress and shifted uncomfortably, tugging at one of the dress’s straps. She had a shoulder-length crop of dark hair that was straight as a pin and eyes as flawless as the most expensive emeralds. A thought Brook Lynn had often had about Jase’s eyes. The little girl had his mouth, too, with an upper lip plumper than the bottom.

Calm. Steady.

Brook Lynn’s gaze returned to Daphne...who was staring at her with curiosity, probably speculating about her relationship with Jase.

“Daphne,” Jase said, his voice rough. “It’s good to see you again.”

“You, too. Although you look so different. So big.” Her attention returned to Brook Lynn. “And who do we have here?”

“This is Brook Lynn,” he said.

She waited for him to add, She’s my girlfriend. But the words never came.

Feeling like an interloper, she moved in front of him, giving Daphne her back, and whispered, “Do you want me to go?”

Deep down, she prayed he would grab hold of her and command her to stay with him, then tell her he needed her support now and always. But he could barely peel his gaze from the woman who consumed his past.

“Yes,” he finally said, and it was like being stabbed in the heart. “Thank you for understanding. Text me when you get home and let me know you’re safe.”

Officially dismissed. The hurting only magnified as she turned away from him. “Sure thing.”

Without another word, she walked to the door. Her legs shook the whole way.

“What are you doing here?” she heard him ask Daphne.

Brook Lynn hesitated, hovering between inside and outside, her hand resting on the door’s knob. All she had to do was give a little tug and the partition would close, stopping her from becoming a dirty eavesdropper. But the need to hear Daphne’s reply locked her in place.

“Beck emailed me. I thought you wanted to see me...that maybe you’d heard... Well.” Daphne cleared her throat. “Jase, I’d like to introduce you to your daughter, Hope. Hope, this is Jase. Your father.”

Hope. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl.

Jase’s girl.

Brook Lynn stood there, struggling to breathe for one minute...two...as she waited for Jase’s response. But he didn’t give one, and she couldn’t risk staying there any longer. The door snickered closed, and she stumbled to the car.

Maybe Daphne was lying. Maybe she was telling the truth. But Brook Lynn suspected the latter—and knew her relationship with Jase was about to change drastically.

Even...end?

She wasn’t sure how she made it home without crashing. By the time she pulled into the driveway, the tattered remains of the warden facade had completely burned away.

Less than an hour ago, she’d realized just how deeply she had fallen in love with Jase. Now she could lose him.

Once inside her bedroom, she texted Jase as requested. Minutes ticked into an hour, but a response never arrived.

A daughter, she thought, dazed. Jase had a daughter. He was a dad, with a ready-made family. What place did Brook Lynn have in his life now?

I can make a place.

He just has to give me a chance.

The thought mocked her. He’d asked her to give him a chance, too, and yet she’d hesitated.

She tossed and turned all night. Jessie Kay never came home, and for once she didn’t go out looking.

In the morning, Brook Lynn dressed with special care, choosing a pink T-shirt with cutouts of lace and her best shorts, the ones with the fewest frays at the hem. Jase still hadn’t texted her.

She drove to his house and found Daphne’s minivan still parked in the driveway.

Dread made Brook Lynn’s limbs feel as if they were a hundred pounds each as she made her way inside, using the key Jase had given her. The luggage bags were no longer stacked beside the front door, which wasn’t actually a good sign. It meant they’d been moved into one of the rooms. And since there were no spare bedrooms...

There were no blankets or pillows on the couch to suggest someone had slept there.

Jase isn’t a cheater, she reminded herself. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t make a clean break from her and go back to Daphne.

The scent of bacon saturated the air. Since Brook Lynn had started working here, she had been the one to fix breakfast every morning. Maybe Beck had an overnight guest, and he’d decided to make his famous morning-after meal. His consolation prize for the woman he’d never see again. But Brook Lynn doubted that was the case. For the most part, she’d taken over that duty, too.

She tripped her way to the kitchen. Daphne stood at the stove, and wave after wave of jealousy rolled through Brook Lynn. I may not work for Jase anymore, but cooking his meals is still my job. No way in hell this girl was going to take over.