I was angry at first about that, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I couldn’t say anything to Jake. The fact is, my father was right. He and Jake do get on. Probably better than I get on with my father. Anything I say to Jake would be out of jealously, nothing else.
Getting to my feet, I walk back to the room. I don’t want to let this fester and become the thing that breaks us. I just hope she’ll give me another chance, because the thought of losing her…
She doesn’t speak when I walk into the room. I walk over to the bed and sit down next to her. I reach for her hand, which she lets me take. Just the feel of her skin against mine relaxes me. I stare at her. When she doesn’t look at me, I reach over and gently cup her chin, forcing her to acknowledge me. She scowls at me, which for some reason, makes me smile.
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too.”
“Why are you sorry?” I ask.
She frowns. “Good point. I take that back.”
I chuckle and lean over until my lips are touching hers. That’s the best feeling in the world. She puts her hands on my face, running her fingers over my stubble. I swallow, my mouth devouring hers as I lay her back on the bed. When my phone rings, I laugh, because what else can I do? I sit back up and check my phone. Jake’s name flashes on the screen.
“Jake.”
Becca looks up. She watches me as I answer. I sigh and rub my forehead. I’m not sure I can handle anymore drama today. Maybe he just wants to wish me a good night.
“Jake. What’s up?”
“I can’t do this, Liam.”
“What do you mean?” My stomach clenches at the sound of his voice. I don’t need to see him to know his headspace isn’t right. “Where are you?” I ask. “I’ll come down now.”
I glance at Becca, who frowns. She leans forward, trying to listen to the conversation.
“Is something specific bothering you?” I add.
“No, it’s everything. The wedding, Brooke. Becca.” He laughs, but there’s no humor in his voice. “I can’t get married, not while my life is such a mess.”
“Jake calm down and—”
“Don’t tell me to fucking calm down,” he snaps.
“Then tell me where you are,” I growl.
“I’m at the resort.”
“What room?” I ask.
“Four two two.”
“Okay. Just sit tight and I’ll be there soon.”
The second I hang up, Becca is on me for answers.
“Is he okay?” she asks. She frowns at me. “What’s he talking about, he can’t get married?”
“He’ll be fine. Jake is just having a little bit of a breakdown, but he’ll be fine. It’s just the night before getting married jitters.”
“Are you sure?” Becca eyes me suspiciously. “That doesn’t sound like Jake.”
“Every guy goes through it.” I nod at her phone. “He’s about to get married,” I say with a shrug. “It’s a big change.”
The truth is, I have no idea what is going on with Jake. The last thing I want is for Becca to be stressed out too. Not only that, he said Becca’s name. Her turning up and trying to help might push him over the edge.
“Okay, I’ll come too.”
“Maybe it’s best if you stay here. Come up later?” I suggest, buying myself time to find out what the problem is and why Becca was mentioned.
“Okay. Can you say hi to him from me?” Becca asks. “Tell him I miss his face?”
“Sure.” I pause, wanting to get something else off my chest before I leave. “I really am sorry. The thing with my father—”
“It’s okay, we’ll talk about it later.” I smile at her then lean down and kiss her.Jake is three floors above where we are, in exactly the same position. It takes him a few minutes to answer my knock. Even then, he doesn’t really acknowledge me. He just swings the door open and waves his hand at me to come in. I walk over to his bed and sit down, watching him as he shuts the door behind me. He leans against it and closes his eyes, sliding down to the floor.
“Jake, what’s going on?” I ask him.
I’m really worried about him, because I’ve never seen him like this.
“Nothing,” he mutters.
“What do you mean, nothing?” I laugh. “Look at you. This isn’t nothing. You’re a wreck.”
“Brooke kicked me out.”
Wow. This is more serious than I thought.
“Really?” Shit, what do I say to that? “Why did she kick you out?”
“It doesn’t matter,” he murmurs. “The wedding is off and she kicked me out.”
“That’s crap. It does matter,” I argue.
“No, it doesn’t.” He glares at me. “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about, which makes this whole thing fucking bullshit.”
“Jake, talk to me. You’re not making any sense.” I sigh and lean forward, softening my approach. “I can’t help you if you keep running me in circles. No judgment. Tell me what happened.”