“No, thanks. It’s time for me to go. It was important to me that I tell you my tragic story, and now that I have, there isn’t any reason for me to stay.”
“Wait. Listen, I’m sorry. It’s a lot to take in. You can’t blame me for wondering about your motives.”
“That’s it.” Jace turned and walked out through the kitchen, slamming the back door behind him.
Blythe was running her fingers through Tucker’s hair when he woke up. They were facing each other, so close she could feel his breath on her face.
“Guess I nodded off.”
“You were exhausted.”
“Is everything okay, Blythe?”
“Everything’s okay with me, but, Tucker, I have to ask. What happened with you and Jace today?”
“It was him.”
“What do you mean?”
“He was the other man. Rosa was in love with Jace.”
“No!”
“Now you understand why I never want to hear my brother’s name again.”
“Oh, Tucker. I’m so sorry.”
“Me, too.”
“You didn’t have any idea?”
“None, whatsoever. I was blindsided.”
“He told you? Outright?”
“No, not exactly. We were talking about how I felt then. I told him I wasn’t sure whether I ever loved Rosa. I was trying to sort through my feelings. I buried them for so long, when they came to the surface I wondered if I’d made more of it back then than it was.”
“What did Jace say?”
“He said he couldn’t tell. When I asked him if he remembered, he said he couldn’t tell whether I loved her or not, because he couldn’t differentiate his feelings from mine. That’s when I figured it out. It all came together. It was him. That’s why Rosa’s brother said we looked alike. He was playing with me, trying to bait me. Because we did look alike, exactly alike.”
“Why didn’t he tell you?”
“He’s a bastard, that’s why. You accused me once of playing games with you. In fact, I think you accused me more than once. It was never me, darlin’. You were getting ol’ Jace and me confused. He’s the game player, not me. He always has been.”
Blythe wanted to tell Tucker she didn’t believe it. She’d never believe that it was that simple. Jace had been willing to do anything for her and the baby, and that included giving up his own chance at love. She couldn’t believe the man Tucker was talking about was the same man she knew.
Tucker was hurt, and had every right to be. But he was oversimplifying what happened. If Rosa told Tucker she was in love with this other person, there had to be more to it.
“Had she told you she loved you?”
Tucker closed his eyes tightly. She wasn’t sure he was going to answer. “Yes. Of course, she did.”
“And were you intimate?”
“Yeah, we were.”
“Do you think she and Jace—”