Trusting Jack (River-Cove Series: Book 2 )

Chapter 6// Jack

Walking into Derek's and Tori backyard with my sister Chloe. I really didn't want to come today which I know makes me sound like a crappy friend to them.

But I wasn't sure if Grace was going to be here today and the thought of seeing her again... I don't know how to handle that just yet.

I thought I was over what happened between us. I thought I could just get over it, that I would be okay to be around her and act like her friend or whatever but the truth is I'm not.

It's my own fault I fell head over heels for a woman with emotional attachment issues and I guess I didn't really think it through.

Moving my eyes around the backyard just as they catch a glimpse of the woman who frustrates me and is inscrutable to me all at once.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into coming down here for the weekend"

Pulling my eyes away from Grace's back tuning away out of view to me, and glance back at my sister.

"What else were you going to do? Mom and dad are on a cruise for the next two weeks and I though you could used the discretion" I replied. Chloe looks at me sharply but with sadness and sighs.

"You mean the discretion that is my life, that is exploding right now" she mumbles. Shaking my head and looked at her, I know what she's going through isn't easy right now and I'm trying to be her supportive older brother but honestly, I'm not sure if I can help her through her relationship problems, while dealing with me own.

"I know things have been tough for you lately with the divorce and shared custody. And I also know today can't be easy with this being the first holiday that you don't have your kids, that's why I bought you out here. You need to move on and let the past go"

"I can't Jack. I hate that he got shared custody, the whole time we were married and when the kids were born, he was barely there, couldn't care less about spending time with them. He went after shared custody to get back at me and I hate him for it. Could you let it go?" She hissed at me.

My sister and her Ex-husband went through a nasty divorce and custody battle. Personally, I never liked Sebastian from the get-go and I told my sister that but she loved him and we just had to accept that, but I knew deep down he would hurt and destroy her one day, and he did after ten years of marriage. 

She was twenty when she married him, I tried to talk her out of it, we all did mom and dad included but she wouldn't listen and if we wanted to keep her in our lives we had to accept her relationship with Seb, which was hard at times but we did.

It wasn't until she finally had enough of the neglect that he had for his family and the countless affairs that she filed for divorce.

But he had to get the last knife in by through everything he could at her to get shared custody of the kids, Chloe didn't want anything from the divorce not the savings, not the house, nothing all she wanted was full physical custody of their children and he couldn't even give her that, it broke her when the judge ruled in favour of shared custody.

"I'm sorry I know how hard this is for you. But snakes like Sebastian don't change and once he slips up. We'll have his ass back in that court room"

"Jack, all I want is for my kids to be happy and I know deep in my gut they won't be not with Sebastian" Chloe said.

"I know sis, I've got your back you know that" I replied to her.

She opens her mouth to say something else, but cuts of when she sees Derek and Tori coming over to us.

"I'm glad you could make it man" Derek says to me, nodding my head and embracing his brotherly hug, taking a step back and kissed Tori's cheek.

Tori looks between me and Chloe with suspicion in her eyes. Shaking my head and smirked.

"Tori meet my sister Chloe-;" I announced and then carried on,

"Chloe you know Derek and this is his wife Tori"

"Your sister?" Tori asks,

"Yes my sister" I sighed, Chloe looks between us and then speaks up.

"It's nice to meet you Tori, thank you for having me" my sister politely said.

"It's our pleasure, do you want a glass of wine? And then I'll introduce you to my friend Grace, she's around here somewhere" Tori says, while whisking her away.

Turning my eyes back to Derek with a raised eyebrow.

"Wanna tell me why your wife looked like she was about to murder me" I ask him with a chuckle.

Derek shakes his head and looks towards his wife and smiles .

"She thought you were here with a date. You know Tori, she's hoping for a happy ending for you with Grace" he replies.

"You know I love Tori, but I wish she would mind her business" I sighed.

It's the truth I love her like another sister, she's my best friend's wife. I would probably doing anything she asked me too because in a way we're family. But when it comes me and Grace, I wish she would stop.

 I get she doesn't have the whole story, so she doesn't see the harm she's doing but, every time she interferes with the whole situation with me and Grace, it's causing more harm than good.

"Look I get it. But Grace is her family, we all see the same thing. The tension, the anger, and the pain between you two, what we don't know is why" he argues with me.

"There was something between us. I fell deeply for her man, but she made it clear where we stood. And fought to change her mind, but she's stubborn and I'm man enough to admit she hurt me-;" I broke off and looked over to where Grace now was stood with my sister and Tori, that woman has haunted my dreams for months now.

"But I'm done, I have to be. If I don't let her go, the feelings that I have are going to destroy me Derek" I added with every ounce of truth I have.

"I'm sorry Jack, I honestly thought you might have been the one to help her escape her demons and find peace" he says to me sadly.

Cleaning my throat and turned my eyes away from the woman I love but need to let go and sighed.

"I thought I could too, but she wouldn't let me" I whispered and shook my head in defeat.

What I've learnt from everyone else relationships and love stories. Is that love doesn't work if there isn't trust and it won't work if both people don't fight for the love they want.

Grace never trusted me...

I fought for her...

But at the end of it all, I guess we're just star-crossed lovers.

So close but yet miles apart from one another.

With no chance at a happily ever after....