Tryst - Forbidden Hearts Series

7| Off Limits

I didn't want to be here. I was perfectly content wallowing at home. I was perfectly content crying into the many tubes of ice cream I recently purchased. But, no. Danielle had to pull the best friend card when she asked me to come with her to show her cousin, Dan, around.

Danielle even guilt-tripped me by bringing a new dress she got for me when she ambushed me. That was Danielle, though. She just showed up at your house with a new dress, guilt-trips, and asks you for a favor you couldn't say no to. After thirty minutes of a pointless argument I knew I wouldn't win, I showered and got all dolled up.

Now. . . here we were.

"Would you ladies like another drink." Dan asked.

"I'm good."

Danielle rolled her eyes. "She will take a Vodka-soda and nothing for me. I'm still nursing my margarita."

Dan flashed a charming smile. "You got it."

When Dan left to get the drinks, I blew air between my lips. "Can I leave soon? I'm tired and I want to crawl in bed to watch a movie."

"No, you can't leave. You promised to do this--"

"You forced me, actually."

"---and I needed to get you out of that hole."

"My apartment isn't a hole."

"It is when you haven't showered or eaten anything but ice cream and pizza, and watched nothing but Nicholas Sparks movies."

I feigned confusion. "Who's been doing that?"

"You."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Let me do me. I'm not hurting anyone."

Danielle scoffed. "Actually, you're hurting two people."

Shit. I really was. That night I told Jackson I needed a break was devastating. Even though I regretted it, and wished I could take it back, I knew it needed to happen. We wanted different things. Things between us had changed since we met and I needed to think about. . . everything. But goddamn I missed him.

I couldn't even sleep in our bed without him. I'd been alternating between the guestroom and the couch since he left. Thankfully, I had my work to keep me busy in the day time. Work was a good distraction. But all too soon, five o'clock came and it was time to go home. Lanie, Karma, and Danielle had been trying to get me out and about, but I barely left the house. Like Danielle said, all I did was order in pizza, eat ice cream, and think about Jackson and what he wanted.

A baby. The revelation that he wanted a child hit me like a freight train. Jackson Reese. The same Jackson Reese that never committed. The same Jackson Reese that said he never wanted children when we started officially dating. But when little Nate was born, everything changed. He changed.

"Stop thinking about it."

I glanced to Danielle. "I'm not."

"You keep twirling your ring. And your eyes are red."

I cursed under my breath. "Sorry."

"It's okay," she said softly. "I'm just worried about you."

So was I. "I'm fine. Actually, thank you, for getting me out tonight. I needed some fresh air."

"You're welcome." Danielle smiled. "If I hadn't you would have probably turned into a couch."

I laughed at that. Danielle was something else.

"Here you go, Harper."

I turned and saw that Dan returned with my Vodka-soda. "Thank you." I took it from him and took a drink. God, that was good.