The Billionaire's Lost Lady

Chapter 28: Never Too Late

Jace

She wasn't up for it. Her face literally said the words.

"I can't do this, Jace." She'd said after feeding me the thanksgiving special she made for me. She was so promising in her kind gestures. I felt like I was falling in love with the woman, all over again. She was so beautiful, so elegant and caring. 

I had to show her that this was good. That her and I could make something like this work. I'd started seeing Selene as my forever when I fell for her in high school. Whenever she would call me in the middle fo night, weeping for some soothe, I would jump in through her window just to hug her to sleep. I still  remembered how she would keep her window open and disarm the alarms for me. It was tough for her but we would play this game of hide and seek, just to be by each other. Those nights, that she would spend in the hospital, I made sure to have dad get me a spot outside her room, since anyone except immediate family wasn't allowed over night with the patients. 

It saddened me how the one night I didn't do so... That one night, we failed ourselves. She couldn't believe in my strength and I couldn't see her will power. She used it to make us both who we are. She wasn't wrong when she cried about giving me her best chance, but I wasn't either when I mentioned that I'd still be happiest man alive.

Our lives had one mistake and we made it together.

I thought for a second about knocking on her door, but then an idea popped in my head. I ran out to the backyard and found the old stair case, tucked by the fence. Setting it up to what I calculated as the right window, I climbed up and smiled at what I saw. She was sitting on the futon by the foot of her bed, reading a novel under a clip on light that was hooked on her hoodie's hood. She was so indulged by it that if I wasn't scared of falling and breaking something, I would've spent all night staring at her. I gently tapped the window and she panicked, falling off the futon. I held my laughter and spread my hands on the window so as to not fall with jerk of surprise. She looked around frantically in the dark room and crawled up to her window. Her jaw tightened and I was holding my breath so as to not laugh. Sydney's kids were asleep on her bed, so she was finding any spot on the room.

When she jerked her head, I waved my hand and crunched my fingers, signaling her to come out. She shook her head at first and I glared at her, nodding my head in response. She shook her head again. I nodded again. She shook her head and then I shook my head quickly, causing her to nod her head.

I smirked and she silently clenched her fists.

"I won." I mouthed and she clawed the air to show strangulation against what seemed like my throat in her imagination. I cocked my head for her to come down and without looking, took the steps down. I thought she was going to come from the backyard door, but then I heard windows opening. I looked up to find her carefully closing the window and taking steps down the ladder. 

"What?" She murmured. jumping down from the last step. I didn't have to answer because her wide eyes told me she understood. The gazebo that was in the back corner of their backyard was draped in white chiffon curtains and the frame itself was painted white, by myself. The moonlight showed whatever it could and I was glad she could barely see that alter of ours. Yeah, I was showing her a glimpse of what awaited her.

"What..." She started again, turning to me.

"You like it?" I breathed.

"Is this..." She whispered and I nodded. 

"Jace..." She held both my hands, "...why are you doing this?"

"Hold on." I left her hands and turned the flashlight on, on the red carpet I'd set in a corner of the garden, farthest from the gazebo. She really wasn't allowed to see it clearly. I didn't have to ask her anything, she followed me.