Criminal Love

Chapter 31: Jason's POV

As I'm pulling out of the parking lot of the nail salon, I look over at Jo Elma and smile. I put the car in drive and head to a small cafe on the way to the park to get some coffee. I turn my head to see her looking at me with confusion.

"Want some coffee and a snack for the ride to my favorite park?" I ask her with a smile.

She smiles that bright beautiful smile that I adore so much. She nods as we unbuckle and get out of the car. We head in and I see a familiar face. Sierra. She's the worst of my exes. I frown as I walk up to the counter.

"Hi how can I.... oh it's you! What do you want?" she asks in irritation.

"Just two coffees. One white chocolate mocha and one caramel expresso with two banana bread slices." Jo Elma pipes up with irritation clear in her voice.

"Who said I was talking to you, miss?" Sierra says to her.

"No one! So how about you shut the fuck up and make our order before I call in your manager, ma'am?" Jo Elma purs with a smirk on her face and her arms crossed.

Sierra, stunned, turns away and makes our order quickly. Jo Elma takes our order to a table to check to see if its correct. She sips each coffee and hands me a cup.

"This one is the expresso. Let's get outta here." she responds with a grimace.

I grab the bag of bread and hurry to catch up with her. She's already in the car when I get there. I get in, hand her the bread, set my coffee down, and shut my door. She turns to me with a stern look.

"Are you gonna tell me why she was such a bitch?" she asks me with venom in her voice.

"She's one of my exes that hates me and I hate her as well. I'm so sorry! Let's just head to the park and eat our snack and drink our coffee, shall we, babe?" I inquire as she turns to face the window.

"Sure, sure!" she answers back quietly.

I crank the car and head out to the park. After about an hour of driving, we finally arrive and I park the car in a shaded place.

"We're here! Wanna come with me?" I ask her politely hoping she's not still mad.

"Okay I'm coming. Let me grab all this stuff." she says as she gets out with her coffee and the bread.

We head to a bench near the swing set and sit down. We get out our bread and eat and sip our coffee.

"So why did you pick this park, babe?" Jo Elma says, breaking the silence.

I look up at her staring at me with those beautiful green eyes. I clear my throat and try to respond without cracking.

"This is the park I came to as a child with my mother and brother all the time. I miss them both a lot. My father left my mom, brother, and I when I was 2. It was rough with mom becoming an alcoholic, so my brother practically raised me. A few years ago, he was killed in a shootout. It's been rough ever since then. I come here sometimes to think and clear my head. My brother and I were part of a major New York gang and I quit with no backlash after his death and went on my own. I quit after I saw you on Badoo and tried to change my ways. It's been hard, but I've made progress. Just please bare with me as I'm still trying to be a better person. I want to take care of you and be there for you. I used to be the most wanted until I started doing good instead of bad and they've stopped looking for me since the crime has stopped. I wanna keep it that way as long as possible. I used to bomb places and kill people, but not anymore unless I feel it's necessary. That's my life story, Jo Elma! I wanted to bring you here to tell you because this place calms me down and helps me think." I finally confess to her.

I look up to see her mouth gaping open a bit in shock. She looks up at me and grabs my hands, gently stroking them with her thumbs.

"Wow I'm so sorry, Jason! I know that must be hard to cope with and I'm here for you every step of the way. I love you!" she says to me as she gets up and comes to sit next to me.

She hugs me gently and I'm stunned at first, but eventually hug her back as I feel tears welling in my eyes. She rubs small circles on my back as I cry on her shoulder.

"Shhh it's okay. Just let it out, baby! Everything is gonna be okay now that I'm here." she assures me as she hugs me tighter.

After about 30 minutes of crying, I lift my head up to look at her face. She has a small smile on her face as she wipes my tears away with her jacket sleeves and puts a small kiss on my cheek. God knows I love her. She has now seen me in my most vunerable state. She didn't diss or dog me like Sierra did for my crying. She is the type of girl that a guy like me needs. She is so supportive. We both finish our coffee and head back to the car. We get in and buckle our seatbelts.

"You ready to head home and prepare for our Florida trip?" I ask her with a smal grin.

"Yeppers sure am. Let's do this!" she says excitedly.

I pull out the parking lot of the park and head home. Once we get there, we shower and get packed. Then we head to bed. The last thing I remember is her saying goodnight before sleep takes over me.