Coming Home

Chapter 6

I should simply let go of his hold and go back to my friends, but an inexplicable force compels me to lean in as I realize I'm relieved that he and Gia are not together.

"Oh... Okay..." I say, my eyes dropping to his mouth for a split second.

"I'm not kissing you until we sit down and talk first." His hand slides up to my nape, and the simple touch ignites a surge of memories in my mind—a reminder of what we once had.

"We have nothing to talk about." I raise my chin defiantly, but his smile penetrates my defenses, reaching straight into my heart.

"Oh, I beg to differ," he says, his voice low and husky.

"We've already said everything there was to say." I try to look away, but the way he holds me close makes it difficult to move.

"Are you happy?" He searches my eyes, causing the walls around my heart to tremble.

"None of your business..." I murmur, my eyes welling up with tears at the vulnerability I see in his gaze.

"Do you think I stopped caring about you after everything we lived together?" His thumb caresses my jaw, his eyes flickering to my trembling lips.

"You didn't care enough." I stare at him, daring him to contradict me and prove me wrong.

"You didn't care enough either, Jen." He shakes his head, reluctantly releasing his hold on me.

My body, still longing for his touch, aches with the absence of his presence. Suddenly, I miss the way he made me feel wanted and desired, the way he filled the void within me.

"I wanted you to come with me," I whisper, swallowing the bitter taste of hurt and resentment.

"You lied about not applying to college. We agreed to wait a few more years to save some money." He cuts me off, his voice tinged with disappointment and regret.

"It wouldn't have worked." I blink back the tears, pain, and frustration threatening to consume me. "You wanted to get married, and soon you would have demanded children and everything... And then what? We'd still be trapped, here living that same poor life!" I scoff, unable to contain my resentment.

"Right!" He lets out a humorless chuckle before turning his back to me and going to his office in the back.

My eyes burn with unshed tears as I watch him walk away, the intensity of my emotions overwhelming.

I hate how he still holds power over my heart, how he can make it race with just a glance, how my body still aches for his touch. I was fine before coming here. What the hell happened?

"Hey..." Erin's hand rests gently on my shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"He's such a jerk!" I close my eyes, my head shaking with frustration.

"Nothing new there." Adam, Erin's husband, chuckles, drawing my attention to him. Reluctantly, a smile tugs at the corners of my lips.

"Adam," I say, my heart clenching with a mix of nostalgia and affection.

"Jenny Firecracker Bloom!" He pulls me into a warm hug, triggering a cascade of memories in my mind. At some point in my life, these people were my rock, my chosen family. I can't fathom how I managed to stay away for so long.

"Well, I'll be damned!" Gavin, Denise's husband, says from behind me. "I thought the girls were pulling my leg, but you're really here!"

"Aw! It's so good to have us all together again!" Erin says, and a genuine chuckle escapes my lips.

"God, I missed you guys." I hug Gavin.

"It's been too long, Jen," he murmurs as we part, his eyes brimming with unspoken feelings.