Jase (9 page)

“You
haven’t …never mind. I need to get the hell out of this freaking state,” I sat back.

“Besides me
, what are you running from,” Jase reached over and grabbed my hand.

“Don’t flatter yourself
, you arrogant ass,” I rolled my eyes but made no attempt to pull my hand away.

“I really want to know
, Baby. Tell me.”

“Why
? You don’t tell me anything.”

“If I do promise you’ll spill it,
can I get the whole story?”

“Sure,” I sat back.

“My ex died when I was seventeen. And that’s why we’ll never get back together. Now your turn,” Jase looked at me for a second.

“How did she…”

“No way,” he smirked

“Seriously you
can’t just lay that on me and…”

“A deal is a deal. Spill it,” h
e slowed down.

“Fine, she made my bedroom into the dog
’s, a boy dog at that and it’s pink. If I were that dog I would bite her. She put up a tree and decorated it with crystal ornaments and nothing of ours. My Dad is going to marry a woman who hates me and who I now hate. I tried to make breakfast and she literally stood in front of the cupboard and refused to move. She made my Dad cut up my tree before her family came and I can’t even begin to tell you how fucked up they are. She drags him around by the balls and he allows it. You know it’s not like she didn’t know he had kids, and I know we are not technically kids but grow the fuck up, Barbie. If you love him you accept all of him not just his wallet and whatever else he has got going on and I really don’t want to know any of that. So I’m going home, to be with my Mom because she loves me and accepts me. And none of that seems to matter, all pretty petty compared to the bombshell you just dropped. Let’s talk about you,” I finally breathed and he smiled.

“
Let’s talk about you. I like that subject much better,” Jase turned left.

“No that’s it, that’s all I could take,” I watched his face and he started to laugh, “Not funny
, Jase.”

“I would stay--
it’ll drive her crazy and make me very happy,” Jase smiled, “How about it?”

“
No, I need to focus on school.”

“
You’re on break.”

“So, I can stay here and be miserable or I can go home and…”

“Miss me?”

“Okay I’
ve had it, does it feel good to know I missed you?”

“
A little bit good,” he smirked.

He pissed me off. Freaking smug bastard. I looked out the window again,
“Seriously Jase? We have passed the same freaking building four times, I’m not stupid.”

“No
you’re not stupid Carly. Fine I’m not going to win this one am I?” Jase pulled onto a main road.

I didn’t answer.

His phone rang and he looked at the dash, and answered, “What the hell do you want?”

“
Did you nail that yet?” Zandor’s voice came through the speaker.

“Goodbye,” Jase snapped.

“Wait ask her if she has ever heard the song Mary Moon,” Xavier laughed and so did the others.

“
Jealous?” Jase tried not to laugh.

“Hell yeah!” Xavier
laughed loudly.

Jase pressed the button ending the call, “Sorry about that.”

“What song are they talking about?”

“I really don’t want to talk about my brothers I want to talk about you,” Jase looked at me, “I have an hour to change your mind right?”

“The ticket has been exchanged. My mind is not changing. If anything I need to leave now more than I did before,” out loud voice again yep go figure. “You know what pisses me off Jase?”

“Well most of the time it’s me,” he shook his head, “But…”

“No it’s still you. I scheduled two days for moping around, one day a month that I spent thinking I meant something to you. Going through all the motions… you know, girl crap. Now I have to start all over because you just so happen to enjoy fucking with me. Could you at least go the speed limit, I don’t want to be in this vehicle with you,” I felt my hands start to shake and I knew he did too.

Jase pulled of the road and into a parking lot. I tried to open the door and he yanked my
arm back towards him, “I didn’t leave you because I wanted to Carly. I left because I had to.”

“I really don’t care,” I looked away.

“I have one hour Carly before you need to go stand in line at the fucking airport running away from me.”

“You did
…”

“You need to shut up and listen for ten fucking minutes Carly, just ten fucking minutes. I will start by saying, you promised your Mom you would finish school
. I need you to promise me the same,” he looked at me.

“Are you kidding me?
” I was sickened, “Do you think you have that much pull over me Jase? If you do… you’re crazy!”

“
Carly, just listen for ten minutes please,” Jase scowled and looked down. “I should’ve told you this then. I thought I could walk away, I fucking did this for you.”

Okay he had me, “Ten minutes.”

“My ex’s father died. The fucker hated me. He has made my life hell for almost six years now. He blames her death on me, fuck so did I.” I watched as he took a deep breath. “He was my father’s commanding officer. If you’re not familiar with what that is, it means my father was his bitch even though he worked his way up and was a non-commissioned officer, he was still his bitch. Charlee, my ex, and I snuck around playing grab ass for two years. She was a year older than me, and she got pregnant. He forbid her to see me. Made threats about having fucking charges pressed because I was a minor. She went into labor way too fucking early and she died way too fucking young.” I immediately felt tears falling down the side of my face. “We had lawyers, my parents re-mortgaged the restaurant, twice. We sold the house and moved into a smaller one so we had more money for more lawyers. The furthest I ever got was supervised visits at a fucking shit hole place and then my father died. I couldn’t put my mother through anymore. I gave up hope. I begged her to leave it alone, not wanting that little girl to be raised without a mother and whose father was a fuck up,” he looked over at me and wiped tears off my face, “You okay?”

“Please tell me there is a happy ending.”

“Bitter sweet ending. I found this girl who made me want to stop being a fuck up. Stop running around with girls that I knew I would never love. I followed her ass to California and I left her, in a hotel. I pushed her away because I could not take being the one to ruin her dreams. This little brown haired blue eyed beauty took away the hurt like that,” he snapped his fingers and I smiled. “I thought that would be enough but there is this one hole in here,” he held his hand to his chest, “something still missing.”

“
What’s her name,” he smiled, “Your daughter, what’s her name?”

“Bella, which means beautiful. We had picked it togeth
er. Apparently her father didn’t know that or he would probably have named her something else.”

“Where is she?”

“My house, her grandmothers are both there. She fell asleep in my arms at seven thirty. I put her in her little bed. Her eyes opened and she said,
I love you Daddy
,” Jase’s eyes widened, “Crazy shit, huh?”

“Does she live with you?”

“She and her Nana are both here now, both living with me as of today. Best Christmas ever,” Jase looked happy, truly happy.

“A happy ending,” I whispered.

“Yeah,” Jase looked up and smiled quickly, “My new place is pretty nice. Charlotte took the money I sent every week for the past five and a half years and put it into an account. When Lee died, she called Mom. She and I met, first discussed six years’ worth of pain. She told me she was sorry. I get it you know, they lost Charlee. He blamed me, she stuck by her husband,” he looked up. “Bella knew about me through stories Charlotte told her that Lee didn’t know about. The money I sent, well… Lee didn’t know about that either. So I was gifted the money back. Enough to put a very big down payment down on a house in a very good school district. As we speak, I am suing for custody, without her contesting. She’ll live with me for as long as she wants to, for Bella and her. So I have almost everything I have ever wanted.”

“I am so happy for you
, Jase.” I really was, “But you’re an idiot for not telling me this before.”

“When would have been a good time, before I left for the airport?”

“Well it seems to be working now, we are on our way to the airport and you …I’m happy for you Jase.”

He smiled, “Thanks. Stay
. Meet her.”

I felt my heart beating against my chest, “Jase I
can’t. I have to go.”

He looked stunned, “Alright
, then.”

He turned on the SUV and pulled onto the road
. He drove a little faster than he had been. He didn’t look at me, he didn’t speak again.

“Jase
, are you okay?” I couldn’t stand it anymore the silence was killing me.

“Yes
, I’m fine,” his tone was clipped.

“
Obviously, you aren’t,” I whispered under my breath and of course he heard me.

He drove a little faster and eventually he pulled into the airport and parked.

“Jase you have so much to deal with right now. You have a little girl. Do you have a picture?” He looked at me funny, “I’d like to see her picture.”

“Why?” he looked away.

“Because Jase, she is important to you and,” he interrupted me with a laugh, “please can I see her?”

Jase reached into his pocket and grabbed his phone. He handed me the phone and I smiled. She was
absolutely beautiful. “She looks like you, except her eyes, they must be her Momma’s.”

“What time does your flight leave?”

“You trying to get rid of me?” I smiled trying to lighten whatever dark path I just pushed Jase down.

“I’m really not sure.”

“Okay, so you just had a six year old dream come true right?” He looked at me expressionless, “Play along will you?”

“Yes
, Carly.”

“And you w
ant me to meet her already? Jase, I’ve met a lot of women who have popped in and out of my Dad’s life. You don’t want that for her. Look at her, she is the most beautiful thing in your world.”

Jase started to tap his foot, “You don’t have to sell her to me Carly
, okay? I know what she is.”

“That’s not what I am saying, Jase look…”

“No, I get it,” he opened the door and walked around the vehicle and opened my door. He reached in and grabbed my bag.

“I don’t know what just happened.”

“Nothing, just forget about it.” Jase stood waiting for me to get out.

“Jase I
can’t do that to you or her okay?”

“
I get it Carly,” Jase looked up at me.

“Well I don’t,”
I said as I got out.

“You don’t want to be tied down, the exact reason I didn’t tell you in the first place. No big deal,” Jase started walking towards the airport doors.

“You really need to figure out what the fuck you want,” I grabbed my bag out of his hand and walked quickly into the airport.

He grabbed my arm, “What the fuck
is that supposed to mean Carly?”

I pulled my arm awa
y and smiled at a couple watching us, “Promise you’ll finish school, meet my daughter, fucking head trip Jase, that’s what I am talking about.”

“You
’re one to talk about head trips,” he smiled and nodded to the same elderly couple and then scowled at me.

“Go fuck yourself. Oh and don’t introduce her to every bi
mbo you bring in and out of your life,” I moved ahead in line.

“I have only wanted to introduce her to o
ne fucking bimbo, and a crazy one at that,” Jase snatched my bag out of my hand and held it as he stood next to me in line.

“I’
m crazy? Good Jase, that’s just …” I took a step forward and bumped into the man in front of me and fell back.

He caught me, “
Oh, and she has the fucking grace of a ballerina.”

“Screw you.”

“You had your chance,” he sneered.

Someone
tapped me on my shoulder and I turned around, “How long have the two of you been married?”

“We
aren’t,” Jase and I answered at the same time.

The women looked at her husband and they both smiled at
each other.

After a few awkward moments I looked at Jase. He had his eyes closed and his jaw clenched tightly: he must have felt me starring. He opened his eyes and looked at me and shook his head. Then he grabbed my hand and held it. I heard the lady behind me giggle and I held his a little tighter.