Page 19 of Jack of Hearts

There’s a beat of silence, where both Angie and I seem to be absorbing his words. I sneak a peek up at him. His expression as he looks at her is dark. Shut down. Cold in a way that it never is when he looks at me.

The fear and tension in my chest loosens a little. Because he’s looking at her like that, maybe he really doesn’t love her. Maybe he doesn’t want her, regardless of how beautiful and perfect she looks.

“Jackie—” she coos again.

“Don’t,” he cuts her off, his voice as cold as his expression. “Just don’t."

I risk a quick glance at her and something flickers across her perfect features.

“You can’t possibly mean to walk away from everything we had together. Walk away from me for her.” Angie spats.

Now she’s showing her true colors.

“She’s fat Jack. She won’t be able to satisfy you. I know you fucked her, but it’s okay. I forgive you.”

“You?” he releases a dark chuckle. “YOU forgive me?”

“Yes. I know you were upset because I slept with a couple of guys while you were gone. But I was so lonely.”

“A couple of guys? Come on, Angie, let’s be honest with each other. I heard it was a lot more than a couple. But you know what? I don’t even care. None of that matters to me.”

She must have stepped forward because her next words are closer. “I don’t care either. We can be together, baby. Just like we’d always planned.”

“Fuck no,” Jack bites out. “Angie, we were together when we were kids, we’ve both moved on.” He pauses a moment, then adds. “What’s the matter? Did your recent boyfriend dump you and now you’re alone? It might be good for you. To try to figure out who you are without a man to rely on.”

Jack’s words are even and calm. All the while his big hands spread warm circles against my back. He’s lulling me and I should probably be on guard, but I don’t want to be. I want to trust him. I want to believe that he feels what I feel. That he knows we belong together.

“You’ll never have with her what you had with me,” Angie says.

“You’re right,” Jack says.

My heart thumps in my chest as if it’s heard a call to action and it’s ready to fight for what it wants.

“I will never have what I had with you. Because what I have with Lucy is real. It’s based on honestly and truth and affection and real love that comes from me as a man. What I had with you was adolescent obsession. It was grown-up fantasies fueled by hormones. It wasn’t based on who I truly am or what I want in this life. I will remember you with fondness, Angie, but only if you leave now and never contact me again.”

Angie gasps. “But Jack. We have so much history.”

“There is no you and me anymore and there hasn’t been in a long time.” He squeezes me to him, then he tilts my face up so I can see him. “Lucy has my heart and will for the rest of my days.”

I think Angie must leave, but I don’t know and I don’t really care. Because Jack is looking at me like I’m everything.

“I’m in love with you,” I blurt out.

His smile is so wide and broad that I swear my chest cracks open like a canyon and pure light bursts from me.

“I’m in love with you.” He kisses the tip of my nose. “Wait right here.” He runs back to his truck and then comes back, his arms loaded down with every cliched Valentine’s thing you can think of. He’s got heart-shaped balloons, stuffed teddy bears, heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, roses.

“It’s our first Valentine’s together. I wanted to do it right.”

I laugh and wipe my eyes on the sleeves of my shirt. “Let’s go inside.”

“Let’s do it. I can cook us dinner we and can watch romantic comedy movies all night if you want,” he says.

“I’d rather order pizza and watch all the Die Hard movies.”

“God, I love you.”

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