Can't Let You Go: A Wheeler Brothers Novel (37 page)

"I don't want it," she says.
 

I look at her, confused. "Don't want what?"

"The job. I don't want it."

My heart ticks up a beat. "You don't want the job?"

She shakes her head. "No." She sniffles and wipes her cheek. "I don't want to leave here. This is where I grew up. It's home. It's where I'm comfortable. It may not have mountains and skiing, but it has a free zoo and great parks and..." She takes a shaky breath. "You." She sets her eyes on mine. "It has you, Bryce."

I exhale the breath I was holding and grab her, wrapping my arms around her. "You're not leaving?"

"No. There's something about that job and that place that just didn't feel right. And I want us to have a chance to make this work." She pulls away enough to look at me. "Maybe it won't last, but even if it doesn't, I'm not ready to say goodbye to you. You were the first real friend I ever had and I don't want to lose you."

"You'll never lose me. As long as you want me, I'm here. I'll always be here for you." I smooth her hair behind her ear. "Jen, if this is what you want, then why were you crying?"

"Because I feel like...like I failed."

"What are you talking about?"

"I went to college and got a degree and now I'm too afraid to go out in the world and use it. My advisors. My professors. Everyone expected me to take this job, and by not taking it...I feel like I failed."

"Jen." I put my hands on her shoulders. "Nobody thinks that. Not taking a job doesn't mean you failed."

"It does if I can't find another one. This might be my only opportunity and I'm about to turn it down."

"It won't be your only opportunity. The job you want is out there. You just haven't found it yet. And if you're worried about money, then don't renew the lease on your apartment. Come live with me. That week we lived together turned out to be pretty good, right?" I smile.

She smiles back. "That was a good week."

"So we'll do it again, except this time you won't leave."

"I'll think about it."

I back her up against the tree, my hands on either side of her. "So you're staying here," I say, needing to confirm it because I still can't believe it's true.

"I'm staying here."

"And you're still going to date me?"

She smiles. "I'm still going to date you."

"Then can we go back to being more than friends?"

She laughs. "Yes. Let's go back to your place and be more than friends."

I kiss her, then look into her eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too."

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Jen

"So why did we go all over Chicago today?" Bryce asks as we're driving to his apartment. "Not that I didn't like it. I'm just wondering why you wanted to go to all those places."

"I wanted to see everything again to remind myself why I love it here so much. I wanted to be a hundred percent sure about my decision. And by the time we were done going to all those places, I realized it wasn't just the places themselves that I loved, but the people I was with when I went there."

"You went to all those places with me."

I smile. "Exactly. Which just confirmed this is where I need to be."

This past week has been the most stressful week of my life. My emotions have been all over the place as I tried to make a decision about this job. But it wasn't just about the job. It was bigger than that. This was a decision about my life, and what I want my future to be, and whether or not I want that future to include Bryce.
 

Now, looking back, the answer seems easy. I don't know why I made it so complicated. That job was never right for me. I knew that, and yet I kept trying to find ways to make it right because I was so desperate for a job. If I'd just gone with my gut, like Mitch suggested, I could've avoided a lot of stress and sleepless nights.

As for Bryce, in order to move on with him, I had to let go of our issues from the past four years, including what he did the night after graduation. So that's what I've done. I've let it go. I want a fresh start with Bryce. Four years ago just wasn't the right time for us. As Bryce said, he was in a bad place back then. He was feeling lost and insecure and unsure about his future, but now he's more mature and knows what he wants and is finally able to tell me what that is.

"You know what we need?" he asks.

We just walked in his apartment and he's kissing me while backing me toward the hallway.

"What?" I ask as we approach his bedroom.

"A shower. We stink like the zoo."

I laugh. "We do not."

He sniffs my chest while unbuttoning my shirt. "You smell like chimpanzees."

"Oh my God, you're such a liar." I sniff him. "You smell like burritos."

"Which is why we need to shower." He turns me around toward the bathroom. "Now get in there."

I thought he was joining me, but I guess not. I was hoping he was because I really want to be with him. It seems like forever since we had sex.

The hot shower feels really good. But it feels even better when a hard body presses up against me.

"You took too long," Bryce says, his arms wrapping around my waist. "I had to get in here."

"I've been in here like two minutes." I try to turn around to face him but he holds me in place, pinning me to his body.

His mouth lowers to my neck and my head falls to the side as he drags his wet lips along my skin. His hand slides down between my legs, and my breath hitches as his finger dips inside me. He keeps me in a tight hold as his other hand cups my breast, his thumb circling my nipple.

"Bryce." I'm panting, my muscles tightening, ready for the release. He continues, until my body explodes with pleasure. It pours through me; through my core, my arms, my legs.

He turns me around and lifts me up against the wall and plants his mouth over mine. He thrusts into me and I grab onto his muscular arms, which seem even bigger as he flexes to hold me up. God, he turns me on. Everything about him turns me on.
 

His mouth lowers to my breast, his tongue flicking my nipple. He thrusts harder, and as I feel myself getting close, I lift his face back to mine and kiss him, our tongues tangling in the same frantic pace as his hips. And then it comes over me again, that powerful, amazing feeling that I've only experienced with Bryce.

"Fuck," he groans, gripping my ass as he thrusts into me one last time, his body shuddering from his release. He rests his head against the shower wall as he breathes. And then he pulls out of me and lowers me to the floor.

"You were right," I say. "We really needed a shower."

He kisses me. "And now we need to go to bed."

"It's only six o'clock."

"You know I don't mean to sleep."

I smile and hurry out of the shower to dry off.

After some time in bed, we get dressed and make our way to the kitchen to find something to eat.

"How hungry are you?" he asks, opening the fridge.

"Starving."

"Me too. Guess we got our appetites back." He closes the fridge. "I don't have much. Do you want to just go out?"

"Sure. I just need to dry my hair. I'll be right back."

He goes in the living room to watch TV while I get ready. I can't believe how great I feel right now. I was so miserable all week, thinking I'd have to move and take a job I didn't want. But now? I feel lighter, happier, and excited about the future. I don't even have a job and yet I'm excited about the future. That just tells me I made the right decision.

When I'm ready to go, I come out of the bedroom, but stop in the hall when I hear Bryce talking to someone.

"You need to leave," Bryce says.

"Have you talked to her?" It's my mom. What is she doing here?

"Yeah. I told you, your attempt to break us up didn't work."

"It won't last. You'll never be with Jen. I'll make sure of it."

"By doing what? You have nothing left to tell her. I already told her everything."

"I'll find a way to get her to leave you. Jen will believe me over you. She'll believe anything I tell her."

"Then go ahead and try. I'm done worrying about you, Rita."

I'm about to go in there, but stop when I see my mom handing Bryce a shopping bag.

"Since she won't come to the house," my mom says, "can you give this to her?"

"What is it?"
 

"Just some things of mine I thought she might like."

He reaches in the bag and takes out the ladybug figurine my mom used to keep on the living room table.

"I'm pretty sure she doesn't want this," he says, dropping it in the bag. "Or any of this. Why would you give her this stuff?"

"Those things are worth money. She can sell them."

"Since when do you give Jen money?"

She huffs. "Despite what you think, I'm a good mother. I raised that girl on my own, and now look at her. She's in college."

"My parents raised her. That's why she's in college. It had nothing to do with you. You were at the bar or hanging out with some guy."

"Don't judge me. You think you're better than me? You're just some stupid kid who doesn't deserve my daughter." She glares at him. "I never liked you, but now I hate you."

"Sorry to hear that Rita." He opens the door. "But honestly I don't care what you think of me. Get out of here. And don't come back here again."

She looks at him, then down at the bag in his hand and smiles slightly. "Have a good night, Bryce."

Something's going on here. Something isn't right. Why did my mom come here? And why did she give Bryce that bag? I told my mom I'd stop by and see her tomorrow. She didn't need to bring that stuff to Bryce. So why did she do it?

She said whatever's in that bag is valuable.

Shit! I race out to the living room and grab the bag from Bryce.

"What are you doing?" he asks, confused.

"Mom!" I run out into the hall and see her waiting for the elevator.

"Jen. I didn't know you were here." She sees the bag in my hand and her guilty expression confirms what I thought.

"Take the bag." I shove it at her.

"Jen, sweetie, I wanted you to—"

"Take it!" I hold the bag in front of her face.

She snatches it from me. "Don't you dare yell at me! You show your mama some respect, you hear me?"

"What's going on?" Bryce asks, appearing beside me.

"My mom was setting you up," I say, keeping my eyes on her.

"What are you talking about?"

"It's one of her scams. She's done it before. If a guy pisses her off, she'll leave stuff behind at his house or in his car. It's always things that are valuable. Jewelry. Watches. Jeweled trinkets." I point to the bag she's holding. "And then she calls the cops and tells them the guy stole from her." I turn to Bryce. "That's what she was going to do to you."

My mom laughs. "You have such an imagination."

I whip back around to face her. "I'm done with you, Mom. I'm seriously done. I put up with the way you treat me because I love you and feel sorry for you, but I'm done. Doing this to Bryce was the last straw. Almost getting him arrested? Just because you don't like him? You seriously need help."

"I was doing it for you," she snaps. "You're graduating college. You have a future. You really want to spend it with some construction worker? You can do better than that."

"Just go." I reach across her and push the elevator button. "And don't bother calling me because I'm not going to answer. And I'm not coming over. I'm not buying your groceries or your cigarettes or your liquor, and I'm not picking you up at the bar. I tried so many times to have a relationship with you but you never wanted one. So this is over. I'm done. Goodbye."

I storm down the hall back to Bryce's apartment.

"Fine," I hear my mom yell. "Go ahead and be with him if that's what you want. See if I care."

When I turn back around she's gone.

Bryce catches up to me and we go in his apartment.

"I'm really sorry," I say to Bryce. I'm so angry I'm shaking.

He hugs me into his chest. "Just relax, okay?"

"I can't relax. I'm too angry. I can't believe she almost did that to you. If she'd had you arrested, no one would ever hire you again. Homeowners would think you're a thief and wouldn't want you at their house. She would've destroyed your career. Maybe even harmed your dad's company."

"But it didn't happen. So let's not let it ruin our night."

"It's already ruined. She—"

"No." He backs away and looks me in the eye. "It's not ruined. We're not letting your mom do that to us. This has been a great day. And aside from Rita, a great night. So don't let her ruin it."

"But—"

"Jen." He gets a stern look on his face. "One more word about your mom and I'm never buying you Oreos again."

I huff. "That's not fair."

"Agree to it. No more talking about your mom."

I half-smile. "Okay."

"Good." He kisses me. "So for dinner, I'm taking you someplace nice. I got another big bonus for that house addition." He grins. "You know why?"

"Why?"

"The homeowners were so happy with the job, they're telling all their friends. I already got five more referrals to follow-up on."

I hug him. "Bryce, that's great! I'm so proud of you."

"Let's get out of here before I drag you to the bedroom again." He takes my hand as we walk to the door.

I smile at him. "But you're dragging me there later, right?"

He chuckles. "I might carry you instead of dragging you, but yeah. We'll make it there one way or another."

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

One Month Later

Jen

"To graduating with honors and getting a job," Mitch says, holding up his glass of champagne. "Congratulations, Jen."

"Thanks." We clink glasses.

"Congratulations!" everyone says at once, followed by more clinking of glasses.

We're all at the Wheeler house for my graduation party; Mitch, Austin, Nash and Callie, Jake and Ivy. We're sitting at the dining room table, and Bryce is next to me, holding my hand and smiling at me. He's been smiling all day; when he saw me in my cap and gown, then during the graduation ceremony, and now, at my party. He's so proud of me, and I'm proud of him. We're both moving forward with our careers and our lives and the best thing is, we're doing it together.