Page 124 of Dirty Like Seth
Maybeinfatuationwas a fair word to describe Brody’s attachment to Jessa back then. But now she was carrying his child. Their relationship went far deeper than infatuation. Jude was taking a real risk challenging Brody on thattopic.
And maybe Brody knewthat.
Maybe he was putting it together; that if Jude was sticking his neck out for Seth, there was a damn goodreason.
“Look,” Jude said, relenting a bit and looking weary of it all, “I knew along the way Seth was crushing on Jessa, and the fact that I didn’t do shit about it was my biggest mistake. I get that. But you need to get over it. She’s over it. She’s got your kid in her belly. It’s time to move on,brother.”
We were all silent. The tension in the room was fuckingstifling.
My eyes met Dylan’s, then Zane’s. They said nothing, but I could see what they were thinking. It was right there, on theirfaces.
They were thinking that Jude wasright.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Seth
Ipulledinto the church parking lot right on the tail of a black Escalade that I knew was Brody’s. I scanned the lot; two Harleys. That would be Brody and Jude. Whichmeant…
I pulled in next to the Escalade and when the driver’s door opened, some security guy got out. As I got out of my rental car, he opened the back door of the SUV, and Jessa Mayes stepped out. Or rather, floppedout.
Her pregnant belly had her wobbling on her feet, a little top-heavy. I lunged to catch her, but her driver stopped me, catching her by the armhimself.
“Thank you,” she said, her eyes widening when she sawme.
“Ma’am?” the guy asked, sizing me up. His hand was pressed flat to my chest, and I decided it was a good idea to take a stepback.
“I’m fine,” Jessa said, and the driver backed off, letting her arm go. “Can you give us aminute?”
The guy looked me over again. I tried to look as harmless as I felt, and shoved my hands in the pockets of my jeans for good measure, so he’d know I wasn’t planning to feel her up. Finally, he nodded and fadedaway.
Jessa looked at me; our eyesmet.
She lookedbeautiful.
She’d put on weight, obviously, and somehow it made her even sexier. She was curvier and her cheeks were round and rosy, like apples. She had that pregnant woman glow about her; pregnancy suitedher.
I wasspeechless.
She smiled, tentatively, and smoothed a hand over her belly. “Brody,” she said, though it was unnecessary. There was no question in my mind whose baby she wascarrying.
“Jessa…” I said softly. “I’m… I’m so happy foryou.”
Iwas.
She nodded. “Me too.” Then her smile faltered. “I didn’t know you’d be here. But… I’m really glad you are.” She glanced over at the closed door to the church, at the three security guys hanging out front, smoking and occasionally glancing our way. Then she looked at me and whispered, “Do you… Do you think… you can ever forgive me?” Her big brown eyes blinked up at me with hope and a tenderness that had to be due to her pregnancy, because it was far more than Ideserved.
“Forgive you… forwhat?”
Her cheeks flushed even rosier. She was blushing? “Well… you were pretty mad at me the last time we spoke. You know, at that cafe? Back in February? I said some things that were… out ofline.”
“Yeah,” I said slowly, “I was a little mad. But you weren’t out of line. I was mad at myself. The way I remember it, you were mad at me,too.”
“I was,” she admitted, but she didn’t look proud of it, or happy aboutit.
And now she wanted me to forgiveher?
“I don’t blame you, Jessa,” I said, carefully. “For anything. I guess you could say… my perception has changed, over time.” I shrugged. “A broken nose, and getting fired from the band you love, for the second time, can dothat.”
