Page 81 of Finding Us
“Oh, my God,” Jacinta says, stomping down on my foot. “Can you just be quiet and let me explain?” I clear my throat and move my attention to the floor. “The night of my twenty-first, was the second time—I ran into him at the Ivy. Again, I had no idea who he was. That was the first night we slept together.”
Oh, fuck. She had to go there.
“I’m going to kill you,” Connor declares, and this time, he’s so quick I don’t even see it coming. His fist connects with my jaw, almost knocking me off my feet.
“I can’t believe you did that,” Jacinta cries. “Oh, my God. Mason, are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I reply when she reaches up to smooth her hand down the side of my face. There are tears brimming in her eyes as she does. I’ve experienced way worse than this in my life. I remember the day I left my childhood home for the last time, my father had beaten me so bad I was pissing blood for almost a week, so a right hook to the jaw is nothing.
“Fuck this,” Connor spits as he turns and stalks from the room. A few seconds later Jacinta jumps when he slams his bedroom door closed.
“I’m so sorry,” she says.
“Don’t be.” I completely understand why he’s pissed with me. I probably deserved more than I got.
“Do you still want me to come to breakfast with you and Blake? I’ll understand if you don’t.”
“Go get changed,” I tell her.
I’m not going to let Connor stop me from spending time with her. Hopefully, he’ll come around eventually; if he doesn’t, that’s his loss.
Chapter23
Jacinta
Ihad the best day with the boys, despite how shitty things started off. After we picked up Blake, we had a late breakfast. From there we spent a few hours at Timezone in Haymarket, playing arcade games. It was so much fun. It was the first time I’ve been to a place like that. I didn’t go out much when I was a little girl.
On our way home, we called past the store and got some groceries. It was kind of weird, because it felt so normal … so natural, like we were a real family. A lady in the checkout line even told me how cute my little boy was. I know he’s not mine, but I felt proud when she said that.
When we arrived back at the apartment building, I cooked us all a nice dinner, and then we watched a movie. Mason asked me to hang around until Blake went to bed, but I didn’t. I needed to get home and try and sort out this clusterfuck with my brother. The events of this morning lingered in the back of my mind all day. We’ve always been close, and never fought, so I hate that things are strained between us. Connor’s always been protective of me, but I still feel like he crossed a line today.
I also had to go home because Cassie’s still there and it would be rude of me to leave her in that apartment alone any longer than I already have. I did invite her to come with us this morning, but she said she was tired and was going to spend the day in bed.
My stomach is in knots as I step off the lift and walk towards my apartment. My phone dings in my pocket before I reach the front door.
Wolf: I miss you already. If things go south with Connor, come back here. You can bring Cassandra. x
I clutch my phone to my chest and sigh. Things have gone from zero to a hundred in a blink of an eye, but I’m excited to see where this leads.
Red: I’ll let you know how I go. xx
As soon as I enter the apartment, I find Connor sitting on the couch. When our eyes meet, he leaps to his feet. “Can we talk, Jaz?” I can tell by the tortured look on his face that he’s just as traumatised by this situation as I am. I kick off my shoes and walk straight towards him, sliding my arms around his waist. Am I still mad that he hit Mason? Of course, but I also understand why he did it. “I’m so sorry,” he says, wrapping me up in his arms and resting his chin on the top of my head.
“It’s Mason who deserves an apology.”
“I know.”
“You overreacted.”
“I’ve had all day to think about what happened, and you’re right. I was blindsided this morning, seeing you two together was the last thing I expected.”
“I really like him, Con.”
“I can tell he likes you too.”
“If we’re going to be together, you need to make things right with him.”
“I will.”
