Replace Me (Kin #2)(17)
Author: Jennifer Foor

I reached my hand up and intertwined it with his. “Don’t let go.”

And he didn’t.

This soft side of Joey was his deep dark secret and it was helping me cope. I didn’t want some kind of revenge sex to try to make me feel better. I wanted a friend to help me see that I was going to get through this. Unbeknownst to me, Joey was being that friend.

Chapter 9

Shayne

The bridges were burned and I had to keep moving forward, no matter how bad I felt about it. After sleeping in a hotel, I couldn’t get my mind off of Lacey. It was like nothing else mattered; not finding a place to live or figuring out what I was going to do until all of this blew over.

Parker called me first thing in the morning and when I saw his name displayed on the caller I.D., I almost didn’t want to answer.

“Are you callin’ to say you’re sorry?”

“I feel real bad about what you did, Shayne. It’s wrong. They need to know the truth.”

“It’s fine. I’d rather them be disappointed in me than you.”

“I can’t focus on school while my brother is takin’ Hell from the whole family. It ain’t right.”

I appreciated that he understood the ramifications of what I was doing for him, but he didn’t need to worry. I had things under control. “Listen, Park, I need you to stay focused. Dad is being a dick as usual, but he’ll come around. Just keep your cool and let me handle it.”

“Peyton told me Lacey was there last night. How did she take it?”

“She’s with someone else, so apparently she didn’t care much. She already thinks I’m a lyin’ cheater, so it’s nothin’ new.”

“Dude, I can tell you like her. If there’s a chance to get back with her, you should do it. I can handle my own messes, you know.”

“She’s done with me.”

“Thanks for havin’ my back, Shayne. I owe you my life.”

“If you say you owe me your first born child I might need to reach through the phone and kick your ass.”

“I wasn’t goin’ to say that. Damn. I better go. I don’t want to be late for class.”

“See ya.”

It sucked that I had nobody to talk to about my predicament. In the time that I’d been seeing Lacey, she’d become my go-to. My attempts at rebuilding a relationship with Ford had blown up in my face, so I couldn’t count on him to have my back either.

Without even thinking, I started heading back to the apartments. I needed to talk to Lacey and set things straight. She needed to know how I felt about her, even if she didn’t feel the same way about me anymore. I felt like I couldn’t move forward until I had some kind of closure.

Her car was in the same place as when I left. Figuring that she’d be back at Ford’s place, I knocked on their door. After waiting five minutes, Ford answered the door, shirtless, with a spatula in his hand. “It’s too early for visitors.”

I could smell the bacon cooking from inside and saw Sky walking past. “Sorry, I just wanted to talk to Lace.”

He sighed and looked back inside before turning his attention to me. “She ain’t here, man.”

Feeling defeated, I turned around and started to walk away. Sky came to the door. “Shayne, wait.”

“You don’t have to be nice to me, Sky. I know where she’s at.”

She grabbed my arm and looked at me like she felt sorry for me. “I know what you did for me and Ford. He may still be mad at you, but I don’t blame you for the other stuff. You were protecting your brother, just like you’re doing right now. Lacey needs to know the truth, though.”

“I came here to tell her, but she’s clearly busy with other things.” I shook my head. “So, she really spent the night with him?”

She put her hands up. “I guess. I mean, she never came back and she left her phone here. Joey text Ford and said she was staying the night. Honestly, Lacey didn’t tell me that she was into him. In fact, she said she didn’t want anything to do with him. It makes no sense.”

“You think she’s lyin’?”

As much as I hoped for it to be true, I couldn’t help what I’d already seen. “I don’t know. You’re going to have to ask her yourself.”

It was chilly outside and she crossed her arms over her chest. “Thanks for the advice, Sky. I’m just goin’ to knock on the door and see if she’ll come out.”

She walked back inside before I got the nerve to knock on Joey’s door. I couldn’t be mad at him for being with Lacey. She was stunning and had a great personality, not to mention, she was a tiger in the bed. If anything, Joey was going to be the one who had a problem with what I was about to ask.

Lacey

I rolled over and saw the spot next to me was empty. I could smell coffee and the sound of the television playing in the other room. After going into the bathroom and gargling with mouthwash, I walked out to see where Joey was and to thank him for being kind to me.

I found him in the kitchen, cooking up a storm. He smiled when I walked in and leaned my head on the opening to the room. “Hey.”

“Thanks for letting me stay.”

“No big deal, Lace. I’m not a monster, like you assume. I could tell you needed a friend.”

I pulled out a chair and sat down at his small table. “Yeah, is that what we are? Are we friends?”

He shrugged and turned his food around in the pan. “I guess we are, until you tell me otherwise.”

I snorted at his comment. “You don’t give up do you?”

“I know what I want. Is that a bad thing?”

“It is when you know you’re never going to have it.” I said it with a bit of sarcasm, but he continued to smile like my words meant nothing.

Joey poured a cup of coffee and sat it down in front of me. “You want milk?”

“Yeah, I can get it.” I stood up and our hands reached for the refrigerator at the same time. When we touched, I felt a shock between us. He looked at me and I couldn’t take my eyes off of his. “Sorry.” I tried to pull away, but he grabbed it and held it in between us.

With his other hand, he reached up and brushed the hair back away from my eyes. “You’re just as sexy in the morning, as before you went to sleep.”

“Friends don’t talk like that to each other.”

He bit down on his lip and leaned closer to me. I could feel his breath on my face. “I need to kiss you.”