Replace Me (Kin #2)(54)
Author: Jennifer Foor

I laughed and handed her the menu folder. “Since you’re eatin’ for three, I guess it’s fine,” I teased.

“I’m always hungry. It sucks. My ass is going to be huge and I’ll never find a man. I’ll have to marry some old geezer from town without teeth.”

“Shut up. You’re beautiful. It don’t even matter how fat your ass gets.”

I meant it as a compliment, but for some reason, Ashley’s face turned red. “Don’t talk like that. We have to live together. We need to be ugly to each other to keep the peace. I like livin’ with you and knowin’ you don’t expect me to sleep with you. It’s comfortin.”

“All I said was that you were good lookin’. It’s nothin’ I haven’t told you before. Woman, your hormones make you whack sometimes.” I laughed it off, but wondered why she’d gotten so scared. Was I making her feel uncomfortable at home too?

I watched her eat an entire brownie sundae before we headed out to shop. After visiting the baby store, she’d picked out the cribs and the bedding. By the time we’d left she had a whole list of things she wanted. It made me feel good to be able to be involved. The twins were going to be spoiled and contrary to what everyone said, I could see Ashley changing before my eyes.

She was going to be a good mother and I’d make sure of it, whether or not they were really my kids.

Lacey

I still couldn’t get over the fact that I was in Italy. Joey’s arms held me so tightly for hours. It was as if he thought if he let go, I was going to disappear. I too, was caught up in being with him again. The familiar scent of his skin reminded me of how much I’d missed it. His hands fit perfectly over each of my ass cheeks and his naked body was hot enough to have to open the windows in the winter.

We were consumed in each other, forgetting about anything else important that could have needed attention.

We’d finally confessed our feelings. Joey said he loved me, and no matter what anyone could have told me in the past, I believed him. His eyes didn’t lie and I knew that I had, in fact, been the main reason he had to leave town.

An ache filled my heart when I thought of the exact moment that I found out he had gone. So many things raced through my mind, but nothing was more clear than my urgency to find him and bring him back to me.

We finally woke up and according to the clock it was afternoon. Not only had I not told my parents that I’d left the country, but I also hadn’t called Shayne to tell him I’d arrived safely. None of it mattered, when I considered having to leave this bed, and Joey’s arms.

He kissed me tenderly on my cheek. “How long can you stay?”

I sat up on my elbow and looked over at him. He was relaxed and content.

“I didn’t think that far ahead.”

“Well, now that you’re here, how long can you stay with me?”

“Not long. My parents will flip when they find out that I ditched school to leave the country.” I feared the conversation when they did find out.

“Lace, what if you stayed here with me? We could travel on my off days and not worry about anyone tryin’ to come between us.”

I shook my head, shocked that he would ask me to move across the globe for him. “I came here to get you to come home.” Sudden confusion was written across his face. “Everyone misses you. We can be together now.”

He shook his head and scooted his body away from mine. “It’s not that simple. This job wasn’t just about me runnin’ away. Sure, if I would have known that you’d be with me, I wouldn’t have accepted the offer, but the truth is, I applied for this position last year. When a spot opened, I knew it was an opportunity of a lifetime. Walkin’ away from this could end my career. Do you know how many chefs get this kind of break?”

Tears filled my eyes again when I realized that he wasn’t coming home with me. Not even my love could change his mind. Joey’s future was important. He’d worked so hard to get where he was. “I don’t understand. You said you wanted to be with me.” I had to still try.

“I do.”

“I can’t live here, Joey. I can’t leave my whole life and drop out of school.”

He stood there, looking down at me on the bed. Since he was in his boxers, I concentrated on his face, instead of his fabulous body. As much as I wanted more sex with him, the most recent confession was about to give me a nervous breakdown.

I began to sob, thinking about walking away from this man that I felt like I didn’t want to be without. He’d entered my heart even when I didn’t want him anywhere near it. Now, I couldn’t bear to let him go.

“I can’t leave, Lacey. I’m sorry. I know you must hate me, but this is what I’ve wanted my whole life. I’m not askin’ you to live here forever. It’s just for six months to a year.” He reached for my hands and kneeled in front of me. “Just consider it. Things would be so much easier if you were here with me. I’m so f**kin’ lonely and the thought of you goin’ home will drive me nuts.”

I cried harder. “It’s not that simple. I have to finish school. My parents don’t even know I’m here. They won’t understand, because I never told them about you. I’m so sorry.”

Joey looked down at the sheets. “I understand. It sucks, but I understand.”

I pulled his hands toward me, getting his attention. “If I could, I’d stay here with you, in this bed for as long as possible. You and I both know we have obligations. We can’t drop our lives and not regret it at some point.”

“I know. What do we do now? Do we spend the next couple days fallin’ deeper for each other and then act like everythin’s okay when you have to go home?”

Joey was upset. The pain was written across his face. My heart ached for him and the thought of leaving. After all of the miscommunications between us, we were finally on the same page. Walking away from him would be horribly difficult. “We can have a long-distance relationship.”

He shook his head and paced around the room. “I don’t even know what that is, Lace. You’re askin’ me to pour my heart out to you every night, when I can’t be with you physically? What kind of relationship is that?”

“People do it all the time, “I argued.

He ran his hands through his dark hair, frustrated. “It’s stupid. It’s worse than not bein’ together at all. I don’t want to worry about you bein’ so far away. I don’t want to hear your voice on the phone and miss you like crazy.” He threw his arms up. “I don’t want to feel like this!”