Replace Me (Kin #2)(61)
Author: Jennifer Foor

After a while, she came out on the balcony. Her feet were bare and it was quite cold. “You need shoes on.”

“Your brother just left.”

“He didn’t say goodbye.”

She looked right at me, with no real apparent look on her face. “He’s goin’ to do the right thing, Shayne. It’s for the best.”

What could I say? They were his children, not mine. This had been temporary the whole time and I knew that.

It didn’t hurt any less.

Lacey

I wanted to think that life would be easier as the weeks went by. I steered away from the internet and hadn’t visited Sky and Ford at their apartment since I’d been home from Italy. After her begging, I’d agreed to spend the weekend with them.

I drove to the familiar location, pulled into the driveway, and stared at Joey’s door. Before I could get choked up, I grabbed my things and headed for Sky’s. When I heard someone calling my name, I felt dizzy, until I turned around and saw a younger version of Joey standing in front of me. Behind him was Shayne’s sister Peyton.

“Hey, Lace. How have you been?”

I shrugged. “Fine. What are you doing here?”

She looked at Jamey and then back to me. “We’re together. Since he’s watchin’ the place for his brother, I come here on the weekends, so we can be alone.”

“Your dad allows that?”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m an adult. I don’t care what he says.”

I pointed toward Sky’s door. “It was nice seeing you, but Sky and Ford are waiting for me. We’re going to order dinner.”

Jamey grabbed my bag so I couldn’t walk away. “Wait. My brother gave me somethin’ to give to you when you came to visit. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long, but you haven’t exactly been around. Stay here, I’ll be right back.”

I didn’t know what to do. My legs wanted to run toward Sky’s and never look back. I had no idea what he had for me, but anything that had to do with Joey was a bad idea.

Jamey came out and handed me a box. It was about the size of a shoe box. I smiled. “Thank you.”

“Tell him hi for me. He hasn’t called to check in for a while now.” I was puzzled to think that he hadn’t told his family we weren’t together.

“Sure.”

I walked away before they saw me starting to cry. By the time I made it inside Sky’s, I’d calmed down enough where she didn’t notice. I placed the box and my bag in the spare bedroom and went out to be with them.

No matter what we were doing, or talking about, all I could think of was the box, sitting in the other room, waiting for me.

I knew I shouldn’t open it, because whatever was inside was going to rip me apart.

Finally, after hours of watching movies and eating Chinese food, I made my way to the guest room and sat on the bed, staring down at the box in front of me.

He’d taped the edges, so it wouldn’t fly open. I used my fingernail to break it and lifted the lid off.

Inside was an envelope with a letter taped to the front. I recognized his writing, from notes he kept on the refrigerator. My name was written on the outside.

I opened the note and stared at it before I could let myself read.

Lacey:

It’s been three days since I found out that you slept with Shayne again. I guess part of it was my fault, for not being clear. You see, I’ve developed feelings for you, that I’ve never had for another woman. When you’re in my arms I feel complete and when you leave, I miss you.

I know I came on to you the wrong way. It was all I’d ever done, and I never expected us to be anything more than f**k buddies. The thing is, hearing that you slept with Shayne, ripped me apart. You can imagine what it’s like to hear that the person you’re in love with has gone back to their ex.

Yeah, I said it. I’m in love with you.

I’m not writing this letter to win you back, or make you sad. I just thought you might want to know that you were never ‘just sex’. From the first moment I held you, I knew it was something entirely different.

I’ve been offered a position in Italy, and due to recent events, I’ve decided to seize the opportunity. It’s the chance of a lifetime and passing it up could change my future drastically.

I want you to know that I’ll think about you everyday. You opened my eyes and my heart to feelings that I never knew existed.

Thank you for being with me, even if our time was limited, I will never forget it.

Love: Joey

PS: I burned the naked photos of those women and put the charred remains in the bottom of this box in a bag. I also enclosed that t-shirt you looked so good in. Smile, Lace. You’re the most beautiful woman in the world when you do.

With no regard for my emotions, I picked up the t-shirt and smelled it. His scent was still on it. After holding it against my face and sobbing uncontrollably, I removed my clothes and slipped on Joey’s t-shirt. Then I crawled in the bed and pulled the covers, up before looking at the burnt pictures, enclosed in a plastic bag. I could see that they were the real pictures. Under the bag, there was one picture sitting upside down. It was printed from a computer, so I flipped it over, curiously wondering if he’d forgotten to burn one.

This picture was different. It was me, sleeping in his bed. In marker, he’d written ‘Joey’ where his pillow sat.

I pulled the picture up to my chest and cried at the memories of waking up in his arms. I missed him more and more each day, and even time wasn’t alleviating the emptiness that was inside of me.

Sky knocked before coming into the room. She crawled in the bed next to me and hugged me close. “What’s wrong?”

“Joey left this stuff for me.” I handed her the letter and gave her a second to read it. With the look of shock, she sat the letter down and looked over at me. “You can’t keep going on like this. You’ve got to call him, Lace.”

“It’s been too long. Joey’s a grown man. He has needs. The women there are beautiful. He’s probably forgotten all about me.”

She smacked me hard on the arm. “Stop being a stupid bitch! He’s poured his heart out to you and you keep walking away from it. Lacey, you’re the one who is to blame for all of this. You’re the one making your life miserable. This man, the one that wrote this note, is crazy about you.”

I shook my head, still in denial that I could ever be happy. “It’s just too late.”

She stayed with me while I cried, but said nothing else. I got that she thought I was making a mistake. I questioned myself daily. Many times I wanted to hop on a plane and show up begging him for forgiveness.