for getting arrested, for throwing his life away, for sidelining all of their plans, for refusing to let her in after everything went down. But Jagger had it all wrong tonight. Deep down, it wasn’t the fact that he’d gone to prison. They could’ve worked that out. She would’ve waited for him if he’d given her any indication that he’d wanted her to.
No. When it came right down to it, the thing that had upset her most about that night—the thing that had kept her awake for months and even years after—was that she’d wanted him so, so badly to stay with her, but he hadn’t.
He’d picked them —Rage and a bunch of asshole guys he didn’t even know all that well—over her. And that one choice, that one decision… it had altered the course of both of their lives forever.
She’d never get over it.
She wasn’t even sure she wanted to. Because without that anger, that silent rage and resentment that had fueled her all these years, what else did she have? Who was Kate Molina if not the woman who’d been left behind?
Stop the pity party, girl. You’re a graduate of NYU. You’re the woman who built a bakery from the ground up. Who scored a highly coveted event with a major corporate sponsor that will do wonders for the business. Who has a fiercely loyal best friend, an apartment she can actually afford, a grandmother whose legacy of love lives on.
And you’re the woman who’s still in love with Jagger Barnes.
The thought struck her like lightning—a bright, shocking flash.
Love?
Yes, she was still attracted to him. Yes, she still felt… something for him, a thing that lurched in her chest whenever he walked into the bakery or said her name, and lurched again whenever he left.
But… love? How was that even possible? The Jagger she used to know and care for didn’t even exist anymore. He was a twenty-four-year-old kid back then, for the love of God.
But maybe that Jagger had never really existed, either—not exactly as she’d always assumed. Obviously, she didn’t know him as well as she’d thought back then.
Kate had accused him of running away, but ultimately, she’s the one who let him leave. And whatever issues had led him to commit the crime in the first place—whatever he couldn’t talk to her about back then—well, there was a reason for that, too. She played a role in it, whether she wanted to admit it or not. It had always been easier to blame him all these years because he’d been convicted of a crime. Bad. Obvious. Black-and-white. Cut-and-dried. When it came to the ending of their relationship, he was clearly the offender, and she was clearly the wronged party. Case closed. Right?
Kate popped a warm cookie into her mouth and closed her eyes, letting the spicy, buttery deliciousness melt on her tongue.
How naive I’ve been.
She popped another cookie into her mouth and dusted the sugar off her hands. It seemed obvious to her now, but for the first time in her life, she was truly starting to accept that there were a whole lot more layers and facets to the story of Jagger and Kate. Tip-of-the-iceberg things she’d only just begun to contemplate.
She’d been trying to get over Jagger, trying to move on for years. But she couldn’t. Not without knowing the truth. And not without understanding and accepting her own role in it. Without that truth, she’d always be obsessed with the unknown, the what-ifs that had plagued her ever since she’d woken up at three a.m. that night eight years ago, knowing something was dreadfully wrong.
With renewed determination, Kate boxed up the rest of the cookies, changed her clothes, and called a cab.
“Red Hook,” she told the driver. “As fast as you can get me there.”
Chapter Fourteen
J agger was dead inside .
A hot shower hadn’t helped. Neither had a cold one. He couldn’t even be bothered to crack open a beer or click on the TV at his uncle’s place. He just yanked on a pair of sweatpants, dropped his ass into the old
No. When it came right down to it, the thing that had upset her most about that night—the thing that had kept her awake for months and even years after—was that she’d wanted him so, so badly to stay with her, but he hadn’t.
He’d picked them —Rage and a bunch of asshole guys he didn’t even know all that well—over her. And that one choice, that one decision… it had altered the course of both of their lives forever.
She’d never get over it.
She wasn’t even sure she wanted to. Because without that anger, that silent rage and resentment that had fueled her all these years, what else did she have? Who was Kate Molina if not the woman who’d been left behind?
Stop the pity party, girl. You’re a graduate of NYU. You’re the woman who built a bakery from the ground up. Who scored a highly coveted event with a major corporate sponsor that will do wonders for the business. Who has a fiercely loyal best friend, an apartment she can actually afford, a grandmother whose legacy of love lives on.
And you’re the woman who’s still in love with Jagger Barnes.
The thought struck her like lightning—a bright, shocking flash.
Love?
Yes, she was still attracted to him. Yes, she still felt… something for him, a thing that lurched in her chest whenever he walked into the bakery or said her name, and lurched again whenever he left.
But… love? How was that even possible? The Jagger she used to know and care for didn’t even exist anymore. He was a twenty-four-year-old kid back then, for the love of God.
But maybe that Jagger had never really existed, either—not exactly as she’d always assumed. Obviously, she didn’t know him as well as she’d thought back then.
Kate had accused him of running away, but ultimately, she’s the one who let him leave. And whatever issues had led him to commit the crime in the first place—whatever he couldn’t talk to her about back then—well, there was a reason for that, too. She played a role in it, whether she wanted to admit it or not. It had always been easier to blame him all these years because he’d been convicted of a crime. Bad. Obvious. Black-and-white. Cut-and-dried. When it came to the ending of their relationship, he was clearly the offender, and she was clearly the wronged party. Case closed. Right?
Kate popped a warm cookie into her mouth and closed her eyes, letting the spicy, buttery deliciousness melt on her tongue.
How naive I’ve been.
She popped another cookie into her mouth and dusted the sugar off her hands. It seemed obvious to her now, but for the first time in her life, she was truly starting to accept that there were a whole lot more layers and facets to the story of Jagger and Kate. Tip-of-the-iceberg things she’d only just begun to contemplate.
She’d been trying to get over Jagger, trying to move on for years. But she couldn’t. Not without knowing the truth. And not without understanding and accepting her own role in it. Without that truth, she’d always be obsessed with the unknown, the what-ifs that had plagued her ever since she’d woken up at three a.m. that night eight years ago, knowing something was dreadfully wrong.
With renewed determination, Kate boxed up the rest of the cookies, changed her clothes, and called a cab.
“Red Hook,” she told the driver. “As fast as you can get me there.”
Chapter Fourteen
J agger was dead inside .
A hot shower hadn’t helped. Neither had a cold one. He couldn’t even be bothered to crack open a beer or click on the TV at his uncle’s place. He just yanked on a pair of sweatpants, dropped his ass into the old
Similar Books
