PART 6–CHAPTER 197
LUKE
The second I was out of the locker room, I grabbed my phone and scrolled to Josh’s number. My fingers were shaking, a leftover from everything that had just unfolded, and it took a second longer than I wanted to hit call. I could still hear Michael’s pathetic pleading echoing in my head, and Francesca’s empty excuses. My stomach turned, but the only thing I wanted–no, needed–was to find Jess.
The line rang. Once. Twice. I almost hung up and called back, but then Josh picked up, his voice groggy and disinterested. “Yeah?”
“Where is Jess?” I demanded, cutting straight through the tired haze in his voice. My tone left no room for hesitation. “I need to know where she is right now.”
There was a pause, then a deep sigh. “What the hell, Luke? What’s going on? You need to let Jess go, man. I love you like a brother, but you can’t keep giving her hope. She needs a chance to move on,”
I clenched my jaw, my hand squeezing the phone so tightly I could feel the plastic straining. “Josh. Listen. I just ended things with Francesca. She’s been cheating on me with some rookie–Michael–and there’s no baby. It’s not mine. I ended it. It’s over.”
Silence. I could almost hear the gears turning in his head as he processed that. “Wait. You’re serious? You could have led with that, you know,
asshole!”
“Completely,” I said, my voice a low growl. I didn’t have the patience to explain the humiliating details, not right now. “Now, tell me where Jess
DOCK
- is. I have to see her, Josh. I need to fix this.”
There was a pause, and then he breathed out a relieved, “Fucking finally.”
I closed my eyes, exhaling heavily. “So you’ll tell me?”
“Oh, I’ll tell you. In fact, I’m coming with you.” Josh’s voice had a spark of excitement I hadn’t heard in a while. “Meet you at the airport in twenty.”
Twenty minutes to throw a bag together, barely time to process that I’d just upended my entire life. It didn’t matter. Nothing else mattered but finding Jess.
The flight was a blur, my mind racing over every single thing I’d done wrong in the last few months. Jess’s face, her smile, her laugh–they haunted me, mingling with the memory of how I’d walked away, buried in denial and distracts that led me nowhere but here. Josh didn’t talk much, and I was grateful. We didn’t need words to know we were both. thinking about Jess and Laura and how badly we’d messed it up.
We landed in Paris the next day, and Josh immediately whipped out his phone, dialing Laura’s number. He paced back and forth, muttering impatiently as each call went straight to voicemail. “Damn it, Laura, pick up,” he grumbled, pressing redial.
After five attempts, he glanced over at me, his brow furrowed. “She’s not answering.”
“Let me try.” I didn’t really expect anything, but the second I hit call, the phone barely rang once before Laura picked up.
Then Laura finally picked up, she didn’t sound as surprised as I’d hoped. “Luke.”
“Laura, where’s Jess?” I asked, keeping my voice steady, though it took everything to keep my impatience in check. “We’re here in Paris. I need to
08.19
PART & CHAPTER 197
see her. Can you just tell us where she is?”
There was a hesitation on the line, then she sighed. “She’s… busy, Luke. It’s been a lot for her, and I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to-”
“Laura,” I interrupted, my tone sharper than I intended. “Please. I’m not leaving without talking to her.”
“I’m sorry,” she replied, her voice cool and firm. “I can’t help you, Luke.”
The line clicked off, leaving me staring at the phone, more frustrated than ever. Josh grumbled beside me, already taking a few steps down the street, scanning the shop windows as we walked. We both knew Jess was here somewhere; Laura had just confirmed it by the very fact she’d tried to stonewall me.
We kept moving up and down the narrow street, my gaze combing the windows and shop signs, barely noticing the bustling crowd and bright Parisian storefronts. Then Josh stopped, his hand gripping my arm.
“There,” he muttered, nodding towards a gallery down the street.
Through the large front window, a group was mingling around an art installation. And standing near the back was Laura, flipping through some pamphlet with an almost deliberate nonchalance.
Josh didn’t waste a second. He stormed toward the gallery doors, brushing past the tiny bouncer standing guard. The guy barely got a word out before Josh nudged him aside with ease. I followed right behind, my pulse pounding.
Once inside, Josh walked up to Laura, towering over her. She looked up, surprise and irritation mingling on her face.
“Josh,” she hissed, looking around as if to see who was watching. “What are you doing?”
PART & CHAPTER 197
He didn’t answer, just stepped back slightly, and I took my cue, stepping in. “Laura. It’s over.” My voice came out more intense than I’d intended, but I couldn’t help it. “Francesca isn’t having my baby. I left her. I made a mistake. I need to see Jess. Please… give me the address.”
Laura’s face softened, her guard faltering for just a second, and I held my breath…
