Page 141 of How To Not Need You

“You better, that was a fucking terrible start.”

His mouth twitches. “I’m going to piss you off.”

“You currently are.”

“I'm going to say the wrong thing.”

“Strong start there too.”

“I'm going to forget things. I'm going to fuck up.” He pauses. “Apparently I'm going to let my ex-wife shower in my house without considering the catastrophic consequences.”

A laugh gets out. I hate that he can still do that.

“But I will never betray you.”

And just like that, I'm not laughing anymore.

Jake holds my gaze. “I won't make you feel stupid for trusting me.”

Fuck. I look away. Gary is still sitting on the fence.

“This feels private, Gary.”

Beside me, Jake lets out a quiet laugh. I don't. Because I'm dangerously close to crying, and I've already cried more over this man in three days than I have in several respectable calendar years. I refuse to add in front of Gary to the list.

Jake doesn't ask me to look at him. He doesn't ask if I believe him either. Which is good, because I don't know how to explain that I do.

I believe him.

Not because I have proof. Not because Megan could come over here and provide a PowerPoint presentation titled Reasons I Was Naked-ish in My Ex-Husband's House.

I believe him because he's Jake. Because for six months, he's shown me exactly who he is. And maybe trusting someone isn't pretending they can never hurt you.

Maybe it's knowing they could and choosing to hand them the sharp objects anyway.

Okay.

That metaphor got concerning. I blame emotional exhaustion. I take a breath. Then another. And for once, I don't immediately start searching for the catch.

Jake breaks the quiet with a sentence so perfectly timed I almost wonder if he’s been counting seconds in his head.

“Tilly was right about one thing.”

I side-eye him. “Only one?”

“She’s five. Let’s not give her too much power.”

My mouth twitches. His doesn’t.

“I love you.”

Well.

Fuck.

There it is.

Three words I’ve spent six months very carefully not saying, not asking about and definitely not examining too closely.