Forbidden Love with the Marine(49)
He certainly needed to get his head on screwed straight, especially now that he was about to propose to Makayla.
That was another thing that was helping to make up his mind. With a steady job he knew he could show her he was more than ready to provide a solid environment for a marriage to thrive. He wanted to make sure he kept her in his life – for good. She didn’t have a clue yet just what an impact she’d made on him since they’d met and he wasn’t about to give that up, ever.
“Well?” Drake pressed, his eyebrow cocking.
Breaking out of his wandering thoughts, Blade turned to Drake, about to answer when something caught his eye just over Drake’s shoulder.
Jessica had walked in, escorted by a tall man with sandy brown hair. He was bulky without looking fat and was good-looking in a mean kind of way. Blade couldn’t help scowling especially when he remembered how Jessica had been acting ever since that night two weeks ago. She’d stopped taking his calls and whenever he came by the house to see Jamie, she was either out or inside pretending not to be home.
He watched as she settled down at a table with her date who quickly ordered drinks. She glanced around idly and then noticed Blade. She froze, eyes widening in shock before it was replaced with consternation. Suddenly, she mumbled something to her date who looked surprised when she immediately rose and exited the bar.
“I’ll be right back,” Blade said to the puzzled Drake, who nodded and watched Blade leave quickly through the front entrance.
Blade caught up with Jessica as she stalked outside, smoking furiously on a cigarette.
He called out her name and she spun around, her eyes flashing when they met his. “What do you want?” she spat.
“Why have you been avoiding me? And who was that guy you were with in there?” was his angry reply. When she huffed and turned away, he took her by the wrist to yank her back to face him when she yelped in pain.
Blade frowned in confusion; he hadn’t grabbed her that hard. The sleeve of her dress fell back from her raised hand, revealing the bruises only barely faded from her slender flesh.
“What the...,” Blade growled in anger, lifting his eyes to hers. “Who did this? Is it that guy in the bar? If it’s him I’m going to f*ck him up right now.”
Jessica grabbed his arm as he made to swivel round to return to the interior of the bar. “No! Wait, please. He’s my boyfriend. Don’t touch him. And he didn’t really mean it. We were just...we argued a bit last night...”
“And did that give him the right to wring your arm and give you all these bruises? You call that a boyfriend? Please don’t tell me you allow that piece of scum anywhere near Jamie.”
“Don’t call Vince a piece of scum!” Jessica cried out furiously. “At least he’s there for me. Not like you, so preoccupied with your princess girlfriend ‘Makayla’.” She said the name with a sneering roll of her head.
“I have been there for you, Jessica. Even though Jamie’s not mine I promised myself I’d do what I can for him because of Thomas. Also because the boy’s innocent and...”
“And I’m not, right?” Jessica said bitterly. “I’m scum just like Vince. That’s why you’d never dream of being with me for real. I’m not your precious Makayla.”
“Why do you keep bringing her up? What has she got to do with this?”
“Because if it wasn’t for her, you’d be with me!” Jessica cried out, her body leaning forward as she all but screeched in his face. “And Jamie would be able to have a real family, a real father. But you don’t care about that anymore, do you? You don’t really care what happens to Jamie. If you did, you’d...” She shook her head, not bothering to finish, her eyes filled with loathing as she viewed Blade. “Just keep your self-righteous concern away from me and my son. We don’t need you.” And with one last glare at him, she stubbed out her cigarette and went back into the bar.
Blade let out a furious sigh, shoving his hands through his hair as he tried to stay calm. He was almost shaking with the need to go back in there and bash that guy Vince to the ground for what he’d done to Jessica. Just thinking that she was with someone like that, and possibly letting Jamie witness domestic violence crap was enough to make Blade see red.
He was in a shitty dilemma and didn’t know what the hell to do because he was scared. Scared of losing Makayla and scared he’d fail in his mission to keep Jamie safe. Like he’d told Jessica, Jamie was the innocent party in all this and Blade would never turn his back on the boy. And Makayla...he could tell she was getting more and more worried about his interaction with Jessica and how it troubled him especially when Jessica had started her new tactic of ignoring and avoiding him.
This is just so f*cked up, Blade thought, as he balanced his clenched fists on his hips, standing there on the moon-lit pavement in front of the bar. Now he remembered why he preferred staying out of serious relationships. He’d been wary of having to face something like this. Having to choose. Needing to work out the balance between his self-induced duty to Jamie, and his growing feelings for Makayla. Good god, he adored her. And he loved Jamie. What the heck was he going to do?
He forced himself to return to the present, knowing Drake would be getting worried. Blade was reluctant to go back inside, unsure what he might do if he caught sight of that bastard Vince or whatever his name was. The guy was obviously abusing Jessica in some way even if it was just bullying or using his superior strength unfairly against her if those bruises were anything to go by. How could Jessica put up with that?