Free My Despicable Ex (Book 1) by Sierra Rose Page B

thing I’ve ever been through.”
    “ I
know, Ashly. I also carry the scars.”
    “ Really? You poor thing,” I said, scowling at him. “Any scars
you have from that day are self-inflicted, Jake, in case you’ve
forgotten.”
    When I looked
away, he pushed a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “I’m so, so
sorry for what I did to you, to us.”
    “ Did you break up with me because the romance was gone or the
sparks weren’t there?”
    “ Are you kidding? We had huge chemistry.”
    “ Then was there somebody else?”
    “ No.”
    “ Did you want someone prettier? Was I horrible in bed?” I
asked. “I’m sorry, Jake, but I just have to know. These questions
have been bouncing around in my head for years.”
    “ Ashly, you are still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid
eyes on, and our sex life was…well, amazing. We shared a connection
I’ve never felt with anyone, and we were so in love. I just
panicked. I-I just wasn’t ready for marriage back then
and—”
    “ Why did you come back to New York City, Jake? Was it just
about the money, or were you trying to stalk me?”
    A breeze swept
through his dark, messy hair. “I can’t imagine living without
you.”
    “ Nadia said you were at my mother’s funeral. Why didn’t you
say anything to me?”
    “ Ashly, I didn’t want to make your day worse. Look at the way
you reacted when you saw me in your lawyer’s office. I didn’t want
to cause a scene like that at your mother’s funeral.”
    “ No, I suppose not.”
    “ I’m so sorry for the loss of your mother.”
    “ She was my best friend,” I whispered, my voice quivering. “If
you don’t mind, I don’t want to talk about her death. I can’t
handle it.”
    “ I
know how hard it is.”
    We didn’t say
much after that, and I enjoyed the silence as I stared at the sky.
A while later, Jake went back inside and brought out a couple sodas
for us, a sweet gesture; he’d stocked our mini-fridge with Pepsi
from the vending machine.
    I paused when
he softly pointed upward.
    “ Look! It’s a shooting star.”
    I watched as
the bright beam traveled across the dark sky.
    “ It’s gotta be a sign,” he said.
    “ A
sign?”
    “ Maybe fate threw us together again so we could become friends
and work out our differences.”
    My jaw set
into a stern grimace. “It’s science, Jake—just a shooting star and
nothing more.”
    “ Wow. You used to be such a romantic.”
    I sucked in a deep gulp of
air. “A lot about
me died that day, Jake.”
    He sighed.
“One way or another, I’m gonna melt that ice covering your
heart.”
    I peered at him
intently. “Instead
of melting ice, how about answering another question?”
    “ Anything.”
    “ Where have you been all these years?” I asked.
    “ I
got a job as a firefighter in Texas.”
    “ Yeah, Nadia told me that much,” I said. “She said you were
transferred back home. That’s what you’ve always wanted to do,
right? You went out there and followed your dream. I’m really happy
for you for that, even if you had to ditch me to do it.”
    “ I’ve been working hard out there, but I missed everyone
horribly—especially you.”
    “ This isn’t some cheesy romance novel with Fabio on the cover,
Jake. You can’t just walk into my life and think I’m gonna run back
into your arms like nothing ever happened. How dare
you?”
    “ The past is the past. Why can’t we concentrate on the
present? Didn’t we both agree to come on this trip as
friends?”
    “ The only thing I agreed to was to be cordial, and I’m doing
the best I can with that, Jake.
    “ I
realized the fatal mistake on our wedding night, but it was too
late by then. The damage had already been done. I knew you’d never
forgive me after I didn’t show up at that wedding.”
    “ I
might have, if you’d just have come to me that night. Sure, I was
mad, but I wasn’t ready to lose you. If you had come to me and told
me you wanted to wait, I would have been happy to do