Page 30 of Redeemed

"I was talking about your sister's kids. How many is she up to now?" He said it in a joking tone, but Sofia bristled. Having kids had been one of their major roadblocks. She wanted them. He didn't. At all.

"She's got two boys and is expecting a girl in another few months. She's thrilled to get some more estrogen in the house," Sofia told him. She wanted to be polite, but she really needed to get him out of here before JT showed up.

"Actually, Jesse, I'm in the middle of fixing dinner. What can I do for you?"

"I thought I smelled something good cooking." He rose to his feet and headed toward her small galley kitchen. She followed, irritated that he was roaming around her space uninvited.

He opened the oven and glanced in. "That looks really good, Sof, and smells even better!" He grinned at her over his shoulder.

Sofia stood with her hands on her hips. Now she was getting angry. He was just making himself at home.

"Jesse, seriously, why are you here? As you can see, I'm in the middle of things."

Jesse walked around and backed her up against the bar separating the kitchen and dining space. He placed his hands on the bar on either side of her and leaned in. "I missed you, Sof. Wanted to see you," he said huskily. "It's been a long time." He picked up a strand of her hair and twirled it between his fingers. "You get more and more beautiful. How do you do that?"

Sofia stood frozen in shock as Jesse moved in farther, closing in on her mouth. Before he could make contact, she turned her head away and pushed hard at his chest. "Jesse! Stop! What in the world are you doing?"

Chapter twenty-eight

Burning

JTglancedatthewarm light coming through Sofia's apartment window. He'd warned her about leaving her blinds open now that it was getting dark out. Too many creepers out there ready to see what they could see. He ran a hand through his hair and across his stubbled jaw.Damn. I could have at least shaved before coming over.He guessed it really didn't matter.

He got out of his Jeep and blew out a deep breath. He had to remember, he was doing thisforher, nottoher. She deserved all the good things, and, if one of those good things was Jesse, then he had to let her have him. He raised his head when he was almost to the door, and his feet stuttered to a stop on the pavement.

He saw her pretty, little bistro table set for two, and behind that, Sofia in Jesse's arms. He was playing with her hair. That beautiful, raven black hair he couldn't get enough of. His vision narrowed and went red. Everything went silent. He saw Jesse lean toward Sofia for a kiss. All the oxygen seemed to leave the world around him. Jesse kissing Sofia. Dinner for two. She was already seeing Jesse behind his back?

The red hot anger was quickly doused by a flood of inadequacy. He should have expected this. He couldn't blame her really. He'd always known he wasn't good enough for her, but he'd let himself believe he could have her if only for a little while. He spun on his heel and blindly found his way back to his Jeep. He wrenched open the door and threw himself inside. In a corner of his mind, he had been hoping Sofia would convince him she wasn't interested in Jesse. Tell him she loved him and only wanted to be with him. Now that small quiet hope had been destroyed, along with his heart.

Sofia heard a car door slam outside as she pushed on Jesse again. Realistically, she knew she'd never be able to move him if he didn't want to be moved but Jesse had never been a bully. Confident, too smart by half and even arrogant at times, but not a bully. "Jesse! I said cut it out!"

"Okay, okay," he said, throwing his hands up and taking a step back. "Thought you were into it."

"Thought I was into what exactly?" Sofia asked. She could feel the heat climbing up her face in her temper. "You walking into my home and kissing me without permission? Dios mío, Jesse! We've barely spoken in the last twelve years, and you come in here thinking, thinking…What?"

He had the audacity to give her a cocky grin. "Well, you've obviously been glad to see me the last couple of times we've run into each other. I figured I'd stop by and try to catch you alone and see where we went." His expression softened. "Seeing you has brought back a lot of memories. I've missed you, Sof. I've missed us. We were good together, right?"

Sofia blew out an exasperated breath. "Yes, it's been good to see you, Jesse, but like it's good to see an old friend. Did you forget about the kiss you walked in on? The fact that I obviously have a boyfriend?"

He looked nonplussed. "That redneck? The cook, right? C'mon, Sof, we both know he can't be more than a temporary distraction. He's so beneath you."

"Santo Padre! I can't believe your head is even bigger than it was when we were in school! How dare you talk about JT like that! You don't know him at all!"

"Sofia," he said, condescendingly. "That was always your biggest problem – you never dreamed big enough. You're so much better than this little hick town. We could have been having an amazing life in Dallas for all these years. In fact, we could still have one. It’s not too late. Think bigger for yourself!"

She narrowed her eyes at him. Her hands flew between them punctuating the anger in her voice. "This 'little hick town', as you call it, happens to be a wonderful place to live. We are a community. Everyone takes care of each other. I know everyone by name. I have a job I love that I'm good at. I have fabulous friends. I have a man I love who loves me just the way I am. There's nothing,nothing at allin Dallas that I want. All my dreams are coming true here."

She threw up a hand to silence him when he tried to cut in. "That's what you could never get, Jesse," she said, her voice now raw but soft. "I don't need a McMansion, a fancy car, designer clothes to be happy. People,my people, make me happy. It may seem like a little life to you, but it's mine and, someday, I hope to raise my kids here and teach them to appreciate the simple things, not the flashy ones." She searched out his eyes. "How happy do all your things make you, Jesse? Hmmm?"

Jesse's mouth tightened into a thin line. "I see nothing has really changed in all these years," he said, picking up his leather jacket off the back of the armchair where he had so casually dropped it earlier. "I thought you would've finally grown up and come to your senses, but you still think small." He shook his head lamentably. "All that beauty, wasted. You think about what I said, baby," he said and walked out her door.

Sofia dropped onto the sofa and held her head in her hands. She felt like she'd just relived the most emotional day of her life. Come to think of it, she really had. It was almost the exact same argument she and Jesse had when she had broken off their engagement all those years ago. And he still didn't get it. She couldn't see that he'd changed at all other than making more money and having the flashy things he'd always dreamed of having. She supposed they both were well on their way to achieving all their dreams.

A piercing siren broke into her silent contemplation. The smoke alarm! Mierda! The chicken! Black smoke billowed from the oven as she opened it and pulled the roasting pan out to throw it on the stove. She turned on the vent fan and fanned at the smoke with a dish towel trying to get the alarm to stop. She heard banging on the door and shook her head. Probably her neighbors coming to check on her. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson treated her like their own daughter even though her parents lived only a few minutes away. She gave a rueful grin as she went to open the door. This was the kind of thing Jesse could never appreciate. Neighbors taking care of each other.

Once she'd assured the Johnsons that she had only burned her dinner and Mr. Johnson had taken the offending chicken out to the dumpster for her, she realized it was almost ten o'clock. And she still hadn't heard from JT. She looked at her phone and saw a text there that she had missed.

JT: