Page 126 of Rise & Fall

Dakota slides her hands into the back pockets of her jeans before showing off a small curl of her lips and says, “Hi, Barbie.”

forty-one

Dakota

“Wait,sotheguyyou were talking to me about that day in your apartment washim?” I watch as the gears spin in Jessica’s head, a look of betrayal and confusion coloring her expression.

She points to me, then to Nolan, and then her hands are at her side, and I feel so much guilt for some reason. I’ve always been a girl’s girl. And when you sit down with a girlfriend, old or new, and share details about relationships and life, there’s a bit of a bond that’s built, and when I found out that Barbie and Jessica were the same human being, it didn’t settle right in me. Because if I had met Jessica before I met Nolan, I would have never gone after her ex. But I spent nights thanking the fucking universe for bringing me to Nolan first because I don’t see how I would have been able to avoid the temptation if it were the other way around.

I give Jessica a curt but respectful nod, words floating around in my head but I can’t seem to form any of them into tangible sentences.

I give her a moment to process, not really knowing how this will or won’t affect her. But I can’t in good conscience continue to work with her and talk to her without her knowing that I’m in love with her ex-husband and her daughter.

“How the fuck did this happen?” she asks as she looks at Nolan. I think she’s realizing that he in fact has moved on. And I think that’s what makes this a little harder for me, because I know she still loves him.

“We met around the beginning of March at the school. She was dropping off her kid sister and I was dropping off—”

“Aria.” Jessica cuts off Nolan and my whole body freezes.

This can go either way. She can either be really cool about it or she can flip shit and lay into us. It doesn’t quite click in my head that the person I know as Barbie might not be the same person Nolan knows as Jessica, but I guess we’re about to find out how she’s going to react to this all.

“If you’d rather me say I met her on a dating app, I can change my answer.” Nolan’s tone is sarcastic, and it does something to me.

I know he doesn’t get along with Jessica very well and I shouldn’t really allow him to talk to her like that, whether it was harmless or not, but he’s also used that tone on me, and while I know he means it to be stern and literal with her, he does it to me because it turns me on.

Gosh, I should not be having these thoughts right now. Blame the pregnancy hormones for heightening my feelings and emotions like that of a vampire.

“Calm down, Nolan. I’m just trying to understand how you two met.” Jessica rolls her eyes before pushing her fingers through her hair.

“I never intended to potentially hurt you, Barbie. Or Jessica,” I sigh. “I’m sorry, what would you like me to call you?” I ask, feeling an awkward bubble in my belly.

Or is that morning sickness?

Oh God. Please, not now.

“You can call me Jessica. And I’m assuming your name is Dakota.” she states with an underlying tone of jealousy and I hate that she feels that way.

“What are you like ten years older than her?” She directs her question to Nolan this time and I can see the small amount of comfort he held disintegrates from his demeanor.

Age has never been a factor for us. If anything, it’s made the relationship stronger. I needed a man, someone who had his shit together and knew where he was going with his life. Someone who didn’t play games, and, well, I found that in Nolan.

“Age doesn’t fucking matter, Jess, but if it makes you feel better, the age gap is twelve years.” I can feel her eyes burn into me as Nolan answers her question.

I look up to see her fighting what she feels versus what she knows she should let go of.

“And she makes you happy?” Her question is a whisper now, and I feel the hint of pain laced in her tone.

“Like I mentioned, I never felt like I needed to justify my personal life to you, but yes. Dakota makes me very happy. And Aria loves her too,” he says as he laces his fingers with mine. He didn’t mention that part about his daughter to throw it in her face, he knew it would give her reassurance.

I see her expression loosen, start to soften a bit.

But I feel my body tense when she starts to walk in my direction and I brace myself for what I think is going to be a slap across my face.

I squeeze my eyes shut and when I feel her arms wrap around my shoulders instead, everything relaxes and I open my eyes to see Jessica wrapping herself around me in a hug.

I look over at Nolan who is also genuinely confused but I pull my arms to return the hug and pat her on the back awkwardly a few times.

“What was that for?” I ask as she lets go and takes a step back.