Dead at Heart (Ariel and Jayson) novel Chapter 730

Jayson didn't leave right away. He leaned against the car door and pulled a pack of cigarettes from the console.

He had never been much of a smoker, but the stress had been relentless lately, and this felt like the only way to take the edge off.

Especially in front of Ariel, he had to hold himself together. He had to look like the one keeping her safe. If he acted like everything was falling apart, Ariel would only feel even more pressure.

After all, who wouldn't be afraid of cancer? He didn't want his own breakdown to make her think she couldn't be cured and sink into even greater fear.

He stayed there for a long time until his legs started to go numb.

Her health was shaky now, and he still hadn't earned Katie's and Leonard's forgiveness. He couldn't just cling to Ariel all the time.

He couldn't sleep even if he went back, so he just made do with a night in the car.

As long as he was close, if anything happened to Ariel, he could be there in seconds. And staying near her gave him a sliver of peace too.

Still, he moved the car farther down the street so she wouldn't feel pressured if she noticed.

…

After a shower, Ariel sat down with Katie. She understood Katie's protectiveness, but…

"Grandma, there's something you should know."

She took Katie's hand and pulled her onto the couch. "Jayson was the one who hired that doctor who treated Uncle Leo. Uncle Leo's healthy now partly because of him."

Ariel wouldn't hide this from Katie. It was the truth, after all.

So she said her piece and left it there. Whatever Katie chose to think about Jayson after that wasn't her place to interfere.

It was a debt of gratitude. Ariel wasn't about to act like Jayson owed it to them.

Katie was surprised. "I thought you arranged that."

Ariel shook her head. "He flew the doctor back here. Otherwise, Uncle Leo never would've gotten an appointment."

Katie frowned. "So now we owe him."

Ariel leaned gently against her shoulder. "What I'm saying is, the past is the past. You can't measure every little thing. Let's just treat it calmly without letting old grudges ruin the present, okay?"

She didn't want Katie or Leonard trapped in what had already happened. The past couldn't be undone.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify