Trusting Jack (River-Cove Series: Book 2 )

Chapter 3// Jack

I've always believed in true everlasting love. I grew up seeing it everyday of my childhood. My parents were the definition of a love like that, they were high school sweethearts, turned soulmates.

They loved each other fearlessly, they showed it to one another each day.

I've never been shy or ashamed admitting that's the sort of love that I want one day. I've known for years what I've wanted out of my life, three simple things.

1: to be a cop and find justice for people.

2: found a love like my parents.

3: have a family.

But in my thirty-four years I haven't found the kind of love that I always thought I would. Don't get my wrong I've had relationships, even one I thought was serious, so serious I moved in with and thought about marrying her but apart of me knew it didn't fell right, that it didn't fell like love should. I think somewhere along the lines I know it was just settling and it wasn't fair to myself or my Ex.

Since that break up I've dated and such but nothing has really came off it. To be honest I almost had given up on meeting someone who I felt an instant connection with that was until I met her...Grace Chambers.

When I remember back to Deacon inviting me to that BBQ months ago. I thought it would be just like normal times that I have showed up there, but this time it wasn't because she shown up, looking beautiful, fearless, and when she stood strong and called Derek out for the way he was acting with Tori back then, she was a warrior queen, taking no shit and no prisoners.

I was mesmerised by her. Her Long chestnut hair, her bright Grey eyes that held so many emotions in them, the sweet smile, the cocky smirk she also held.

The moment our eyes locked that day, I had known deep down that Grace was going to break my heart, but I wanted her, I was willing to risk it, hoping that overtime I could show her that we could be something great together.

But whatever had hurt her in the past, she just couldn't move past it, her scars weighed her down and no matter how much I tried she wouldn't let in.

What's worst is that I wasn't expecting to meet Grace, I wasn't expecting to fall for her the way that I did, without really knowing her or even spending that much time with her but I did.

When I first met her...sure we flirted at the BBQ, we had a few drinks and we shared a few laughs, maybe that night it would have turned into something more, but she pulled away and I respected that, it was fun, but it was over.

And once she went back home, she was still in my thoughts but at the back of mind. Until we started texting, at first it was her checking up on Tori, when she was dealing with being a stalker's obsessed.

According to Grace she got updates from me because I was a cop and Tori would only lie to her to protect her, telling her things like, she was fine when she knew she wasn't.

And well she threw in a couple of threats that made me laugh and wanted to talk to her more, over those few weeks' texts turned into phone calls and facetime's.

Even though there was a shirt storm swirling around us involving the people that we both cared about, we found comfort in those little talks between us, and most of the time it was just random and little things we would share about ourselves, but it felt real, and it felt like something was growing between us.

And when all hell broke loose and Tori got shot, Grace rushed to River-Cove.

I've never saw her saw so vulnerable, because in the short time I've known her, Grace has always had her walls up and her feelings locked away for nobody to see them.

But that day I saw the fear in her eyes that she might lose her best friend, I heard the pain in her voice at the thought of even losing the one person she calls family.

She wasn't the badass Grace that day, that I had gotten to known in the last few weeks. No, that day she was Grace a woman who was scared to lose someone she loved, and she needed someone to anchor her.

I thought it was a breakthrough for us, that maybe she could see that she could trust me with anything, but I was wrong because when I woke up, she was gone.

And then she ghosted me until she showed to help Tori with her wedding plans. Even then she acted like what happened between us never happened, that I was nothing but a stranger to her.

I'm a proud man but even I'll admit that hurt, but I won't push her. Grace has her demons I've known that from day one, I just always hoped that once she knew me as a person, she would come to see that she could trust me with them.

I can see now that I was wrong, Grace she won't ever let anyone close her, she won't let anyone see through the amor that she has on. And I'm done trying, Tori once said to me, that I shouldn't pursue Grace if I wasn't up for the fight and the long haul.

I wish I could say that I have it in me to fight more for her, but the truth is I'm all out of fight, I've been doing it for months. Grace is worth it a million times over, but I'm just scared that I'm causing her more pain and suffering by chasing after her and I don't want to do that, I care about her to much.

She wants me to leave her alone and forget about what we shared and what we feel for one another, so for her because I do care that's what I am going to do.

It won't be easy, but it has to been done for both our sakes, I'll be polite and make small talk with her when our paths cross, which they are going to.

Our best friends are married, we're going to be sharing the same moments with them. We can't be avoiding each other and making things awkward for the other, because it won't be fair to Derek and Tori, their happiness matters more than us being petty when we have to be around one another.

If Grace ever needs a friend, then I am here for her no matter what, but as for anything else, I think it has to be over for us or what we could had been maybe.

"Jack, you good?" Pulling out of my thoughts and turned to the sound of the voice. Just as my eyes land on Derek.

"Yeah, what's up?" I ask him.

"Tori is planning a bbq for Fourth of July. You in?"

Feeling a smirk on my face as I remember the first bbq I saw them at together, God was he an ass to her, it's funny how far they have come since then, married, raising Daisy together and what they have survived.

"Maybe, I'll have to check with my folks down in Florida"

My father was a sheriff in North Carolina, but grew up in Florida until he was a teenager when my grandparents moved them to River-cove, which is where my mother was originally from River-Cove, once they met, they were inseparable,

they got married, had me and my sister Chloe. They raised us here, while dad did the long drive each day to the sheriff's department, it was hard for them, but they made it work.

And when it was time to retire, mum surprised dad with plans to sell their house and live out their days down in Florida, which I think it something that my dad wanted but didn't want to ask of my mom.

"No worries just let us know and send them my best....have a good night" I hardly heard Derek say before he is out of our office. No doubt wanting to get home to his family.

Pulling out of my thoughts and grabbed the paperwork from the pile next to me, I might as well stay late again and get some work done.

There's no rush to go home to an empty home.