Just a Game

The Truth About

Alice // chapter forty-one

T H E R E hasn't been a moment when I drove faster than I did now. My foot pressed on the gas pedal, pushing it to its limit as I zoomed in and out of lanes, trying to get to my house as fast as humanly possible. As soon as I got in, I grabbed my wallet that I'd forgotten in my rushed state earlier that morning, got a jacket and ran back out to my car. 

No more questions about what I wanted to do with the information on that letter were present in my thoughts. I was going to find Jace's father and I was going to bring him to town. It was about time I did right by Jace regardless of how we ended. 

She...she was cheating on him. She had him. She already had him. Why would she even dare to hurt him that way? How can she put his happiness on the line like it was the least of her worries? My heart broke for him when I heard the words slip past Katie's lips. She'd seen Tanya locking lips with Damon. God, what a joke I am. I slept with him. 

I fucking slept with him. God knows, I'd been out of it for weeks by then to even know right from wrong, but I should've known. Dammit, I should've known something was wrong when he walked right into my life without any problems. 

I was mush inside at this point. I gritted my teeth as I made a turn into I-25, the highway that would lead me straight to Jace's father. I almost felt guilty driving there like this. I broke his son's heart. Granted, he broke mine right back like it didn't even matter, but that's beside the point. I did what I did regardless of how he reacted. It was me who caused our fallout. I was responsible for this shit. But then again, Tanya was pregnant with his child. He had cheated on me and that was something I could never tolerate. It was such a hard concept to get a grip of, Jace cheating. It's like NASA finding another life somewhere out in the Universe; it's pretty much impossible. 

The final turn into the driveway of a small house by a suburban neighborhood made me anxious. My heart wanted to catch the next flight out of my body and my mind was this close to shutting down. Nonetheless, I swallowed my fears, grabbed my phone and walked out. 

I knocked exactly three times on the door. I even counted them, because I was freaking out that much. 

About a minute later, the door opened, revealing an older man who looked to be in his late forties, early fifties. He had Jace's eyes. Jesus Christ, I nearly fell backward at the resemblance.

His kind eyes were welcoming, as was his smile. "May I help you, dear?"

I blinked. "Um, yes. My name's Alice Moore. I, uh, know someone that you may know and I want to make sure that I got the right place."

A match of curiosity lit up in his features, but his hospitality didn't wane. "I'd love to help as much as I can."

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I nodded once and spoke so fast, it's a wonder how he understood anything I said. "I dated your son, Jace Grayson. Someone gave me your address in an anonymous letter this morning and I knew that I had to come see you."

His eyes widened as he listened, his lips parting at the shock I'd caused him. What if he has a heart attack? Oh shit, I didn't think that far. 

I am an idiot. 

As I freaked out about what might happen to him due to the news I'd just delivered, he spoke softly. "He's alive?"

I blinked. Again. "Jace? Of course, he's alive," I tried to trail off with a laugh that soon turned sour, "you thought he was...dead?" My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach as I stood there watching this man stare at me while the idea of his son being alive dawned on him. 

What?

"H-he's alive?" He repeated, the water in his eyes pooling at a much faster rate than I can calculate. "My son's alive?"

I didn't know what to do, so I smiled and nodded. 

"Oh my Lord, my son is alive!" He yelled, the joy that suddenly hit him radiating to me. That's when the tears fell. He reached for a hug that was tighter than what I expected. And he cried. It was a moment like I've never experienced before. I was still trying to understand the situation I'd driven myself into while trying to calm the strange man I known recognized as Jace's biological father. His cries waned after a few minutes and I still stood confused. He then moved away from the hug, allowing me to wither in my thoughts without having to worry about his wellbeing. His large smile was the first thing I saw when I looked back at him. He was so radiant and excited. Enlivened, he shook his head, "wow. What a day. Is he here, when can I meet him?"

In pure shock, I parted my lips to speak but couldn't think of the correct words for what I wanted to say. I mean, what was I supposed to say? Was there anything I can say that can keep me from breaking this man's abrupt happiness? As soon as I asked myself, I knew t was a stupid question because I already knew the answer: there was no way I was coming out of this unscarred. God, how am I supposed to enrich a man's day and rob it at the same time? 

Only I would be stuck doing such thing. I swear I must've been a convicted serial killer in my past life because I mean, let's just look at my life and that's a good enough assessment. 

Regardless, I knew what I had to say. To keep the man from waiting eagerly for my answer, I broke it to him fast. "Jace doesn't know where you are or that I found you. I drove here almost immediately after getting that letter. Besides, your son and I aren't exactly on the best of terms."

To my surprise, the spirit in his eyes didn't break at the hand of my words. Rather, a genuine curiosity spurred amidst them. "What happened?"

I chuckled. "Now, that's a long story."

"But you came here," he assessed, "that means you still care for my son a lot more than you think or let on. I'm sure he feels the same."

This time, I actually full on laughed. "No. That's a stretch, Mr..." I trailed off, unsure of what to call him. 

"Mr. Dove," he nodded, understanding my predicament.

"Jace Dove, hmm," I thought to myself, comparing it to his actual full name. They both fit him so well so that I was finding it difficult to choose the better option. To be completely cheesy, he was the better option. "I was hoping to have you guys meet perhaps next week. I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Of course, I'll be there at any time," he nodded, quickly turning around to look inside before looking back at me. "So, are you going to tell me what happened between you two?"

I scratched my eyebrow unsurely. "I think you should judge Jace from an unbiased point of view when you first meet him. Then we'll both tell you." If Jace can stand to be that close to me, I added quietly in my bitter thoughts.

Maybe then, he'll forgive me. 

And maybe then I can start to heal the wounds he carelessly inflicted.

I need to move on. Really this time and this was my last hope.