Chapter 12
Bella's POV
As we approach the beach, I pull the car over to the side and turn off the engine. I reach over and run my fingers through Jesse's hair. We look into each other needing no words to express our feelings to each other. I lean in and place a sweet kiss on his lips. I look back to find Aria sleeping. "Just look at our beautiful baby. No matter what happens we have each other and our baby."
He placed his hands on my face, "I don't want to come in between you and Dom.:"
"The problems with me and Dom started long before I met you. There's nothing you can do to fix this. Dom and I will need to work it out in our own way."
A car pulls up beside and I recognize it instantly. Mia gets out of her car and heads over towards the Jetta. I get out to meet her. "Go ahead Mia let me have it."
She smiles at me, "What are you talking about? Dom is a hot head you know that. So what are you guys going to do?"
"Well, we are going to head to our new apartment and get settled. I don't know from there. I have enough money to cover us for at least a couple of months."
"No, I want you to come home. All three of you." She says, but she knows that I will not go back to the house. I just shake my head no. "Fine then, be that way. So are you going to show me the new place or what?"
"Yeah of course, follow me." We get into our respective cars and head to the apartment.
Later that evening
Mia finally left after she cooked dinner for us. She is so much like Mom, always taking care of me. Aria is sleeping soundly and now Jesse and I can have some alone time. He is sitting on the couch watching TV when I come into the room. His eyes meet mine and I can tell that he has something on his mind. I take a seat next to him and put my hand on top of his. Strangely he pulls away from me and walks across the room. "Jess, did I do something wrong?"
He shakes his head. "No, it's just that I," he pauses.
"You what?"
"I just don't deserve you."
"What the hell are you talking about?" I say as jump from the couch. "This is a mistake. Bella you should be home with your family, not here with me."
My body is trembling, "Jesse, don't do this. I want to be here."
"Are you sure? You don't know what went on while you were gone?"
"What the truck heists? Mia told me all about them. I know everything." I almost laugh.
He seems to be getting more and more frustrated, "That's not what I am talking about. Bella, I slept with another girl."
I take a deep breath trying to get the words out, "I know."
"How?"
"I called to check on you a few months ago before I came back and some girl named Monica answered. She said that you were in the shower. I put two and two together. Hell Jesse you didn't know if I would ever come back, you didn't have to wait for me. I never expected you to."
"She wasn't the first. Bella, I slept with your friend Rachel."
I am stunned. Of all the women he could have slept with, why did it have to be Rachel? "When?"
"The night you left for college."
A lone tear rolls down my cheek. My chest hurts like I have been hit with a ton of bricks. I walk out of the room and into the kitchen. The tears cannot be held back any longer. He hadn't waiting even a day for me to leave before another woman was in his bed. My knees buckled under me and I fell to the floor sobbing. I feel his arms around me pulling me closer.
"I am so sorry, so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. Bella you have to believe me."
"Jess I believe you and I still love you. It just hurts."
He stands up and pulls me up too, "I love you and I promise that I will make up for all of my mistakes." He takes my hand and we walk to our room to go to bed.
My phone rings about 1:00am. "Hello?"
"Hey Bell, it's Hector."
"Hector, it's too early."
"Yeah, yeah. Look girl some guy wants to race you for 5G. What do you think?"
"I think you are crazy. I don't have a car."
"What about Dom's car?"
"He's back so I doubt he will let me drive it."
"Damn, Dom's back. Look you can drive one of my team's cars. You can take your pick."
"Since you put it that way, pick me up in fifteen." I hang up the phone and run to the closet to grab some clothes. Aria should be fine for the half hour that I am gone. I throw my clothes on and run down the stairs just as Hector pulls up.
"Nice." He says as I slide into the passenger seat.
"Hector keep your eyes on the road and off my body. I am spoken for."
"Yeah, but if you ever change your mind."
"Hector!!" I slap him on his arm.
"Just kidding."
"Hey can I ask you for a favor?"
"Anything for you."
"I need a job."
"It's yours. Now which car do you want to drive?"
"Yours."
"Damn, you want to drive my baby." He says as he strokes the dash.
"Oh yeah. It's time this car got to cross the line first."
"You are full of laughs tonight."
"So is that a yes."
"Yeah." The cars are lined on both sides of the streets. "We're here. One quick race and then we're gone."
"Perfect. Set the car up at the line and I take over from there." We pull up to the line and Hector gets out. I move into the driver's seat and buckle in. Edwin flashes four wads of cash. My winnings if I cross the line first. I rev the engine feeling the power. Hector raises his hands to ready us. His arms drop and I shove the car into gear and take off. I shift into second and then third. I am pulling ahead. The buildings around me are just a blur. It's as though the only things that exist are the car and myself. I see a car pulling up on my left side. My thumb rests on the nitrous button. The car beside me hits nitrous to even up with my car. I hit the nitrous and cross the line first.
When I pull back up to the crowd, Hector is beaming. His car won the race. "Come on girl. Get out here and meet your adoring public."
"Damn, that was fun." I am smiling from ear to ear. Edwin rushes over to me and lifts me off the ground and twirls around with me.
"You drive just like your brother."
"I drive better."
Hector comes up to us, "Now that's a race I would love to see."
I laugh, "I would win." Someone comes across the radio telling Hector that the cops are coming.
I jump into the driver's and he slides into the passenger seat and we head back to the apartment. As I go to get out of the car, I hand Hector one of the bundles of cash but he will not take it. He says that it was great just watching me win. I take the twenty thousand and head inside.
I change back into my pajamas and go into Aria's room to check on her. She is still asleep. She looks like a tiny angel. I place a gentle kiss on her forehead and leave the room.
The bedroom door creaks as I push it open. I creep across the floor trying not to stir Jesse from his slumber. Pulling the sheet back, I slide my body under the covers.
"Where did you go?" Jesse says as he turns the light on.
I nearly jump out of my skin, "I..I had a headache."
"So you left the apartment."
"I went down to the convenient store to get some aspirin."
"Are you feeling better?" He says as he runs his hand from my shoulder to my hand. I nod my head "yes". Jesse turns the light off and pulls me into his embrace.
Bella's POV
As we approach the beach, I pull the car over to the side and turn off the engine. I reach over and run my fingers through Jesse's hair. We look into each other needing no words to express our feelings to each other. I lean in and place a sweet kiss on his lips. I look back to find Aria sleeping. "Just look at our beautiful baby. No matter what happens we have each other and our baby."
He placed his hands on my face, "I don't want to come in between you and Dom.:"
"The problems with me and Dom started long before I met you. There's nothing you can do to fix this. Dom and I will need to work it out in our own way."
A car pulls up beside and I recognize it instantly. Mia gets out of her car and heads over towards the Jetta. I get out to meet her. "Go ahead Mia let me have it."
She smiles at me, "What are you talking about? Dom is a hot head you know that. So what are you guys going to do?"
"Well, we are going to head to our new apartment and get settled. I don't know from there. I have enough money to cover us for at least a couple of months."
"No, I want you to come home. All three of you." She says, but she knows that I will not go back to the house. I just shake my head no. "Fine then, be that way. So are you going to show me the new place or what?"
"Yeah of course, follow me." We get into our respective cars and head to the apartment.
Later that evening
Mia finally left after she cooked dinner for us. She is so much like Mom, always taking care of me. Aria is sleeping soundly and now Jesse and I can have some alone time. He is sitting on the couch watching TV when I come into the room. His eyes meet mine and I can tell that he has something on his mind. I take a seat next to him and put my hand on top of his. Strangely he pulls away from me and walks across the room. "Jess, did I do something wrong?"
He shakes his head. "No, it's just that I," he pauses.
"You what?"
"I just don't deserve you."
"What the hell are you talking about?" I say as jump from the couch. "This is a mistake. Bella you should be home with your family, not here with me."
My body is trembling, "Jesse, don't do this. I want to be here."
"Are you sure? You don't know what went on while you were gone?"
"What the truck heists? Mia told me all about them. I know everything." I almost laugh.
He seems to be getting more and more frustrated, "That's not what I am talking about. Bella, I slept with another girl."
I take a deep breath trying to get the words out, "I know."
"How?"
"I called to check on you a few months ago before I came back and some girl named Monica answered. She said that you were in the shower. I put two and two together. Hell Jesse you didn't know if I would ever come back, you didn't have to wait for me. I never expected you to."
"She wasn't the first. Bella, I slept with your friend Rachel."
I am stunned. Of all the women he could have slept with, why did it have to be Rachel? "When?"
"The night you left for college."
A lone tear rolls down my cheek. My chest hurts like I have been hit with a ton of bricks. I walk out of the room and into the kitchen. The tears cannot be held back any longer. He hadn't waiting even a day for me to leave before another woman was in his bed. My knees buckled under me and I fell to the floor sobbing. I feel his arms around me pulling me closer.
"I am so sorry, so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. Bella you have to believe me."
"Jess I believe you and I still love you. It just hurts."
He stands up and pulls me up too, "I love you and I promise that I will make up for all of my mistakes." He takes my hand and we walk to our room to go to bed.
My phone rings about 1:00am. "Hello?"
"Hey Bell, it's Hector."
"Hector, it's too early."
"Yeah, yeah. Look girl some guy wants to race you for 5G. What do you think?"
"I think you are crazy. I don't have a car."
"What about Dom's car?"
"He's back so I doubt he will let me drive it."
"Damn, Dom's back. Look you can drive one of my team's cars. You can take your pick."
"Since you put it that way, pick me up in fifteen." I hang up the phone and run to the closet to grab some clothes. Aria should be fine for the half hour that I am gone. I throw my clothes on and run down the stairs just as Hector pulls up.
"Nice." He says as I slide into the passenger seat.
"Hector keep your eyes on the road and off my body. I am spoken for."
"Yeah, but if you ever change your mind."
"Hector!!" I slap him on his arm.
"Just kidding."
"Hey can I ask you for a favor?"
"Anything for you."
"I need a job."
"It's yours. Now which car do you want to drive?"
"Yours."
"Damn, you want to drive my baby." He says as he strokes the dash.
"Oh yeah. It's time this car got to cross the line first."
"You are full of laughs tonight."
"So is that a yes."
"Yeah." The cars are lined on both sides of the streets. "We're here. One quick race and then we're gone."
"Perfect. Set the car up at the line and I take over from there." We pull up to the line and Hector gets out. I move into the driver's seat and buckle in. Edwin flashes four wads of cash. My winnings if I cross the line first. I rev the engine feeling the power. Hector raises his hands to ready us. His arms drop and I shove the car into gear and take off. I shift into second and then third. I am pulling ahead. The buildings around me are just a blur. It's as though the only things that exist are the car and myself. I see a car pulling up on my left side. My thumb rests on the nitrous button. The car beside me hits nitrous to even up with my car. I hit the nitrous and cross the line first.
When I pull back up to the crowd, Hector is beaming. His car won the race. "Come on girl. Get out here and meet your adoring public."
"Damn, that was fun." I am smiling from ear to ear. Edwin rushes over to me and lifts me off the ground and twirls around with me.
"You drive just like your brother."
"I drive better."
Hector comes up to us, "Now that's a race I would love to see."
I laugh, "I would win." Someone comes across the radio telling Hector that the cops are coming.
I jump into the driver's and he slides into the passenger seat and we head back to the apartment. As I go to get out of the car, I hand Hector one of the bundles of cash but he will not take it. He says that it was great just watching me win. I take the twenty thousand and head inside.
I change back into my pajamas and go into Aria's room to check on her. She is still asleep. She looks like a tiny angel. I place a gentle kiss on her forehead and leave the room.
The bedroom door creaks as I push it open. I creep across the floor trying not to stir Jesse from his slumber. Pulling the sheet back, I slide my body under the covers.
"Where did you go?" Jesse says as he turns the light on.
I nearly jump out of my skin, "I..I had a headache."
"So you left the apartment."
"I went down to the convenient store to get some aspirin."
"Are you feeling better?" He says as he runs his hand from my shoulder to my hand. I nod my head "yes". Jesse turns the light off and pulls me into his embrace.