A Love Like Boomerang *EDITING*

Chapter Eight

Love Like Boomerang
Book Two
Chapter Eight
Jayden's POV & Rose's POV
!Edited And Lightly Rewritten!
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"Oh my God!" I heard the familiar voice gasp.

Erica came out of the Children's Place store and stopped in her tracks, two toddlers holding each of her hands.

Her eyes instantly watered as she released the little boys hand and placed her hand over her heart.

"Jayden..." Erica's tone was so somber and sympathetic that I almost cracked.

She rushed me with a hug. Pulling my head down to her bossism and enveloping me in hug. "My boy," she pulled away and cupped my face with her hands. "Look at you, you're all grown up and so handsome!"

"Mom," Jason called to her as he grabbed Ericas arm pulled her off of me. "Personal space."

I stepped away awkwardly, putting some space between us. It wasn't that I wasn't happy to see her. I am. I'm happy to see all of them. But this is... a lot. Shock hasn't allowed my senses to kick in yet.

"Personal space? I love him like a son. Don't piss me off Jason." She scolded him with a pointed finger.

Jason threw his hands up in surrender, not wanting to argue with his mother knowing damn well that she would back hand him. "Yes ma'am."

Erica turned her attention back to and she looked a bit pissed off at me. "I love you like a son. What happened? No phone calls, emails? Couldn't even return my text messages to see if you were okay? We were worried sick about you."

She hit me with a heavy shopping bag on my arm and I had to wonder if she was just carrying around fucking bricks. "And from the looks of your face, we had every right to be worried about you..."

"Erica stop harassing the boy. He obviously did not come back home to
chided by you. He's a grown man now..." Roses father, Jimmy joined our ever growing group. He hadn't changed at all. "I'm sure his reasonings for not communicating with us are valid..."

Erica guiltily nodded a wiped her tears. "I know love. Your right..."

I sighed and scratched my head uncomfortably and wondered how I could slip away unseen.

Sensing that yet again, Jason spoke up. "Guys, this really isn't the time or place for this conversation."

"You're right. I'm sorry. I'm just a bit surprised to see you! Happy, very happy but very surprised." Erica shrugged sheepishly. "Did Rose see you as well?"

For the first time, I spoke up, "Yes."

"And how did that go?" Erica asked concerned but when I didn't respond and averted my eyes from hers, she nodded understandingly again. "She ran. So we're back to that."

The little girl now standing by Jimmy's   Leg. She tugged on his shirt to get his attention and he bent over to kiss her little hand. She didn't want anything. Just his brief acknowledgment.

The twins... wow. I remember seeing them the day they were born. So tiny and wrinkly... Now they were three year olds. They looked alike in almost every way. The boy looked like he just got a hair cut and was dressed in blue overalls. The little girl had three long pigtails in her hair. She matched the boys clothes only her overalls were pink. They're adorable. Time almost doesn't feel real until you watch babies grow up.

"I should go. I have some stuff I need to do," I spoke up finally.

Which was a lie. The only things I wanted to do was find a bar and drink it.

"Good idea!" Jason spoke up. "I'll come with you. See y'all later."

I sighed to myself and walked away. I hadn't gotten the chance to stop at any of the stores and at this point I'm done. This day needs to end and it needs to end now!

I didn't give Erica and Jimmy a chance  to reject my rude goodbye. Jason caught up to me quickly, although I was hoping he would get the hint and leave me alone.

Once outside of the mall and into the hot June air, I breathed deeply. Feeling like an animal finally let out of its cage.

We stopped at my truck. It was nice seeing you man. I'll catch up to you later."

"No," he laughed and shook his head. "You just got back in town. I haven't seen you in three years. We got some catching up to do, plus I think you might wanna stick around for a while. Where you going? I'm coming with you." With that he opened the passenger side door to my truck and got in, slamming the door closed behind himself.

I sighed and pray for patience.

What did he mean by I might want to stick around? Stick around for what? I wondered.

Against my better judgment, his words peaked my interest. I thought I'd seen everything I needed to see. What else was different?

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ROSE POV

"I am fucked. I'm so fucked", I panicked as I paced around my room.

"No, your not fucked Rose", Sky told me for the hundredth time.

"Yes I am! What I did was terrible wasn't it? There is no coming back from this!".

"You don't know that. . . and what you did wasn't completely terrible. You thought you were doing something the right thing".

"That's doesn't matter Sky!", I cried.

"Yes it does", Josh told me, "Your heart was in the right place. . . Who could blame you for that?".

"I can, he can! I blame me. . . and he hates me. How can I face him, knowing what I did?", I sobbed, "I can't. . . I can't".

"You did what you felt was right at the time", Sky said.

"And what about now? Is it the right thing now? After all this time?", Neither of them answered me. They just looked down at their hands and shoes, giving me my answer, "Exactly".

"Ro-"

"-Ugh I keep seeing his face in my head!", I yelled as I sat down on the floor, "He just stared at me. . . I hate that look and I hate feeling like this! And his face when he saw JJ-", I gasped, "What the hell am I gonna tell JJ?".

Josh sat on the floor next to me and hugged me, "I don't know. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it".

I heard someone running up the stairs and seconds later my mom came rushing into my room. Her arms were open as she said, "My baby", she knew I would be a wreck.

I instantly moved away from Josh and let my mom embrace me in a hug, "Mommy", I cried.

"I know", she rubbed my back.

"I don't know what to do. How did I mess up so bad?", I sobbed.

She sighed, "I can't answer that question for you baby. This is your life. All I can do is respect your decisions and be here for you. . . but Just remember, your feelings aren't the only ones at stake here".