Chapter 498

I held the phone, hesitating for a few seconds, wondering what Jace wanted. Lena raised an eyebrow, silently urging me to answer.

“Rea,” came Jace’s voice.

“What’s up?” My tone stayed cold, guarded. Even though things were over with Hayden, there was zero chance I’d go back to Jace. Every time he reached out, my walls shot up on instinct.

“I’m back,” he said, like he’d just returned from some epic quest.

“Yeah, I know,” Wayne had already told me.

Jace paused. “Can we meet? If you don’t want to meet alone, we can do it at my parents’ house. They really miss you.”

I pictured Matthew and Lindey, the way they’d always been there for me—the airport pick-ups, the family dinners. Of course, they’d be worried.

“I have some things I need to tell you,” Jace added when I stayed quiet. “It’s about Steve… and it involves Hayden, too.”

My breath hitched. Hayden and I were done; anything related to him shouldn’t even matter anymore. But that thought didn’t last. Against my better judgment, I heard myself say, “Fine. I’ll come by later.”

“Great. Mom’s been talking about making dumplings for you,” Jace said, sounding way too hopeful.

After I hung up, Lena shot me a smirk. “Your ex seems pretty persistent.”

I ignored her teasing. “He says it’s important, and it involves Hayden.”

“Oh, please—that’s bait, and you know it. Weren’t you just saying you and Hayden were done?” Lena gave me that raised-brow look, knowing exactly what she was doing. She knew I wasn’t over him that easily.

“I’m going because of Matthew and Lindey, not because of Hayden,” I insisted, digging in. “Lindey promised me gnocchi.”

Lena let out a snort, clearly unconvinced. “Forget gnocchi; the Johnston family should be giving you a third of their estate for saving Jace’s life,” she said with a sigh.

Her comment brought up old suspicions, but Matthew and Lindey had explained everything, and they’d been so open about it. Obsessing over it would only drive me crazy.

“Seriously, what are the odds of you and Jace both having that rare blood type? It’s like winning the million-dollar lottery,” Lena said, watching me with that look.

“I asked Matthew and Lindey,” I admitted. “They said they’d known about it for years. My parents knew, too. It’s part of why they wanted Jace and me engaged.”

Lena gave a nod. “Well, if you ever need a transfusion and Jace hesitates for even a second, I’ll personally knock some sense into him.” Then she sighed. “Guess our prairie trip’s off, huh?”

“You were actually serious about that?” I’d thought she was kidding.

“Absolutely. I was ready to pack up and go,” she said, patting her pocket. “We’ve got the money; we can go anywhere, anytime.”

On that, Lena and I totally agreed. Money equaled freedom. It was our best insurance.

“Fine, but you’ll have to wait for me,” I said, already dreaming of a break—my last one had been after breaking things off with Jace.

Lena must’ve thought of that too, because she chuckled, teasing, “Maybe this time you’ll find someone more reliable than Hayden.”

I laughed. “In that case, let’s not call it a trip. Let’s call it… a ‘search for romance.’”

“If the first one doesn’t work out, on to the next,” Lena grinned, patting my shoulder.

I just smiled. The whole “next one will be better” thing sounded great in theory. But finding Mr. Right? Not as easy as it sounded.

After Jace, the only reason I’d even managed to open up to Hayden was because Jace had hurt me so deeply. But with Hayden, it was different—this time, I was the one who messed it up, the reason he’d walked away. This was the one relationship I hadn’t wanted to end. Even if there was nothing left to hold onto, I wasn’t ready to just move on.