Lemon Cake

Chapter Twenty-One

Fuck my life. Tulip couldn't pull her eyes away from him. Her trigger. Her biggest regret. A piece of her heart. He was standing twenty feet away. Ten years and here he was. Jasper Young. Still looking the same; six feet from the ground with his pretty-boy good looks matured with stubble. He peered back at her, stunned stiff with his mouth agape.

Was he being overpowered with the same feelings as her? In the words of Future, "Ain't no way. Ain't no fucking way." She hadn't committed the offense that he committed. Hurt, heartbreak, and anger wasn't surging through him like a tsunami. That was all her.

Tulip was on the verge of upchucking all the contents of her stomach over the nice display of fourteen flavors of ice cream she and Neisha spent hours positioning in galvanized tubs filled with ice so the ice cream wouldn't turn to lakes in the ninety-plus heat.

But she was also on the cusp of bursting out in tears. Indignation and love battled in her chest, neither stronger than the other just leaving her raw and conflicted. The indignation she understood. He promised her forever and didn't give her a fraction of time. Contractions weren't the only pain she had to endure in the labor room. Her tears and screams were just from pushing Sidney out. Hot fury should be the only thing she felt for him. The wells of her eyes brimmed as she chastised herself for feeling an ounce of affection for her. Why were those damn feelings still lingering?

She turned away from him before the tear slipped from her eyes. "Shit." She wiped the moisture from her face like it was an embarrassment. "I'm such a weak bitch." She dried her hand on the flowy blouse. "Why is he here? Fuck!"

"Uh..." Neisha sounded at a loss for words, her eyes darting from her friend to the man heading their way. "I-I don't know but he's coming...over here."

"No." Tulip dropped her hands in her palms trying to collect herself, store away her rogue emotions and regain her professional persona.

"Yes." Neisha wore a painted smile as he approached the ice cream stand. "Hi, sir. Welcome to the festivities. Everything here is made of pink sprinkles and scoops of love." She gestured to the ice cream, food table, and the sitting area where Paisley and her attendees were gushing over baby shoes. "Is there a flavor you wish to try? How about pineapple paramount?"

"Hmm." Jasper shook his head, not looking at the tub of ice cream she was pointing to. "I don't want any. Tulip? Is that you?"

Tulip's breath hitched as she lifted her head. Had he forgotten how she looked. Guess that's what happens when you're the one doing the heartbreaking. She wasn't granted with such a reward. Over the years she was haunted by the memory of him, the smell of him, his touch upon her flesh. She remembered it all as if it was the first time they made love. Or was it just fucking to him because the way he left it had to be.

She was going to just count to five but he could wait until she counted to ten.

Tulip turned around with a bright smile. She knew how to fake elation. It was a skill of the trade.

"Jasper!" She said cheerily. Yeah, she was faking it? What else was she supposed to do? She was at work and she wasn't about to cause a scene at her client's event and earn a bad rep because of her ex-boyfriend. "Oh, my gosh! What are you doing here?"

Neisha eyed her oddly then sauntered off, heading to the house.

"Paisley's my assistant...well former assistant. She put in her notice." He pointed his thumb over his shoulder and in her direction. "You look good." He drank her in with his whiskey eyes and a warmth grew in her chest like she applied too much Vicks vapor rub. "That's good. I-I...um...I..." His mouth hovered between opened and closed. His hands fidgeted at his sides. "I'm sorry."

Those words caught her off guard. What that what she wanted? An apology.

"That's..."She blinked, taken aback. His years late apology did nothing for her. "Nice to hear but I don't need your sorrys. What happened in the past is over. I moved on. You moved on. Let's keep moving." She gestured to the ice cream. "Vanilla. Pistachio. Mint. Cookie Crunch. Strawberry."

"T.C."

"Don't call me that." She sneered. "Don't fucking call me that after you did what you did. You fucking bastard." She bit out as heated tears blurred her vision. "You left me. I don't need your apology but she will."

She slapped her hand over her mouth. She didn't mean to let that slip. No. No. No. She moved away from the table, deeper into the backyard where a massive oak tree stood. He followed her. When she wanted him to leave he refused to.

"What do you mean 'she will'?" His eyes widened as his brain connected the dots. "You kept it."

"She's not an it." She snapped, glancing over to the patio door happy to see no one there. She prayed Lachlan took longer with the crib and Sidney wouldn't come running in. "And I didn't keep her. It's a long story. One I can't tell you at this present time.

He gripped his waist and swayed like her was a tree branch in the midst of a storm. "A girl. Tulip...I—"

"No." She held her hand, stopping her. "I don't need to hear it. I don't want to know. Your absolution isn't my concern. I don't care." She surprised herself with how clear and believable those statements came out her mouth. "Sidney is here and I don't need her seeing you. I don't need another disruption in her life, right now. She's been through too much and things are just now calming down. Leave, just leave. Please." She whispered the latter with urgency.

"Okay. I'll leave." He nodded, peering past her. "I'll leave. For now."

She nodded to the patio door. "Be quick."

Unlike last time, she watched his back as he hustled out. She prayed the two didn't cross paths then pushed down her myraid feeling and went back into party planner mode. 

Do you think Tulip is right for telling Jasper to leave?

Where do you think Neisha went?

Why do you think Tulip still has love for Jasper even though she furious with him?

Why do you think she flipped out when he called her 'T.C.'?

Thank God for this song because it helped me write this chapter. I think describes all the emotions Tulip is feeling in the moment.