Chapter 3
Jared
Her question resonates in my head, and I take a deep breath as I try to figure out how to answer her without sounding like a lovelorn sap.
I finally decide that honesty is the best policy, especially given the fact that Cade tends to lie the way most people change their socks. It’s one of the reasons I spent so much time with Cassidy even when they were dating; he ‘dated’ others outside of our town and he used how I felt about her to ensure he could get away with it. My mind drifts back to one of many conversations with my brother.
“If you don’t do it for me, Jared, I’m going to tell her how you feel,” Cade says, giving me a look.
I sigh and reply, “It’s not right, Cade. She thinks she loves you! How can you cheat on her like you do?”
“It’s not really cheating, Jared, if she doesn’t know,” he sneers.
“It’s cheating if she thinks you’re only dating her,” I fire back. He glares at me, and I cave. “Fine. But someday, she’s going to realize what an asshole you really are, and you’ll be left watching her walk away.”
He chuckles. “As if she’d ever do that. I’ve got her right where I want her, Jared, and you better not say a fucking word.”
God, I hate my older brother right now. He’s such a jerk and reminds me a little too much of my uncle. I have no clue why he doesn’t take after our dad, who is as down to earth as anyone I’ve ever met. Hell, Dad still takes Mom’s car out once a week, gets it gassed up and detailed, for fuck’s sake.
“Jared?” She touches my arm and I hear the concern in her voice. I glance at her, and guilt eats at me when I see how worried she now looks.
“Sorry, Cass. Just got lost in my own head for a few. To answer your question, no, there’s no one who’s ever come close to becoming Mrs. Jared Knox.”
Except you. If you told me that you wanted the position, I’d call Judge Drake and have him marry us tonight, I muse.
“I’m kind of glad, Jared, because you deserve someone who’ll treat you the way you deserve,” she says before she tries to pull her hand away. I stop her and lace our fingers together then lay them on my thigh.
“You deserve the same, Cassidy.”
My voice is low and filled with emotions that I thought I had locked down years ago. Apparently, where she’s concerned, they managed to escape anyhow.
“Thinking that’s not on my horizon,” she admits. “I mean, I work at the damn grocery store and while there’s nothing wrong with that at all, not many eligible men come through my line. Unless you count Mr. Ackerman.”
I can’t help it; I start laughing because Josiah Ackerman is at least sixty-five if he’s a day. Not to mention, he’s a curmudgeon, the type of person who scares small children who dare to play too close to his yard.
“Aw, you don’t want to marry an old man and end up with his fortune?” I tease.
“Now you sound like Mags,” she grumbles, even though I see her fighting back a smile.
“How’s she doing?” I ask. I always liked her; she’s loyal to a fault and always had Cassidy’s back, especially when shit hit the fan.
“I miss her. In fact, I have no clue how she manages to hear the gossip from here when she’s nearly a thousand miles away!”
“What do you mean?” I question.
“She’s the one who told me that Cade was back in town. How the heck did she find out?”
“No clue, honey. But I’m sure someone passed it on to her.” I see her shiver at my endearment. Once again, I hope to see her shiver for an entirely different reason.
“Probably so. Where are we going?” she asks.
“Thought we’d go out to McGee’s,” I reply. It was one of our favorite places when we were teens and I’m banking on the fact that our memories there will aid my cause, which is to tie her to me in every possible way. I have no problem using those former ties to bind her to me, building on the friendship we once shared.
“I haven’t been there since I came back!” she exclaims. “Do you think they still have the trashcan nachos we used to eat?”
I start laughing because that’s not what they’re called on the menu; it’s what we started calling them when we realized that they had multiple layers of meat, as well as refried beans, pico, guacamole, sour cream, and of course, cheese. Lots and lots of cheese.
“I’m sure they do and if they don’t, we’ll see if they can recreate them for us.”
“I’m glad you asked me to come out tonight, Jared. I-I’m sorry that I pushed you away after, you know,” she murmurs. “You were one of my best friends but despite that, I bailed on you when I left town.”
I take a deep breath at her words, hearing the regret in her tone. Once we graduated, she left town to go to college, and never responded to any of my calls, letters, or texts.
“Cassidy, believe it or not, I totally understood why you didn’t keep in contact with me. I am, after all, his brother.”
“But the two of you are nothing alike!” she cries out. “Only, I was so hurt, I forgot that fact.”
“You’re home now, Cass. Speaking of that, I hope it’s not too forward of me, but I want to see you.”
“What do you mean?” Her tone is cautious. I’d like to think it was because she had the same mindset as I did, but I want her to understand that I want her in my life.
Permanently.
Clearing my throat, I reply, “Date you, Cassidy. I think we’ve got a good foundation from our past that we can build on. I’m nothing like him…”
She interrupts me before I can finish. “You’re accurate with that statement, Jared. You don’t think it’s weird, though? I mean, I dated your brother. What will people think?”
Personally, I don’t give a flying fuck what anyone thinks, but when it comes to our hometown, I know that Cassidy has faced more than her fair share of bullying, so her cautious nature is understandable.
“They’re going to think what they want to think, Cass. Don’t you remember what my mom used to tell us?”
“What other people think is none of your business, Cassidy Smith,” she says, mimicking my mother so perfectly that I laugh.
“Exactly.”
“Won’t it be awkward since he’s home now?” she questions.
“Not for me and hopefully, not for you. Unless you’re hoping to rekindle something?”
“Are you kidding me? No fucking way, Jared.”
She’s so vehement in her response that I’m momentarily stunned stupid.
“Cass, you never swear.”
“Well, I do when the situation demands it,” she replies. “Can we not talk about your brother? At least I wasn’t stupid.”
Her last statement is said so quietly that I know immediately that despite what Cade intimated, she didn’t have sex with him. The bastard! He’s part of the reason her reputation took such a hit; people thought she was putting out, when in actuality, Cade was sleeping with others. Damn, I detest him.
“You’ve never been stupid, Cassidy. Or gullible, or naive, or any of that shit,” I state. “So, are you willing to give you and me a chance?” I’m holding my breath now and praying she puts me out of my misery.
“Only if you’re sure, Jared. I don’t want to cause any problems between y’all or anything.”
“There won’t be any problems, Cass,” I promise, giving her hand a squeeze.
I pull into McGee’s and park before I get out and help her out of the truck. Because I want the contact, I lace our fingers together again. She fits perfectly against me.
“You still like your tea so sweet it causes a toothache?” she questions, grinning up at me.
“You still like to add lemon to your Coke?” I counter.
“Absolutely! Only way to drink it is over crushed ice with lots of lemon,” she replies, giggling.
“Let’s go see if we can get some of those nachos,” I state, opening the door and ushering her inside.
* * *
We’ve laughed so much my sides hurt and I feel as though we’re off to a good start. “So, what’s your schedule like the rest of the week?” I ask as we drive back to her house.
“I’m off tomorrow and Saturday,” she replies.
“I’ve got court in the morning but am free after that. Want to go do something?” I ask.
“I’d like that.”
“Cassidy, in the interest of full disclosure, I need to tell you something.”
I know this could make or break ‘us’ but I don’t want anything coming back to bite me in the ass. She means too much and while I may be showing my cards too soon, I feel like I’ve waited long enough. I wouldn’t put it past Cade to tell her about what he was doing in an effort to sabotage anything she and I could have.
“Is it about Cade and how he was cheating while we were dating?” she questions.
Her question throws me for a loop; how the hell did she find out?
“Yeah, it is, Cass,” I admit. “I-I knew. Not at first, but when he kept disappearing and blowing you off, I finally confronted him, and he admitted that he was seeing other girls.”
I glance at her out of the corner of my eye and see her take a deep breath.
“Mags found out and told me, Jared. She didn’t find out until after prom, but I had a suspicion anyhow because he was always ‘going out with the boys’, y’know? I understand you probably couldn’t tell me because he’s your brother, so I never held it against you, and I won’t moving forward.”
“Seriously?”
“I’m as serious as a heart attack, Jared. I have no clue what we’re doing but if anyone is at fault, it’s him. Maybe me too, for being so damn naive, but you? You’re not to blame.”
“We’re seeing if we can build from our friendship. And again, not to beat a dead horse, but you’re not naive. Cade has always been able to weasel out of shit, and I’m sure he used all the right words to keep you clueless. That’s on him, not you, you understand? Cass, I’ve always liked you and kicked my own ass for not asking you out first. It’s one of the reasons I was so willing to ‘just be friends’ back in the day.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yes, okay, I’ll date you. But I’m just saying, I won’t stand for you cheating, Jared.”
“Wouldn’t dream of trying for a hamburger when I’ve got a filet mignon,” I reply.
“Are you hungry again? Don’t think I’ve ever been compared to a cow,” she muses.
“Cutest cow I’ve ever seen,” I tease. “But, baby, you’re no cow.” I pull into her driveway and park the truck. “I’ve got another question for you,” I state.
“What’s that?”
“You gonna let me kiss you?”
Cassidy
His words resonate in my head, sending tingles throughout my body and releasing a slew of butterflies in my gut.
“Yeah, I think I’d like that,” I reply.
He gets out and helps me from the passenger side then walks me to the porch. The light is on, but I know Mom has probably gone to bed. I look up at him and my breath stalls in my throat. The look he’s giving me lets me know that I am about to experience something I never thought I would.
Pulling me close, he cradles my face in his hands and lowers his head until our foreheads are touching.
“I don’t know why I’m so nervous right now,” he murmurs.
“Because it feels like we’re at the edge of a cliff or something,” I reply, my voice just as low. “Only, if we fall, we’ll be together.”
“Good answer,” he whispers before his lips touch mine.
Explosive.
That’s the only word that comes to mind as he deepens the kiss, pulling me even closer so I can feel his heartbeat against my chest, as well as the erection that’s pressing into my stomach. Those butterflies? They’ve taken flight and I’m lost in the sensations as our tongues duel. It’s been a long time since I was kissed, and while I’ll never compare the two of them, at least out loud, I think I figured out what was missing from my life.
Jared.