Chapter Fifty-Five
Brian
I told myself I was just stopping by to return Lainey’s keys and see the baby, which sounded a hell of a lot better than I just wanted to check if your sister had seen the newest video going round.
Lainey opened the door with Conor balanced on her hip and a scowl that told me that at least she had seen it.
My suspicions were quickly confirmed when she remarked, “So, you and Sylvia, huh?”
“It’s not what it looks like.”
“Apparently it never is with you.”
Okay, I deserved that.
Before I could defend myself, she added, “Jade found it interesting.”
I closed my eyes tight and groaned, “Fuck.”
Of course she did.
Lainey tilted her head, assessing me. “You want to tell me why your ex—who’s suddenly separated from her husband—is telling reporters you’re dating again?”
“She ambushed me outside the diner,” I said. “Wrapped herself around me while a reporter was filming. I tried to push her off, but she wouldn’t let go.”
“And you just… stood there?”
“I didn’t want to feed the story. The reporter asked if we were back together, and Sylvia ran with it. I figured if I said nothing, maybe it’d take the heat off Jade.”
Lainey’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah, well, it didn’t.” She shifted Conor on her hip and added, “The timing seems awfully convenient, considering you were the one to suggest to Jade that you both date other people.”
“Is that you or your sister talking?”
Lainey shrugged. “Both, I guess.”
“I’ll talk to her.”
“I think you should.” She started to close the door but paused to add, “But don’t expect her to make it easy on you. She’s hurt, and you earned that.”
Without another word, the door clicked shut.
I stood there for a moment, replaying Lainey’s words in my head. She wasn’t wrong.
I knocked on the door again, and she answered it with raised eyebrows.
“What do I even say?”
“Guess that depends on how badly you want to fix it.”
****
Jade
I’d just finished changing into my pjs when three sharp knocks came from my front door.
Penny Lane darted toward the door like she planned to help me handle whoever it was.
I didn’t need to look through the peephole to know. Something about the rhythm—steady and certain—told me it was him.
I swallowed hard, uncertain whether to open the door or not.
He knocked again and called, “Jade?” loud enough that the neighbors probably heard it. I didn’t want to give them a reason to come outside and record him on my porch, so I cracked the door just a few inches, keeping the chain in place. “What do you want, Brian?”
He shifted his weight on his good leg, Lainey’s ridiculous rhinestone keychain dangling from his fingers. “To explain.”
“I saw the video.” My voice came out flatter than I meant it to. It wasn’t her hand on his arm that gutted me; it was him standing there, letting her talk like I didn’t exist.
“It’s not what it looked like.”
“That seems to be the theme of the week.”
He exhaled, jaw tightening. “She put me on the spot. A reporter asked if we were back together, and she played it up. I didn’t say anything because I thought it might take the heat off you.”
I stared at him. “So you just stood there and let her say it?”
“I thought keeping quiet was better than feeding the story.”
My hands shook, but I held his gaze. “You told me we should date other people, remember? And then you let the world think you already had. So congratulations, mission accomplished.”
He stepped closer, just enough that I caught the faint scent of his soap. “I don’t want her, Jade. I—”
“Stop.” My throat went tight. “You don’t get to say that now.”
For a second, he looked like he might argue, but I closed the door before he could find the words.
The soft click of the latch sounded final.
Penny Lane rubbed against my leg, meowing like she disagreed.
“Yeah, well,” I whispered, leaning my forehead against the wood, “he didn’t get to walk away one night and show up the next like nothing happened.”
My throat burned, but I swallowed it down. I was done crying over men. Especially him.