28. Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Eight
J ess sits on the couch and stares at the phone in her hand. It's been almost a month now since she went on that date with Kade, and she can't believe how happy she is. But with that happiness comes the need to be honest with someone else. She needs to bite the bullet and call Lena.
The woman has been on a cruise with Joe for the past three weeks. Lena knows about Kade showing up because Landry called and gave Joe an earful after that first confrontation, but she isn't sure what they've been told since. And she doesn’t know how the woman will react to the news that she's in love with Kade again. Still. Whatever.
"Hey lady!" Lena's bubbly voice comes through the phone.
"Hey!" Jess says, her stomach flipping. "How was the cruise?"
"It was good. Oh, I have to see you so we can talk about it."
Lena loves sharing her sexual endeavors, and as long as they're not involving Kade, Jess is more than happy to live vicariously through her.
"Deal. I need to talk to you about something, though," Jess says.
"You and Landry broke up, didn't you?"
Can they break up if they weren't ever really together? She felt like she and Kade broke up when they weren't, so she supposes yes. "Yeah, we did."
"Kade really threw him for a loop. You're not seeing Kade now, are you?"
Here goes nothing. "Kind of."
"Jess!"
"I know," she groans. "But there's so much you've missed."
The phone shifts, and she hears Lena's muffled voice tell Joe she's going somewhere else. "Okay, tell me."
Settling into the couch, she closes her eyes. "Okay, first, I need you to know that breaking up with Landry wasn't because Kade showed back up. Kade showing back up highlighted a side of him I didn't like, and I couldn't build a future with someone like that."
"Like what?"
"Something always seemed a little off with him. He was really distant, and, well, kind of a jerk. He didn't really care, and I kept calling him out on it like I did when we all had dinner together. But when Kade showed up out of the blue, Landry got mean. I'd seen that side before when I asked a question he didn't want to answer, but this was something else. And when he gets mad, he gets vindictive."
Lena sighs. "I kind of got a weird vibe from him, but I also know how much he struggled with the breakup. I thought maybe he was doing what you were and trying to protect himself. Figured it was just some weird guy thing."
"I tried to look past it; I really did. But he got nasty when he saw Kade here. There are things in Kade's past that he doesn't share with everyone, and when Landry started attacking him personally, I couldn't let him do it. He was saying really mean and hurtful things, and it wasn't fair. Even though Kade led me on and hooked up with you without being completely honest, he isn't a bad person at heart. Not at his core. He just did some really shitty things."
Sniffling, she shifts the phone. "I can agree with that. Kade never set out to purposely hurt either of us. I can also see where Landry would be upset, though."
"I can, too. And what he said to me is neither here nor there, but I kicked them both out. It was so much to take in at one time, you know? Kade coming out of the woodwork telling me he's worked on himself and wanted another shot, and then seeing how nasty Landry got. I didn't know what to think, honestly."
"I get that. You were with Kade for five months. It doesn't seem like a lot, but it can be. There's history there."
"Kade sent a fruit arrangement to my work, and then flowers the next day. All he wanted was a second chance. With the fruit, I put it in the breakroom to let everyone else eat it and sent him pictures. He took it in stride and told me to ask them how fresh the tropical fruit was. When he sent the flowers, he added a note to the card telling me not to let my coworkers eat them. He's heard they're not good for human consumption or something. I had to keep that card because it was cute, regardless of what I decided."
She laughs. "Okay, that is cute. What'd Landry do?"
"He ghosted me. I wasn't sure if I should reach out or not, and I didn't know what to say if I did. But it gets worse."
Lena groans. "I had a feeling you'd say that."
"Kade shows up at work the next day, and he basically bombards me. Asks me to go to dinner, and I was kind of cornered. He wore a suit jacket and tie, Lena. And he looked so uncomfortable and vulnerable. At the very least, I figured he owed me a meal after everything that happened."
"That's what I like to hear."
"We went to the steakhouse, and around dessert, I see Landry at a table with another woman. He just stared at us."
She gasps. "What?"
Jess almost wishes she and Lena were face to face for this conversation because her facial expressions would be out of this world to see.
"It hurt. Even though we weren't on great terms, and I didn't know where we stood, it felt like what Kade did. Except Landry did it on purpose. But then, when we talked about it, he admitted he saw Kade pick me up at my house, followed us, found a girl he knew had a thing for him, and took her to dinner. Then, assuming I was going to sleep with Kade, he took her home out of spite."
"Did you sleep with Kade?"
"No!"
"But he slept with this chick he knew had a thing for him?"
Jess sighs. "He said he didn't want me to be the only one who messed around."
"You're lying."
"That's exactly what he told me. He said the woman knew what he was doing, but it almost makes it all worse."
"Wow," she gasps. "I did not expect that. And I'm going to see if Joe's as surprised. If he's not, I might have to get after him for letting me set Landry up with one of my friends."
The fact Jess and Lena are friends still baffles Jess. This never happens in the movies or TV shows.
"I didn't expect it, either. All Landry had to do was ask me why I went and what happened, and I would have been honest with him. I would have also told him that I had no idea where we stood because he went completely silent after storming out."
"Do you really think Kade had changed, Jess? Like, for real?"
"I do. He shared a few more things from his past that makes so much sense now. It doesn't excuse what he did, and I wish I could tell you, but I don't want to betray his confidence. All I can tell you is that he was once engaged, and it did not end well. He got burned pretty badly, and while it doesn't excuse what he did, I understand him a little more."
"Worse than what he did to you?"
Letting out a deep breath, she nods her head to no one. "Yes."
"Wow."
"There's also stuff with his parents I can't get into, but knowing what made him act the way he did and how he thought, I can forgive him. And it makes me kind of sad because he had to be so lonely. Even with all the women in his bed, he may not have been alone, but he was lonely."
"Jess, I don't want to sound cynical, but do you think he said that to the other women he's been seeing, too?"
"There was only you and me. And before you say anything, I talked to Tim at the bar. He confirmed this."
Lena laughs. "You trust a bartender?"
"Yeah, I do. He helped me avoid Kade for as long as possible when I was there for a work function I couldn't get out of. And Kade told me how Tim told him he was an idiot for what he did. Kind of felt slighted the bartender liked me more than him," Jess says with a laugh.
"Wow."
"He also said Kade never took a woman home after he and I met up to talk the night after... you know. I can't say he didn't in general aside from him telling me he hasn't, but Kade's never lied to me before. He's skirted around the truth or omitted information, but he's never flat out lied."
Another pause, and Jess worries Lena thinks she's an idiot. Will she be angry? Tell her she's an idiot and never wants to speak to her again? It's strange how Jess never really wanted this friendship, but now that she has it, she doesn't want to lose Lena.
"You've slept with him, haven't you?"
"Not since the night before he slept with you," Jess says. "I wanted to. God, I threw myself at him, but he refused. He stopped it from going further, even though it was obvious he didn't want to stop it."
"I'll give you that one. It seems impossible for a man to turn down a woman throwing herself at him."
Jess stares at the TV's black screen. "He also gave me his location and doorbell camera login information to check up on him whenever I feel the need."
"He did what?" Lena gasps. "Did you ask him?"
"No, he offered. I really do think he's changed."
"What are you calling me for, Jess? Are you asking for my blessing?"
Is she? "I guess, kind of. I value our friendship, and I don't want you to ever think I'm doing anything to spite you or to hurt you."
"If you're looking for my blessing, you won't get it. Not after what he did to you. I don't really care what he did to me because he didn’t owe me shit. Although, I'm still pissed about the cousin thing."
This is it. Their friendship is over. "I understand."
"You also don't need my blessing, Jess. If it wasn't for him being an asshat, I wouldn't have you as a friend. But as your friend, I reserve the right to give you a big, fat 'I told you so' if he breaks your heart again. And don't think for a second that I won't."
"I'd have earned that," Jess says and smiles, relief washing over her. "Thank you, Lena."
"I hope things go well for you, though. And I hope he can give you what you want. All I want is for you to be happy, and that makes me happy. Besides, if what happened with Kade hadn't gone the way it did, I wouldn't have my Joey right now."
"Brunch on Sunday? The usual spot?"
Lena must have jumped on her end because Jess can hear the jingle of her earrings hitting the phone. "Yes, please!"
"See you Sunday."
Hanging up, Jess stares at her phone. This made her decision even that much more definitive. She wants to let Kade back in. All the way, and give herself the chance at the happy ending she wanted from the beginning with him. The risk is worth it, and she wants to forget the past. Well, most of the past. She still can't step foot in his condo.
Kade shared his location with her, but she's never checked it. Same with the doorbell camera. While she can't go back because of the memories in his kitchen, she has no desire to check up on him. If she's going to do this, she needs to be all in. She's taking a leap of faith, and she decides she needs to trust him.
Hurrying upstairs, she feels her stomach jump as she pulls out the sexy lingerie she knows drives him wild. The same ones she wears under the sexy black dress he said he can't have her wear until after his probationary period because he can't stop himself. Even though she'd think he'd have an aversion to anything black and lacy, it's his absolute favorite. It also helps there's little to the imagination, and with the upgraded panties she ordered two weeks ago, it doesn't even have to come off.
Looking in the mirror, she sees her nipples harden through the fabric as she thinks of the things Kade will do to her when she tells him she's making an amendment to the terms of their arrangement. He hasn't given her the release she craves again, and she can't blame him if he's not willing to let her do the same. He looked to be in so much pain, but his conviction made her heart so happy. Knowing what this little number does to him, she can't help but smile at the fact he'll explode like the Fourth of July.
She needs to do something to tell him she's serious about this decision, and she takes out a tube of lipstick. Placing it on her chest, she does her best to write KADE'S GF while remembering it's backwards in the mirror. It's not pretty, but it'll do what she needs it to do.
Understanding she can't answer the door in this, she grabs her robe and covers herself. It'll make a great reveal when she tells him the change in their relationship, too. The thought of flashing him the moment he steps inside makes her giddy with suspense, and she loves the image she has of him with his eyes bugging out of his head. No one has ever made her feel as sexy as Kade.
"Please don't break my heart, Kade," she murmurs and ties the robe shut, making sure the lipstick can't be seen. "I don't think I can get over it if you do it again."
Bouncing down the stairs, she checks to make sure everything still stayed closed as she feels giddy with excitement. The knock on the front door makes her feel like she just took the plunge on a rollercoaster, and she bounces to the door to answer it.
Smiling, she swings it open and stands in shock.
"Hi, Jess."
"Landry? What are you doing here?" Jess asks, her hand pulling the robe tightly around her neck to make sure nothing peeks out.
She hasn't seen or spoken to this man since he confessed what happened with that poor girl. And she certainly hadn't expected to see him standing on her doorstep the night she made the decision to fully commit to Kade.
"Can I come inside? We need to talk."