Page 39 of Unofficial

The small walking park sits right in the middle of her building and three others. The walking path takes just under fifteen minutes to walk, and it circles around a small man-made pond that has fountains to add to the scenery. Jess makes a point to walk the path at least once a day, weather permitting, to help keep her sane and avoid running to the break room to raid the vending machine for salty treats and chocolate.

The moment she steps outside, she feels like she can breathe again. Finally. Her chest eases up, and she likes the chill in the air. Fall has started, and it's her favorite season. The leaves change colors, and the breeze helps keep things crisp. The sun keeps her warm, and she feels like today could be a perfect day, aside from the stressful morning and confusing situation with Kade.

Her mind drifts off into a million different directions as she walks, and she doesn't notice the person falling into step beside her right away until a large shadow falls over her. Turning, she jumps when she sees Kade.

"Hey, Jess," Kade says, smiling with his beautiful but slightly imperfect smile.

"What are you doing here?" Jess asks, suddenly worrying maybe something bad did happen. But if that was the case, why would he be smiling?

He stares at her. "You didn't answer my calls this weekend."

"I was busy. You came here because I didn't answer my phone?"

"What were you busy doing?" he asks. "You always call me back."

Shaking her head, she feels the nerves kick in as butterflies flutter in her stomach. She does not want to tell Kade she was letting another man inside her when he called. "I left my phone in my purse, and it died. Did something happen?"

"What do you mean?"

"You haven't called me in months. Are Drew's kids okay?"

Nodding, Kade lets out a deep breath. "Yeah, they're fine. I didn't mean to worry you."

"Then why did you call me?"

"Because I wanted to talk to you."

Stopping, Jess turns and looks at him. First, he calls on Saturday night, multiple times, and now he shows up as she's walking the path he knows she walks almost every day just to see her? "What is this?"

"What were you doing on Saturday night?"

The look in his eyes makes her think he might already know. "I was spending time with someone, and I didn't want to be rude. I had no idea you called until about ten minutes ago."

"Were you with that guy from the bar?"

The way he stares makes her feel like he might be jealous. But how can he be jealous when he was the one who wanted to see other people? "Who I was with is none of your business."

"I saw you."

"You saw me where?"

"At your house," he says, and her heart races. "When you didn't answer, I drove by to make sure you were okay. I saw two shadows in your bedroom window, and from the motions, I think it's a safe bet to say you slept with Landry. Am I right?"

The audacity of this man! "What I did or didn't do with anyone stopped being your concern months ago, Kade. Just like how you being with Lena wasn't my concern, even when I walked in to find you with her. The only difference is that we were very clearly not together Saturday night. And you don’t have the right to stalk me."

"I don't like it."

"Like what?"

"Knowing you're with another man. Seeing your shadows as you let him screw you before sleeping on the side of the bed I used to sleep on.”

Her jaw drops. Who the hell does this guy think he is? "I don't really care if you like it or not," she says and slaps her hands against the sides of her legs. "You chose this, remember?"

Kade shakes his head. "No, you chose to walk away, not me."

"You didn't want a relationship!" she cries and lowers her voice as she sees a few others on the walking path. "You didn't want a relationship with just me, and I never wanted to be just a number."

"That's not how it was."

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