Page 44 of Unofficial

"What does that mean?" Landry asks.

"It means I need to take in everything that's happened with both of you, as well as what was said here tonight. You should both leave because I'm a little overwhelmed right now," Jess says.

"You're telling me to leave?"

Kade leans back in fake surprise. "You gave up on her!"

"I did not give up on her! I told her she needs to decide!" Landry shouts. "Which she does!"

"Watch your tone," he warns.

"I'm shouting at you, asshole, not her."

"Don't shout at anyone. You know what? Don't talk to each other. Just walk out, one and then the other. Don't hit each other. Don't look at each other. Just get into your vehicles and drive away. Okay?" Jess says. "I feel like a first grade teacher right now."

Kade and Landry exchange hateful glances, but they nod. Landry holds the door open for him, and if it wasn't for the fact Jess looks like she’s sick of both of them, he'd fight to be the last one to leave. Instead, he decides to do what she asks. For now.

Chapter Sixteen

Jess sits in her office after a restless night of sleep. Who does Kade think he is? He just walked into her house like he owned the place and confessed he messed up. He just believes he can say a few words she wanted to hear months ago, and she'd fall at his feet. Not. Gonna. Happen.

But the way Landry responded to the whole situation bothers the hell out of her. That upset her more than anything with Kade. He immediately went on the defensive, and he got nasty. Jess can kind of give him a pass on being angry at the situation, but he went from one end of the spectrum to the other.

First, he wanted to get rid of Kade. Told her how terrible of a person he was, and she knew she had to stick up for him. Even though Kade hurt her, he wasn't a bad person, and he never likes to defend himself because of his upbringing. He's actually a very caring and loving person. That's the person she fell in love with.

Then, after she stood up for Kade, Landry threatened to walk. Not in so many words, but he made it clear he wasn't happy with her. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but his reaction still took her by surprise.

Landry wanted to know if she still had feelings for Kade, and she didn't think it was right to say either way, especially with both men in the same room. Not after the volatile way Landry acted. She also hasn't allowed herself to focus too much on her feelings for Kade because she found it blocked her ability to try and give herself fully to Landry. But she knows now she still cares about him. No, she doesn't just care about him. She loves him. As much as she doesn't want to, she does.

"Jess!" Tiffany's voice rings out. "You have a present!"

A present? Jessica's eyes widen as a giant fruit bouquet appears where Tiffany's face should be. "What the hell?"

"Looks like someone wants your attention!" she coos as she sets the giant monstrosity on her desk. "Who's it from?"

The woman bounces on her heels, and Jess shakes her head. "You are far too excited for this."

"I don't get things like this anymore. I'm a married woman, remember?" She holds up her left hand with a five-carat pink diamond and wiggles her fingers.

Tiffany married a wealthy man ten years older than her two years ago. She doesn’t actually need this job, but she considers it her hobby. It also pays for things she doesn't want Vinny to know about.

Sighing, Jess opens the card and reads it.

Tiffany rips it from her hand and places her left hand over her chest. "Oh, that is so sweet!"

"It seems sweet, but the moment I let him back in, he'll shred my heart into a million pieces again. I'm not sure I fully put it back together after the last time."

"You weren't officially together, remember? And I told you the moment you started dating other people, he'd come to his senses."

Jess narrows her eyes at the brunette with mile-high hair smacking her gum. "Really?"

"Hey, Vinny and I had a similar situation happen before we got married. I was seeing him and a few others, and he didn't like it. The moment he took his hideous assistant on a date, I realized he was the only one I wanted to be with. And look at us now. We're married."

This is new information. "You cheated on him?"

"We weren't together. Not officially. We spent a lot of our time together... more than I did the others, but I didn't know where we stood. I had a few guys I had been seeing when I met him who I knew were also seeing other girls. It wasn't a big deal. He became the only one when he showed me what it was like to have someone you care about dating others."

"Is that really the relationship I want? One that happened simply because he didn’t like seeing me with someone else? If I wasn't with Landry, he wouldn’t even pay attention to me."

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