Page 50 of Unofficial

That's what she meant when she told Landry he was upset with her because she made him wait. But he has to know for sure. "Did Landry have the same rule?"

He knows she owes him no explanation, but his heart needs to know if Kade’s the only one she feels she needs to protect herself from.

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, Jess."

Jess's lip quivers, but she forces a smile. "It's okay. I understand."

When her back turns to unlock her front door, it hits him what she believes he meant by that. That he's sorry because he doesn't want to wait. "Jess-"

"It's okay, Kade. Really."

"You're not understanding. Can I come inside? I won't leave the entryway, but I don't want to have this conversation on the porch."

She takes a moment to consider his request, but she finally concedes when she steps inside and says, "Okay."

Once inside, Kade pulls her against him, holding her tightly. "I'm sorry for the way I made you feel. That you now need to protect your heart. What I did was reckless and stupid, and one day, I hope I can explain it to you. I hope I can make it all make a little more sense, and you can understand what I did had nothing to do with you. It was me. All me."

Her arms hold him tightly, and he feels her heart race. "What are you saying, Kade?"

"I'm saying I'll wait forever if I have to. Sixty days seems like forever but not long enough at the same time. And if after sixty days you still don't feel like you're sure you can trust me, I'll wait another sixty. And sixty after that. I'm on your timeline, Jess."

"It's not meant to be a punishment."

"Punish me. I deserve it. Honestly, it might actually make me feel a little better," he says with a chuckle.

Her eyes look up to his. "I don't want to punish you. The last thing I ever want is to hurt you."

"I never wanted to hurt you, Jess. And maybe when I can explain everything, you'll believe me."

Stepping back, he kisses her softly and walks back out to his pickup. The night could have gone much better, but it could have also gone much, much worse.

Chapter Eighteen

It's been a week since everything started again with Kade, and Jess is more confused than ever. The morning after their date, Kade started up with the good morning texts he used to send her every morning. The same texts she used to reach for her phone to look at instinctively in the morning before she remembered she and Kade were no longer together.

As much as she doesn't want to, she's finding herself right back in the same place as she was before. Right back in love. It's only been a week, but he seems to go out of his way to prove she won't be making a mistake by giving him another chance. Even if it's just probationary, it's still worth the risk. In a way, she can see how much he's changed. Little things she never really noticed until after everything was said and done aren't there anymore. Which tells her that he's either extremely good at acting, or he really has put some work into himself.

Landry, on the other hand, hasn't spoken to her since the night he came to her place to find Kade in her living room. The last time she saw him was the night she went to the steakhouse with Kade. Seeing him with another woman caught her off-guard, and she now finds herself evaluating if anything in their relationship was real. She also sees all the red flags she just chalked up to still working on getting over Kade. It's starting to become clear why he hasn't been as successful in relationships as he should be, given what he says he wants. He has quite the vindictive side.

She also finds it difficult not to compare the two men, especially now that she's seeing the side of Kade she missed and wanted back for so long mixed with the side of Landry she feels was always there but partially hidden. Or ignored. It's off-putting to see him so vindictive and angry on top of his aloofness that still seems to come out more often than not. The last thing she wants to do is spend the rest of her life pointing out to the man she ends up with when he's being an asshole.

They're two different men, and she understands that. It's now to the point of deciding whose flaws can be overlooked and overcome.

Her phone chimes Wednesday while she's working, and she's surprised to see Landry's name when she expected Kade's.

Jess stares at the phone for a long time before responding. Yeah, they need to talk, but she's not certain where she stands right now. Maybe he wants to be done, and she doesn't need to make any type of decision herself. Maybe he decided the girl he took out that night is the one he wants to be with, and she can avoid the hard conversation about what she doesn't find appealing about him after all. She has a feeling it won’t go well.

Jess works on the drafts with the proposed changes from the Historical Society for the fourth time when her phone chimes close to when she normally logs out. This time, Kade's name appears, and she can't help but smile.

Jess focuses the next few hours on the draft, and at seven thirty, she's finally done. Leaning back in her chair, she stretches her arms above her head and prays this is the last set of changes she has to draft up. Finding a compromise between what the head of the committee wants and what their client wants has become even trickier with this project. It's almost as though the Historical Society has made it a personal challenge to make it as impossible as they can.

Grabbing her jacket, she heads out to her Benz and drives the short distance home. Instead of an empty driveway, she sees Landry's SUV parked off to the side to allow her access to her garage. He's early.

"After eight, huh?" she mutters and pulls into her parking spot on the left side of her detached garage in front of her house.

Landry meets her as she steps outside and presses the button to lower the large door. "Hey."

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