Page 89 of Unofficial

"Yeah? What'd she say?" Lena asks.

The platinum blonde stands in three-inch heels wearing a tight black dress with her left hand showing off her large, yellow diamond engagement ring Joe gave her on their cruise. The woman never fails to show it off, and Jess gets a kick out of how she seems like a kid in a candy story with it. She has to admit, Lena looks genuinely happy.

"She said he's a perfect match for you, Lena. The type of guy you deserve. I may not really know you, Joe, but from what I do know from Jess, you're a good guy. The type of guy Lena should have marrying her."

Joe wraps an arm around Lena's shoulders. "I know about your history with her, but I can't hold it against you. If not for you, I may not have met the woman I plan to spend the rest of my life with."

"I'm happy for you both," Kade says and takes Jess's hand. "And I want to thank Lena for being such a good friend to Jess. She told me you said you wouldn't give her your blessing to take another chance on me, but you also told her she didn't need it. You're her friend, and I'm glad she has you."

Lena reaches out and hugs him. "Thank you for screwing us over so I could meet Joe."

Jess bursts out laughing. "Never thought I'd hear something like that come out of someone's mouth," she says.

Joe laughs, too. "Me neither."

"Jess, I have an important question to ask you," Lena says. "Will you be one of my bridesmaids?"

Their friendship may be unconventional in nature, but Jess really enjoys having Lena in her corner. "Of course, I will. Thank you for asking!"

The two women hug, and Lena jumps up and down. "The bridesmaids dresses are going to be red. You'll look so good in it."

"She looks good in anything," Kade says. He leans over to whisper in her ear and says, "And nothing."

She flushes and hits their joined hands against his thigh. "I can't wait to try it on."

"I know we just met, Kade, but I wanted to ask if you'd consider being one of my groomsmen," Joe says. "Totally understand if you say no, but after the blow up with Landry, I have an opening in my lineup. And knowing how you stood up for my girl to him makes you someone I would really like to build a friendship with."

"Uh, I would be honored, man. Are you sure it won't be awkward, though? It sounds like these two aren't exactly shy about sharing how they became friends."

Jess and Lena laugh, and Joe nods his head. "Anyone who doesn't find the story hilarious can go fly a kite."

"What happened with Landry?" Jess asks. "If you don't mind me asking."

Clenching his fist, Joe lets out a deep breath. "After Lena told me what Landry said to you two, I confronted him at the country club. He told me that marrying Lena will be the biggest mistake of my life, and it's only a matter of time before she finds someone else to climb into bed with. Someone with more money."

"You're kidding," Kade says. "What's his deal with women?"

"It's how he's been since high school, but I just never really noticed until now. Women should play a specific role in his mind, and when they don't fit the role or the place he deems them to, he gets angry. But he took offense to how Jess and Lena met, even though it has nothing to do with him."

Lena wraps her arms around Joe's waist. "To put it in normal words, Landry thinks I'm a whore."

"That's pretty much what he said to us, too," Kade says. "I couldn't believe he said that. But to say that to his friend... that's a whole different level of low."

"He said a few choice words I won't repeat in front of Lena about her, and I lost it. Security had to pull me off him. I've never hit a man in my life, but I think I might have killed him if someone hadn't intervened."

"When someone says or does something against your girl, it's an instinct, man. Regardless of how Jess and Lena met, both are good people. The way he attacked them both, but mostly Jess, let's just say I know what you felt."

Joe shakes his head. "I don't know how you didn't kill him without someone else there to stop you."

Kade looks down at Jess and squeezes her hand. "I had Jess there. Besides, I'm kind of hyper aware of my actions like that. There are only two men I've ever hit, but my father murdered my mother in a drunken rage. He's the last person I ever want to be like, so I do what I can to keep my anger in check. But he deserved the fists he got."

Lena's mouth drops open. "Your father murdered your mom?"

Jess stares in surprise. Kade doesn't share this with many people out of fear and some resentment.

"I was eight. My aunt and uncle took me in and raised me. I'll be forever grateful to them for it, and Jess saved me from either drowning myself in alcohol or murdering my father when he was paroled. She saved me from myself, honestly."

Jess gives Lena a look, and she knows Lena understands now what she's talked about before with things in Kade's past that played a part in how he acted. She never wanted to tell anyone without his permission, and she can tell Lena softens towards him.

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