Page 28 of Love Set Me Free

Alyssa chuckled. “You always been so strong willed. You get that from your daddy.” She stood and squeezed Paisley’s shoulder. “Kydrick wasn’t the only one Janelle wanted to talk to. She called me this morning and asked that you go see her.”

“Why the fuck would I do that?”

“Hey,” Alyssa snapped. “Language, little girl. Now, I know you’re angry with Janelle. Hell, a blind man can see that, but I also know you two spent many nights in this very room building a sisterhood. She was your first female friend, and like it or not, you two have a deep history. You might owe it to yourself to hear her out.”

Allowing Paisley time to process what she just said, Alyssa walked out of the room. Paisley slowly sat back down andallowed her thoughts to consume her once again, completely ignoring her rumbling stomach.

The neighborhood was so familiar, even though she hadn’t stepped foot in it in years. It was as if everyone who knew her understood that she didn’t want to be reminded of Janelle ever. Whenever they had get togethers for a celebration between the two families, it was like an unspoken rule that the Cooper family didn’t host.

Paisley wondered if that had been a good thing now that she pulled up in front of her ex-best friend’s home. It was just two houses down from her parents home, and despite her irritation at being there, she smiled slightly. The home was beautiful, and Janelle and Paisley spent a lot of time admiring it in their youth. Janelle made good on her side of the pact to buy it. Paisley was supposed to buy the one in between that one and her parents. It was no secret that the Coopers were the richest family between the trio, which was why living in this neighborhood had always been a goal of theirs. It wasn’t super prestigious like Ellington Heights, where all the celebrities lived, but the manicured lawns and large homes seemed perfect for raising a family.

Paisley shook her head at the old memories that flooded her mind. Her gaze averted away from the home that was supposed to be hers, the pretty yellow color popping out at her like a beacon as she rushed toward the front steps of Janelle’s home. She admired the screened in porch as she rang the doorbell.

The only reason she even came was because everyone else seemed to see something in Janelle that she didn’t, and thatbothered her. Kydrick didn’t mind having a conversation with her, and her own mother urged her to do the same. What Paisley couldn’t understand was what thefuckthey had to talk about.

The front door opened, and Jaden, Janelle’s husband, froze, staring at her through the screen that wrapped around the porch. After they stared at each other for several seconds, he took a couple of steps and opened the screen door with an uncomfortable smile on his face. Suddenly, Paisley wondered if in all these years she had made Jaden uncomfortable around her. Janelle definitely deserved it, and while there may have been a time she didn’t care much for Jaden, that had passed quickly. None of what happened had been his fault. From what she knew of him, he was a great father and provider for his family. Linda and Charles raved about him, his children adored him, and Janelle was clearly head over heels. Jaden didn’t have that many people fawning over him for no reason.

After clearing her throat, Paisley offered him a warm smile. Her beef was never with him. “Hi, Jaden. My mom told me Janelle wanted to see me…”

She allowed her sentence to fall off because she wasn’t sure what else to say. Paisley was almost 100 percent certain that Janelle didn’t mean for her to stop by unexpectedly, but if she was going to do this, it would be on her terms. There was no part of her that wanted to carry this into the next day, and she definitely didn’t want to spend a whole lot of time fighting with herself about if she wanted to talk to her former friend or not. It was now or never for her, so she hoped Janelle was prepared.

“She did,” Jaden said, running a hand down his crisp waves. He smiled, showcasing his perfectly straight white teeth, and she noticed his brown eyes crinkled at the gesture. “We didn’t expect you tonight, but she’ll be happy to see you. Please, come in. She’s just finishing dinner.”

Paisley shifted her stance and fidgeted with her hands. “Actually, I won’t stay long. Could you tell her to come out here, please?”

Jaden’s smile fell slightly, and Paisley suspected it was on his wife’s behalf. She knew Janelle missed her. She didn’t spend her entire childhood with Janelle and not pick up on her emotions, even when she didn’t want to. Paisley wasn’t here for that, though, and she wanted to set that boundary up front.

He nodded. “Of course. Please, have a seat in here. She’ll be right out.”

“Thank you,” she uttered but stayed planted in place.

He offered her one last understanding smile before quickly disappearing back into the house. Seconds felt like minutes, and Paisley fidgeted as her anxiety mounted. Finally, Janelle walked out of the house, her gaze sweeping over Paisley as if she hadn’t believed she was really there.

The two women stared at each other for long seconds before Janelle walked to the screen door like she was in a trance and opened it.

“P… I didn’t know you would come by today. Not that it matters. I’m… I’m glad you’re here. Please, come in.”

Paisley shook her head, annoyed that she had the sudden urge to cry. Every time she saw Janelle, she was so put together and picture perfect. Right now, she was still perfect, but in a different way. Her curls were piled on the top of her head and barely contained by a scrunchy. She wore a brown, oversized sweater, black leggings, and brown slouchy socks. She looked like amom, like awife, and that made Paisley want to run away and cry because those pesky thoughts ofwhat ifswirled through her mind.

What if they had stayed friends? Paisley surely would have been her children’s god mom.

What if Janelle and Kydrick had gotten married? Would Paisley have gotten over her crush and found love of her own? Would she be married herself now with kids? What if Kydrick had never walked into that room at that party that night…

Tears gathered in Paisley’s eyes, and she shook her head stubbornly. “I’m good out here. What did you want to talk to me about?”

Paisley saw the moment Janelle’s hope deflated. Her eyes lowered, and she chewed on her lip before nodding once and stepping out into the cool evening air.

With weary eyes, she looked at Paisley and murmured, “Thank you for coming.”

“Why am I here, Janelle?” Paisley asked, wanting to get to the point so she could go home and make some brownies so she could eat her feelings. A twinge of anxiety sparked through her as she thought about Kydrick. She wondered if he would want to talk. Before her thoughts could get too carried away with that, Janelle spoke.

“You know I never meant to hurt you, right?”

Paisley’s eyes snapped to Janelle’s, and they narrowed. “Excuse me?”

Janelle sighed before sitting on the top step that led to the screened door. “Back then, I never wanted to hurt you. Believe it or not, I didn’t want to hurt Kydrick either.”

Paisley scoffed and folded her arms over her chest. “You cheated on him.”

---