Page 43 of Claiming What's Mine

Jayden—the Jayden Henry,my Jayden Henry, was sipping a coffee, his hair a little bit shorter than the last time I saw him, his face a little more weathered, with strong lines and sharp angles, but it was him, there was no doubt about that.

I stood in shock, my jaw wide open, staring out the big picture window of the grocery store.

I can't believe he's here.

Holding the handle of the carriage, I couldn't move, afraid to walk through the double doors and have him see me. I wasn't ready for that, I would never be ready for that.

Why is he here?

I had seen in the paper and heard around town that his father had died, I just never thought he'd come back because of that. Jayden hated his father, that was something I always knew.

And yet, he was right there, leaning against the building, talking to Mrs. Vicki as if he had never left. He fit in too perfectly to be a true outsider. You can move away from Kine Valley, but it's always with you.

Lurching forward, an older woman had slammed into my thigh with her cart. “Oh, I'm so sorry, I thought I could squeeze through.”

“No, I'm sorry,” I said instantly, realizing I had actually stopped dead center in the aisle. “I'm taking up the middle.” Sliding my cart over and out of the way, she gave me a smile and headed out the doors.

Jayden's eyes moved across the store front, causing me to drop down behind my cart and hide. A few other shoppers looked over at me, so I pretended like I was adjusting my shoe and nothing was wrong.

How long is he going to stand there?

There was no way in hell I was leaving the store until he was gone. The second I walked outside he'd see me, there was no avoiding it. So, I just postponed my exit, fiddling with my purse, checking my receipt, and glancing over my phone.

It seemed like he would never leave, time ticked by so slowly as he drank his coffee and talked with a few other people.

The more I spied on him through the tinted glass, the more I could see just how grown up he had become. I thought he was a man back then, but time had been very good him, there was no denying he was definitely a man now.

His chest was thicker, more muscular, defined in ways I couldn't have imagined. I could see his abs beneath his snug, gray t-shirt, each one rippling like water after you throw a rock. Firm biceps rolled up into hard stones as he lifted his arms up to his chest, making my stomach twist and twirl out of control.

My heart pitter pattered in my chest, my lungs struggled to take in air as his smile sent a bolt of lightening through my body, zipping down my spine and hitting my toes. That bubbly feeling I felt, it was the same feeling I remembered from when I was a young girl.

Memories of his hands on my skin, of his breath against the back of my neck, of his voice in my ear, it turned my insides upside down, making me all warm and fuzzy, and causing the space between my thighs to get hot and wet.

What the hell is going on with me!

I tried so hard to tear my eyes from him, but I couldn't. Even with all the time that had come between us, he still ignited my body like I was sixteen again.

Watching him stroll off up the street, I waited until he was far enough away that my face would be just a blur if he turned to look back over his shoulder. Even as he walked away, my heart was in my throat and all my nerves were firing off like explosions under the skin.

That man had a power over me, I felt it before, and I could feel it right then.

Jayden disappeared into the distance as I finished putting my groceries in the car. Climbing into the front seat, dread consumed me, the same dread I felt as I sent him away all those years ago.

I had just watched him walk away again, his head down, his shoulders scrunched up, his eyes on his feet. And even though he hadn't seen me, I still felt that same sick to my stomach feeling.

Jayden Henry had been a name I hadn't said in years, but he was a face that often crossed my mind on a daily basis.

I forced him away, but only because I had to. I never really wanted him to leave.

At least, that's what my heart kept screaming at me.

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