Page 37 of The Doctor

RAINE

FOUR MONTHS LATER

After pullingup to Kade’s house, I step out of my car and see a little red car parked in the driveway. I don’t remember Kade mentioning he was having anyone else over. He wanted me to come and stay the weekend with him once we got back from our latest shoot in Huntington Beach.

I go to knock on the door but find it cracked open, which is strange. Kade always has his door locked. This is LA, for heaven’s sake. I open the door and hear voices that sound like they’re coming from the kitchen or living room area. Slowly, I walk in the direction of the voices. One is Kade’s, and the other is feminine with a sexy and sultry note. Who the heck is here?

What I see when I walk inside the kitchen has me gasping and stumbling back against the table. Kade looks over the woman’s shoulder, who has her arms around his neck.

She’s tall, or at least she is in her heels that make her legs look miles long, and her red hair flows in curls down her back. She’s got on skintight designer jeans showing off her pert ass and thin legs.

I look down at myself. My pregnant stomach, which is making it difficult to see my toes and shoes, my maternity t-shirt, and shorts. Whoever this woman is, she’s miles above me in looks.

“Raine,” he shouts in shock, pushing the woman away. “You’re here.”

Way to state the obvious.

“And now I’m leaving,” I reach my hand out behind me as I start to walk backward around the table, so I don’t run into anything else. I’ve been here enough to know the layout of his house, but right now, I know nothing. My world is crumbling around me as the man I love is in the arms of another woman.

“No, please wait and let me explain. It isn’t how it looks.” He tries to push past the woman, but she only holds on to him tighter. His face turns red as he looks down at her. “What are you doing? I told you to get off me.”

“Kade, you can’t hide how you feel about me. She can see it plain as day,” she coos up at him.

“Then she’d see how much I don’t want your touch or you in my house, Mandy,” he growls, pushing her hands away.

I’m not sure what I see from him. All I know is I obviously don’t know him as well as I thought I did. I need to leave. With this revelation and my parents barely speaking to me since I’m about to be an unwed mother, they can’t express enough how disappointed in me they are. The only people I have are Lexie and Kade. No, I had Kade, but now I’m not so sure.

I step back, and my hand hits the wall. The only thing for me to do now is to turn around and leave. With each passing second, it’s getting harder and harder to see as tears well up in my eyes. Soon the damn is going to break, and I need to be home when that happens.

“Rainbow, wait.” Kade pleads, walking toward me like I’m some scared animal about to dart away. He’s right; I am about to run.

I guess that’s a good analogy for what I am. I am scared. My world is crumbling down around me, and I’m not sure if I’m ever going to reach the surface after tonight.

“I need to go, Kade. I… If you weren’t interested in me anymore, you should have just said so. It would have been much easier than walking in on this.”

“You didn’t walk in on anything. I promise,” his eyes plead with me to believe him. But I’m not sure what to believe.

I keep walking, trying to escape with Kade following me. The woman peaks around the corner. Her eyes assessing me and find me wanting. I’m sure she’s wondering what Kade’s doing with a woman like me.

Stepping outside of his house, I make a dash for my car. I’m close to breaking, and I don’t want Kade to see it. He doesn’t get to see how my heart is breaking and shattering inside my chest with each step I take.

I start to open my car door when he slams it shut and boxes me in. I keep my back to him, knowing if I see his face, I will ultimately lose it.

“Who is she?” I croak out.

I feel his hot breath on my neck before he speaks, letting me know he’s close. Too close. “Mandywasmy girlfriend back in Fairlane, but we broke up before I ever moved here. She showed up at my door right before you got here.”

“I don’t think she got the memo you’re broken up.” I glare at his reflection in my car’s window, putting my hands on my hips. “You don’t drive all the way from Missouri to California if you’re no longer together.”

“You do if you’re a stage five clinger. Trust me, Raine, there’s nothing going on between us. There hasn’t been for over a year.”

“Then how did she find you here? Somehow, she got your address,” I shoot back.

“She had a couple of my belongings that I wanted back, and I asked her to send them to me.” I start to open my mouth to protest, but he keeps going. “She sent them to me without a word. She hasn’t even called me this entire time. If you want, I can show you my phone records.”

I shake my head and use my body to push him away, so I can get inside my car. I need to get out of here. “That won’t be necessary.”

“So, you believe me?” He asks, looking down at me. I can’t see his expression with the trees shadowing him in the dark, but I can hear the hope in his voice.

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