Chapter 68:
Kaitlyn was floored, unsure how to feel or what to say when Jackson apologized at the same time as her.She hadn't been expecting it.She had been expecting anger, or maybe even for him to tell her he had just forgotten something at the old place and that's why he had stopped by. She knew he said he had stopped by to talk, but who knew what that meant. And she knew if he did forget something, he very well he wouldn't seek out Randy--Jackson hated the guy.But to hear him apologize without a moment of hesitation hadn't been within her expectations at all.She blinked at him, slowly scanning his features.Jackson cleared his throat.His hand cupping the back of his neck, and she wished he was holding her instead.She wondered just when life without him had become unbearable. It wasn't that she knew she wouldn't survive without him, in fact, after Randy--she knew she would. But... she didn't wanChapter 69: Jackson's warmth enveloped her. The feel of his arms causing her to freeze in place. He was so warm, and it was a jolt inside her veins. Slowly, her fingers came up to clutch at his clothes. Sandalwood. Home. The smell invaded her senses, and without even thinking, she burrowed her face into his neck. The little strands of his hair tickling her eyelids as she breathed in the scent of his shampoo. Jackson was finally home. She didn't dare say a word, afraid that she'd start crying again if she did. Or that he'd move away. But it seemed her fears were for nothing. Because his arms were pulling her closer, tugging at her body like he was afraid she'd disappear. She blinked once, realizing then that she could feel his heartbeat along the side of his neck. His heart was racing. The knowledge made her face grow warm, her chest tight. "Don't cry because I'm fucking stu
Chapter 70:The drawings had unnerved her for days, her moods fluctuating as she gathered her apartment together.It was hard to keep them a secret by this point, Josh and Jackson both noting her odd behavior as she drew into herself the last few weeks.It made starting over hard, as she tried to keep on a brave face in Jackson's presence. A part of her wanted to tell him about the weird drawings that kept winding up on her doorstep and mailbox, but given their recent reconciliation, she didn't want to do anything to hurt their relationship. She had a feeling the drawings had something to do with Randy, as he was featured in most of them.But she knew he wasn't capable of drawing at all. She also couldn't see him doing something like this--no matter how manupliative he could be, it didn't seem like him.So who?She didn't really know, but she was growing increasingly worried. Every picture was a moment she
Chapter 71:Leaving the house had been harder than she thought. She was nervous the whole way, her fingers clenching and unclenching on her keys as she traversed through town. It was hard to enjoy her walk when she couldn't shake the feeling someone was watching her.Maybe, she was paranoid. But with everything happening, it was hard to tell. She knew she should tell someone, but it felt childish. Like a prank or maybe she was trying to downplay it because she didn't want to believe it was happening.She had finally caved and called Randy, and he had sounded skittish the entire time he was on the phone. It had done nothing to calm her nerves. She had sweetly asked him if he had happened to send her something in the mail, and he asked no why, sounding horribly confused. That had been answer enough.It wasn't him.She frowned. She should've known better, each envelope had no return address. It was clear they were being manuall
Chapter 72: Branches scraped her knees, reaching out for her ankles like a warning to stay away. Yet, Kaitlyn didn't listen.She kept walking in the trees that were so large that they blocked out the sun above, her hands coming up to rub her arms. It was eerie, being alone in the woods. But she swallowed up her nerves and pressed forward. Randy's lies were twisting her insides, and she fought hard to hold onto anything that proved her suspicions wrong. She realized that once again that she wanted to believe the best in him. Yet for some reason, those hopes never went far. That hope was dwindling again, when she finally came across an old, worn down house. Kaitlyn faltered as she eyed the odd looking home, feeling out of place as she stepped past the fence. The lawn was torn up, and the abandoned atmosphere made her think twice about entering. Her mind conjured up the worst possibilities. Was Randy in danger? Was th
Chapter 73:He had seen her cry, so many times.Yet somehow, as she stood in the center of the decaying lawn, looking lonely and tired, watching her eyes swell seemed even more painful. Her red curls were hanging over her shoulders in wild abandon, her lips set in a furious scowl that didn't suit her gentle features.At least, Jackson didn't think they suited her. But then again, Kaitlyn was like his own special brand of sunshine, and she was always smiling with him.So to see her eyes look so cold, it unnerved him. But that coldness faded away when her blue eyes met his.And then, she looked so vulnerable. Standing there with her dirty jeans and cardigan that hung off her shoulder. Her bottom lip had started trembling when she spotted him."Jackson..." She said his name again, and he wasted no time. He hopped the fence, not giving a fuck whose property it was. He crossed the space in no time to pull her i
Chapter 74:Lies and truths had melded into one, and he didn't know how to make his way out.He could see the three of them standing there, but it felt blurred and surreal. Like his grip on reality was slipping.Randy had never felt like such a failure before as he stood in nothing but his boxers and t-shirt. It was one Kaitlyn had bought him years ago.He felt dirty and filthy, as he sat beneath their stares. They all knew what he had done.It wasn't supposed to be like this.Natalie was supposed to make him feel better. She was supposed to love him.But right now, he felt so fucking cold.Josh's angry words splattered all over his ears, but he couldn't make sense of any of them. He couldn't make sense of why everyone was so angry, couldn't make sense of why he had gone back to the same woman he swore to never contact again.He glanced at her now, and her blue
Chapter 75: "She wasn't happy that I left." "When is she ever happy with you?"Natalie countered with a sigh. They were sitting together in her apartment, her body snuggled close to him. He froze at her words, as if they struck him like a brisk slap. Those delicate fingers twirled around in her hair. "You could give your life for her and she'd still find something to nag you about. It's kind of sad..." Her whispered words were so sweet despite their message. "S-She didn't nag me," Randy defended, trying to understand why Natalie would say something so cruel about his fiance. Randy knew Kaitlyn wasn't like that. She was the most patient woman he knew. She was always putting up with his absences and long work hours without complaint. Her smile always on her face whenever he came through the door. Well... except lately. It felt like every time he came home, there was a fight.
Chapter 76:When she finally sat down at home, it was like everything had suddenly caught up to her, snagging her down by her ankles.Tears had fell from her eyes, and she had held onto Jackson, desperately. The harsh images she had seen, the violate relationship brought back unwanted memories.She wondered, if that broken scene she'd witness between Randy and Natalie, had been how Jackson had viewed her and Randy? Was it as heartbreaking to watch?She hadn't asked that though, no matter how much she wanted to. Because as he cuddled her close, and she wrapped herself up in the scent she had come to love, she knew it just didn't matter anymore.And this time? She truly felt that way. It was like the sound of a chapter closing, and all the new pages were just of Jackson. And she couldn't help but be grateful for that.Randy was gone.Natalie was gone.So, too, would Josh. She had no
Epligue ( 77 ): It was everything she had ever wanted. Kaitlyn had never known she could be so happy. Kaitlyn breathed in. Her world coming together as she held her chin high.She was dressed to the nines, gliding in time with the music as her mermaid style dress flowed around her. It was white with pink lace, and she still wore the red heart necklace over the open V-Shaped bodice. She felt like a real princess then, the audience gaping at her as her curled red hair spilled from her pink diamond rose clip. Her arm was laced with Joshua, who was prepared to walk her down to the alter. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sure you wish your father or uncle could've been the one to.." He started, but Kailtyn smiled. Cutting him off. "No, this is perfect. You're exactly who I wanted to be here." Joshua quieted down then. And then, to both of their nerves, the music started. Josh began walking beside her as he tried to hide the flustered crinkle to his eye
Chapter 76:When she finally sat down at home, it was like everything had suddenly caught up to her, snagging her down by her ankles.Tears had fell from her eyes, and she had held onto Jackson, desperately. The harsh images she had seen, the violate relationship brought back unwanted memories.She wondered, if that broken scene she'd witness between Randy and Natalie, had been how Jackson had viewed her and Randy? Was it as heartbreaking to watch?She hadn't asked that though, no matter how much she wanted to. Because as he cuddled her close, and she wrapped herself up in the scent she had come to love, she knew it just didn't matter anymore.And this time? She truly felt that way. It was like the sound of a chapter closing, and all the new pages were just of Jackson. And she couldn't help but be grateful for that.Randy was gone.Natalie was gone.So, too, would Josh. She had no
Chapter 75: "She wasn't happy that I left." "When is she ever happy with you?"Natalie countered with a sigh. They were sitting together in her apartment, her body snuggled close to him. He froze at her words, as if they struck him like a brisk slap. Those delicate fingers twirled around in her hair. "You could give your life for her and she'd still find something to nag you about. It's kind of sad..." Her whispered words were so sweet despite their message. "S-She didn't nag me," Randy defended, trying to understand why Natalie would say something so cruel about his fiance. Randy knew Kaitlyn wasn't like that. She was the most patient woman he knew. She was always putting up with his absences and long work hours without complaint. Her smile always on her face whenever he came through the door. Well... except lately. It felt like every time he came home, there was a fight.
Chapter 74:Lies and truths had melded into one, and he didn't know how to make his way out.He could see the three of them standing there, but it felt blurred and surreal. Like his grip on reality was slipping.Randy had never felt like such a failure before as he stood in nothing but his boxers and t-shirt. It was one Kaitlyn had bought him years ago.He felt dirty and filthy, as he sat beneath their stares. They all knew what he had done.It wasn't supposed to be like this.Natalie was supposed to make him feel better. She was supposed to love him.But right now, he felt so fucking cold.Josh's angry words splattered all over his ears, but he couldn't make sense of any of them. He couldn't make sense of why everyone was so angry, couldn't make sense of why he had gone back to the same woman he swore to never contact again.He glanced at her now, and her blue
Chapter 73:He had seen her cry, so many times.Yet somehow, as she stood in the center of the decaying lawn, looking lonely and tired, watching her eyes swell seemed even more painful. Her red curls were hanging over her shoulders in wild abandon, her lips set in a furious scowl that didn't suit her gentle features.At least, Jackson didn't think they suited her. But then again, Kaitlyn was like his own special brand of sunshine, and she was always smiling with him.So to see her eyes look so cold, it unnerved him. But that coldness faded away when her blue eyes met his.And then, she looked so vulnerable. Standing there with her dirty jeans and cardigan that hung off her shoulder. Her bottom lip had started trembling when she spotted him."Jackson..." She said his name again, and he wasted no time. He hopped the fence, not giving a fuck whose property it was. He crossed the space in no time to pull her i
Chapter 72: Branches scraped her knees, reaching out for her ankles like a warning to stay away. Yet, Kaitlyn didn't listen.She kept walking in the trees that were so large that they blocked out the sun above, her hands coming up to rub her arms. It was eerie, being alone in the woods. But she swallowed up her nerves and pressed forward. Randy's lies were twisting her insides, and she fought hard to hold onto anything that proved her suspicions wrong. She realized that once again that she wanted to believe the best in him. Yet for some reason, those hopes never went far. That hope was dwindling again, when she finally came across an old, worn down house. Kaitlyn faltered as she eyed the odd looking home, feeling out of place as she stepped past the fence. The lawn was torn up, and the abandoned atmosphere made her think twice about entering. Her mind conjured up the worst possibilities. Was Randy in danger? Was th
Chapter 71:Leaving the house had been harder than she thought. She was nervous the whole way, her fingers clenching and unclenching on her keys as she traversed through town. It was hard to enjoy her walk when she couldn't shake the feeling someone was watching her.Maybe, she was paranoid. But with everything happening, it was hard to tell. She knew she should tell someone, but it felt childish. Like a prank or maybe she was trying to downplay it because she didn't want to believe it was happening.She had finally caved and called Randy, and he had sounded skittish the entire time he was on the phone. It had done nothing to calm her nerves. She had sweetly asked him if he had happened to send her something in the mail, and he asked no why, sounding horribly confused. That had been answer enough.It wasn't him.She frowned. She should've known better, each envelope had no return address. It was clear they were being manuall
Chapter 70:The drawings had unnerved her for days, her moods fluctuating as she gathered her apartment together.It was hard to keep them a secret by this point, Josh and Jackson both noting her odd behavior as she drew into herself the last few weeks.It made starting over hard, as she tried to keep on a brave face in Jackson's presence. A part of her wanted to tell him about the weird drawings that kept winding up on her doorstep and mailbox, but given their recent reconciliation, she didn't want to do anything to hurt their relationship. She had a feeling the drawings had something to do with Randy, as he was featured in most of them.But she knew he wasn't capable of drawing at all. She also couldn't see him doing something like this--no matter how manupliative he could be, it didn't seem like him.So who?She didn't really know, but she was growing increasingly worried. Every picture was a moment she
Chapter 69: Jackson's warmth enveloped her. The feel of his arms causing her to freeze in place. He was so warm, and it was a jolt inside her veins. Slowly, her fingers came up to clutch at his clothes. Sandalwood. Home. The smell invaded her senses, and without even thinking, she burrowed her face into his neck. The little strands of his hair tickling her eyelids as she breathed in the scent of his shampoo. Jackson was finally home. She didn't dare say a word, afraid that she'd start crying again if she did. Or that he'd move away. But it seemed her fears were for nothing. Because his arms were pulling her closer, tugging at her body like he was afraid she'd disappear. She blinked once, realizing then that she could feel his heartbeat along the side of his neck. His heart was racing. The knowledge made her face grow warm, her chest tight. "Don't cry because I'm fucking stu