Chapter 54:
The time back at the house was surreal, and Jackson had returned to work already. It had been almost a week since their arrival from the islands, and the snow was heavy on the ground outside.
Despite the weather change, the atmosphere had stayed from their last night in her aunt's home. Their newfound relationship growing on her mind as her eyes cut to the clock.
The days back had been lingered with kisses, and constant moments of affection that left her blushing.
Since they'd been back, she'd honestly probably taken off his clothes more than he had changed outfits. The thought left her stomach swirling and she smiled despite herself, combing a brush through her unruly hair as she prepped for their date tonight.
It had only been about a week, but it was lively and fun. Something she hadn't had before.
Jackson had taken on a new life since their confessions, he was even more flirtatious, but he was al
Chapter 55:She didn't know what to think as she stared across the kitchen at Randy. The overhead light seeming to dance shadows across his face as she swallowed.His words haunted her mind, and she stumbled.She continued harshly, her mouth set to a frown while she tried gathering her bearings."Stop putting words in his mouth," Kaitlyn warned. "Like I said, I need to hear it from him. Jackson would never hurt me intentionally."When she said the words, she held fast to that belief.But Randy was determined to shake it, or maybe he was just angry. But he looked more out of sorts than usual, gruff and frustrated."Oh, you mean like how I would hurt you?"Kaitlyn frowned. "Randy, you chose Natalie over me, for years. You left me in the dark, in this naive little bubble! You KNEW I felt like I wasn't good enough, you knew how much I was hurting, but you just kept looking the other way. So
Chapter 56: She couldn't for the life of her, understand his anger. His betrayal so thick in her throat, that it felt like sludge. As if it was blinding her. She couldn't see past it. She could only hyperfocus on the fact he had manipulated her, just like Randy once did. Her fingers fisted into her red dress. "You watched me cry over him and you never corrected me. You just let me feel hopeless and betrayed...I trusted you." Jackson looked furious. "Should you have felt any different?" Jackson's voice thundered, "He cheated on you and slept with you right after he came home from a trip with her! Or did you forget that part?" Kaitlyn felt like her heart was going to burst, but she didn't back down. "Of course I remember what happened! But you should've let me choose how I wanted to feel, not how you thought I should feel. I deserved to form my own decision when it came to him and what he did!
Chapter 57:Kaitlyn didn't understand how she had missed him, couldn't comprehend how she hadn't moved fast enough.But she hadn't. The dark, inky black of night, showcasing her the truth.That she was alone.She took another two steps forward, her bottom lip trembling.But Jackson couldn't be spotted anywhere. Her lungs heaving in her chest as she bent over and grasped at her knees for leverage. Her bare legs were shaking, the cold biting at her as tears welled up in her eyes.She couldn't believe it. Was he really...? Kaitlyn felt like crumbling."Jackson!" She called aloud, hoping maybe she just couldn't see in the lack of light.But there was no answer.Reality set in. In a moment of crushing depression, she crumbled to her knees on the frigid sidewalk. Tears flooding past her lashes. Her eyes burned from the mascara she had applied for the party.Her littl
Chapter 58:Jackson set his drink down, a single brow raising on his face."Well, well, look who it is. What are you, a wizard or something goldy locks?"Jackson watched as his best suddenly appeared across the room, his blonde brows furrowed as he crossed the room like an angry storm. Spencer always seemed to know where to find him when shit hit the fan. The blonde man scooted out the stool beside him and stared him down when he took a seat.The question in that gaze was very readable, but Jackson looked away. Not wanting to answer.So, he played the fool instead. He made sure to keep his gaze downward on his glass, "So what brings you to this lonely place? Or did you come here to stalk lil' ol me?" He slurred, ignoring the way Spencer scoffed."I've been looking everywhere for you," Spencer explained, his face serious. "Did you know Kaitlyn called Hannah? She was balling." Spencer informed with a scowl. But th
Chapter 59: "He's gone." Hannah's voice was a blurred ball of anxiety over the phone. "Do you have any idea where he went..?" Kaitlyn sounded hoarse, even to her own ears. It was quiet, and for a moment she thought maybe the woman hung up. She cupped the phone closer to her, her fingers trembling. She heard Hannah breathe a sigh. "I know he wouldn't do anything crazy, and I did call his job--he's still there. I pretended to need an appointment." She informed with a laugh before she grew serious again. "But I don't know where he he went... or where he's staying. Knowing Jackson, he could be holding up in a hotel until he finds an apartment or until he calms down. I'm sorry, Kaitlyn. He wasn't himself last night, he was a mess." The information had her bringing her lip between her teeth, before she froze, remembering how Jackson had informed her how much he had liked when she did that. Instantly, she f
Chapter 60: Kaitlyn was surprised by the vulnerability on Josh's features. She shook her head, setting her flower neatly on the coffee table. She'd have to find it a vase soon. "No, of course not." She answered, after a moment of thinking on it. There was no twinge of betrayal. "Why not? I kept him from you too, you know." Josh stated, matter of fact. Kaitlyn sighed, "But it's different. You didn't deceive me. Or at least, for some reason, it feels different." Josh raised a brow. "All I told you was that he was staying with me. I never made it clear that Jackson should tell you about what happened that day, but don't you think that makes me partly to blame?" She frowned, shaking her head. "Josh, you shouldn't have had to tell him to come clean, and I know you didn't know I wasn't aware still." "That may be true, K, but I can't say I didn't think Randy needed to leave too. You didn't
Chapter 61:Her eyes opened.Josh looked perplexed."Randy lied, over and over. And you still believed him over Jackson, K. So is it the fact he lied, or is it because you're scared of getting hurt? Also, I can't tell you how to feel, just like on the beach, it has to come from you. But K, it's up to you to weigh out the cons and the pros."Kaitlyn could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Josh's words were like a knife, but she refused to recoil from the truth in them."You're right. I need to think about this some more." She leaned against his arm, he raised his arm to hug her sideways. Instinctively, she leaned into it, seeking the comfort his embrace would provide.He was always the boulder, the older brother she always wanted. She was grateful to him."What if I'm not strong enough to figure out the right answer?"He squeezed her arm, before pulling back. "What did I tell you bef
Chapter 62:Kaitlyn wondered when the radio silence would finally come to an end.It had been days, with constant feedback from both Spencer and Hannah, about the missing man they each cared about deeply. None of them knew where he was staying, but he had at least made contact with Spencer out of all of them. It stung a bit to know he hadn’t chosen to reach out to her, but she was grateful that he at least didn’t abandon all of them. Apparently he had made plans to visit the both of them soon, before promptly disconnecting his phone. Kaitlyn was sure he did so to stop her from calling.It seemed, the only person he was truly avoiding…was her. Jackson’s words reverberated inside her head; that he was done with both Randy and her. The hurt that had been in his eyes still haunted her, and as she realized that her talk with Josh might have been for nothing, her lashes folded down. Jackson was making it
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