Page 60 of Just Is Not Enough

“Over the next few months, I noticed him watching you on different platforms more than a few times. I finally asked him who you were. He had never caught me before, so when I made it known that I noticed he didn’t take it well. I got accused of snooping and was told you were just a friend from college. So, I let it go. I didn’t think anything further about it, until the night we saw you at Luke’s restaurant.” She looks down at her hands, fiddling with her cuticles. “It was a spur of the moment dinner. I thought he was trying to be nice and spend time with me. We had been arguing a lot lately the couple months before that night. When we passed your table, I noticed you and the look on your face when you saw him. When he followed you to the bathroom I was afraid to go see what was going on. I knew he would be mad.” Marissa pauses taking a few deep breaths.

“Did he hurt you, Marissa?” I had to ask her.

“Let’s just say he’s a scary man when he’s angry, but I have a feeling you were already aware of that a long time ago.”

I nod, reaching out I take her hand in mine to comfort her.

“When Luke walked you out of the restaurant, I knew there was more to what was going on between you two. I never mentioned it to Tyler, though. I started searching his office for anything I could find when he wasn’t home. I watched your social media posts and noticed every time you made plans to go somewhere, suddenly Tyler had plans with his friends.”

“A couple weeks ago I followed him out and saw him go into that big bar, The Garden. I didn’t go in being too afraid he would see me. But when I saw you and Luke come out a little while later, he followed you out.” Marissa cheeks turn red.

Mine mimic hers already knowing what she’s witnessed.

“I saw him watching you both. I think that’s when it really hit me. I knew this wasn’t just old friends that had a spat or something. Then I followed him again yesterday afternoon after I saw him infuriatingly typing on a phone that wasn’t his. It was one of those pay-per-use burner phones. I saw what happened outside your office. I was dialing the police when your friend came up and stopped Tyler.”

“I followed you home, sorry.” She half laughs at her apology. I smile in return. “I saw Jackson running into the building a few minutes after you. With him looking so much like Luke, I figured he knew something was going on, as well.”

“When Tyler came home all banged up this morning I confronted him. Told him I knew everything, and he needed to stop what he was doing. He became erratic telling me it’s over and he never wanted me anyway. He started packing his bags, so I figured he was just leaving, until I heard him mumbling to himself. It was about you.”

Marissa look behind her at Jackson as he nods to her. “I didn’t know your name, so I started scouring the internet them. I found Jackson by making the connections between their last name, the restaurant’s name, and Luke’s profile. I was going to go to Luke first, but when I saw Jackson was a cop I went to the precinct looking for him. Told them everything that I witnessed over the past year.”

“Micah reached out to me to verify what Marissa claimed about yesterday. I was near the precinct, so I went to meet up with them. I called you as soon as we left the precinct to come here. When you didn’t answer I called Luke.”

My mind is attempting to process everything Marissa told us, “So, he’s been following me for how long? Since you got married?”

“Honestly, Kaden, I think it was way before that. Probably since you guys graduated. He was always guarded when looking at his phone or talking about any of his friends during dental school. It seemed he was content watching you from afar, until Luke came into your life.”

Luke grips onto me from behind me on the couch. “He mentioned something in the text messages about the party where Luke and I met. He must have followed me there.”

“He was probably watching us all night.” Luke’s assumption is in line with mine.

“I can’t believe I was that oblivious.”

“Kaden, you couldn’t have known he was following you. He obviously did a good job at hiding it from all of us.” Marissa tries to ease my mind.

“This isn’t on you. Don’t let him make you feel any worse about yourself than he already has.” Luke kisses my temple, pulling me into his embrace.

“Jackson, what happens to him now?” Luke asks the question that was on the tip of my tongue.

“I don’t know exactly, but I’m sure he’ll be charged with assault and restraining Kaden, and with all that Marissa witnessed and our corroboration, I think stalking will be on that list, too. As for him going to jail for more than a couple months, it depends on the judge and if he considers the other offenses and the degree of the assault. Tyler strangling Kaden doesn’t help his situation.”

“So, he may essentially get a slap on the wrist?” Marissa is the concerned one now.

Jackson doesn’t respond, all of us already knowing the answer.

The silence is deafening.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Say it with Me – “I Am Enough”

Two Months Later

Kaden

Ican’tresiststaringatLuke getting dressed to go out tonight. How did I get so lucky?

“If you keep undressing me with your eyes before I’m even fully dressed, we’ll never get out the door.” I got caught.

---