Page 821 of Not Over You

“That’s not what I think at all. I just…” I stop talking and turn to face Caleb. “Leave.”

“Only if she asks me to.”

I stalk toward him, stopping when we’re face to face, so close I can feel the heat of his breath. “I said leave.”

Kai steps between us. “Enough.” She places her hand on my chest, instantly calming me. “Jaxon, calm down.”

“Kai. If this were anyone else, he wouldn’t be breathing right now. Trust me, I’m calm.”

Caleb laughs out loud. “Listen, I don’t know what’s going on here, but unlike you, I was invited. And I’m not leaving unless Kai asks me to.”

Kai turns to face Caleb. “Caleb, I need to talk to Jaxon alone, please.”

He nods and takes a step back. “I’ll get my shirt another time and my offer for dinner still stands.”

She walks him to the door. “Sorry about all of this.”

Sorry? What does she have to be sorry for? He shouldn’t have been here to begin with. Caleb takes a step outside but turns around. He looks past Kai and directly into my eyes. I shake my head, asking him to not do what I know he’s about to do. To allow me to be the one to tell her the truth. But he doesn’t. “By the way, Jaxon, how’s your wife doing?”

Kai closes the door and spins around. Her eyes are red and rimmed with tears. “What is he talking about, Jaxon?”

“Not until you tell me what’s going on. Why was he here?” She storms into the living room, and I quickly follow her. “Are you sleeping with my brother?”

“Up until a minute ago, I didn’t know you had a brother.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter. All of it matters, Jaxon. The lies. The secrets. I couldn’t trust you then, and I can’t trust you now.”

She paces the floor. She’s angry and hurt, just as I knew she would be. “Kai…”

She stops. “Don’t you say another word.” I clamp my mouth shut, waiting for her cue before I speak again. She breathes heavily and plops down on the sofa. She buries her head in her hands for a few seconds, then looks up at me. “You’re married?” Her voice cracks when she asks the question.

I lower myself beside her slowly, and when I’m seated, I answer her question. “I was.”

“When?”

“It happened not long after we broke up.”

Tears fall as she asks her next question. “Is that why you broke it off with me? Because you were in love with someone else?”

I shake my head. “No.”

Confusion sets in. “Then why? Why would you break up with me, then marry someone else right away?”

I inch closer but not too close. “It’s not what you think.”

“You got married, Jaxon. You promised to be with someone else forever. How could it not be what I think?”

I place my hand on her knee and take a deep breath. “I wanted to tell you everything. I wanted to tell you then. And I wanted to tell you during our weekend together. But I was so scared of losing you again, I just panicked.”

She moves her knee from under my hand. “Tell me the truth. All of it.”

I nod and take a deep breath before I start. “I’ve known Summer since we were kids. We grew up together and were neighbors. Our families always thought we’d end up together, but the truth of the matter was that we just weren’t into each other like that. We grew up, went our separate ways, and I saw her for the first time almost two years ago when we both happened to be visiting our parents. She invited me to her uncle’s wedding, and I agreed. Well, we got wasted. One thing led to another, and we slept together. We barely even remembered what happened the next day.” I shake my head as I continue. “We were both mortified and agreed to pretend that it never happened. We were better off as friends, and we didn’t want anything getting in the way of that. So, we forgot about it and went our separate ways again. I met you not long afterwards and fell in love with you.”

Kai is crying softly, and although I want to stop and console her, I know that I can’t. I have to keep talking, even though it’s hurting her. “I never felt for anyone the way I feel for you. I was going to ask you to marry me. But then I got a phone call from Summer. She told me she was pregnant. We were too drunk and too stupid to wear a condom.”

“You have a baby?”

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