Chapter 86: 86

HAYLEY’S P.O.V

I was shaking by the time I got to Jake’s office.

Everyone seemed to recognize me. I wasn’t shocked, my face was plastered all over their TVs a while ago with Jake. They knew who I was to him and on another day, I would’ve been concerned about it but today, I couldn’t bring myself to care.

I took the elevator up to his office and met his secretary at her desk. She looked up at me with a professional smile but as soon as she realized it was me, the smile disappeared. If there was any doubts in my mind that she wanted Jake, it was gone in that moment. She stared at me like a jealous girlfriend.

“Mr. Ryker isn’t in his office,” she told me, a smug smile on her face. “As his girlfriend, I thought he would have told you that.”

I just stared at her blankly and made to step past her but she was quick to get into my way.

“Move,” I didn’t even bother to try and keep the disdain out of my voice. She was pissing me off.

“No one is allowed to go into his office. If you’re truly dating him, you should know all of this. If he didn’t tell you that he isn’t around then chances are that he doesn’t really want to see you. You should leave now before you embarrass yourself further.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Do we have an issue, Charlie?”

“It’s Cheyenne,” her cheeks burned bright. “The only issue here is that you don’t want to leave. Look, I know how it is. He’s a handsome man and he’s older. It’s called daddy issues because you think he will give you the attention that your father doesn’t give you,”

“Are you done?” I asked.

The situation was more amusing than I thought it would be. In a bid to try and put me in my place, she inadvertently revealed more about herself.

Her cheeks burned even brighter when she realized I wasn’t rising to her bait. I knew people like her and I had no interest in playing her game. I simply brushed past her, ignoring her protests and pushed Jake’s office door open.

To my utter surprise, there he was. He stood behind his desk, watching the street through the glass. I cast a glance over at Cheyenne over my shoulder and she didn’t even have the decency to look embarrassed, she just crossed her arms over her chest in defiance.

I didn’t shut the door, instead, I made sure she was watching as I crossed the length of the room and stopped in front of Jake.

“I’m going to do something,” I whispered, “and I need you to be okay with it.”

He didn’t even hesitate. “Do it.”

Before I could talk myself out of it, I grabbed his tie and yanked him down for a kiss. It was petty to kiss him in front of her just to prove a point but sometimes, petty was all we needed. It was clear that Cheyenne was never going to stay in her lane unless she was forced to and I had no issues with forcing her.

Jake didn’t even flinch as I kissed him. One hand grabbed my hips while the other tangled in my hair as he kissed me back. He enjoyed the show just as much as I did and I vaguely heard her slam the door as she stormed off.

That should have been enough reason for me to pull back but I didn’t, I kissed him deeper. Everything else drifted away, every worry and every fear seemed to melt with the kiss.

We broke apart to catch our breaths and I couldn’t help but notice that Jake was grinning from ear to ear.

“That was something,” he mused as he took his seat. He pulled me into his lap, his hand resting easily on my thighs. “Do you want her gone?”

I thought about it for a moment. I knew he would do it without hesitation if I asked but at the end of the day, was it necessary?

“No,” I said finally. “I think she’ll hate it more if she stays.”

He just shrugged. It was always so easy with him, it was a yes or a no.

“While I did enjoy your display of jealousy,” Jake drawled. “There is a reason you came here. What’s wrong?’

Just like that, the ease in the air was gone and was replaced with tension. It was so easy to forget just how worried I was earlier. When I was with Jake, it was easy to pretend like things were fine.

“Marie happened,” I ground out. “She is the one who brought Andrea here.”

His brows furrowed in confusion. “How does Marie know about Andrea? She never met your father, not when she was with me.”

“I don’t know,” I shrugged. “She must have done her research or something because Andrea let it slip. I should have known because why else would she suddenly decide to come for me? She didn’t want me before, it doesn’t make any sense that she would want me now.”

“Any normal person would want you, Hayley.”

I snorted.

Jake was silent for a moment and I couldn’t understand why until he lifted me by my hips and placed me on the table. He stood to his feet, easily towering over me and on a normal day, Jake’s height didn’t intimidate me, if anything, it excited me, but there was something about it today that had me swallowing deeply.

“Andrea is a fool to not want you or know you. You are an amazing young woman and she missed out on the opportunity of a lifetime.”

I rolled my eyes but it was only to hide the fact that tears had gathered behind my lids. He placed a soft kiss on my forehead, his lips lingering for longer than they should have.

“I’ll handle Marie,” he whispered and I pulled back.

“Are you sure?”

“She’s my problem, I’ll be fine. Nick can drive you home. I’m sure your father is waiting for you.”

“Can I go to yours instead?” I asked softly. “I just- I’m not ready to be home right now.”

His eyes softened considerably but there was no sign of pity in them. “Of course, I’ll be home soon.”

Nick didn’t ask any questions when I asked him to drive me to Jake’s house. It was part of the reasons I liked him, he was funny and treated me like a normal person but most of all, he didn’t ask. He just did what he was told to and ignored the rest.

I expected the house to be empty when I got in. Kate had classes and I thought Carmine would’ve gone somewhere but to my surprise, she sat in the living room, her legs crossed underneath her and a tub of ice cream in her hands.

“Hayley!” she exclaimed once she saw me. “I didn’t know you were coming.”

I glanced at the screen in front of her. “Gossip girl? Really?”

She shrugged. “It’s my guilty pleasure. You can’t tell me that you don’t have one of your own.”

“I like Criminal Minds,” I offered and she stared at me for a long moment before shrugging and tapping the spot next to her.

I must have hesitated for too long because she spoke. “I don’t bite, I swear.”

I figured there was nothing better to do so I made my way over to her. I was grateful for picking out a pantsuit today instead of a skirt because I could cross my legs as well as the series played on in front of us.

“You smell like Jake’s cologne,” she mused. “I’m guessing you went to see him.”

I hummed but when I noticed the glint in her eyes, my cheeks warmed. “We had to talk about something related to Marie. I promise it is not what you’re thinking.”

She laughed. “I wasn’t even saying anything.”

“You didn’t have to.”

She placed the melting ice cream on the table and turned to me. “I haven’t said this yes and I know it may not mean much but you’re good for him.”

“You’re his oldest friend, of course it means much to me.”

It meant a lot more than it should have actually. She was the only person excluding my father who knew Jake. Of course I wanted to have a good relationship with her for his sake.

“He’s a better person when you’re around,” she continued. “Thank you for bringing that out of him.”

I shook my head. “He has always been a good person.”

“It’s different with you, just trust me on that,” she reached out and squeezed my hand softly. “You bring out the best in him and I cannot thank you enough for that.”