Chapter 335: Meet The Friends

Kayla’s POV

The chaos of the mall finally faded behind us as Nathan and I stepped into the underground parking lot.

My legs felt like jelly, my heart still racing from the fake proposal, the public kiss, and that vicious showdown with the blonde.

I had completely forgotten about the grocery shopping I came for. No empanadas, no cazuela, nothing. Holly was going to have to settle for takeout.

I reached my car, leaned heavily against the driver’s side door, and exhaled like I’d been holding my breath for the last twenty minutes.

Sweat prickled on my forehead. I lifted a hand to wipe it away…only to realize I was still gripping someone’s hand.

Nathan’s hand. Warm, calloused, way too steady.

I let go like it burned me, jerking back so fast I almost smacked my elbow on the mirror.

Nathan stood there with this boyish grin splitting his face, his ears bright red. The flush looked completely out of place against the rugged bad-boy leather jacket, tattoos, and dangerous vibe, but damn it… it looked cute.

Cute?

I slapped myself on the cheek…hard enough to sting.

Get it together, Kayla. Caden looks cute. Puppies look cute. You are supposed to be fighting for custody of your son, not fawning over some random mall-drama king with a fake diamond the size of a golf ball.

I guess Holly and I would just order Chinese takeout tonight and call it a night. Simple. Safe. No more surprises popping out of mall corners.

“Weren’t they supposed to be at the airport already?” I muttered to myself, checking my phone. “Why hasn’t anyone called me yet?”

Nathan cleared his throat beside me…loudly, deliberately…like a man reminding the universe that he refused to be ignored.

I jumped. My heart did a full somersault and filed a complaint.

He was still there. Of course he was. Hands tucked casually into his jacket pockets, leaning like he had nowhere else to be, watching me with that same infuriating, unbothered grin. The kind that suggested he had already decided how this conversation would end…and I was just lagging behind.

“Why are you still here?” I snapped, exasperation spilling over. “Shoo now. Go. Go back inside and apologize to your fiancée…or girlfriend…or whatever title she’s currently holding. I have enough chaos on my plate and I’m not accepting new subscriptions.”

“I don’t want Angela,” he said, completely unfazed. “I want you.”

He said it so casually. Like he was asking for water. Or directions. Or my Netflix password.

I stared at him. “You want me? You don’t even know me.”

“I know you.” His grin deepened, eyes glinting with something dangerously close to amusement. “You’re Kayla…my wife.”

Right.

Okay.

Fantastic. He's insane.

So this was how I died. Not in a tragic accident. Not heroically. But standing outside a building, being calmly claimed by a very attractive lunatic with excellent posture.

I blinked at him slowly, raising a hand between us like I could physically pause reality.

“Alright,” I said, voice flat. “Time out. You don’t just walk up to someone, ignore your fiancée, and then casually rebrand them as your wife. That’s not how life works. That’s not even how delusion works. There are steps.”

He didn’t move. Didn’t blink. Just kept looking at me like I was the one being unreasonable.

And somehow…that was the most unsettling part.

I exhaled and yanked the massive diamond ring off my finger and slammed it into his palm. “Here. Take your ring back. I'm not your wife anymore. Problem solved.”

He didn’t move an inch. Instead, he gave me this hurt puppy look…eyes wide, shoulders slightly slumped, like a dog that had been left out in the rain and abandoned by its owner. It was pitiful. Really pitiful.

I groaned. “Where’s your actual owner? Go away. Shoo.”

He still didn’t leave. Just stood there looking heartbreakingly sad.

Argh! Why is he looking like I scammed him out of his life savings?

“Fine,” I muttered, unlocking my car. “I’m heading to the airport to pick up my friend. You do whatever you want.”

I got in, started the engine, and…he got into the passenger seat like it was the most natural thing in the world.

I was too tired and too drained to argue anymore. Somehow my motherly instincts had flared up and I’d accidentally brought the stray along. Great. Just great.

I pulled out of the driveway in silence, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter than necessary, like it might help me steer my life back into something resembling normal.

Beside me, Nathan sat like he belonged there.

Comfortable. Relaxed. Like this wasn’t completely unhinged behavior.

For a few blessed seconds, there was silence.

Then…

“So…you’re picking up a friend?” he asked, tone light, like we were on a casual afternoon drive and not in the middle of whatever this situation was.

I didn’t respond.

I kept my eyes on the road, expression locked, jaw tight.

He waited.

“Close friend?” he tried again.

Silence.

I adjusted the rearview mirror. Checked my blind spot. Did everything except acknowledge his existence.

Another pause.

“…Male or female?” he asked, like it mattered. Like he had any right to that information.

I exhaled slowly through my nose.

Still nothing.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him shift slightly in his seat. Not uncomfortable…just… recalibrating. Like he was trying to figure out which version of persistence would work best on me.

“You drive fast when you’re irritated,” he observed casually.

No reaction.

“I like it,” he added.

Nothing.

The car filled with a thick, deliberate silence…the kind that wasn’t empty, but heavy. Intentional. Weaponized.

And finally…he got the message.

Nathan leaned back into his seat, hands folding loosely in his lap, his earlier ease dimming just a fraction. His jaw tightened, and for the first time since he’d decided to ruin my day, he went quiet.

Completely quiet.

No more questions.

No more comments.

No more attempts.

Just the low hum of the engine, the radio playing low, and the road stretching endlessly ahead of us.

When I finally pulled into the arrivals parking lot and stepped out, I spotted Holly immediately. She was waving like crazy, David standing beside her looking protective as always.

Relief hit me so hard my eyes stung.

Thank God Caden is finally safe.

I rushed forward and pulled Holly into a tight hug. We both started crying silently, the kind of tears that come when you’ve been holding everything in for too long.

“I’m back,” Holly whispered against my hair, squeezing me harder. “You don’t have to worry anymore. We’re going to destroy that guy for good. I’ll teach Caleb a lesson he’ll never forget—”

She stopped mid-sentence, pulling back slightly. Her eyes narrowed over my shoulder.

“Who the hell is that hot guy behind you?”

David cleared his throat loudly as though saying, ‘Hey! Shouldn't I be the only hot guy you know?’

Holly rolled her eyes. “Sorry…who the hell is that cold guy behind you?”

I exhaled, long and exhausted. “It’s a long story. But for some reason, I can’t seem to get rid of him.”

Holly studied Nathan for a second, then looked back at me with a mix of amusement and concern.

“Kayla… did you take in another stray? I’ve told you a thousand times…not to get fooled by the puppy eyes and the sad looks.”

I exhaled again, rubbing my face.

That’s my biggest weakness. I can’t say no, especially if the person looks so pitiful.

And, there’s something about Nathan… like he’s a child wearing an adult costume that happens to have tattoos all over it.

“I don't know how it happened, Hols. Somehow my motherly instincts just flared and I ended up bringing him along to the airport.”

Nathan stepped forward.

The downtrodden puppy vibe vanished instantly. In its place was the full bad-boy dangerous energy…shoulders squared, jaw set, eyes sharp.

The shift was so sudden it gave me whiplash. Who the hell was this guy? Did he have multiple personality disorders or something?

He extended a hand toward Holly and David, voice smooth and confident. “Nathan Conrad. Nice to meet my wife’s friends.”

Holly and David looked at each other, then back at me in perfect sync, eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

“Wife?!” They both echoed at the same time.

The tension hung thick in the air as Holly’s mouth opened and closed, clearly ready to demand the full story, while David’s protective instincts kicked in and he subtly moved closer to Holly.

Nathan just stood there with a small, satisfied smirk, like he was enjoying every second of the chaos he’d caused.

I rubbed my temples again. This day was never going to end.