Bye-Bye Jerk, Hello Mr. Right

I knew Lena wouldn’t reply right away, not at this hour. So, I closed the chat and scrolled through my social media feed.

The first thing that popped up was a post from Steve–candid shots from last night, everyone clinking glasses and laughing.

But what caught my eye wasn’t the celebration. It was a hand in the corner of the photo. Jace’s hand. I recognized it instantly because of the ring. The one I gave him.

A weird mix of embarrassment and regret hit me hard. That ring was part of a matching set. I still had the other one. I’d bought them for $99.90 with my first paycheck when I turned eighteen.

I’d worn the women’s version and gave him the men’s. He teased me back then, saying I was trying to lock him down or something. But after that, he never wore it again.

When I hinted at it, he just brushed it off, saying wearing something like that would only invite ridicule.

It was too cheap.

I got it. A guy like Jace couldn’t be caught dead with a

ap ring.

But that ring meant something to me. It was the first thing I bought with my own money. After he brushed

it off, I never mentioned it again, and he never wore it. But now, there it was in that photo.

I couldn’t help but wonder, “What’s he trying to do? What’s he trying to say?‘

I didn’t know, and I didn’t want to waste time guessing.

Still, seeing that ring again stung. It reminded me of the old me–always careful, always chasing after Jace, always feeling like I was reaching up to him.

Lena’s message pinged, snapping me out of my thoughts.

[Who’d you sleep with?] She was always blunt.

I stared at her message, still rattled by the sight of Jace with that ring on his finger.

[Jace?] she asked next.

Then, [No way it was him.]

[Was it Hayden?] Content held by NôvelDrama.Org.

Bingo. She knew me too well to be wrong.

[If a guy and a girl crash in the same room and nothing goes down, there’s only one explanation– the guy’s got issues.] Classic–Lena.

Hayden’s got issues?

My mind flashed to Hayden’s lean, muscular frame, and I knew Lena’s theory was way off.

Nope, the problem definitely wasn’t with Hayden. Which left… me.

The thought that I couldn’t even compete with a pregnant widow for Jace made me shake my head and

+35 BONUS

close the chat, Ignoring Lena’s messages.

I

“Keira, you weren’t in bed last night. Where’d you go? I texted you, but you didn’t reply,” Demi asked, her voice groggy from just waking up.

I didn’t think she’d notice, considering she usually slept like a log.

Feeling guilty, I looked away. “I went for a run.”

Demi’s eyes widened. “You went for a run in the middle of the night? Are you self–torturing, or were you just too horny to sleep?”

Her logic never ceased to amaze me.

“Shut up,” I shot her a look.

so why were you runnin

in the middle of the night?” Demi pressed, still not buying it.

I dodged her question and told her to hurry up and get ready. We had a lot of work to do downstairs.

She was as relentless as ever. “Keira, you’re gonna burn yourself out. Maybe take it easy before you snap or something

just sighed.

Demi trailed after me as we headed downstairs to the restaurant for breakfast. The moment we walked in, we spotted Hayden already sitting there, halfway through his meal.

“Good morning, Mr. Hart!” Demi chirped, all bright and bubbly.

Hayden gave a quick nod. “Morning.”

I avoided his gaze and nudged Demi, trying to get her to come with me to pick out our breakfast. But she had other plans. Grabbing my bag, she grinned and said, “Keira, I’ll eat whatever you eat. You go pick, and I’ll hold our spot.”

I just stared at her, speechless.

Demi shot me a wink, clearly wanting more time with Hayden, leaving me no room to protest.

The truth? I seriously didn’t want to sit with Hayden.

I was about to trudge over to the food stations when Hayden’s voice cut through the air. “Ms. Young, I can hold the spot for you both. It’s better if you get your own breakfast.”