Cherished (Wanted #4)(25)
Author: Kelly Elliott

I turned around the bend, and the first cabana came into sight. The small front porches faced out to the ocean. I thought about how nice it would have been to sit and watch the sunset with Jessie. I glanced down at the map and found that Jessie’s cabana should be around the next tree.

I saw her the instant I rounded the tree. She was standing in front of a guy who was leaning up against the railing. I stopped dead in my tracks. He had his hand on the side of her face, and she was smiling at him. Her smile almost dropped me to my knees.

He’s helping me get over Scott.

He must have said something to her because she let out a small laugh. I was frozen. I couldn’t even muster the energy to turn and walk away. I watched as he pushed a piece of loose hair behind her ear before dropping his hand down to his side.

Jessie must have sensed someone watching them because she looked up, and her eyes captured mine. Her smile faded just a bit, and my heart started breaking all over again.

How stupid of me to come here. I knew I could possibly find her in the arms of another man, but now…now, my worst fears have come true.

She just stood there and stared at me. The prick turned and looked at me. One look at him, and I wanted to beat his fucking ass. I turned and started to walk back to the hotel lobby. I just needed to find Lark and have him fly me back to Texas. I would pay twice as much just to get me off this fucking island.

“Scott!” Jessie called out.

I picked up my pace and tried to get back to the car as fast as I could.

“Scott, wait! Please wait.”

Oh my god. I can’t believe how stupid I was. Why did she leave a message and tell me she loved me when she’s been with another man this whole time?

I heard her running up behind me. She grabbed on to my arm and pulled it, trying to get me to stop.

“Scott, please stop!”

I turned to see her beautiful eyes filled with nothing but sadness.

“Scott, what in the world are you doing here? How did you find me? I mean…how did you get here with the storm and all? I just called you yesterday.”

I glanced up and saw the dirty rotten bastard standing down the pathway. I looked back at Jessie. “I got your message, but I guess I misunderstood.”

She looked confused and shook her head. “What do you mean? Misunderstood what, Scott?”

I let out a gruff laugh. “The part when you said you loved me. I’ve been going crazy, not knowing where you were. When you told me you were in Belize, I knew I needed to get to you, but…” I glanced over to her friend and then quickly looked back at Jessie. “But I see your friend has done a pretty damn good job of helping you forget me.”

I spun around and walked away as I heard her suck in a breath of air.

“Scott…no. Please don’t walk away from me.”

It sounded like she was crying, but I didn’t care. I needed to get away from him…and her. I made my way back into the lobby and into the bar. I saw Lark still talking to the girl who he had followed into the bar.

I walked up to him and smiled at her. “Excuse me. Lark, I’m leaving, and I have no idea how to get back to the house.”

“Oh no, dude. Did you find her?”

I nodded and looked away. “Yeah, can we just head back? I’ll pay you double to take me back to Texas.”

Lark stood up and reached for his wallet. He pulled out some cash and threw it onto the bar as he said his good-byes to the girl.

As we made our way out of the bar, I saw Jessie standing there.

“Scott, please don’t leave me. Please.”

She walked up to me, and as she reached out to touch me, I took a step away from her.

She instantly threw her hands up to her mouth and started crying as she shook her head. “He’s just a friend. Please don’t do this. Please forgive me for running away. Scott, I thought that was you with Chelsea, and I just—”

“So, you know it wasn’t me?” I asked her, watching as the tears rolled down her face.

She nodded.

“Your dad told you?”

She shook her head. “It just finally hit me. It couldn’t have been you because I know you love me too much, and…the more I played it over and over in my head, the more I realized it wasn’t your voice I’d heard calling out after me. I think I knew it all along in my heart. It just took my head a bit longer to catch up.”

“I’ll say, Jessie. It’s been over a month. What about the postcard you sent to your dad? You said you’d met someone.”

She started shaking her head again as she began crying harder. “No…oh god, no. I didn’t mean it like that, Scott. I didn’t mean that I’d found someone else. It’s just…Trey was here because his fiancée had left him at the altar, and we started up a friendship. We both helped each other forget the hurt for a little while.”

I felt the tears burning my eyes, and I did everything I could to hold them back. “How did he help you forget the hurt, Jessie? Did you go for walks along the beach? Or maybe romantic dinners out each night? What about a little bit of dancing under the stars? That should have been you and me, Jessie, not you and him.”

The moment she looked into my eyes, I knew she felt more for this guy than she was admitting. I felt sick when I saw that look on her face. I turned and headed toward the car.

“Scott, stop!”

I kept going, but then Lark grabbed my arm to stop me.

“Dude, if you leave, make sure you know what you’re walking away from.”

I shook my head and went to move again when I heard Jessie trying to say something through her crying.

“Scott, I’m…I’m…pregnant.”

I stopped dead in my tracks. What? Pregnant? Oh. My. God.

My legs started to buckle out from underneath me. Lark reached out and grabbed me as I tried to get my legs to work.

“Scott…oh my god!” Jessie called out.

I felt my legs go out, and Lark slowly let me go down to the ground.

She’s pregnant. With my child or…

Jessie ran up to me and dropped to her knees. “Scott, are you okay?”

I looked into her eyes, and I couldn’t hold back my tears anymore. “Is…is it his baby or…or mine?” I asked.

The look on her face turned to one of pure shock, and then it was replaced with sadness. My whole world just stopped with that look, and all I wanted to do was sleep. I was so tired all of a sudden.

I’m so damn tired.

The moment Scott asked me if the baby was his or Trey’s, I wanted to throw up. He thinks I’ve been sleeping with Trey. Oh god. Then, the guilt of letting Trey kiss me and touch me swept over my whole body, and I was pretty sure Scott noticed it as well.