Caught in Us (Caught Series Book 4) by Kacey Shea (free e books to read TXT) 📕

“Good answer.” She grins. Her brows lift and her gaze darts to mine. “Hey! You should come to my bachelorette party!” Jill says, and her enthusiasm feels authentic. It warms my heart that she would want me there. It must mean I haven’t completely shattered the chance of rebuilding our friendship, and that gives me so much hope. “That is, if you can. You probably already have plans and I know it’s last minute.”

“No. Thank you.” I smile. “I’d love to.”

Jill grins. “I’ll text you the details.”

“Perfect.”

“And Simon can join the guys,” Jill offers, glancing at her fiancé. “That’d be okay, right?”

“Uh, sure.” Cam glances at Chase and then Jill. “He’s welcome to join us.”

“Oh, that’s okay.” I shake my head. I don’t think Simon would be interested, and anyway, I need someone responsible to stay with Matthew. “He’ll have to stay with Matty.”

“Your parents won’t watch Matthew?” Jill asks.

“Um.” I swallow hard. I wish I could tell her about my father’s reality after his stroke and my mom’s spiraling behavior. But I don’t want to put that on her, not days before her wedding. “He doesn’t really know them. Not enough to be comfortable at bedtime.”

“Oh, right,” Jill says in that way people respond when they are trying to be polite.

“He’s a cute kid,” Cam says.

He is. He reminds me of his father every damn day. “Thanks.” It takes all of my strength not to look at Chase. I wonder if he knows. With each passing hour I forget why exactly it was so important not to tell him. What once felt like life and death, now seems cruel and deceitful.

“Uh, Chase.” Cam nods toward the window. “Your cat is on the loose again.”

“Oh, shit.” Chase pushes from the table and opens the back door. His lips purse together and with his next exhale a long whistle pierces the air. A few seconds later, a grey cat bounds through the door.

The cat looks strikingly similar to the box of strays we rescued. “Is that—?”

“Paws.” Chase bends down to scoop up the animal. “I couldn’t give them all up, and this little dude’s been with me through thick and thin.”

He was the runt of the litter. I remember.

Chase saunters over, scratching the cat’s head which earns him purrs of approval. “You wanna hold him?”

“He won’t mind?” I ask because Paws is no longer a motherless kitten and I’m practically a stranger.

“He loves everyone,” Chase says, depositing the happy little beast on my lap.

I stroke his soft fur and Paws snuggles in close, letting out an approving meow. “Oh, you’re a friendly little thing.”

“He likes to piss on my grill,” Cam deadpans.

“Probably because he knows you’d like to roast him on it.” Chase’s brows lift, his gaze stern.

Cam shrugs. “I’m more of a dog person.”

Chase rolls his eyes, his attention back on Paws. “How did you get out? Huh?” He reaches out to scratch the cat’s neck, which puts his hand close to my chest. If he notices the hitch in my breath at his proximity, he ignores it completely. “I swear I locked the door this morning when I left.”

“It was me,” a woman says from the open kitchen doorway. She’s tall, her hair pinned back, and wears a sleek business suit. I don’t know who she is, or how she’s in their back yard, but no one seems alarmed by her presence. Except maybe Chase. His body stills, his movement stiff as he straightens his spine and steps away from me.

“I had a break between meetings and decided to swing by since we’ve been missing each other all week. When I saw your truck out front, I assumed you’d be over at your place.” Her brow furrows with concern as she sighs. “Paws must’ve raced out when I wasn’t looking.” She saunters to Chase’s side and wraps her arm around his waist, smiling before she presses a quick kiss on his cheek. She lifts her gaze to Jill. “How’s operation wedding re-org?”

This woman. She’s with Chase.

They’re together.

He’s with someone else.

I’ve missed my chance.

A barrage of realizations hit all at once and steal my ability to act like a normal person. The woman and Jill chat, while her arm stays glued to Chase. I can’t drag my gaze away. I have a hard time processing what I’m seeing. Which is stupid and irrational. Of course he’s moved on. It’s what I told him to do, isn’t it?

I should be happy he found someone. But I’m not. Not even a little. Jealously flares, and while I have no right to it, the emotion is present and all-consuming regardless. Jill talks and laughs with her as if they’re the best of friends. Which is worse. It feels as though I’ve been replaced.

“Oh, Julia, this is my friend, Alicia,” Jill says, drawing my stare up to the woman’s face. “She’s visiting from London. We went to VCU together.” The statements are all true, but somehow it hurts being reduced to an old college friend. There was a time when Jill and I knew everything about each other. We probably still would, but I quashed that.

“Hi!” Julia steps forward with a smile. “It’s so nice to meet you!” She extends her hand, but Paws lets loose a threatening hiss. She yanks her hand back, her eyes wide as she glances at everyone else who appear just as taken aback. “He never does that!” She laughs, but there’s nervous disbelief in the sound.

Chase doesn’t say a word, his gaze averting both her and my stares.

“Only to Cam, but that’s understandable,” Jill agrees, shaking her head with a laugh. “Alicia, you must bring out the guard cat in him.”

I smile, laughing along, but mentally I give Paws a high five. Is it petty? Absolutely.

“Maybe you should get him on payroll.” Cam chuckles.

“I’m a lawyer,” Julia explains.

“But not the evil kind.” Jill flips her hair over one shoulder. “She advocates for children’s rights.”

Oh. Great. She’s basically a saint.

“Shoot.” Julia glances at her watch. “I’ve got to get