After Rylee pulls out of the driveway I feel Poppy's hands pulling me back into the house. I didn't expect to open my door and see her, much less she her in the scrubs that hug her ass in all the right places and her tight little shirt that encases her perky boobs. I don't even know what just kind of happened, but I know she doesn't want shit to do with me and the fact that she came to apologize means she really does have a heart.

And maybe even has developed a soft spot for me.

"Come on let's go to a late lunch since we haven't ate yet, there's this place near my apartment I want to try, it's a taco place but it has good reviews and I've never been." Poppy tells me rubbing my chest as she looks up at me smiling.

"Umm yeah. Give me a few minutes to make some work calls." I tell her as she nods. "I'll go finish my hair and makeup." She tells me as I nod and she's off towards the master.

I immediately go to my office and sit down before calling Carter. He's married and he'll know how to handle this shit. "Carter I need your help." I tell him immediately looking at the time. I've got to be in the gym in two hours anyway.

"What's wrong now?" He asks as I tell him everything that happened these past two days with her, Poppy and everything. But I don't tell him that we kissed because I told her it'd never get out and it won't. I wouldn't do that to her, I respect her too much to do that.

"Fuck man." He tells me as I sigh. "How did you know to marry Maggie?" I ask him referring to his wife.

"Jax if you want me to be honest it's a little bit of what you're going through right now." He tells me as I palm my damn forehead. What in the actual hell is wrong with me? I'm twenty seven years old and I know how to take care of myself.

"Fuck me." I tell him as he laughs. "I don't want to be out of her life but I know she wants me out." I tell him looking out the window and sitting back in my desk chair.

"Send her flowers. Just wish her the best in life and I promise you that shit will work. Maggie wouldn't even go on a date with me for a year because I had a reputation but I sent her flowers and she finally caved after some convincing. I know Rylee's with someone right now but, maybe she'll realize she likes you too." He tells me as I sigh and open my laptop.

The first thing that pops up is a flower box with same day delivery and I order her a huge box with a pink color scheme. It even has reviews that show ladies loving it so I place the order and look through apartments in Atlanta before finding hers and sending them there. I put her name on the label and scan in a handwritten note to go with it. I don't say much, taking Carter's advice as I slowly make my way into her heart, I know I'm going too.

"Don't call or text, it makes you seem desperate. Plant the seed and don't do shit." He tells me as I smile.

"I'm taking your advice don't mess me up on this one." I tell him as he laughs. "No it'll work. I've got to go, I'll see you in a few hours." He tells me hanging up as I close my laptop and open my office doors. I don't know why I have a office, I don't use it for much at all.

I walk through the house before going into my master and seeing Poppy in the bathroom curling her hair. She's changed into a sundress with small white sneakers on her feet and she looks sexy with the deep cut of the neckline.

"You look good." I tell her waiting in the bathroom door frame as she smiles at me. "Thanks. Now go put on something besides dark wash jeans and a hoodie." She tells me as I smile and walk past her to my closet. I pinch her hip as she laughs and I go get clothes changing for her.

We're out the door in twenty minutes and lunch is good, I just can't quit thinking about what Rylee thinks of my gift once I know it's been delivered.

___

Once I've got myself together, I've got everything done. That's why I am cleaning and really taking time for our home to look nice. I take pride here and I want it to be the best it can be. After finding the number I don't know what to think. But Jax didn't lie, and his flower gesture was so incredibly sweet. Jacob has never bought me flowers for anything and Jax just did, it's something I'll never forget.

I finish dinner and cut off the burners to the chicken Alfredo as the door handle unlocks and Jacob walks in. I'm standing at the stove with my back turned to him because I can't look at his face without knowing I'm going to cry.

I really thought things were so much better between us, and now, after finding the number in his pocket, I'm second guessing every choice I've made the past few days.

"Hey baby." I hear him as I stay still with my arms across my chest staring down at the Alfredo. I'm not hungry at all, I ran to the bathroom and cried my eyes out when I found that number. On top of it my periods on and it's got me extra emotional about everything.

"RJ?" He asks as I stay still and tears fall down my cheeks. I'm such a damn cry baby, that's all I do about my problems.

"RJ?" He asks again as he steps behind me and tries to turn me but I push his hands off of me. "Don't touch me." I tell him as I step away.

"I made you dinner. I'm going to bed." I tell him without looking at his face as I walk away to the bedroom. I highly contemplated dumping a bottle of laxative in that pasta sauce so he wouldn't know but I couldn't do it. I'm pissed but I couldn't do it to the guy I love.

"RJ. Stop." He tells me following me to the room as he pulls me around to his face and sees my tears.

"There is not a damn excuse for what I found today. He told me that you had it and I cut off my friendship with him because I knew that he was lying, but he wasn't. I found it." I yell at Jacob as he stands confused.

"The sticky note with the number on it? A girls number? How much do you want to bet that you've been texting her and lying to me about it?" I ask him as he shakes his head no.

"Don't lie to me." I tell him as he shakes his head no again. "I thought about it yeah. Let's cut the bullshit Rylee, you like that Jaxton fuck and you know it. So yeah I thought about talking to her and getting back at you but I haven't done it." He tells me as my heart cracks.

"You're serious?" I ask him as tears fall down my face.

"You-." I go to start when I cut myself off. "You don't know anything about the way I feel. If you must know, Jaxton and I kissed. We full on made out and I felt so bad after it that I told him we could never be friends again. I messed up and I was so sick to my stomach about that. I cut him off because I didn't want that hanging over my head with you." I tell him as he locks his jaw glaring at me.

"I didn't mean for it to happen. It just did, and I couldn't have fucked up more because I liked it. So I didn't tell you because we were so good, finally." I whisper to him as I wipe my salty tears from my face and lips.

"I knew something was going on right in front of my face." He tells me as I look back. "Maybe if you were as kind as him I'd have a best friend who wasn't another guy." I spit out.

"I can't believe you." He tells me as I glare at him.

"Hand me your phone right now then." I demand as I step forward to him and search his pockets.

"Hand me your damn phone Jacob!" I shout as I find it in his back pocket. He tries to stop me but he can't when I open his contacts and find Edwards name. I pull the sticky note out of my pocket and compare the numbers. My fucking suspicion was right and they have been texting for days. He was texting this girl under Edwards name so I wouldn't know who it was.

"You asshole." I tell him throwing his phone at his feet before I find his suitcase in the closet and start packing it for him. I open the drawers taking the whole thing out before dumping them in one of his suitcases.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" He shouts when it's full and I grab trash bags from the kitchen packing all of his shit up. I don't need him and I don't need this.

"I'm breaking up with you, and I'm kicking you out." I tell him as I stuff all his clothes in bags and he stops me by taking my hands and pinning me to the wall so I can't move.

"You can't kick me out my names on the goddamn lease and I pay the bills." He tells me confidently as I reach up and kick him in the balls as hard as I can.

"You don't pay shit and your names not important. The landlord knows who's name is on those checks when they cash the bank and it's not Jacob Thomas. Make sure your girl though, make sure she knows that you pay all the bills when she's fucking you tonight." I spit at him as I walk back into the bedroom. I pack up all his clothes and shoes until there's no resemblance of anything he has left besides a few pictures of us on the nightstand.

Remembering all his shit from there too I open it up and pack all of it. Until I get to the bottom drawer and open it to see a small box hid in the back. I open it and I can't breathe when I see a engagement ring sitting in the cushion with the receipt. What pisses me off is that the receipt is from almost six years ago. Meaning he was twenty when he bought it, when he was with his ex-girlfriend from college before we met. He wanted to marry her, and I feel sick to my gut looking at the ring I wanted from him for four long years.

I stand and storm into the kitchen as I throw the shit into his face and he catches it. "You lied to me." I tell him as he looks at the box.

"I bought it when I wanted to marry her." He tells me as I wipe my tears. "Her? You told me she was crazy and that you hated her guts! And you wanted to marry her! That's money- that's five thousand dollars worth of your damn student loans! And I couldn't get a ring! I'm so sick and over this bullshit with you!" I yell at him.

I walk back out the hall and open the apartment door throwing his clothes into the hall as he stands in the kitchen in shock. "Get out." I demand pointing to the door.

"Don't act like you're not going to fuck Jaxton when I leave." He spits out walking to me as I glare at him.

"He's got a girlfriend and he's not a cheater so no, he won't be here. You know the girl you plan to marry one day, he will be with her. Oh wait, maybe that's real men, sorry I got you confused." I tell Jacob as he stops and then he scares me. He grabs my jaw and pushes me into the wall by my neck as his grips get tighter and tighter until can't breathe.

"Let go" I struggle to breath when I reach up and slap him so hard my hand starts tingling in pain. He drops his hand and backhands me across the face so hard my eye burns. I don't even recognize who this is and I absolutely refuse to be with him anymore.

I reach up holding my face as he realizes what he's just done and his face shapes into concern. "RJ I didn't mean-" he goes to tell me as I step away from him holding my stomach so I don't puke from crying.

"We're done. If you don't leave I'm calling the police." I whisper to him as I hold my sore eye under my hand. "Baby I didn't-" he goes to start as I shake my head no.

"Get out!" I yell as he smiles. "Just so you know I wouldn't marry you because I've been sleeping with her for five months. Since the week after we started working at the hospital actually" He spits out to me as my gut turns.

"Good. Waste her time then." I yell at him before he walks into the hallway and I slam and lock the door behind him. I fall to my knees crying my eyes out as I hold my face and I'm so upset I don't even realize the blood coming from my eyebrow. His graduation ring must have hit it when he backhanded me so hard I couldn't see.

I never thought he'd lay a hand on me, but he did.

I will never get back together with that piece of shit. There's no excuse for that.