-- it happens.

[kade trent]

kade trent.

life don't go quiet
like you planned it
__________________________________________

-----R

[/size]ain at this time of the year usually meant that they were in for a long, dry summer. Kade’s windshield wipers squeaked noisily as they went back and forth, only momentarily enabling his hazel eyes to see where he was driving before the rain drops once again blocked his vision. He was familiar enough with the road for this not to bother him, and he kept his foot down on the accelerator, only braking for curves and potholes. Kade usually only drove with one hand, but that evening both hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, and he bit at his bottom lip without even realizing it. The radio was off, and the only sound that reached Kade’s ears was the sound of the diesel engine under the hood of his truck, the squeak of his windshield wipers, and the rain pounding down hard against the cab and windows. The weather fit his mood, and that was dark, grim, and a little dangerous. He sighed, letting out a breath that he hadn’t even known he had been holding. Just this morning, everything had been fine. Kade’s life was how it had always been. Now, he didn’t know what he could expect. He had a three-year-old son, mothered by a woman that he had loved once. A son that didn’t know him, and as far as everyone else was concerned wasn’t really his at all. It hurt to think that Shaye had hid Evan from him, hurt to realize she had just cut him out of the picture. It hurt, and when things hurt Kade Trent, it turned to anger real fast.

-----A[/color][/size]s soon as he had gotten in the truck, Kade had picked up his cell phone and called Jocelyn Hart, a close friend of his, and the only one that he could turn to with something like this. The conversation had been short, but Kade had told her the gist of the situation. It was then that they had agreed on him going to her house, and that was why Kade had turned onto Jackson Row rather than continue down the road toward his own home. He knew the way to Joce’s by heart, and it wasn’t long before he was driving down her driveway and parking his truck beside her own vehicle. He killed the engine, and sat there for a moment. It was still pouring buckets, and it didn’t look like it was going to let up anytime soon. Cursing under his breath, Kade got out of his truck and walked quickly to the front door. It hadn’t been far, but he had gotten soaked. He cursed again, not just because he was wet. That he could handle, but because he was already annoyed and the weather just wasn’t helping his mood. Normally, a downpour wouldn’t bother him. Hell, he loved these kind of days, but right now nothing was going to make him happy. He let himself into Jocelyn’s house, closing the door behind him and then bending down to take his dirty work boots off and leave them in the entry way. Kade went into the kitchen then, grabbing a cold beer out of the fridge and chugging a good portion of it down. It wasn’t the strong liquor that he was craving, but it would have to be good enough.

-----J[/color][/size]ocelyn was easily one of Kade’s best friends, if not the best of the ones he had. She understood him, and listened as he told her about this overwhelming situation in more detail. On the phone, he hadn’t told her about the fact that Shaye was letting someone else be Evan’s father in every legal way. He hadn’t even told her that his son’s name was Evan. Kade hadn’t been at Shaye’s that long, but it had felt so much longer. He didn’t know how to describe what he was feeling, but Jocelyn knew him well enough to be able to know without him having to tell her. He told her that the young boy looked like him up an down, except for the blue eyes that he had undoubtedly inherited from his mother. Kade had liked the boy even before he had known that Evan was his son because he hadn’t shied away from Kade, and because he seemed like such a happy kid. Now, Kade honestly didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know if Shaye wanted him to be a part of Evan’s life, or if she had just told him because she felt guilty about hiding everything for so long. Kade thought about taking her to court in a moment when the anger came back full force. Paternity test, the whole shebang. He could probably get a good settlement out of it, but going to through the court system didn’t seem worth it. Kade drank three, almost four beers just getting through all the gritty details with Jocelyn, and was thinking about getting another.

-----H[/color][/size]e rubbed a coarse hand over his face, probably just rubbing the coal dust that had been left over from work into his skin even deeper. Kade had changed out of his uniform and work clothes before going to see Shaye, but there was only so much he could do at work to get clean. A good shower was the only thing that got all that dust off of him. Not that he cared here with Jocelyn. She had seen him much worse, and always took him as he was. She probably didn’t even realize how grateful he was to her for that. He took another swig of his beer, and then looked over at her. ”Earlier, you said I’d do the right thing, but I don’t even know what that is. The kid is obviously fine without me.” Shaye seemed to be a good mother, and Evan already had a dad. ”Why should I complicate his life?” It seemed that they had discussed every other point of this, and now it was going to come down whether or not Kade wanted in Evan’s life. If Shaye would let him. Kade could see why it would just be easier to stay away, but a part of him didn’t want that. He grinned despite himself, and then leaned back where he sat and brought both hands over his face this time. ”Christ, what in the hell have I gotten myself into?” he said, more to himself but knew that Jocelyn would have heard. She could have also heard the, “Fuck my life,” but that one stayed only in his mind.



[ jocelyn. ][/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/color]

[jocelyn hart]

jocelyn hart
---------------

Just the sound of the wind howling and the rain pattering against the roof was enough to make Jocelyn’s skin tighten. Ever since she was a young kid, rain and storms were probably her least favorite thing. Especially the thunderstorms. One rumble of thunder, and still, the girl would lock herself up in a room, cuddle up with a blanket, and wait till morning. Storms just made the day gloomy and morose, and Jocelyn Hart was not one to enjoy either of those two things. However, right now, she couldn’t do her usual storm routine. Placing her cell phone back on the window sill, Jocelyn walked out of her bedroom and down the squeaky wooden steps that lead into her living room. Her house was so empty and quiet that every little movement could be heard, no matter where she was. The creaking steps were probably the loudest. Walking from the steps into her kitchen, Jocelyn brought her hands up to the top of her head, taking in a deep breath after her vague conversation with her best friend, Kade Trent. It was still hard to wrap her mind around the idea that Kade had a son, with her least favorite person in town, Shaye Leblanc. And the worst part, was that Shaye had failed to tell him this for three years running. Just thinking about it made Joce want to walk right over, and punch Shaye dead square in her pretty little face. It was true that Jocelyn had never really liked Shaye- but the icing on the cake was her playing some kind of game with Kade. The woman had managed to get him the most upset she’d heard him in a long time; of course, with good reason. Kade had treated Shaye like royalty that summer three years ago. Despite they’re messy break up, Jocelyn sure as hell thought Kade deserved more than a check-up memo three years later. Joce didn’t have all the details of the boy or what exactly had happened. But she knew, she’d be filled in, whenever Kade decided to show up at her house.

Still standing in her kitchen, Jocelyn heard the also creaky screen door open, and in came Kade Trent- dusty, ungraceful, and obviously ticked. Not saying anything, Jo simply leaned her back against the counter, watching as he took his boots off, and strolled into the kitchen. She rolled her eyes with a sigh as he reached into the fridge for a beer, knowing that he was going to down the first one he could get his hands on. Kade just worked like that. He always needed some kind of occupant to keep his mind busy. As he took a seat at her kitchen table, she studied his stern expression, soaking clothes and hair, and the smeared dust that covered his face and arms. Jocelyn never paid attention to minute details such as those, but rather sometimes tried to square Kade up before she tried talking to him. For Jocelyn, Kade was easy to read. It was simple, judging whether he was angry, sad, happy, or confused. She’d known him so long, that those expressions and demeanors became second nature to her. Kade probably hated that skill of hers, but it came in handy when she didn’t know what to say. Like now. It was still hard to come up with words to even begin to talk to Kade about what had happened at Shaye’s this evening. So, instead of trying to give counsel, she simply, walked over to her small kitchen table, pulled out a seat, and listened as he started talking. The more he talked, the more her resentment toward Shaye grew. What kind of a person did that? Apparently, Shaye had completely blackballed Kade from his son’s life. In the minutes that followed, Jocelyn had learned that Kade’s son’s name was Evan, he looked just like him, he didn’t know that Kade was his father, and someone else had taken responsibility for being his father. Her mouth dropped agape at moments, but quickly picked it back up when she caught herself. This shit was ridiculous. And she hated seeing Kade torn about it.

Jocelyn Hart had never taken a liking to Shaye Leblanc. From the day she had met Shaye, there was something about her that Joce just didn’t like. Many people simply said it was because she was jealous of Shaye, because she and Kade her so obviously ‘in-love’. Jocelyn scoffed at those kinds of remarks. Kade had been Jocelyn’s best friend for as long as she could remember, but jealously was not something she ever liked to admit to. Hell, it was deemed shameful in her book. But nonetheless, it was partly true. Jocelyn Hart did not believe in happily ever afters, marriage, love- every example she had ever been given was another example of how every single instance of one of those things, fail. But Kade Trent understood that. He understood everything about her. There wasn’t one thing about her life that she hadn’t shared with him. A serious relationship with Kade had never crossed her mind, but she knew that she felt something more than what they had been as children. But, as it was typical for Jocelyn to do, she ignored it. ”Earlier, you said I’d do the right thing, but I don’t even know what that is. The kid is obviously fine without me.” Jocelyn watched as Kade downed beer after beer, trying to make sense of the conflict at hand. ”Why should I complicate his life?” Joce wrinkled her nose and leaned back in her chair, letting out a breath that blew the hair away from her face. “What you should probably ask yourself, is if you want to be a part of his life. Don’t worry about Shaye, Evan… the other guy.” Jocelyn rolled her eyes at her failure to remember his name. “You have a right to get to know him… that is, if you want to.” She watched his confusion sink deeper. All she wanted to do was somehow make things clearer for him, but knew there was no way she could. Kade had to figure this one out on his own. And she knew he eventually would. He always made sense of things, no matter how difficult the situation was.

Watching Kade sink back into his seat, she curved the corner of her lips down with sympathy. He brought his hands up to his face, giving off this vibe that he was feeling sorry for himself. ”Christ, what in the hell have I gotten myself into?” Jocelyn was tired of seeing him beating himself up and stressing over the situation at hand. None of this was his fault. Didn’t he see that? With a scoff, she pushed her chair back and stood up, taking to steps to sit down on Kade’s lap. Pulling his hands away from his face, she stared down at him, raising an eyebrow with a crooked frown. “You didn’t get yourself into the any of this.” Jocelyn felt that resentment for Shaye bubbling up, but tried to keep it at a contained level- at least somewhat. “You weren’t the one who kept it from you. You didn’t just push him out of your life because it wasn’t convenient. Hell, Kade, you didn’t even have a choice.” Jocelyn let her expression soften, letting out one more frustrated sigh. “You didn’t know he existed. And I can guarantee, if you had known, you would’ve stepped up. You just weren’t given the chance. So don’t beat yourself up over it.” She smirked down at him, feeling the wetness of his clothes soak into her sweatpants. “You’ll figure it out.” Jocelyn had a lot of faith in Kade, even though he himself sometimes didn’t. But she understood. Kade always had a lot on his plate. He was the backbone of his entire family, now more than ever after his mother died. The addition of an unknown child couldn’t have been an easy fact to process, but Kade was tough. And she knew he would get through it alright. He normally did. Playfully screwing up his wet hair, she gently laughed. “You look like a puppy who got left out in the rain.” Here and there, she always had to somehow lighten the mood. Keeping Kade somber and mad wasn’t usually a good idea. Sometimes she failed at making him crack a smile, but she at least had to attempt to. Because even she couldn’t stand seeing him upset.

[kade trent]

kade trent.

life don't go quiet
like you planned it
__________________________________________

-----K

[/size]ade had always been the stronger of his siblings, even from their childhood days. He was stubborn enough not to cry when he fell down and skinned up his knees, or got his skin torn by barbed wire or briars. If he had a problem with kids at school, he took it into his own hands, or fists, rather than going home to tell Mommy and Daddy that Johnny had been mean to him on the playground that day. He was extremely independent, and determined to take care of himself. That, and he always took care of his younger brother and sisters. His father, Robert Trent, and told him that he was the oldest, and it was his job to look after the younger ones when the parents weren’t there to do it. Kade took the responsibility head on, and did it well. Having four siblings plus himself to look after had been a lot to put on his plate, but that wouldn’t be the end of it. At the age of seventeen, Kade had been the one to discover his father dead in the woods behind their house. Rob had apparently stumbled into a nest of copperhead snakes and been bitten by three. The venom of the snakes had caused a severe allergic reaction, and Rob had been dead within an hour of receiving the bites. Three years later, about a year ago, Marion, Kade’s mother, had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She had died a few months after the diagnose, leaving the five Trent siblings orphaned but still together. And then, shortly after their mother’s death, Taryn had become ill. Everyone had thought it was cancer, but it turned out to be an autoimmune disease called poly myasitis. Taryn was doing much better now, but Kade still worried about her, just like the others did. It was a lot to deal with, but Kade was strong enough to do it. He often pushed his own doubts and fears aside, being that rock that his brothers and sisters needed when times got hard.

-----N[/color][/size]ow, something else was being thrown at him, and both he and Jocelyn knew he could handle it. Finding out he had a son was certainly the last thing that Kade had expected, but he would take this in stride and figure out what to do with it. It wasn’t beyond him, and it wasn’t like this would push him to his breaking point; it was just so unexpected, and the details of it were brutal to even a heart as guarded and seemingly cold as Kade Trent’s. After all, Shaye had been, and still was, the only real girlfriend he had ever had. There had been something about her that made Kade feel differently about the idea of love than he had before, and he had put his heart on the line for a change. Shaye had had him completely back then, and regardless of what he had done to end things, she should have had at least some respect for him. Enough to tell him that she was pregnant with his child. And then, if she was going to hide it from him for that long, why move back to town and tell him now? Tomorrow, Kade might be able to wake up and be able to see Shaye’s side of things. Her parents would have undoubtedly made her get rid of the child if they knew it was also Kade’s, and after their nasty break up, she had been afraid. She had thought it better to go on with this friend of hers being Evan’s father as far as everyone knew, and had done the best that she could do for the child under the circumstances. Kade could see that, but even so it didn’t make Shaye’s actions right. And it sure as hell didn’t help to soothe his angry toward the woman while he sat in Jocelyn’s kitchen. Tomorrow he may be able to see a different side and handle this better. Today, he was still overwhelmed, pissed off and hurt.

-----T[/color][/size]hat wasn’t a good combination of things to feel for anyone, but in Kade it was a little bit more dangerous. The man already had too much anger in him from things he help inside for far too long and never dealt with properly. Adding this was like adding fuel to the fire, one that was slowly burning him from the inside out. Jocelyn would be able to see all of that, though. All she had to do was take one good look at him and she could see everything. This of course came from their long friendship, and Kade knew that he had certain ways of reading her as well. It was why he came to her with things like this. She understood him, and would know how to help him better than anyone else. It was sometimes annoying how Jocelyn could almost seem to read his mind, but other times it was extremely comforting to have someone that knew him so well, someone that he didn’t have to spell every detail out for. She just knew. Just like Kade knew without asking that Joce hadn’t liked Shaye LeBlanc from the beginning. Kade had heard the town talk that it was because Jocelyn was jealous, but he had only rolled his eyes at that. If Joce really were jealous, it might be because Kade spent more time with Shaye than with her, but that would be the only reason. Kade understood Jocelyn like she understood him, and knew her up and down. She didn’t believe in love and happy endings, just like he hadn’t believed before he had met Shaye. He didn’t know if he believed it any better now than he did then after how things with Shaye had ended, but he knew better than to think that Jocelyn was jealous because she was in love with him. None of that really mattered now, though. Kade wasn’t interested in Shaye. If anything, he was on Jocelyn’s side when it came to the other woman, disliking her and wanting nothing to do with her. Kade knew that as he told his story about that afternoon’s meeting with Shaye that Joce’s resentment for her grew. He could see it, and he had expected it. That was something he loved about Jocelyn; no matter what, Kade always knew what to expect from her. She would never pull a stunt on him like Shaye had, and that’s what made her his best friend.

-----T[/color][/size]hat, and the fact that she was always able to help him through the hard stuff, the things that made him trip up and feel as though he nowhere to go but in a downward spiral. “What you should probably ask yourself, is if you want to be a part of his life. Don’t worry about Shaye, Evan…the other guy. You have a right to get to know him…that is, if you want to.” That was a good way to look at it. Kade wasn’t worried about Shaye, and he sure as hell wasn’t worried about the guy that was known as Evan’s father. Shaye had been the one to cause this whole mess, and the other guy would have to try and stop Kade if he didn’t want him in Evan’s life. Kade almost grinned at that. No one would stop him. Jocelyn was right in saying that Kade had his rights, but he couldn’t help but to worry about it for Evan’s sake. The kid was obviously happy, and he already had a family. Kade didn’t know how to be a father, and he was sure he wouldn’t make a great one. So, why mess up a good thing? He could just let it go and let Evan have a life with Shaye and Milo. He would watch from afar, and everyone could go on with their lives. But, there was also this nagging little voice in the back of Kade’s head that kept reminding him of how much he had liked Evan, and that it wasn’t everyday that Kade Trent took to a small child like that. It was so confusing, but luckily Kade didn’t have to call it one way or another today. The decision could wait, even though it felt like it was weighing down so heavily on his shoulders already, pushing for a choice to be made. He could feel the tension in his muscles, and it there was a throbbing in his temples. Kade heard a chair move, heard Jocelyn’s footsteps, and then felt the weight of her as she slid into his lap.

-----S[/color][/size]he gently pulled his hands away from his face, making him look at her. She was frowning, with one eyebrow rose. Kade recognized the expression, and knew it meant that she hadn’t liked what she had just heard. “You didn’t get yourself into any of this.” Funny, it felt like he did. “You weren’t the one that kept it from you. You didn’t push him out of your life because it wasn’t convenient. Hell, Kade, you didn’t even have a choice.” There was frustration in her voice, aimed at Shaye for doing all of this, and at him for beating himself up over it. She sighed then, and Kade saw her facial expression soften. “You didn’t know he existed. And I can guarantee, if you had known, you would’ve stepped up. You just weren’t give the chance. So don’t beat yourself up over it.” It amazed Kade at how much faith the girl seemed to have in him. His reputation in this town would have been enough to convince most everyone else that the child was better off without Kade in his life. He didn’t need a father who drank too much, partied too often, and went out looking for trouble and could always find it. However, Jocelyn saw in Kade a much better person, and seemed to know that he would always do the right thing. It may just take him awhile, but he would get there eventually. He sighed, knowing that she was right. Yeah, he had a son now and he was going to have to decide what to do about that, but there was no use in going and shooting something all to hell or beating the shit out of someone. That may make him feel better, but it wouldn’t change anything. He was better off right here, sitting with this amazing girl in his lap while the storm raged outside. She tousled his still wet hair a bit, laughing softly. “You look like a puppy who got left out in the rain.” He smiled, she could almost always get him to. ”Right now, I feel like one.” Or a puppy that got kicked in the ribs for something that he didn’t even do. He looked down at his damp clothes, and saw how lovely and filthy he looked with the remnants of coal dust still clinging to his arms despite the downpour. ”I think I’m dirtier than one, though,” he commented. Coal mining wasn’t a clean job, but you got used to coal dust on your skin and having to take a long shower to feel 100% clean again. ”I could throw you out in the rain so we match,” he suggested, though he was just teasing. Kind of. He’d do it in a heartbeat, and she knew it. His tone was still a little flat, not quite back to his normal self, but he’d take the bait and play, getting away from the stressful topic if only for a moment.


[ there's a lot here, but it doesn't really go anywhere. i'm sorry! take it wherever you want and however far. i'll go with the flow. ^^ ][/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/color]

[jocelyn hart]

jocelyn hart
---------------

Despite her lack of family, Jocelyn would never consider herself lonely in the least bit. If nothing else, she spent more time with the Trent’s; to her, they were family. Robert and Marion also welcomed her into their home, with no questions asked. Jocelyn had never met her real father, him having left at too young of an age for her to remember. Her mother was a hard worker, always out working late nights to support the both of them. Jocelyn never saw her situation as difficult or bad. That was just the way life had to be lived. Her mother was never around, but the Trent’s filled the void in her lack of family. After graduating high school, Jocelyn didn’t spend as much time with all of them at once as she had used to, but tried her best to keep at least a little bit of contact with all of them. Jared was the only one she found it easy to come in contact with, because he was always plastered to Mackenzie’s hip. Mykayla and Taryn were all grown up living the high school life, and Hunter was of being a college boy. It was crazy how it seemed time was going by so fast. After Jocelyn’s mother moved away with her new husband, she moved in with her uncle, who shortly after, passed away. Currently, she lives in her late uncle’s house, despite how much she hated it growing up. It was old and rickety, and at times really seemed like it was going to just fall apart. But, there was no way in hell she was going to blow all her money just to move into a more glamorous place. The house suited her well and it felt like home. She learned to drown out the leaking roof and creaking floorboards after she’d realized she wasn’t going anywhere for awhile. Jocelyn never saw herself staying in Grace after high school, but there were more than a few reasons to stay. Grace wasn’t all that bad. It was all she had ever known, and leaving just didn’t feel right. Now, she wasn’t sure it ever would.

There were many conflicting reasons why Jocelyn had so much resent for Shaye Leblanc, and most of the gossip that ran around town was entirely false. Shaye had never so much as said one kind word to Joce, and in return, she shot back that same spiteful attitude. Some said Shaye felt threatened by Jocelyn, but all she could say in response to that was laugh. Jo wasn’t afraid of telling her off, and quite a few times she did. Other than that, Joce did her best to stay out of the woman’s way. For the most part, she respected the fact that she and Kade were dating and all that, but it didn’t mean she condoned it or liked it. As said, jealousy was stupid in Jocelyn’s mind, and she knew Kade would think it was stupid too. But her jealousy was based solely on the fact that she was no longer the main turn-to in Kade’s life. If the situation didn’t pertain to Shaye herself, he confided in her. Joce brushed stupid instances like that off and went about living her life. Kade wasn’t around as much, which was surely different, but she got along just fine. After he and Shaye had ended, things went back to normal. Only now, Kade and Jocelyn’s relationship had turned into something a little more than just being buds throughout school. Kade was still reeling over his breakup with Shaye, and Jocelyn was still eminent in her disbelief for lasting love. Their relationship was solely physical in that aspect, but their friendship grew and remained just as it had before. Mackenzie always chastised Joce for keeping her stance the way it was with Kade. Mac saw it as him using her, but Joce knew Kade better than that. To be honest, Jocelyn didn’t really know how Kade felt about her beyond their friendship. Another reason why she left it alone completely. There weren’t many things Jocelyn Hart was afraid of; but one in particular stood out. She didn’t want to have her heart broken.

And Jocelyn would sure be lying if she said she wasn’t threatened by the fact that Shaye was back in town. For various reasons. One being, despite how angry and pissed Kade was at Shaye, Joce knew what they once were, and she knew how strongly he’d felt for her. Jocelyn would never let Shaye herself know how threatened she was by her, but the woman definitely intimidated in some form. Jo had no problem calling her out or bitching at her for her stupidity, but when it came to Kade, it was a whole different story. In the three years that had passed, Jocelyn had started caring more and more for Kade in ways she couldn’t describe. Sure, she always cared about him as her best friend- they had each other’s backs. But this knew found concern was scary to her. What the hell did it mean and where did it come from? She tried not to let it show too much, but the truth was it bothered and scared her. Jocelyn could never even attempt to be awkward around Kade though, despite this conflict inside her mind. Being around Kade was second nature, and some couldn’t understand or believe she could even put up with him. Many didn’t see him the way she did. Kade was a great guy, behind the badass façade he put on for other people. The heavy drinking, loud, obnoxious character that most knew was not the Kade Jocelyn knew at all. He had a heart of gold, whether he ever had the balls to admit it or not. He took care of his family and made sure to do the right thing for other people at all costs. Sure, he had a temper. But that was just one side of Kade. Not many others got to see the side of him that she liked the most.

”Right now, I feel like one.” Jocelyn felt the truth in that statement, still hating how he was so sideswiped by the situation. She would deal with Shaye later. Right now, Kade needed to somehow snap out of his short lived over-processing of his child situation. It would be impossible, of course, but trying to get to him to smile was at least a small accomplishment. Something to distract him from the craziness going on. ”I think I’m dirtier than one, though,” Jocelyn wrinkled her nose with a smile, forgetting that he was dirty at all. “Nah. I’m pretty sure pound puppies are dirty.” She only deviously smirked again, getting in a small dig with her still half-somber friend. ”I could throw you out in the rain so we match,” Jocelyn rolled her eyes with a laugh, nodding her head in agreement. “You could. But you won’t. You know I hate rain.” She smiled wide, batting her eyes playfully at his statement. But just looking at him and listening to the flatness of his voice, she could see his mind working non-stop. This whole Evan/Shaye situation was really eating at him and she hated seeing him so preoccupied over it. Jocelyn didn’t like seeing Kade upset over someone else’s error. Her face fell back into a concerned expression, letting the silence go on for a couple seconds before she spoke. Placing her hand gently on the side of Kade’s face, she looked earnestly into his eyes. “Hey- don’t let her win. I guarantee you, she’d love to know she ruined your day with this. There’s time to fix all of it and sort it out. You don’t have to figure it all out now. Don’t give her that much power. She’s had three years to deal with this. You’ve had about three hours. It’ll all be okay.” Jocelyn felt like her words didn’t mean much, but she at least had to try to get him to see. And in that moment, she felt like Kade getting back to his normal self was all that mattered. Jo couldn’t explain what overcame her in the moment she gently moved forward and brushed her lips against his.

This, of course, wasn’t the first time Jocelyn had ever kissed Kade Trent. The two had an ongoing physical relationship for a while now, but never did Jocelyn just randomly decide to pull a move on him without having forethought of it. Jocelyn Hart did not spontaneously show affection, ever. It didn’t work that way, and to say the least, she was a little mortified when she did it. The mortifying part came into play, because she knew those stupid feelings she kept ignoring had burst up out of nowhere. Sure, she knew Kade might not think much of it at all… but he would certainly notice the shiftiness in her eyes afterwards. Nor did she want him to think this was some stupid attempt at trumping Shaye because she was back in town, because that wasn’t the case at all. Trying to move past the incident without confrontation, Jocelyn carefully crawled off of Kade’s lap, standing up and returning to her post at the counter. She could feel Kade’s eyes on her back as she unsuccessfully tried to casually ease into her normal self. But she couldn’t. Joce was too frustrated with herself to calm down hurriedly. Rubbing the side of her neck, she dared herself to look back to Kade, clearing her throat before she spoke. Tugging on the ends up her auburn hair, she tried to let her confusion go long enough to speak. “You can clean up upstairs if you want to… I think the lagoon is flooding, so you might be stuck here for awhile.” Normally, Jocelyn wouldn’t mind that at all or give a second thought to it. But now, she was forced to face the fact head on that she viewed Kade Trent as more then just a friend now. What that meant exactly, she didn’t know. But she could tell he wanted to know what was up with her, as he stood up, glaring at her confused with his all-knowing hazel eyes.

[kade trent]

kade trent.

life don't go quiet
like you planned it
__________________________________________

-----K

[/size]ade arched an eyebrow. “Nah. I’m pretty sure pound puppies are dirty.” That was why. Had he truly been in a good mood, his usual self, he would have glared at Jocelyn for that small dig and then came back with something of his own. Probably using the dog situation that they had going and turning it into the term bitch, along with some clever phrasing, but Kade didn’t go there. That would take too much effort, and he just wasn’t into that right now. He did, however, threaten to throw her outside in the rain. All he would have to do was scoop her up in his arms, and outside in the rain she would be. Jocelyn would of course try to fight him, but Kade could easily overpower her. It was just the matter of whether or not he actually decided to do it. “You could. But you won’t. You know I hate rain.” Yes, Kade did know that. He knew his Jocey inside and out, and he certainly knew that she hated the rain. That was all the more incentive to do it. She would bitch and curse and be all pissed at him for a little while if he did, of course, but she would get over it. Or, it may turn out to be fun. How it would turn out, Kade didn’t know. He decided to leave her where she was, perched on his lap and perfectly dry. Not like a wet puppy that had been left out in the rain at all. Well, maybe a little. He knew that the dampness from his clothes had to be seeping through to hers, and she was probably going to end up with coal dust smeared on her somewhere, but she chose to stay there anyway. What a woman. There was a silence between them then, and the rain took over. It was loud against the roof of the house, and the wind was howling. It made the old house that Jocelyn lived in creak and moan, but those sounds were familiar in most of the houses of Grace. It was familiar, and oddly comforting.

-----D[/color][/size]uring that silence, Kade’s mind flipped back to Shaye, and Evan. He had tried to stay in that moment with Joce, and had tried to keep himself from thinking about the situation that had been put at his hands, but it had been no use. Shaye was back in his mind, her words playing over and over. And then there was little Evan, who looked exactly like Kade had at that age except for his blue eyes. There was the question of what he was going to do, and what was best. Kade might be an ass sometimes, but he had never been selfish. His brothers, sisters, and friends had always came first, and he would put that little boy first. Kade thought that he wanted to know his son, but he would only interject in his life if Kade thought that was what was best. Right now, it seemed to make more sense to leave things as they were, but that was today. Tomorrow’s mindset might provide him with an entirely new perspective and allow him to see that it would be right to be a part of his son’s life. Thinking of it like that made it seem so obvious; why ignore this kid and then let Evan find out ten years later? Then he would learn to hate Kade, or maybe his own mother for what had been done. It really was so much to think about, and it all kept reeling through his mind so quickly. His eyes flashed back to Jocelyn, not even aware that he had been gazing off into space. Her expression had changed again, back to concerned. She could probably see his mind working as if she were sharing his thoughts, and didn’t like it. Kade didn’t blame her. He didn’t much like it himself, but it didn’t seem like he had much of a choice. Even though she had told him not to, Kade was going to beat himself up over this. He was going to run himself into the ground, trying to figure out what to do with it. That was just the way that he was, and had always been. He took everything onto his shoulders and bore it like it all always his fault, his issue to resolve. It was what made him so strong, but also what nearly tore him apart.

-----J[/color][/size]Jocelyn’s hand came to gently rest against the side of Kade’s face, his hazel eyes moving to meet hers. He leaned into her touch a little, listening as she spoke. “Hey- don’t let her win. I guarantee you, she’d love to know that she ruined your day with this. There’s time to fix it all and sort it all out. You don’t have to figure it all out now. Don’t give her that much power. She’s had three years to deal with this. You’ve had about three hours. It’ll all be okay.” There were times when it seemed like Kade and Jocelyn were in situations that it was impossible to come up with words for. But, each and every time they were able to save each other by somehow coming up with something that made it all seem better. Jocelyn had just managed to do that, or she had at least made it seem a little bit better. Her reasoning was good. Shaye was okay with this because she had known about it all along. Kade had had so little time, and it was all just a mess for him right now. He didn’t have to come up with all of the answers today, and somehow it was all going to be okay. Kade thought that he could believe that. Whatever happened now wouldn’t change the fact that he did have a son, though. There would always be that. Kade had been about to say something, thanking Jocelyn for listening, and for helping, but he hadn’t gotten the chance. The kiss came from nowhere, and Kade’s words died on his lips as hers claimed them. He was a little surprised at first, but then kissed her back, like he always did.

-----T[/color][/size]here was something about this girl that Kade couldn’t resist. He didn’t like to admit it, but he had a weakness for her that he couldn’t ignore once they were together like this. He knew that he could do the same thing to her with just one touch, and it was that added tension that had started the physical part of their relationship. Kade had no idea how they made it work, being able to be such close friends and still manage to kiss and have sex with no strings attached, but they did. So, really, this kiss was nothing out of the ordinary, only Kade knew different. Jocelyn didn’t just kiss him randomly, whenever she wanted to. That wasn’t how things between them worked, but then again he was so preoccupied with other thoughts he could have missed something. When she pulled away from the kiss and wouldn’t look him in the eye, he knew that wasn’t right. He wouldn’t have missed it, no matter what was on his mind. She eased herself off of him, and went to lean against the counter. Kade stared after her, all thoughts of Shaye replaced with newfound confusion caused by Jocelyn. What day, one thing right after the other. He was actually glad for the distraction, though. He would much rather wonder about Jocelyn and what was bothering her than deal with his own problems. Kade remained sitting, watching her curiously, confusion once again etched onto his face. When she finally turned to look at him, she still wasn’t herself. “You can clean up upstairs if you want to… I think the lagoon is flooding so you might be stuck here for awhile.” There was just something about the way that she said it that bothered him. This was proving to be an excellent distraction, and while he didn’t like that there was something going on with Jocelyn that was obviously getting to her, he liked that he had it to focus on now. He stood from his chair, looking at her and trying to figure out what it was. She had been fine, right up until she had kissed him.

-----H[/color][/size]e walked over to her, and then passed her. His eyes shifted from her to the window above the sink, taking a look outside. ”Damn…” he mumbled under his breath, amazed at just how hard it was raining. There was no doubt that there would be flooding, and that even his truck wouldn’t be able to make it through. He would be there for awhile, but that was okay. He would take her up on that offer of getting cleaned up. He turned to face her then, still baffled at the sudden change in her behavior. ”Yeah, I’ll go get cleaned up. You could join me, you know…” Yes, this was definitely suggestive, but that was how they were. Only his voice lacked that playful tone it usually had when things like this were said, taken over by his confusion. ”But, I think you should tell me what’s bothering you, first. Forget me and all my issues. I can deal with yours. too.” It could be argued that he wasn’t dealing with his very well at all, but again, Kade was all too glad to be able to have something else to think about. He was putting Jocelyn first, and himself and his problems whenever he could sort it all out. If she was willing to sit and listen to everything that he was going through, he was definitely going to be willing to listen to whatever it was that she had to say. If she chose to share it at all right now.
[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/color]

[jocelyn hart]

jocelyn hart
---------------

Jocelyn didn’t like showing weakness or giving off the vibe that she had done something wrong. She could’ve kicked herself when she realized that was exactly what she was doing. The look on Kade’s face said it all- he knew something was up with her, and just one she wished she could be good at lying. There would be no point in even trying to deny the fact that something was wrong, because Kade would pick up on it immediately. Watching him stand up and walk past her, Joce crossed arms, glancing at the linoleum floor as Kade stared out the window. “Damn…” She heard him mumble, causing her to look over briefly at him surveying the weather outside. When it rained in Grace, it poured. And the excess water didn’t help the already high water table, plus the flooding creeks and lagoons. It was always like a mini Katrina around her house when weather got like this. And having Kade stuck here with her would be just like any other day, if she hadn’t just kissed him and had an inner meltdown about it. She was making it too obvious to him, and kept trying to bounce back, unsuccessfully. There was no avoiding it. Still tugging at the ends of her hair, she looked up when he started to speak again. ”Yeah, I’ll go get cleaned up. You could join me, you know…” Jocelyn couldn’t help but very slightly smile, keeping her eyes focused on the floor. His voice didn’t have that certain edge it usually did when he suggested things like that and it made the air seem a little bit heavier. Normally, Jocelyn would’ve taken control of the suggestion, going along and having fun with it like she always did. But right now, her mind was far off from ‘having fun’. Joce was stuck in the reality of how she felt, and knew that at some point during this conversation, she was going to give at least a little lead way to what was eating at her. More than anything, she was worried as to what Kade’s reaction would be.

As far as Jocelyn knew, Kade had only ever been in one actual relationship- with Shaye. And she knew before Shaye had ever come around, he viewed relationships the same way she did. Stupid. Jocelyn had never been given any reason personally to come to this conclusion, but the events around her spoke pretty clear. No one was happy. At some point, whether they foresaw it or not, a couple screwed something up, and ended. It was rare that couples lasted and Jocelyn wanted to save herself the hurt of it all. It seemed dumb to set yourself up to fail, and until now, she had never had any desire at all to be with someone. Shaye Leblanc had her way of bruising Joce’s ego. Joce felt like there was no way she could ever match up to the ‘wonder’ that was Shaye Leblanc. Kade had been head over heels for the woman, and it was obvious to anyone with a set of eyes. He hadn’t let anyone see how hurt he was when Shaye broke up with him, but to Jocelyn, it was terrible to watch. She saw how hurt he was by it, but at the time, all she could do was feel guilty. Back then, Jocelyn had never even dreamed of somehow ‘falling’ for Kade Trent, but instead, felt guilty for being involved in his and Shaye’s split. She was the one Kade had been hanging on that night, and even though she knew he was with Shaye, Jo went right along with everything. That one bugged her for the longest time, but learned to let it go after the thought of Shaye had stopped crossing her mind. Jocelyn always felt inferior to the raven haired woman, and now that she was back, it was hard to hide how much Jocelyn wanted her to leave again. Just a few days back, and she’d already managed to stir up trouble.

”But, I think you should tell me what’s bothering you, first. Forget me and all my issues. I can deal with yours. too.” Crap. Jocelyn picked her head up, looking over at him, defeated. There was no point in not telling him, because he already knew something was wrong. And there was no point in lying, because Jocelyn was a terrible one- and besides, she hated lying, period. No matter what, she typically tried to be honest. But right now, she wasn’t so sure how honest she could be. Kade’s reaction and her own confusion were to main factors in this. All of a sudden the focus had been shifted from Kade and Shaye to solely Jocelyn. She hated when he did that. This whole ordeal was supposed to be about Kade and his current bullshit going on- not the random conflict that Joce had stupidly brought out into the open. The only good thing, was that Jocelyn had certainly succeeded in distracting him from the situation he had obsessed over for the last couple of hours. But now, she herself was caught in the crossfire, looking over at Kade as her intently waited for some kind of answer. Right now, Jocelyn hated how he knew her so well. Rolling her eyes up to look at the ceiling she sighed, Jo knew that she was just going to flat out tell him. Dancing around problems wasn’t something she liked to do, and Kade had the patience of a six year old. Blinking quietly for a few minutes, she thought of what to say, and started out with a heavy sigh, pushing her hair back out of her face. “You scare the shit out of me… you know that, Trent?” Jocelyn finally looked her best friend in the eyes, unfolding her arms, and bracing them back against the counter.

Still searching for precise words, as Joce typically did, she tried to convince herself that this wouldn’t make things weird. If two fears of rejection and heartbreak weren’t enough, the thought of losing her friendship with Kade topped both of those. First off, she didn’t like feeling afraid at all. Kade was not someone she was typically afraid of. Husky, cold, sometime vulgar Kade was not what she was afraid of. She was afraid of the Kade who had been in love with Shaye- the one that only Shaye and Jocelyn had ever primarily been witness too. It wasn’t that Jocelyn had no confidence in herself, because she truly did. But for some reason, thinking that Kade would ever want more out of her seemed unrealistic. This was why she had been avoiding the situation all together. Joce realized her silence was going on too long again, and snapped back into reality. “Kade… I don’t know…” Obviously frustrated, she let her arms fall to her sides, feeling self defeat. “Do you remember how mad I was when you and Shaye first started dating?” Kade looked a little confused, but she couldn’t think of any other way to say what she wanted to without sounding like a damn sap. “I wasn’t mad because I was jealous. I was mad because I thought she was a bitch, and knew she didn’t appreciate all you had to offer. Back then, you were just Kade… the guy I’d grown up with and knew like the back of my hand.” Jocelyn felt her stomach twist. This was harder than she’d thought. “Putting it as easily as I can without freaking myself- or you- out?” She took a breath, and cringed a little as she said it. “If you were to get together with Shaye again, I’d be jealous. Not for any other reason, except that I’d be wishing I was her.”

It was shocking that she’d even managed to get it out. It had taken a while, but admitting things that went against everything she had ever believed in was difficult. Jocelyn had a hard head, and it was difficult to change her mind. She wasn’t sure what Kade’s reaction had been, because she’d turned her head away as she’d said her final statement. Hell, she wasn’t even sure if he had understood. Many probably wouldn’t understand what was so hard about telling someone how you felt, but to Joce, it was very difficult. Because if she had had the choice, she probably wouldn’t have wanted to fall for anyone at all. Feelings, commitments, love- all of those words were never in her vocabulary. She never believed in them, and sure as hell would have never expected to be introduced to them because of Kade. She listened to the rain against the side of her house again, still not willing to look at Kade. She tried to not make it obvious, so only shifted her eyes to the right, looking, and waiting for him to say something. Anything. Was he trying to kill her? She had just done one of the most nerve wrecking things for her to ever do, and she was rewarded with a deep silence. Why was she feeling so awkward with all of this? No matter what the situation, this was still Kade she was talking to. Someone who she had never managed to even have an awkward moment with, until now. Jocelyn blew out a sigh again, feeling a little relieved, yet still totally mortified. This wasn’t getting anywhere, and in the moment, she knew she should’ve just kept her mouth shut. “Wow. I feel like a real dumbass.” Jocelyn shook her head and started to walk away, but didn’t get too far before Kade stopped her. Good to know he was still breathing, at least.

[kade trent]

kade trent.

life don't go quiet
like you planned it
__________________________________________

-----S

[/size]he was probably hating him right about now. It wasn’t so much that he could see it in Jocelyn, but more like Kade knew her so well that he could just tell. For last few hours, the two of them had been sitting at her kitchen table, his ordeal with Shaye and his son that he had had no idea existed set out to be analyzed in detail. It had been about him and his worries, his insecurities, but he had managed to turn the tables on his friend the moment she had given him something other than his own miserable situation to think about. Jo knew him, though, and she knew that this was something that he did. Of course he had lunged on this, and he would have figured out something to do with it even if she hadn’t let him see that something was so obviously bothering her. He would have made an excuse, or provided his own source of a distraction to eventually get away from the topic of Shaye and what he was going to do about Evan. He had talked through what he could of it, and when Kade Trent got tired of talking about something, he simply refused to talk about it anymore. It was a little more difficult to do with Jocelyn, though, because she wasn’t afraid of him and knew how to poke and prod until she got him to open up again. But, it seemed that right now, something had shaken her up enough to make her let down her guard, and Kade had definitely taken advantage of it. Not only for his own purposes of not talking about him anymore, but also because he had kicked into that protective mode. He honestly cared about Jocelyn, and if something could shake her this badly, he wanted to know about it. With any luck at all, he would know how to fix whatever her problem was, unlike his own problems.

-----H[/color][/size]e didn’t know if she was going to tell him what it was, though. She could very well ignore his questioning all together, picking up on a different subject and forcing him to leave it alone. Kade would persist, but he knew how Jocelyn was. She didn’t like to let it show that something was bothering her. She didn’t like to admit when things scared her, and weakness was something that she didn’t seem to allow in herself. She and Kade were very much alike in these cases, both too stubborn to let go of even just a little bit of pride. The only real exception to that rule was when it came to each other, because to each other they hid nothing. Kade couldn’t keep things from the girl, despite his best efforts sometimes. It was as though they could read each other like an open book. They knew when something was going on with the other; it just took a little bit of time to coax out the details of what it was, exactly. Jocelyn sighed, but remained silent. Kade stood where he was, watching her with his hazel eyes. Time ticked by, and he was beginning to wonder if she was really resorting to the silent treatment like they were ten years old again, or if it was something so big that she had to pick over her words that carefully. As anyone that knew Kade Trent would know, his patience were thin to begin with. He didn’t like waiting for an answer, and he had been debating on whether he should try to pry it out of her now, or wait and ask her about it later. Waiting didn’t seem like a good option, but he didn’t want to start a fight if she wasn’t going to be willing to tell him just then. He didn’t have to choose which way to go, though. Jocelyn finally broke the silence. “You scare the shit out of me…you know that, Trent?”

-----S[/color][/size]he finally brought herself to look him in the eye again, but Kade didn’t understand what she was saying. He scared her? Why in the hell was she scared of him? Of all the people in Grace, Jocelyn was the one that knew how to take Kade’s unruly ways, and was one of the few that didn’t shy away from that nasty temper that got the best of him more often than not. Joce had seen Kade at his absolute worse moments, ones that he wasn’t proud of, and yet she had stood by him through everything. It didn’t make any sense to him that she was standing there, telling him that he scared her. Yeah, he could be a scary guy sometimes, but Jocelyn? She wasn’t afraid of anything. Again, she let a long silence hang between them, but Kade didn’t dare interrupt it. Jocelyn saying what she already had gave him reason to believe that she had more, and he was afraid that if he even asked why he scared her, she wouldn’t say everything that she had to. His patience weren’t any better than they had been a few moments earlier, but he stood still, waiting. “Kade…I don’t know.” Good, neither did he. Any other time, the smartass remark probably would have been spoken out loud rather than kept to himself, but again, he knew better. “Do you remember how mad I was when you and Shaye first started dating?” If he wasn’t confused before, then he definitely was now. What did this have to do with Shaye? He did know the answer to her question. Kade did remember how mad she had been, but he had never called her out on it. It had been a long time ago, and at that time he had blew it off as nothing. He barely nodded his head, having no idea where this was going now. “I wasn’t mad because I was jealous.” Despite what everyone else had said. “I was mad because I thought she was a bitch who didn’t appreciate all you had to offer.” Which was now proven to be true.

-----H[/color][/size]e really should have listened to Joce back then. It would have saved him a lot of hurt, and he wouldn’t have a son with the bitch. Kade was listening now, though, hanging on every word. “Back then, you were just Kade…the guy I had grown up with and knew like the back of my hand. Putting it as easily as I can without freaking myself- of you- out?” His eyebrows arched then. This was something that was going to freak him out? Uh huh. Jocelyn took a breath, and Kade felt himself inhaling deeply as well, as though he were bracing himself for whatever she was about to say. “If you were to get together with Shaye again, I’d be jealous. Not for any other reason, except that I’d be wishing I was her.” Her eyes looked away from him quickly, so she had probably missed Kade letting out that breath as though it had been knocked from his chest, his facial expression showing confusion switched to disbelief. He knew that he had heard Jo correctly, as he hadn’t missed a word. And there was no misinterpreting what she had meant. Something between them had shifted then, and it left him staring at her like he wasn’t even sure who she was anymore. Jocelyn didn’t believe in love and relationships. She didn’t like commitment, which was why their little arrangement had been able to work as well as it had. She had stressed to him time and time again that she would never fall for any of that shit, that it was all make believe. Happy endings weren’t real, and love was a lie. What she had just said to him went against everything that was Jocelyn, and for a moment, Kade thought that she might really be joking. It was just some elaborate scheme to get at him, and for her to tease him about for the rest of time. It was something that could happen between the two of them, but Kade knew just by looking at her that this was no joke. She wasn’t going to look up at him with a grin and say, “Got ya.” She honestly had feelings for him that went beyond friendship, and Kade didn’t even know how to respond to that.

-----I[/color][/size]t was his turn to let a long silence draw out between them, only he shouldn’t have. “Wow. I feel like a real dumbass.” He could hear her regretting having ever telling him just in those few words. Jocelyn made a move to leave, and that snapped Kade out of whatever kind of trance he’d been in. He stepped forward and grabbed her arm gently in his rough hand. ”Joce, wait.” He moved so that he was in front of her, looking down into those pretty eyes. ”I’m sorry. I just…that was really the last thing I expected you to say.” And she should be able to understand that. She knew how she was just as well as Kade did. This wasn’t an everyday thing, or something that she had ever even hinted at before. This was almost more unexpected than him finding out that he had a son, because at least that one made sense. It was easy to believe that he had fathered a child somewhere along the way, but he couldn’t for the life of him see why Jocelyn would feel the way she did. Kade wasn’t an easy guy to love, or even like, for that matter, and he made it that way on purpose. He let his hand fall away from her arm once he was certain she wasn’t going to walk away from him, but Kade didn’t know what to say to her. She had just told him that she wanted to be with him, and now it felt like he needed to reply with his own feelings, but Kade didn’t know what those were. He knew he cared for Jocelyn very much, and would do anything for her. She held a special place with him, and he treated her better than he treated his own siblings most of the time. God, this wasn’t helping, and the longer the pauses were, the worse this got. He needed to say something. ”You’re not a dumbass,” he tried, grinning a little to let her know that this was okay. They were still them, just with something added now. Something entirely new and positively terrifying.

-----I[/color][/size]f Kade were a girl, or Jared, he probably would have already broken down and been rocking himself in corner by now with all that had been put on him today. He had said that he could deal with Jocelyn’s issues as well as he own, but he hadn’t known that he was her issue. This was putting him back in the spotlight again, but this time she was there with him. Only, she had already said everything that she needed to. It was Kade’s turn, and he still didn’t know what to do. Did he want the same things as she did? Truthfully, he had thought about it a few times before, the first time because Mykayla had mentioned it, asking him why he and Jocelyn weren’t together. After that, it had crossed his mind a few times, but he had always pushed the thoughts away as quickly as they had came. There was no way Joce would go for that, and Kade thought himself a fool for even pondering it after the disaster that had been his and Shaye’s relationship. Looking at Jocelyn now, though, he knew it was a real possibility. ”There’s really no good reason why you should want to be with me,” he ventured slowly, though the grin on his lips grew a little. ”I mean, I come home everyday covered in coal dust. I drink too much, I have a mean temper, I’m stubborn, ignorant sometimes…. I apparently have a son now, and I’m told I suck at driving.” He paused a moment for that one, letting her recall where it had come from before continuing. ”Are you sure that’s what you want?” he asked, his voice a little more quiet. Now for the plunge. ”You’re more than I could ask for, Jocelyn, but you could sure as hell do much better than me.” Gasp, were those feelings he’d just admitted to?


[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/color]

[jocelyn hart]

jocelyn hart
---------------

Jocelyn couldn’t help but roll her eyes with a tinge of embarrassment as Kade grabbed hold of her arm, preventing her from fleeing the room. ”I’m sorry. I just…that was really the last thing I expected you to say.” Funny, because that was the last thing she had expected to say. This wasn’t something she had planned on telling Kade, ever, but rather hoped it was just wear off over time. It hadn’t. And here she was, professing it to a very confused man. This wasn’t typical Jocelyn. Jocelyn had made it clear to anyone she’d ever known that love was a sham, and was not something she’d ever bother looking for. The only problem was that, whatever this was, she hadn’t set out to find it. It had just happened and wasn’t going to avoid it if she was confronted, which she had been. As Kade looked down at her, she gently bobbed her head, as he let go of her arm. Of course Kade had no idea. Joce had always made it apparent where she stood on these kinds of issues, and most everyone knew it about her. This came out of nowhere, obviously surprising Kade just as much as it had surprised herself. And she didn’t expect him to feel the same way in the least bit. Jocelyn and Kade were both difficult people and often talked about around town. Jocelyn had a reputation for partying too hard, as did Kade. Jocelyn had certainly mellowed out with age, but peoples’ opinions still stayed the same. Jo was stubborn and hated admitting she was wrong, almost as much as she hated letting someone else know her inferiority or weaknesses. Not many understood her at all, being that she was a hard character to figure out. Kade was the only person who did. There were a lot of little facts such as that that might’ve lead up to this point, but in reality, Joce simply didn’t have an explanation. It was what it was.

But even so, a common wonder would be what Jocelyn would ever seen in Kade Trent. He was a labeled ‘nuisance’ and lived for causing trouble. His temper was one of the worse she’d ever seen and loved to yell and scream whenever he got angry. Those things didn’t faze her, though. Some were scared of Kade’s little flaws such as those, but to Joce, they just made him who he was. It was everything else about him that scared her… the unknown. The few things she didn’t know. And in the department she was dealing with, she knew diddly squat. Kade had been with Shaye. He knew how things worked, what love was like, how to handle a relationship. To Jocelyn it was all completely foreign, and the thought frightened her. She didn’t know what the hell she would to if the opportunity even did arise. There was no denying that she felt more for Kade than she had ever intended to, but actually acting on it? It was petrifying. The silence had staggered a little bit longer again. Jo cringed at the fact that she had made Kade lost for words. ”You’re not a dumbass,” And there was his grin. It felt a little better, seeing that look on his face again- a look she knew well. But, Joce looked at him dubiously, truly believing that she was, regardless of what was going to happen. Loosely crossing her arms, she found it easier to look at him now whenever she spoke. “What kind of a person dumps that on someone who already had too much on their plate today?” Joce looked down momentarily, feeling as though she probably should’ve just bullshitted her way out of if it if it were possible. Or to at least have tried. “You had enough surprises for one day.”

Jocelyn had never really even given much thought to being more than what she was with Kade. People mentioned it here and there, and some even chastised her for ‘living in sin’- those were mostly the devout Baptists that riddled the town. Kade had already been in one relationship that had ended badly, and Jocelyn was just never interested in any of it. She couldn’t really give a good explanation if asked, but easily put, Joce had always been set in her ways. She was a strong woman, and stood up full heartedly for what she believed in. For as long as she could remember, being alone and independent was a way of life, and something she saw as a good thing. Now? Her heart yearned for something more. It was weird how even her own mind seemed to play tricks on her. It was actually all rather confusing. ”There’s really no good reason why you should want to be with me,” Jo rolled her eyes again, looking up at him with that sideways glare, as his grin grew a little bigger. Was he trying to convince her not to? ”I mean, I come home everyday covered in coal dust. I drink too much, I have a mean temper, I’m stubborn, ignorant sometimes…. I apparently have a son now, and I’m told I suck at driving.” She couldn’t help but laugh softly at the last one. Sure, all of those things were true. But they made Kade who he was; and that’s who Jocelyn had eventually fallen for. She wasn’t feeling anything towards some made up bubble-gum coated version of Kade Trent. She knew the real one, inside and out. ”Are you sure that’s what you want?” Jocelyn only blankly looked up at him, knowing she was going to really choose choice words before answering that.

Jocelyn knew that jumping into things wasn’t always a good thing. Jo didn’t want to end up running away because it was too much for her, which she had been known to do before. It was rare- but had happened. She watched the look on Kade’s face as he said his final statement, and it practically knocked the wind right out of her. ”You’re more than I could ask for, Jocelyn, but you could sure as hell do much better than me.” Not really the reaction she had initially anticipated. She kind of expected a typical Kade and Jocelyn moment type response, somehow making it into a joke and going about their merry way. However, Jocelyn was glad he hadn’t. God, that probably would’ve made her ten times as mortified right now. But what exactly was Kade saying? He did want something more to do with her? And then he went on to say she deserved better. He was truly earning a lot of eye rolls in this conversation. She even slightly shook her head as he had said it. Feeling a lot more like herself, Jocelyn smirked, playfully punching him in the arm. “First off- I don’t appreciate you using my own words against me. You know I was just messing with you about your driving…” Joce felt like five anvils had been lifted off of her shoulders. She could finally relax. Strange how telling something so horrifying to her had actually made her feel better. “Coal dust? Can be washed off. You drink a lot? So does everyone else. Your temper? You always get over whatever you’re mad about, even if a few things get broken in the process. You’re stubborn and ignorant? What a coincidence- so am I.” Joce softly smiled up at him, trying to show that she was okay. No matter where this conversation lead. Good or bad.

“And as for you having a son? So fucking what? I said it before- you’ll figure that out.” Jocelyn took a step toward him, both their eyes not leaving each others. “So, no matter how many excuses or reasons you can hand me, none of them make any difference. I fell for you and your flaws.” God, it was weird saying that. Let alone admitting it. “I might be willing to want it… If you’d be willing to help me.” Jocelyn gently shrugged, still aware that she was illiterate to all of this stuff. “And maybe I could do better than you… you could do better than me too.” She laughed, letting her arms hang over his shoulders. “But I guarantee I’ll never find someone else who gets me as much as you do. And I guarantee no one else would have the gall to say half the shit you say to me. You aren’t afraid of treating me like a human, whereas, most other guys walk on eggshells around a girl, simply because she’s supposed to be innocent and sophisticated.” Laughing at the thought of it, she remained where she stood, tilting her head to the side slightly. “And I’m neither of those things. You aren’t afraid to put my ass in place every once in a while.” Kade and Jocelyn were the opposite of most everyone else in the town. For one, they hadn’t been dating, but were close already as if they had been. Mac and Jared were too sweet for words, and Jocelyn couldn’t even imagine Jared saying or doing any of things to her that Kade did to Joce. Likewise with Hunter and Anna. But Jocelyn didn’t want what Mackenzie had and she didn’t want what Anna had. What she wanted was standing right in front of her, still covered in coal dust, and still probably just as scared as she was. But currently, Jocelyn didn’t care. She would either jump into this gradually, or not at all. Either way, she had a good feeling her and Kade were going to be okay. “I don’t expect you to take a chance on me after your problems with Shaye. I’d be fine with staying as we are. As long as you aren’t going anywhere, I don’t care what our ‘title’ is.” Jocelyn looked at him seriously, yet kept that same smile plastered on her face. “Hell, we can just forget any of this happened if you want. Just letting you know is a relief I guess.” But telling by the look on his face, he didn’t plan on doing that. But she was curious as to what he did plan on.

[kade trent]

kade trent.

we try so hard
to understand it
__________________________________________

-----F

[/size]eelings were things that Kade didn’t own up to often enough. He was mostly of the opinion that they were useless, and they just got in the way. They made things harder than what they had to be, and they could get hurt too easily. He wasn’t a touchy-feely kind of guy, and most people couldn’t understand that. His brothers and sisters were tender hearted people that weren’t too proud to admit it when their hearts were broken. With the exception of Taryn most days, that is. But Kade, he just didn’t go there. When he had found his father dead in the woods, Kade had just turned back around and went home to tell his mom. When Marion had died, Kade hadn’t she a tear. At least, not where anyone could see, and only once. He was the type of guy that detached himself from the situation, putting it behind him quickly in order to spare the feelings that he claimed he didn’t have in the first place. It wasn’t the healthiest way of dealing with things, but it was Kade’s method. It had worked so far, and he figured it would keep on working for him. Just keep burying things deep in the back, and eventually it would be like they weren’t really there at all. Or, it would all come to a head one day and destroy him. Either way, he was good now and that was all that mattered. He would deal with the mental breakdown if and when it came, which very well may be today if shit didn’t quit happening to him and pushing him closer to that breaking point. Hearing that Shaye LeBlanc was back in might have been enough to send any other man that had had the feeling that Kade had for her right down to that breaking point. Then to discover that she had hid a child from him for three years and that he had a son? Well, that had pushed Kade a little farther. Now this? Well, believe it or not, this seemed mild and manageable compared to everything else that was going on.

-----D[/color][/size]id he have those same feelings for Jocelyn that she had just revealed that she had for him? If anyone ever asked him, Kade would have said no. People had asked him, and he had told them no. Why asked why, it greatly depended on who it was doing the asking as to what kind of response they got. If it was someone who didn’t have any business knowing, then they got the typical Kade Trent, “Fuck off,” response. But, if it were someone like his family, or close friends, Kade usually just shrugged it off. They were just friends. They had been friends for a long time and that was all they were ever going to be. At that, some would point out that they were already more than, “just friends.” True, they were friends that had their benefits, but that didn’t mean anything. Meaningless sex happened all the time, so why was it that everyone saw it so impossible for Kade and Jocelyn to be how they were and not have the feelings that sometimes went along with it? Them being friends was his reason for everyone else, but when Kade sat down to think about his own reasons, they were entirely different. He knew how he was, and knew that the likelihood of him ever changing was none at all. In his mind, Jocelyn Hart was one of the best people you could ever hope to meet, and she deserved more than just some guy that was stuck in a job that he hated, drank too much, and could be an ass when he wanted to be. He knew that she hadn’t planned on staying in Grace and had wanted the chance to be able to leave. Kade didn’t see himself ever leaving, and didn’t know if he really wanted to. This was his home, and he had no desire to go somewhere else. Joce didn’t need him holding her back. Him staying just her friend wasn’t really how it had been going for a long while now, but it was what he considered to be the best thing, for the both of them. Jocelyn was better off with him just being a friend, and he was better off just being on his own. At least, that’s what he told himself, and those feelings that had sparked for her probably more than a year ago had been buried in the back along with everything else.

-----U[/color][/size]p until now, he had done very well at hiding them, too. Jocelyn was surely oblivious, and while everyone had probably guessed that he was lying about not liking her for more than a friend, they had never been able to prove it. Kade could lie very well, and keep things hidden where no one would ever see. Not even Jocelyn had cracked that one, but, he hadn’t been able to see it in her, either. It was funny how they couldn’t keep the small things from one another, but when it came to something as big as this, they masked it expertly. She had broke first, though, and Kade had had options to weigh. She still would have been better off without him, but something inside wouldn’t allow him to unselfish this time. He wanted to be selfish, and he wanted to get exactly what he wanted for the first time in a long time. Those feelings burst free, wide open and breathing after being suffocated for so long. Kade understood now why she had said that he scared the shit out of her. He was scared now, too. He had been burned so badly going down this road before, and chancing it again just seemed like a bad idea. Kade and Jocelyn held notions of love and the like to be false, and yet here they were, willing to give it a go anyway. It was almost laughable, but no one was laughing now. Kade laid it out like it was, telling her things about himself that she already knew to be true. He had never tried to be anyone else, or to blind her to his flaws. To him, that was one way of protecting her, but it hadn’t even tripped her up in the slightest. So much for that plan, but right now, Kade would be lying if he said he was upset that it hadn’t worked.

-----H[/color][/size]e saw a smirk come to her face and was able to instantly see a change in her. Before, she had seemed nervous and scared. Now, Jocelyn was Jocelyn again, or much closer to it than she had been even a minute ago. Something he had said must have made a difference. He smiled at that. Kade didn’t even try to sock her back when she punched him playfully in the arm. He would be sure to pay her back later. “First off- I don’t appreciate you using my own words against me. You know I was just messing with you about your driving…” She sounded so much better, too, which made him feel better in return. The whole day hadn’t been easy for him, but right now it was starting to look up. “Coal dust? Can be washed off. You drink a lot? So does everyone else. Your temper? You always get over whatever you’re mad about, even if a few things get broken in the process.” Kade had to grin at that one, just because a lot of things usually did get broken in the process. Cabinet doors, windows, noses, jaws… “You’re stubborn and ignorant? What a coincidence- so am I.” She wasn’t kidding there. At least about the stubborn part. The small smile that came to her face then was reassuring. They were going to be okay, regardless of how this turned out. Kade was fairly certain that he knew how it was going to go, which made him happy and sent a jolt of fear right through him at the same time. “And as for you having a son? So fucking what? I said it before-you’ll figure that out.” He chuckled a little at that, not knowing any other person in the world that would be able to have that much faith in him, and put it to him the way that his Jocey did. She took a step closer to him, though Kade’s eyes never looked away from her own. “So, no matter how many excuses or reasons you hand me, none of them make any difference. I fell for you and your flaws.” Kade could go on listing his reasons and excuses for a long while. She knew that. Hell, the whole town of Grace could probably list more than he could because he wouldn’t remember half of them. Jocelyn knew everything that he had ever done, and yet she was still able to fall for him. That could either mean that there was something wrong with her, or that she was really just that great. Kade was going to choose the second one.

-----H[/color][/size]e listened as she said that she could be willing to want it, if Kade would be willing to help her. Some may not know what that meant, but he got in without really having to put real thought into it. Kade was able to see that she was thinking that he had one up on her, that he knew how this worked and she had no idea. That was okay; he was more than willing, and it wasn’t like he knew all the ins and outs of this relationship shit, either. They would just have to learn together. Her arms came up to hang over his shoulders as she said maybe she could do better than him, but he could do better than her as well. It was his turn to roll his eyes. ”I doubt that,” he said, thinking it impossible to do better than this girl right here. His arms wrapped lightly around her waist, still looking down at her as she continued to speak. “But I guarantee I’ll never find someone who gets me as much as you do….” Everything that she said after that was true, not only for her when applying it to him, but she did the exact same things. Just as he didn’t walk on eggshells around her, as she had phrased it, she didn’t do it for him. Most people shied away from his awful temper and just let him do whatever the hell he was going to do. Jocelyn wasn’t like that. She got right up in his face when he was pissed off and unruly, and told him when he was being a total and complete asshole. She put him in his place every time, never afraid to hurt his feelings or ruff him up a bit more. She had the kind of fire in her that was needed to deal with someone like Kade, and Kade knew that he was the kind of person that was needed to deal with a girl with such a strong personality as Jocelyn had. They certainly weren’t the typical pair, or two people that most would see making a relationship functional because they weren’t afraid to tell the other like it was. Jared would never tell Mackenzie when she was being a stubborn bitch. He would let her go and wait for her to cool off. Just like Mackenzie would never dream of telling Jared off. She’d slip quietly out of his way and wait for him to be her Jared again. That wasn’t Kade and Jocelyn, and he certainly didn’t think he would like someone like that. Someone that was a doormat and just stood quietly aside. No, Jocelyn was the exact kind of person he needed in his life.

-----Y[/color][/size]es, Kade could see this all going well. Jocelyn had opened the door he had thought was off bounds, and it didn’t seem like there was a good reason for them not to go through it. Joce still seemed to have her doubts. “I don’t expect you to take a chance on me after your problems with Shaye. I’d be fine with staying how we are. As long as you’re not going anywhere, I don’t care what our ‘title’ is. Hell, we can just forget any of this happened if you want. Just letting you know is a relief I guess.” ”I’m not going anywhere,” he assured her, a little bit of a playful gleam coming to his eye, but also something else. ”And you’re not Shaye. You’re better, and I won’t let her and what happened three years ago, or even today, be an excuse. It’s just like you said, I’ll never find someone that takes all my shit and isn’t afraid to stick it to me like you do.” Jocelyn had said it so much better, but it wasn’t like he could repeat her words. So he had done it Kade style, and while it wasn’t as pretty sounding, it would have the same effect. ”I don’t want to forget this happened. This is actually the one good thing to happen to me today, and you aren’t taking it away from me.” He grinned one of is wicked grins then, one of those perfect ones that always got him what he wanted. But, then his mouth smoothed into a softer, sweeter smile. ”I want to be with you. Have for awhile, but I just thought it’d be better if I kept my mouth shut. I’m glad you gave in, though. Very glad.” There was a bit of a dig at her in there, but it wouldn’t be Kade and Jocelyn if there weren’t. He pulled her in a little closer, feeling her body come against his. ”Now, you should just agree that we’re together, and then we can skip ahead to the good part.” That tone was back in his voice, all the flatness from before gone. Only now, he could allow her to see how much he really did care for her, in the way that he expressed by pushing for them to be a couple. He was amazed at how okay he was with it, but this was Jocelyn, and it was them. He had had years to get to know her, and he trusted her. Joce had more faith in him than Shaye ever had, and truthfully, she’s always had more of his heart.

[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/color]

[jocelyn hart]

jocelyn hart
---------------

For whatever reason, some people saw it impossible to stand up to Kade Trent. They feared his infamous temper, that could sometimes result in a few mean words said and a couple punches thrown. But Jocelyn had never been one to be intimidated or scared of nearly anything. It might have been in part because she had been friends with Kade since they were children, but his temper was simply just a part of who he was. It was kind of a package-deal, and she’d learned early on how to handle it. She wasn’t afraid to tell him to shut the fuck up, if she was tired of hearing him bitch about something. Normally he didn’t like that, and may have yelled even more. But after the second time she would tell him to shut up, he would. It never failed. Jocelyn always was the one people turned to when they couldn’t deal with Kade. She never particularly minded, but wished people would grow a backbone every once in awhile. The man had his scary moments, but the way Jocelyn saw it, he knew better than to ever lay a hand on her. So what was the worst that could possibly happen? Him say a few hurtful words (that usually didn’t strike her as odd at all) and throw some stuff around? That wasn’t necessarily anything much to be scared of in Joce’s mind, but respected other peoples’ perspectives. She was almost certain some people felt partly the same way about her. Jocelyn wasn’t always the nicest person in the world, but rather felt the need to be honest with everyone about everything. If you were doing something stupid or something she didn’t like, you could be damn certain you’d be hearing about it. Because of that trait, many people found themselves coming to her for advice- or she’d end up giving them her opinion, when they hadn’t asked for advice at all. Jocelyn wasn’t a typical quiet, sweet, Grace lady. She was different, and nearly everyone knew it.

That wasn’t to say Jocelyn didn’t have a heart or a soft side to her. When with her friends in tough situations or when seeing someone obviously hurt, her maternal instinct would kick in and be there for whoever needed her. Sometimes she could be a little harsh when dealing with people that were upset, but in the end, it always got them back up on their feet. Jocelyn didn’t have many enemies, but she knew certain people tried to stay out of her way. That was something she’d never quite understood, but never paid all that much attention to. Kade probably saw the most of her compassion, because he was the one she cared about most. He typically didn’t get a harsh reaction if he was upset, but normally only if he was backlashing on her first. ”I doubt that,” Jocelyn had to smile at that one. This seemed to be going in a good direction, and she would’ve been lying if she said she didn’t like it. She felt his arms go around her waist, sending a jolt through her stomach. She hated how he could do that. One little touch, and everything just went haywire. Especially now that she could see something different in his eyes. Something like happiness. And hell, she was liking the fact that this made him happy. All of the worry for nothing. Sure, she was still a little freaked by what this would lead to. If they got together, there was a lot to think about and a lot to figure out. Jocelyn knew nothing when it came to this, and she didn’t want to harm the friendship she had with Kade, either. But, for once, she wanted to take a risk like this. If anything, this was the time to do it. She wanted to be with Kade. And for once, she wanted to do something for herself.

”I’m not going anywhere,” Yeah, Jocelyn had already seen that response coming. Of course he wasn’t. Partially by choice, partially because there was no other option. Kade was here for life. He’d made that pretty clear. He liked his home and saw no good reason to leave. That’s where he and Joce differed. Joce had intended to leave Grace the minute she could. But when push came to shove, she realized she just couldn’t. Not only did she not the the finances, but everything she’d ever known was here. Memories, friends, and yes, Kade. She knew in part he may have felt he ‘held her back’ somehow, but Jocelyn was for the most part where she wanted to be. She complained a lot about having to live in Grace and how she’d give anyting to leave. But it was comforting to know your surroundings. And Joce had Grace down to a science. Kade’s next words were a bit of a shock. ”And you’re not Shaye. You’re better, and I won’t let her and what happened three years ago, or even today, be an excuse…” Jocelyn eyes had somewhat widened at this, but hey, it was a good thing for any woman to hear. There was no doubt Shaye Leblanc was a high standard. She was smart, gorgeous, successful- Jocelyn felt more average, daring, and street-smart. Jo never really felt threatened by Shaye, but Kade telling her that she was better than the raven haired woman? Was a definite plus, and she smirked after he had said it. Kade went on to say how she takes his shit unlike anyone else, and she kept the smirk knowing it was true. Kade and Jocelyn were different, only because they weren’t afraid to deal with each other’s bull. ”I don’t want to forget this happened. This is actually the one good thing to happen to me today, and you aren’t taking it away from me.” “Good. I’m glad you don’t want to forget it happened. And I wouldn’t dare take it away from you.” Jocelyn used that tone he knew well, and grinned up at him, tilting her head a little, anticipating whatever he had to say next.

His face then transformed from that cocky, perfect grin, to the Kade that anyone else rarely saw. That was enough to make her knees weak. ”I want to be with you. Have for awhile, but I just thought it’d be better if I kept my mouth shut. I’m glad you gave in, though. Very glad.” The first part was a shocker. He wanted to be with her for awhile? Christ, then why had she stressed over this for so long? They had apparently felt the same way and had both succeeded in hiding it from one another. But, at least it didn’t matter now. She could see the resolution to her one moment of weakness, and was liking the outcome more and more. However, she playfully scowled at his dig to her giving in. Peh. “Shut up. Least I wasn’t a wuss about giving in. Mister ‘I’ll keep my mouth shut’.” And, as always, she fired right back, but her tyrant was completely forgotten the moment he pulled her closer to him. ”Now, you should just agree that we’re together, and then we can skip ahead to the good part.” Joce raised an eyebrow with a sideways smile, recognizing that tone, and not even flinching at the statement of them being together. There was her Kade. By now, her mind was already made up, and she liked the idea of her and Kade actually being together. Letting her arms brace around his neck, she let her words linger, teasing as if she was hesitating actually agreeing with him. “Fine. I agree. We’re together. But only because I’m curious as to what this ‘good part’ consists of.” Looking up at him she smiled, genuinely pleased with this outcome. “But really… I want to be with you. Screw anything I’ve ever said about not believing in it. I want to try.” Leaning herself into him, Jocelyn let her lips meet his, hearing a crack of thunder outside. Even the rain or a storm couldn’t ruin this.

Jocelyn could already see peoples’ jaws drop once they heard the news that Kade Trent and Jocelyn Hart were a couple. It was weird to think about it herself, but she liked the idea of it. Then again, a few hearts would probably break on both sides when people heard neither of them were open anymore. Maybe some had seen it coming somehow, but they were pretty persistent in letting people know this wasn’t where they had ever wanted to go; a relationship. Especially Jocelyn. She had down talked them and everything related to them from the minute she knew the word. Now, it didn’t seem all that bad. Mostly only because this was Kade. Not someone she was taking a chance on. Joce knew Kade, better than she probably knew herself. That was comforting in all this. “So… about that good part you mentioned? Still curious here. Or were you just trying to trick me into agreeing to be your girlfriend?” Jocelyn pulled her hands off of his neck, looking down at them to see gray and black smeared. She laughed, finally snapping back into the reality that Kade was completely dirty and wet. She couldn’t help but laugh hysterically at it. “You smell like a fucking ashtray.” But didn’t move an inch away from him. Joce didn’t really care all that much. But this was just how she was. Letting her hands rest on his chest she shivered a bit (being that she was also wet from his clothes) stealing another kiss. It was nice being able to do it whenever, and she liked taking advantage of it as much as she could. “I could get used to this…” She said matter of factly, letting herself shiver a little bit again.

[kade trent]

kade trent.

we try so hard
to understand it
__________________________________________

-----I

[/size]t really was odd how well Kade was doing with all of this. Those that knew him and his nature would never be able to imagine such a scene taking place. He wasn’t a relationship kind of guy, his only attempt at it in his twenty-one years of life being Shaye, and the whole town knew how he had fucked that one up. Kade was more of the loving and leaving type. He had slept with multiple women, and rarely cared about any of them. He hadn’t been a fan of feelings, and didn’t let them get involved when he was seeing someone. To Kade, it was sex. It was physical, and there was nothing else to be said about it. It’s probably true that his way of looking at things like that had broken a few hearts along the way, but that was just part of the game. Those women had known how he was to begin with, and they were foolish if they thought that they were going to be able to change Kade Trent. He didn’t change for anyone, but maybe that’s why he was so entirely okay being here and Jocelyn and admitting to what he was. She never asked him to change; she had never wanted him to. Joce took him exactly like he was. She had said it herself, she had fallen for his flaws along with the good side that she knew he had. She was probably the only one, he thought, holding back the urge to roll his eyes. Sure, Shaye had loved him and never asked him to change who he was, but that was back then, three years ago. She probably wouldn’t like who he was now, because she certainly seemed as though she had changed. Jocelyn Hart was the only woman that had put up with Kade as a permanent thing, other than those related to him that had had to. So yes, it was odd how Kade had been able to put aside his stubbornness, and all of his issues from the day to do this, but at the same time it made all the sense in the world. Up until now he wouldn’t have dared let it slip that this was something that he wanted, and he felt like an idiot for being that way.

-----B[/color][/size]ut, she had obviously been hiding away the same feelings as well. They were both so stubborn, and Kade had to grin at it. “Good. I’m glad you don’t want to forget it happened. And I wouldn’t dare take it away from you.” She was sweet then, using that tone of voice that Kade knew all too well. However, after saying his next piece, that sweet, loving expression that had been on her face turned to scowl. He had known it was coming, and had been expecting the kind of comeback that she had dished out. “Shut up. At least I wasn’t a wuss about giving in. Mister ‘I’ll keep my mouth shut.’” Oh really? A wuss, huh? Normally, Kade would have spouted off a comeback to that, and it would have been a typical Jocelyn and Kade moment where they were bickering like they really hated one another. They had their moments where it was hard to believe that they were as good friends as they were because they were cussing and chewing the other out, but in the end they would smile. They weren’t afraid to put each other in their places, but they knew when not to take what was said seriously and to laugh it off. It sounds dysfunctional, but it’s really what made them as functional as they are. This wasn’t a typical moment between them, though, and Kade had let it go to tell her to just agree that they were together already. It wasn’t the most romantic way to ask someone to be with you, but Kade really couldn’t see himself asking her to be his girlfriend. That was so elementary, and he really had no idea how else to even say it. So, he stuck to his own ways once again. By the way this was going, he was sure that the outcome would be the same, regardless of how it was that he put the question to her. She didn’t answer him right away, giving the illusion that she may not take him up on the offer. It was a good thing that he knew Jocelyn as well as he did, or else he would probably be worried that she might actually turn him down after all of that.

-----W[/color][/size]hen Joce did speak, it was her agreeing like this really wasn’t a big deal at all. The nerves felt on both sides during all of this were gone by now, smiles on their lips. “But only because I’m curious as to what this ‘good part’ consists of.” Kade arched a brow at that. They both knew what the good part was. “But really…I want to be with you. Screw everything I’ve ever said about not believing in it. I want to try.” Before Kade could say that he had already forgotten ever cynical, skeptical word she had ever said about relationships and the idea of them, Jocelyn had leaned in and kissed him. It silenced the words on his lips, forgetting about them altogether. He and Jocelyn were together now, and he could already see the faces that people would make when word reached their ears. Jaws would drop, eyes would roll, and hell, there may even be a tear or two. Kade would probably enjoy telling people just to watch their eyes get real big, so then he could laugh his ass about it later. People would talk, but Kade wouldn’t care, and he knew that Joce wouldn’t either. Both had them had learned long ago to just let the talk go and not care about it because the more of a fuss you made, the more that they all had to talk about. The storm was still going strong outside, but that didn’t bother them, either. It was like they had locked themselves away in their own little world, one that Kade’s anger towards Shaye and Jocelyn’s dislike towards all things storm-like had no place. It was just them, and it all felt right. “So…about that good part you mentioned? Still curious here. Or were you just trying to trick me into agreeing to be your girlfriend?” Hearing her refer to herself as his girlfriend was new, and a little strange to hear, but that didn’t mean that it wasn’t welcome. Kade grinned. ”Well, I had to do something…” he teased. That’s when she pulled her arms from around his neck, and as she looked down at her hands, so did he. Coal dust from him had come off onto her palms, and it reminded him that he was still filthy.

-----J[/color][/size]ocelyn apparently found it amusing, because she started laughing. It was because of the situation, though. Kade could see that much, and laughed a little too. He was dirty, wet, and she was also because of him. “You smell like a fucking ashtray.” Kade glared back at her playfully. ”You never complained about it before.” It was weak, he knew, but he wasn’t really in a picky mood. Unless she said something back to him. Then, he would play the game like they always did, for blood and sparing no feelings. Really, he didn’t know if she had complained about it before. If she had, he had blew it off and ignored her. Joce’s hands rested on his chest then, and she kissed him again. Kade was definitely liking this. “I could get used to this.” He noticed her shiver, and guessed that it was the dampness from her own clothes caused by his that brought it on. For that, he felt a little bad. ”Definitely,” he agreed, this time being the one that leaned forward to kiss her. Definitely had been the right response, because this was worth it. Kade and Jocelyn had had their loving moments in the past, but it had mostly seemed like lust, and only like this when it was just the two of them. In public, they were open enough about their relationship that they had had before, but Kade knew that it would be different now. They didn’t have to try and fool everyone, even each other, that it was nothing more than sex. Hell, maybe they could even give holding hands a shot if they were really feeling up for a challenge. The image of that was enough to make him want to laugh, but it also wasn’t impossible. He grinned, breaking the kiss. ”Now, for that good part…”

-----A[/color][/size]nd good it was. The two of them had made their way upstairs, where they went with the original plan of getting “cleaned up.” Damp clothes came off and fell to the floor, something that was familiar between them. It wasn’t the first time they had stripped each other down, knowing full and well what came next. Only, this time was different. Lust wasn’t the fuel to it, but something entirely different. They took their time, laughing and having fun in a way that they had almost seemed to have forgotten. They were playful, and when it came down to it, sensual and loving. The storm outside raged, but then calmed, leaving nothing but the rain behind. And it continued to rain, but neither Kade nor Jocelyn paid any attention to it. Only when they were lying in her bed, her nestled comfortably in his arms, did Kade even realize that it was still raining. Taking a glance toward her window, he could see that it was nearly dark outside. He had been there for awhile. The thing with Shaye and Evan and whoever the hell Milo was seemed like it had happened so long ago, as it was too far from Kade’s mine right now for him to feel the anger and hurt from the situation. He and Jocelyn had always been a good thing, and today had made it better, despite the reasons he had shown up at her home in the first place. Kade felt her snuggle in closer, and pressed a sweet kiss to her forehead. ”Do I still smell like a fucking ashtray?” he asked, grinning over how random that had seemed for her to say earlier, and the memory popping into his mind then. He let his hand slide down over her back as she turned to look at him, his eyes meeting hers. This we definitely a good thing they had here, and it was easy to tell that both were too happy to finally have the chance to have it.


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