Page 106 of Undeniable

Through the truck windows, I saw Luke, Hazel, and Devon pile out of Devon’s truck while Amanda, Reed, and Josh climbed out of Reed’s SUV. Shelby and her boyfriend, Will, who had actually been the attorney representing Amanda’s brother in his legal issues, pulled in right behind them. My anxiety ratcheted up another notch.

I didn’t know why I was anxious—they’d all stayed long enough at Murphy’s to make sure I was okay and even offered to drive me all the way to Willowwood to find James. They were really good friends to both of us.

“Come out, come out wherever you are!” Josh hollered.

I heard someone, probably Amanda, telling him to shut it and I took a deep breath. Not waiting for James to put on the rest of his clothes, I stepped around the front of the truck and waved.

“I can’t believe y’all came all the way out here,” I said by way of greeting.

Hazel was the first one to reach me, throwing her arms around my shoulders in the tightest embrace. I let her comfort me because I knew it was just as much for her as it was for me.

“We wouldn’t have missed an opportunity to celebrate you,” she said with a smile when she finally let go.

“And James kind of made it seem like if we didn’t come, there would be some very vague yet scary consequences,” Reed added, also giving me a quick hug.

Shelby approached next, a hesitant smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. “We good, babes?”

I nodded and hugged my best friend as tight as I could. Over her shoulder, Will gave me a small smile and a quick wave as he began unloading their car.

“Where is the—” Luke started, approaching our little group with a case of beer in his large hands. His face split into a huge smile. “Oh, there he is. Make-up sex?”

At Luke’s question, I whipped around to find James still buttoning his pants and tightening his belt. Shelby mumbled a curse under her breath and retreated to help her own boyfriend. I was mortified, and the blush that warmed my cheeks was evidence of it.

But James seemed completely unconcerned that now all of his friends—and I guess mine too—knew we’d just fucked in the middle of a field.

“Yup,” James quipped and wrapped his arms around me from behind. I scowled at him over my shoulder but couldn’t help the fact that I melted a little under his touch.

“Birthday sex in a field? Kinky,” Reed added, and we all laughed.

“Not the first time either,” James said, and I couldn’t even pretend to be mad.

“And probably not the last,” I joked, and that earned me another laugh from everyone and a kiss on top of my head from James.

Amanda aww’d and gripped my hand. “Yeah, that’s supercute and everything, but we have a party to set up for. Your families are only like fifteen minutes behind us.”

And with that, we all descended into full party-setup mode. Luke rearranged the trucks and Reed’s SUV so they were all side by side and the tailgates and trunk could be used as a buffet and drink station, while the other guys started a large fire several feet away.

While helping Amanda, Hazel, and Shelby unwrap food and situate coolers full of every drink you could imagine, I noticed Devon and James speaking quietly as they built a fire. The conversation seemed tense but ended with Devon clapping James on the shoulder.

James scanned the field until his eyes settled on me like I was exactly who he was looking for. And then he smiled.

THIRTY-SEVEN

Ivy

“Y’allreally used to have parties out here?” Hazel asked, sitting on Luke’s lap and sipping her sparkling water.

A couple of us were seated around the fire that was still burning bright. And music emanating from Luke’s truck speakers floated around us.

Even hours later, the party was still in full swing. My parents, along with James’s parents, had gone home an hour before, but otherwise, everyone else didn’t seem like they were ready to leave anytime soon. Well, maybe, except for Hazel, who in her second trimester, tired easily compared to the rest of us.

Although I hadn’t been completely on board with the idea when I first walked into the bar that night and saw the decorations, looking around and seeing our friends and family gathered together, drinking, laughing and enjoying each other’s company, I knew James had the right idea.

“Yeah,” I finally answered Hazel. “It was usually here. The first time I got drunk was in this field. And so was my first kiss.”

Amanda, in the chair on my other side, laughed and took a long swig of her beer. “Your childhood sounds like so much fun.”

I shrugged and stared into the fire. “Honestly, it really was.”

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