Page 37 of Unbroken

That was where I spotted them.

Devon stepped up beside me. “Looks a little different now,” he said in a voice that could barely be heard above the music.

“It does. It really…does.” It did look different, but it also had the same classic Murphy’s Law feel. The nostalgia of the place was like a warm hug.

Devon gave me another few seconds to take it all in before he pointed toward the pool tables. “We’re over there.”

My heart rate kicked up, but I followed Devon. He easily created a path between people, and I took advantage of the walkway.

“Of all the people to be so damn late, I wasn’t expecting it to be you,” Josh joked. He was the closest to us, seated on a stool atone of the high-top tables. He patted Devon’s arm with an easy smile.

“Yeah, well, it’s been an interesting night already,” Devon said as he stepped aside, revealing me. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole. I knew he despised these types of interactions and probably would have wanted to be anywhere but there.

Just like I had when I showed up at Amanda’s house, I waved and said, “Hi,” because what the hell else was I supposed to do? My heart was pounding so hard that I felt lightheaded.

I glanced around at them, shock and confusion gracing all their lovely faces.

No one said anything for so long I worried if I didn’t leave, they would all be stuck in those positions. I gripped the base of my neck, right where my shoulder blades met, and massaged some of the tension away.

That was when, of all people, James stepped forward. “I…umm…didn’t get to introduce you last time,” he said, holding hands with the beautiful redhead and walking to me. “Blakely, this is the love of my life, Ivy.”

She rolled her eyes at James, but offered me her hand, which I happily shook. She had freckles along the bridge of her nose, on her cheeks, and over her forehead. Her green eyes were striking yet kind, and it took me a second, but finally, I realized where I’d heard that name before.

“Oh!” I exclaimed excitedly, taking her hand in both of mine. “You’rehisIvy. Like the Ivy from high school.”

Like a string snapping, the tension in the room broke. Everyone laughed, and the sound surprised me so much I had to look around and make sure I wasn’t just hearing things.

Ivy glanced back at James with a tender smile, then looked back at me. “Yeah,” she said. “I’m that Ivy.HisIvy.”

“Do you want something to drink?” Josh asked, stepping forward and motioning to his empty beer glass.

“Oh, sure, thanks,” I said. “Just a soda would be great.”

“I’ve been making Hazel mocktails for the past couple months. Do you want to try one of those?”

“It’s actually pretty good,” Hazel added from her seat at another high-top table. I hadn’t seen her around the men standing between us, but I peered around James to see her shy yet sweet smile. I appreciated her input and the gesture more than she’d ever known. The small comment went a long way toward calming my nerves. It would have been just as easy to ignore me.

“Sure,” I said. “That sounds good.”

Josh walked past me, and Devon joined him. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask him to stay, but Amanda took his place next to me. She had a pool cue in each hand and a smile a mile wide on her face.

“You think we can still beat the guys at pool?” she asked, and I easily returned her smile.

“No doubt,” I said. She handed me one of the cues, and it was oddly reminiscent of the last time we’d played together. She’d offered me the pool cue, and we’d beaten the crap out of Reed and Luke.

Amanda spun and retrieved another cue from the rack. She shoved it into Reed’s chest. He spluttered and stumbled back, almost spilling his beer. He juggled both his beer and the cue for several seconds before he straightened.

“A little warning next time, babe,” he said. He set his beer on the table where Hazel and Ivy were sitting and tapped Amanda’s ass with the end of the cue. He kissed her forehead and found another pool cue that he offered to Luke.

Standing behind Hazel, Luke braced his hands on the back of her stool. He glanced at the cue, looked back up at Reed, and then quickly shot his gaze at me. Reed pushed it closer, but Luke didn’t reach out to take it.

“It’s just a game, Luke,” Reed said, but Luke didn’t move. He was staring at the pool cue like it represented much more than just agreeing to a game. Like if he took it, he agreed to forgiveme for everything and let go of any lingering anger. But I didn’t expect that.

It didn’t signify anything more than that. And I was about to speak up when Hazel locked eyes with her husband and tilted her head toward Reed. A silent conversation passed between them, and we all waited. It felt like an eternity had passed, but Luke’s hand struck out and wrapped around the wooden cue.

The gesture didn’t mean anything more than that he’d agreed to play, but there was still a twinge of relief and a little hope.

The guys racked the balls, and I dropped my purse on a barstool. Amanda handed me the chalk, and I gladly accepted it. I prepped my cue and set the chalk on the edge of the table, but I caught Amanda staring at me.

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