Page 41 of Unbroken

I felt him behind me before he appeared to my left. Devon’s hulking frame slid between the wall next to me and my barstool. He stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets and stared straight-faced at Grant, who stood a little taller.

I glanced between them, but neither were paying any attention to me.

Finally, I cleared my throat and looked up at Devon. “What’s up, Devon?”

He didn’t immediately look down at me. Instead, he held Grant’s stare another second before he blinked.

“I’m heading home,” he said, and it took me a moment to remember that he’d been the one to drive me to the bar. “Amanda said she’d give you a ride back to my place later if you don’t want to leave now.”

“Oh,” I said, peering back over at Grant, who didn’t appear as confident as he had a few seconds earlier. Seeing everything through his eyes, it was no wonder he’d begun to retreat.

“I didn’t realize…” Grant muttered. He tapped the tabletop twice and stepped back. “Sorry, man.”

Stunned, I whipped my head around to look at Devon, who appeared unruffled by Grant’s insinuation. I waited for him to object and tell Grant that it was absolutelynotwhat he thought, but Devon didn’t speak.

A thought, wild and uncontrollable, crossed my mind. It was fast—there and gone almost too quick for me to comprehend. But the gist of it was crystal clear. It was an inconceivable “what if.”

What ifit wasn’t an insinuation?What ifit was real?

It was enough to make a shiver whip down my spine and to push me into action.

“Wait,” I said, reaching out and lightly gripping Grant’s forearm before he could walk away. “We’re not.” I waved my hands between Devon and me and made a slashing motion through the air.

“Here.” I retrieved my phone from my bag and slid it across the table. Grant’s demeanor changed, although the hesitance in his eyes remained. I didn’t blame him, though. That was to be expected in Devon’s company.

Grant added his number, slid my phone back across the table, and smiled as he went back to work.

I shoved my phone into my bag and twisted in my seat to look up at Devon.

“That was weird. You’re being weird,” I said simply. Devon was still staring at Grant’s retreating form, and I shook my head. “I’ll go with you.”

I slipped off the barstool and said goodbye to Amanda, Reed, Josh, James, and Ivy.

As he had when we entered, Devon parted the crowd as we walked through the main part of the bar. I stepped out from behind him when we got to the front door and came face-to-face with Piper.

I muttered out a startled “Hi” and stopped just a few inches short of running her over.

Her eyes widened, and she said a quick hello back. Devon pushed open the door and the three of us walked outside. The temperature had dropped in the hours we’d been in the bar, and I regretted not wearing a coat or a thicker sweater.

Reflexively, I wrapped my arms around my midsection and trudged against the wind and through the parking lot. He and Piper broke off, veering toward the other side of the lot and away from Devon’s SUV.

“I’ll be right back,” he said. I watched them approach a small,white sedan that was exactly the car I expected Piper to drive. She was tiny, so her car ought to be as well.

Not knowing how long they would be, I knew standing in the middle of the parking lot wasn’t the best idea. I hurried over to Devon’s car, but when I reached for the handle, it stuck. I tried again, only to confirm it was locked.

Turning to holler at Devon to unlock it, I stopped short. I looked at the precise moment Devon leaned down and kissed her. It was quick—or at least I thought it was—because I whipped back around before I could see the end. And before the dropping sensation in my stomach could get any worse.

I heard his steps behind me, and the car doors unlocked. I pulled it open quickly and jumped inside, out of the cold.

He slipped into the driver’s seat. “Sorry. I thought I’d unlocked it.”

“It’s okay,” I said and buckled my seat belt, dropping my bag on the floorboard.

Devon backed out of the spot and turned onto the street. His hands were tight around the wheel, and I could see the muscles in his jaw tic.

“Everything okay?” I asked quietly.

He blinked and grunted, which was as much of a response as I’d expect from him.

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