Page 60 of Devoted

Chapter 18

Jess

“Do you need any help, Rachel?” I ask once Brooks and I arrive at Grayson’s birthday party casually late.

“Nope. Everything is wonderful. I just have to bring out this last tray of veggies and dip and then all the food is out. The games are ready. The cake already has the candles in it. I’m good.” She stands proudly, staring down at the veggie tray that looks like a skeleton. Luke’s son, Grayson, is obsessed with the human body and Rachel nailed the theme of his party. Maybe when I have a kid one day, I’ll hire her to do the decorations for their parties.

“You’re super woman, Rach. Handling all of this.”

She shrugs but casts a smile in my direction. “It’s worth it to see the smile on his face. I never understood joy until I saw it through his eyes.” She lifts the tray and asks me to open the sliding door to the backyard where the rest of the party is taking place and the guests have all gathered.

Kids are darting across the lawn between the swing set and the bounce house. Most of the men are huddled in one corner of the yard sipping their drinks while the women are congregated around the food on the patio, taking shelter from the sun as well as stuffing their faces. And as I scour the table of goodies, my eyes land on the bowl of chips and dip calling my name as I make my way over.

“You’d better share,” Piper says as she hip checks me and then laughs.

“No promises. You know how I feel about potato chips.” I dip one in the bowl of ranch and pop it in my mouth, crunching down on it as the saltiness hits my tongue and comforts me.

“I’m the same, girl. Chips and chocolate—my two weaknesses. How are things going? I haven’t seen you around work very much.”

“Well, our schedules have shifted, and someone was on vacation for a couple of weeks after her wedding, so yes, it’s been a while.”

Piper scoffs in offense. “Hey. That someone was on her honeymoon and then enjoying some time with her new husband before life picked back up.”

I wrap my arm around her waist and rest my head on her shoulder, squeezing her hard. “I know. I’m just giving you crap. So how is newlywed life treating you?”

Piper’s cheeks blush and her smile spreads wide. “Amazing. Nothing really changed, but it has at the same time, if that makes sense.”

I nod because I do understand how things can change faintly without you realizing it. That’s exactly what’s happening between Brooks and I, and the knots in my stomach keep reminding me that there’s a bomb he’s about to drop that I’m not entirely prepared for. We’re supposed to leave on a trip in a few days together, one in which he hasn’t told me the destination of, claiming it’s a surprise. And instead of being excited about it, all I keep thinking about is what I’m going to do if I’m hundreds of miles away from home and he tells me something I can’t accept. Am I going to take an Uber so I can leave and return home to Emerson Falls, shedding tears and my dignity in the back of a Toyota Corolla, and then have to turn around and pay for it?

“Yes. That makes perfect sense. You’re committed to each other now in more than just spirit. There’s a paper tying you together as well.”

“Yeah, but it’s deeper than that too. He’s my husband now, not just my fiancé. It’s reassuring knowing he’s my partner forever, like I know undoubtedly that we can get through anything together.”

I admire my friend’s happiness and then reach for another chip. “That’s amazing, Piper. You deserve it.”

“Thanks. So, how are things going with Brooks?” She grabs a handful of chips and starts popping them in her mouth one by one.

I glance across the yard where he’s talking to Cooper with his daughter strapped to his chest. Clara gave birth about a month ago, and this is their first official outing.

Piper’s voice pulls my attention back to her. “I don’t know if you’re aware, but your smile just fell when you looked across the yard at him. What the hell happened?”

Letting out a sigh, I glance up at the patio covering above us before I try to explain what I’m feeling. “Everything was going great. The chemistry is there. We make each other laugh, I told him about my alleged curse, and he accepted that. We still haven’t slept together if that means anything, so I know he respects the fact that I want to wait. He’s handsome, intelligent, thoughtful, and makes me want to jump him, even though it makes me nervous. He’s perfect… except when he’s not.”

Piper drags out her reply, clearly confused. “O-kay…”

“He’s hiding something from me.” I turn to stare at her eyes straight on. “He’s hiding something from me and he’s taking me away this week to tell me what it is.”

“Wow. What do you think it is?”

I bite my thumb nail. “I honestly have no idea. He’s assured me there’s not someone else, but it has to be something serious because there was a pain in his eyes when I finally confronted him about it.” I spend the next few minutes filling her in on the moments where he’s blown me off and made me question things, leading up to yesterday in the on-call room.

“Well, I hope it’s not something you can’t live with. You two are so good together.”

“I feel that way too, Piper. I finally found this man that makes me see an actual future with him. I’ve never felt like I can be myself around a man like I can with Brooks. He makes me feel brave and safe. Until he didn’t.”

“Try not to freak yourself out too much. Trust him when he says that it’s not going to hurt you, and just see what he has to say.”

“You’re right.” I look back over the yard and notice that Brooks is on the phone, away from the guys. Suddenly his head peers up and finds mine, his eyes locking onto me and his mouth falls open.

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