Page 9 of Fated Shot

My heart nearly puddles at my feet as I take in the view. Jack, seated upright on the lounger chair, is holding up a chunky baby above him with both arms extended. I hear the baby's soft coos and a full-bellied laugh from him as he pulls her close, nestling her perfectly into his side. He then proceeds to stick his tongue out, to the baby’s delight.

I feel a little flutter in my stomach—okay, let’s be real, probably my ovaries—but nope, not happening. I refuse. I force myself to look back at Camille. “Wow, she’s so precious. I can’t believe you’ve had a baby. You look fantastic.”

“Seriously?” It’s impossible to miss the sincerity in her eyes as she grabs both my hands, searching for any ounce of falsity.

“Seriously. You look ridiculously amazing.” I would have never guessed that this toned, put-together girl had given birth that recently.

“Thank you so much for saying that.” She pulls me in for another hug. What do you know? Even Victoria’s Secret models get insecure. “I’m going to grab some food, wanna come?”

Before I know it, she's grabbed my hand and we’re headed to the barbeque to grab some burgers. We talked for a little while before Scott brought Kaia over to come join us, happily babbling while Camille and I continued to chat. I was finally settling into the evening, letting my antisocial guard down. After a little while though, Scott and Camille excused themselves from the party as they were driving back to the city tonight. I watched as they thanked my parents for having them, and I gave them all a wave as they ducked behind the house.

Less than a minute later, before I have time to plan my escape, I hear the clinking of a glass. Dad has made his way to the drinks table, where he’s tapping his champagne flute with a plastic knife. Effective? Not so much, but people start gathering around him regardless. My mom meanders over too, grabbing his free hand to join him at the front of the now-gathered crowd.

“We just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for being here. I know a lot of you took time to make the drive out, and we appreciate you joining us. We know it’s going to be a great season—” cheers erupt from the group, “—and an even better year ahead!” Glasses raise in acknowledgement of the statement.

“As some of you may know, this year, our little Amelia decided to move to Toronto, and we couldn’t be happier to have her home with us.” Some ‘awws’ break out from the crowd as I smile at my dad. “I have a little surprise for you, Amelia, come on and join us up here.”

My heart starts pounding in my chest immediately as my feet stay anchored to the ground. I feel multiple eyes on me, but continue struggling to move. Closing my eyes ever so briefly, mustering every ounce of courage that must be hiding deep, deep, deep down in my soul, I begrudgingly step forward to joinmy parents. Facing the crowd ahead of me, I get the distinct feeling that I’m going to pass out. It’s a feeling I’m all to familiar with every time a million eyes are on me. I stand like a deer in the headlights as I wait for my dad to continue.

“Seb, come on and bring it out,” he calls.

What did he just say? Seb? Did he just say, Seb? My concern is immediately justified as emerging from the sliding glass door is none other than Sebastian Brown, holding a three-tiered birthday cake. The group starts singing Happy Birthday as he approaches.

What is happening right now? This has to be some kind of nightmare, but I am painfully wide awake. My heartbeat quickens as he closes the distance between us. He’s clearly not at all phased by the attention, grinning ear to ear. My shaky hands reach out to hold the cake platter steady as I blow out the candles shaped like twenty-two, wishing for nothing more than this moment to end.

I pretty much check out, as one does when ambushed by their ex. Somewhere between the hugs from my parents, birthday wishes from a few guests, and Sebastian’s arm over my shoulder, my soul seems to return to my body, shock wearing off. I continue to maintain the plastered-on smile, but I take off, nearly running into the big house. Prickles of uneasiness crawl up my neck, a lump forms in my throat, and a burning sensation spreads through my gut.

I drop the facade the moment I make it inside only to realize I’m now storming through the kitchen. My sandals slap on the hardwood, echoing throughout the house as I grab the boathouse keys hanging on the wall by the side door. Before I have the chance to reach for the door handle, someone grabs my arm. Whipping around, I shake off the grasp on me, taking two steps away. The shock has moved on, leaving nothing but anger bubbling through me.

“What the heck was that?” I hiss.

Chapter 6

Jack

As the crowd sang “Happy Birthday,” I watched her face shift from embarrassed to confused to downright panicked, all in a few seconds. She quickly recovered with a smile, but something was off.

The guy—Seb—walked carefully, carrying out a cake. He's tall enough, maybe five eleven, with slight muscles visible under his white button-up as he approached her. His greedy eyes shamelessly looked her up and down, making him grin even wider. The dude looked like he stepped off his father’s yacht—slicked-back dark hair, Rolex on his wrist, and boat shoes.

She looked dazed, staring blankly ahead as she quickly blew out her candles. I swear I saw her physically shudder as he lazily draped one long arm around her, his slimy smile directed at the crowd. He then turned to immediately start chatting with Coach, without so much as a word to Mia. She looked lost, her eyes scanning the crowd as the rest of the group began to break up, everyone resuming their own conversations.

As my mind races to process, the dull ache in my gut grows stronger. Cracking my knuckles in a weak attempt to distract myself fails miserably. I can’t seem to tear my eyes away from his hand settled so casually on her shoulder. I can’t take it anymore.

Seeing her all summer was always the highlight of my day, but I clearly blew that. Running into her yesterday and realizing shewas Coach’s daughter was rough. But this, seeing her draped under someone else’s arm, it’s too fucking much.

I step back, bypassing Theo, Max, and Penn, who have retaken their seats around the fire pit and head straight down their expansive lawn. The waterfront lies at the bottom of the hill, nestled behind a smaller building surrounded by a dock, and I march toward it.

To my relief, as I step on the weathered wood that wraps around the building, it’s empty. When I round the corner, there are two Adirondack chairs next to a very elaborate wooden structure. Is that… a catio? I don’t bother to investigate further, choosing instead to slump down in one of the chairs and stare out over the water. Now hidden from the party, I will myself to take a few deep breaths.

She has a boyfriend. Obviously, why wouldn’t she? Not that it matters anyway because I don’t even like her. Hell, I don’t even know her. What the fuck is wrong with me? But the prickles of jealousy creeping up my shoulder betray me, making me tense. A breeze hits at that exact moment, forcing me to take another much-needed breath. I’m not supposed to get flustered. I’m supposed to stay collected.

Pulling out my phone, I contemplate redownloading Tinder. Reid and Penn have been trying to get me on there for months, but even after the first ten swipes, I couldn’t even feign an interest in anyone else, so I can’t imagine how that would have changed now. I don’t know what this is, and I don’t like it. Locking my phone screen, I shove it back in my pocket with a frustrated sigh.

“Baby, will you wait?” I hear a grating voice in the distance.

“... don’t… doing here,” is all I can make out from the softer voice.

“I arranged it with Doug as a surprise. I flew all the way here, baby, just for you,” the male voice continues loudly.

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