Page 84 of Could Have Been Us
“And the fact that he felt blindsided.”
“Well, sure,” she says with a shrug.
Jack enters the kitchen and wraps his arms around me from behind. “You okay?”
I nod, my smile instantaneous.
“Want a glass of wine?”
I turn my head so I can see his profile. “I would love one.”
“Coming right up.”
He goes back into the other room, and I turn to find Jess grinning like a fool. “You guys are so cute.”
“Stop it.”
She laughs. “I’m serious. You guys are perfect, and I’m so happy you got your heads out of your asses and finally made it happen.”
“It’s not weird?”
“No. In fact, I don’t know how the hell none of us ever saw this.”
“You were all worried about other things, which is sort of what we banked on.”
If everyone had been able to tell that Jack and I were in love and struggling, it would’ve been terrible. We were too young and dealing with too much.
The timing wasn’t right until now.
Well, I hope that’s the case anyway.
Jack returns with a glass of wine, and I get a brief kiss. “I’m going to get my nails painted once she’s done doing Grayson’s.”
I giggle. “Oh? And what shade are you going for?”
“Amelia is picking.”
“I hope she does pink.”
“I’m sure she will.”
As am I. Amelia loves pink, and her favorite thing in the world is going to get her nails done. My mother takes her every other week when she goes. They make her feel like a princess, and she’s always excited to show off her new polish.
It’s adorable, and I love that Grayson and Jack are allowing her to paint their nails without argument.
Although, I’m pretty sure they’d let that little girl do just about anything to them. Putty in her hands is what those men are.
Jessica and I bring out the plates of food, putting them on the table and laughing as Grayson blows on his nails.
My phone rings, and my heart stops. It’s Mickey.
“I have to take this,” I say to Jess.
“Sure. Of course.”
I walk outside and swipe the screen. “Mickey?”
“Hey, Stella, I . . . I wanted to call you because it’s bad again.”
