Page 79 of What Was Meant To Be

“Should I be writing this down? I feel like that was a nice little speech.” Chloe says with a chuckle and I give her my middle finger.

“I agree.” I hear his voice from the door and then he’s moving through it, already dressed for dinner. With gray slacks and a black cashmere sweater, he looks gorgeous and a picture of style and sophistication and I bite my lip. Unlike me, who still hadn’t showered and was covered in food.

“Baby, I said let me help.” He moves toward me before pressing a kiss to my temple.

“You did! You peeled all the potatoes.” I point. “And I am going to need you to flip the turkey in a little.

“Anything you need.” He looks down at me. “Anything at all today, alright?”

I nod, hearing the implication in his voice.

An hour later, just as I’m finishing getting dressed, the doorbell rings and I hear it open.Fuck. I wanted to be down there.

My hair is still in a wet bun from my shower and I curse myself for washing it because now I still have another twenty minutes before I’m ready. My phone beeps with a text message and I see it’s a group thread with Chloe and Mason.

Chloe: Our parents came together. Hurry up.

Mason: Why did you think this was a good idea?

One from Jacob shows up while I’m in the process of responding.

Jacob: Your parents are here. Take your time though. It’s going to be fine, angel. I love you.

Me: I love you more. Be down in a second.

I opt to let my hair air dry, knowing that nothing matters at this moment but being with Jacob. When I make my way downstairs, it feels like the temperature has gone down several degrees. My parents and Chloe’s parents are in the living room and the sounds of JP and his brother and his mother are coming from the kitchen.

“Hi, honey,” my mom says as she comes toward me and wraps her arms around me before pressing a kiss to my forehead. I hold on to her for an extra second, missing the warm feeling of her arms around me. She gives me a small smile and then a wink and I’m choosing to believe that means everything is going to be alright.

“Hi Dad,” I whisper and he looks at me for a second before I see the moment of defeat in his brown eyes. The last time I saw them they were cold and full of anger but now I see a small glimpse of my dad.

“Come here,” he says as he holds his arms out for me and I practically run into them.

“Dad,” I whisper just as I press my nose into his chest letting the nostalgia take over after not seeing him in over a month. The tears are falling down my face rapidly and when I sniffle and stifle a sob, he pulls my face away.

“Hey, none of that.”

“You hate me.”

“No. Never.” He shakes his head and I don’t miss the tears in his eyes either. “You understand me? Never that.”

My heart squeezes in my chest thinking about my next words. “You hatehim.”

“Never that either.”

My lips tremble as more tears trickle down my face hearing those three words fall from his lips.

A throat clearing breaks us apart and when I turn, I see JP with a smile on his face. “Whitney, I just wanted to let you know the food’s ready, but take your time.” I turn back to look at my dad that’s looking at JP with a look of… hurt? Maybe? Although he’d only shown his anger, I knew my father was hurt.For reasons aside from the fact that I was his daughter.My dad used to always say there were no secrets between him and JP. Both of them knew where all the bodies were buried and that was that. So, I wonder if a part of his anger came from the fact that he didn’t know. There was something about Jacob Price that he didn’t know. Sure, maybe that’s childish but after twenty-five years of the kind of friendship that they had, I get it. I get that my father was hurt that Jacob fell in love and couldn’t tell him. That he didn’t get to be happy for his best friend for meeting the love of his life.

That maybe he’ll never get to be happy for his best friend for meeting the love of his life. Because now Jacob has to assume the role of son-in-law when he’d only ever been his best friend and his daughter’s godfather. It was a mindfuck that I hadn’t realized until this moment when I see my father looking at Jacob as if he’s not sure if he needs to scream or punch something or apologize.

I hold my breath waiting for him to speak, but he doesn’t. He just walks out of the living room and toward the dining room where we are planning to have dinner.

Dinner is quiet. The only sounds to be heard are the clinking of metal utensils against plates and the quiet questions of passing food around the table. Chloe tries to keep the conversation going, but it’s hard for one person who seems to be the really only neutral party, even though anyone with a brain knows she’s on my side only. Dinner ends almost as quickly as it begins and if we were at my parents’ house, a three-hour long dinner turns into dessert and games and more drinking and karaoke and reminiscing about the good old days and dancing and then it’s two thirty in the morning and no one can drive home so it becomes a familial sleepover. My eyes turn to the clock which reads half past nine and everyone is ready to leave.

No one was in the mood for partying.

I’m putting some of the dishes in the sink when my eyes catch something on the back patio. Seated in front of the outdoor fireplace is my dad and JP.

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