Page 103 of Thick & Thin

She blushed a bit and turned away.

I knew her so well. She couldn’t deny it if she wanted to.

“Shut up. It’s a classic look. He’s hot with it.”

Again, I chuckled. “He?”

“Yeah. Carlos. He’s my favorite male. Outside of Caleb, Dad, and Devin.”

I nodded, pretending to understand.

Then a tiny thought punctured my heart.

I had once been her favorite male.

“And I suppose … you too,” she added, making my day without even knowing it.

I grinned at her, glad to hear that I was once again in her good graces. She smiled back at me, and then her face cleared as if she knew she was about to ruin our moment with her next words.

“Josh, I need to tell you something,” she said, her expression turning desperate.

When I looked in her eyes, there was panic. My heart skipped a beat, afraid she was going to pull away or tell me something that would crush me. Things were finally starting to feel normal with us. We were together a lot, spending time just me, her, and Caleb. We had dinner and watched movies. We took Caleb for ice cream and went to the park so he could swing. I had never been so happy, and I walked around waiting for it to all be snatched from me.

She went quiet, squeezing her fingers together so tightly they began to turn white. I reached out and pulled her hands into mine.

“You can tell me anything. You know that.”

I sent out a silent prayer that she wasn’t about to break my heart.

“It’s about Caleb’s father,” she said, linking her fingers with mine.

Relief flowed through me before my shoulders grew tense as I waited for her to tell me what I suspected. Jenny had been forced. Being back in town and around Jenny, I now knew everyone had been wrong about her. She wasn’t what they said she was. Jenny didn’t sleep around, and I had a feeling that other than Caleb’s father, I had still been the only one.

“I’m listening,” I said, pushing her to continue.

She swallowed hard, her delicate throat bobbing up and down. What she was about to tell me was hard for her to say, and I had a feeling once the words were out, she was going to break and need me. I didn’t care what it was. I would always be there for Jenny. I loved her.

Always.

She opened her mouth, and then snapped it closed, and I saw the exact moment the curtain dropped inside her brain and she decided to keep her secret. Pulling her into my arms, I rested my chin on the top of her head and breathed in the sweet smell of her shampoo.

“When you’re ready to talk about it, I’m here.”

She nodded against my chest. I held her close to me and made a silent promise that whatever it was, I would make it better. No matter what.

35

Jenny

“Ready or not, here I come!”Josh’s voice echoed through the house.

His heavy footsteps made the floors of our old house creak and pop. We could hear him getting closer, and Caleb giggled at my side. We were smooshed together, hiding in the bottom of Caleb’s closet while Josh padded down the hallway searching for us. Doors opened and closed until we heard Caleb’s bedroom door open and knew we were about to be found.

Spending time with Caleb and Josh had become my new favorite thing over the past few weeks. Seeing Josh with his son was an amazing thing, even if Josh didn’t know Caleb was his… yet.

Soon.

Soon I would tell him.

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