Page 75 of June: Jess' Story

“Where’s Jess? And Eden?” Caroline looks up from her threading project to ask.

There’s that guilty feeling.I didn’t even tell her where I was going, but she also didn’t say anything when I asked if she was fucking their dad. Not that I gave her a ton of time to answer…

“Eden’s napping.”

Caroline nods like she doesn’t believe me. And she shouldn’t, so I’m oddly proud of her for that.

“Where’s your dad?” I ask both girls and they exchange strange glances. “Girls?” I ask again when they don’t say anything.

“Summer dumped him.” Elodie whispers it like it isn’t widely known. Well, of course Summer did. And fucking of course he’s single.

“Why are we whispering?” I ask back.

“Because mom doesn’t know and Dad said not to tell her. He wants to do it.” I roll my eyes. The Damian ship sailed a long time ago for Brit. I don’t know what the fuck he’s playing at other than maybe he’s ashamed at how it all turned out. He left Brit for Summer. So Brit went out and found the love of her life. And now she’s having Liam’s baby, and Summer is dumping him. I don’t want to say karma, but… if the shoe fucking fits, you know?

Caroline notices my eye roll and says, “I know, right?” Then rolls her own eyes. I think Caroline tolerated Summer. At best.

Liam sets a pair of glasses down on the coffee table, sliding one in front of me, then clinking his glass against mine in a cheers.

“Cheers, brother.” Liam and the Scala clan have folded me into their BRO-therhood. Well, most of the Scala clan. Last I heard Matt still has a chip on his shoulder about his broken nose.

“Cheers,” I say back.

“She love the house?”Jess. Pang of guilt. Again, fucking hate this.

“Yeah, man. I owe you.”

He shakes his head. “It’s what family’s for…but also if you could not bring over your centerfold, billionaire best friend to regale my wife with tales of his latest excursion to Everest, that’d be great, k?”

“Wife?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

“Wife,” he says smugly, holding up his left hand, showing me the gold band. Jess is gonna be pissed.And hurt.Me, on the other hand, nothing but happy for Brit. Hate that I think about Jess’s reaction first, though.Huh.

“Well, congrats.” I say it sincerely and we clink glasses once more. I look at my nieces wondering if they’re good with it, and Elodie takes it as permission to launch into a spiel about how she got to be a maiden of honor with Caroline. I’ll ask Caroline later if she’s fine because she’s still just working away at her popcorn garland like the rest of us don’t even exist.

I stand up once Elodie is finished, and sit beside Caro.

“Teach me?” She nods, then pulls out another string and a needle and we sit in total silence, both of us getting lost in the monotony of stringing popcorn. It’s exactly the thing I need to take my mind off the fact that I’ll probably go home to an empty house later. And maybe this was my last chance at a family and I still can’t make it work. Probably didn’t deserve the last 24 hours, let alone a happily ever after.

Tally would be almost the same age as Caroline. They’d look similar, too, because Tally looked like Brit. It’s the exact reason I stayed away for so many years. Fucking painful to see what could have been.

Could have beenmyNorman Rockwell Thanksgiving.

TWENTY-ONE

Jess

It’s fucking laughable. I actually laugh. As Alex walks out the bathroom door, I think I’m stunned silent for the briefest of moments, and then I’m laughing. (Fine, and crying.) But mostly laughing, and then there’s this heat that sort of forms somewhere behind my ribs because he’s jealous. Alex is jealous. Of me…and someone else.

The way he spoke to me, like I was fucking scum,thatpissed me off. But if I go back and think about it, it was also kind of hot. Which makes me pretty fucked up, but we already knew that. (Didn’t we?)

My hands shake slightly as I finish placing my skincare products on the sink beside his. Maybe I shouldn’t be unpacking in his room, but if he’s worried about me not wanting to be here…maybe that means he really wants me here. And I want to be here. Really. Just as long as he wants the same.

So yeah, fuck it. I go to the guest room (my old room) and get the suitcases that I never unpacked in the first place and wheel them into the empty closet across from Alex’s in the primary suite. I won’t brush off what happened today, but I won’t let it ruin what was one of the best days I’ve had in years. It was easy, and comfortable. Like throwing on the perfect pair of worn jeans and a favorite sweatshirt. There’s a comfort and even a feeling of safety that comes with spending time with him. It eases and relaxes me.

I almost ruined it, too, in the car. I almost asked if he would ever marry again (as in real marriage), aside from me. But then he said he had fun with me and it was in the nicest voice I’ve ever heard Alex use. It fucking melted me. And I figured there was no quicker way to ruin said fun than for me to ask (and think) about him being with someone else. So I shut the fuck up.

Eden’s little grunts and whimpers start echoing throughout the cavernous primary bathroom where the monitor is on the counter. So abandoning the opened, half-empty suitcases, I go get the baby. When I open the door, her hair is mussed and slightly damp, her eyes still heavy with sleep.