Page 35

CHAPTER 35

TURBULENCE

JACKSON

“W ell don’t the two of you look like shit,” Austin says as Theo and I board the plane, sans wedding bands. After we ate our body weight in greasy food we decided it was best to wait until we get back to Pensacola and tell Bridget and our families before we tell anyone else.

“Thanks a lot,” I groan as I sit down in the seat across the aisle from him. Emma is doing her best to put Lizzie to sleep in the seat next to him. And, just as I think Theo is about to walk to the back of the plane where Coach is sitting, he steps around me and sits in the seat next to the window.

I look at him in confusion, and he says, “Coach asked if I could swap with Jeremy. He wanted to go over some film with them from their losses on Friday. Lucky you.”

I grin as he settles into his seat. “Lucky me.”

Once the rest of the plane boards and the flight attendants perform all of their safety checks and demonstrations, the plane begins to taxi. As it lifts into the air, I plug my headphones into the seat in front of me and press play on Maverick from the list of in-flight movies. I’m just about to doze off when the captain’s voice rings through my headphones letting us know we’re about to fly through some turbulence. Not more than a minute later the plane begins to shake.

Turbulence has never bothered me much, but, despite our best efforts to cure our hangovers, I’m still feeling queasy. So when the plane hits a particularly bumpy patch I have to grip the arm rests and take some deep breaths as I do my best to not ralph all over my lap. The feeling of Theo’s pinky looping with mine steals my attention, and that’s exactly how we stay for the rest of the flight.

* * *

? * My car pulls into my driveway just a few seconds before Theo pulls into his, just behind Bridget’s. Leaving my bags in the backseat, I climb out and move to the end of the drive, staring at Theo across the street. He gets out of his car and slings his duffle bag over his shoulder, and when he does, I see the wedding band around his finger. He stands there for a moment, staring back at me, before dropping his chin. And even though this whole entire thing was my hairbrained idea, I can’t help but suddenly feel a little nervous. Because even though I don’t know the woman—nor have I been particularly fond of her attitude—she’s done nothing to me. And because of me, her whole life is about to get turned upside down. But I refuse to let Theo face this alone. So, I take a deep breath, pull my band out of my sweatpants pocket, and slide it on my finger. Theo’s eyes follow the motion, and I watch as his shoulders relax ever-so-slightly at the sight of my ring sitting in its place on my finger.

I walk across the street, and when I get to him I ask, “Ready?”

He shakes his head slightly. “No, but it’s now or never. And we’re going to have to move fast because as soon as we tell her, she will tell everyone.”

“Austin and I are supposed to meet with Coach first thing tomorrow morning to go over tape, you and I can just get there a little early,” I tell him.

“Are you—Are you sure you still want to do this?” he asks reluctantly.

“I am. We already got married. Have the Elvis picture and everything to prove it, don’t we?” I ask, doing my best to ease some of his worries.

A look of hesitation crosses his face, but it doesn’t last. “Yeah. Right. Okay.” He inhales a quick breath. “Let’s get this disaster over with.”

I take a few steps toward the house but realize Theo is still glued to his spot in the driveway. My eyes zero in on the way his hand is shaking as it hangs at his side. “You coming?”

“I just—I’m about to disappoint everyone. And for what? For doing something for myself. How fucking selfish is that?”

I take a step back toward him and hold out my hand. He stares at it a moment before reaching out and grabbing it. The second it’s in mine, the shakes subside. “Theo, look at me.” Through the lenses of his glasses, his eyes lock with mine. “It’s not selfish to create the life you want for yourself.” I can tell he doesn’t entirely believe me so I say the only other thing I can think of that would help right now. “And you’re not disappointing everyone. You’re not disappointing me. I’m right here. We’re a team now.”

The corners of his mouth turn up slightly before he takes one step, and another. Once the two of us reach his door, we let go of each other’s hands. And even though I know my way around this house very well by now, I let him lead me inside. The second it shuts behind us and he sets his duffle on the floor, Bridget’s voice sounds from the kitchen. “Theodore! Thank god you’re home. The caterer called and they said—Oh!” She pauses as she spots us both standing by the door. “What’s he doing here?”

Bridget takes a second to look Theo up and down, and I spot the moment her gaze locks on his hand as he nervously fidgets with them in front of him. She points at his wedding band, confusion marring her face. “What is that? That’s not the band we picked out. Why do you have that on?”

Her gaze moves over to me, and she spots mine immediately. But before she can speak to me, Theo says, “Bridget, something happened.”

* ? THE ONE YOU LOVED - The Plot In You