Jack flicked his wrist to check his watch.
“Fuck,” he breathed. “They should be here in a half hour.”
He spun on his heel, surveying the room, surprised to find that the loft had begun to fill while his attention had been elsewhere. College and family friends—the bulk of them people Jack didn’t know—milled around, conversing in small groups or lingering by the bar, where Mitch’s bartender worked overtime to fill drink orders.
As if on cue, Aiden pulled his phone out of his pocket and said, “They’re on their way. Kenzie texted that they just left Brent and Berkley’s house.”
“Fuck,” Jack said again.
Aiden, who had always been in tune with Jack’s moods about as well as Jessica was, walked over and tossed an arm around his shoulders. “C’mon, buddy. Let’s get you a drink.”
A drink. Alcohol. Yes, that would definitely help.
Asher and Luke trailed after them, and when they reached the bar, Jack said, “Four shots of tequila, please.”
His roommates groaned but didn’t argue.
When the bartender set the shots in front of them, along with a salt shaker and four lime slices, they performed the ritual of licking their skin and sprinkling salt on the wetness, then grasping the glass in one hand and the lime wedge in the other.
“To Jess,” Jack said.
“Shouldn’t we toast something else? Since she’s not even here?” Asher said, and Luke elbowed him in the ribs.
“Shut up, Ash.”
“Just saying…” Asher mumbled, and Jack couldn’t help but laugh.
Some things never changed.
“To Jess,” the boys echoed, and they downed the shots as one.
The closer Jessica and Kenzie got to the loft—Aiden was tracking them; he and Kenzie shared their locations with each other, because of course they did—the higher Jack’s anxiety rose. This was Jessica’s last night in the States for God knew how long, and it was her final opportunity to say goodbye to her friends and family. He wanted it to be special for her, even if that meant he’d have to spend the majority of the party sharing her with other people.
“They just pulled up!” Aiden yelled over the crowd, and Jack’s heart shot into his throat. There was no way Jessica didn’t have some idea of what was happening. Kenzie wouldn’t just randomly bring her to the loft for fun. They’d told her they were having a small catered dinner here since they had such big families and so many people to take into account, but it was a weak cover story.
He simply hoped she’d be surprised by the sheer number of people that had showed up to celebrate her.
Abruptly, the music cut off, and the guests gathered in front of the large sliding door at the entrance to the loft.
“They just got off the elevator,” Aiden said.
“Any second now!” Jack yelled.
And not even ten seconds later, someone—Jack presumed it was Kenzie—banged on the metal door hard enough to make everyone jump. A moment after, it slid open, revealing the two girls, one blonde, one brunette, one with her mouth gaping in shock, the other wearing a shit-eating grin.
“Surprise!” everyone yelled at once, followed by the eruption of several confetti cannons and Jessica’s family rushing to her side, everyone’s words lost when they all spoke at once.
Jack stood on the outskirts, watching Jessica wade through the crowd, her shocked expression turning to one of awe then excitement. She hugged everyone she spoke to, from herlittle old grandmother to her youngest, smallest cousins, from random family friends to Aiden, Asher, and Luke.
Finally, it was Jack’s turn.
“Hey, sunshine,” he said with a grin.
Jessica said nothing, only threw herself at him. Jack caught her easily as she snaked her arms around his neck, and he crushed her to his body.
“You didn’t have to do this,” she whispered against his neck.
“I wanted to,” he replied. “You’re about to realize your dream, Jess. That’s worth celebrating.”
