She bites her lip as she slips out of her coat, handing it to Levi who waits with an outstretched hand. “He’s not going to make it.”
“Did something happen?”
JJ waits until Levi has gone back to the front door before she lowers her voice. “He’s been acting… weird lately. He’s drinking too much, and he’s become extremely distant. I don’t know what’s going on with him. Has Levi said anything?”
“No.” I shake my head, a worried furrow taking form between my brows. “Do you want me to ask about it?”
“Oh, no,” she replies instantly, an unsure expression marring her flawless skin. “I don’t want to drag Levi into this. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
I reach out and squeeze her arm, giving her a weak smile. “I’m here for you, honey. Let me know if you need anything, okay?”
She nods, giving me a grateful smile as she releases a shaky breath. The sound of little feet slapping against the hardwood floor draws us apart just as Claire comes tearing into the kitchen. She launches herself at JJ who catches her with ease, genuine laughter escaping her.
“I’ve missed your beautiful little face,” she tells my daughter, squeezing her cheek. “How’s school been?”
“Good.” Claire doesn’t offer anything more as JJ puts her down, watching as she takes off into the living room with Winston running after her.
I put my hands on my hips. “Claire, you better thank Levi for setting the table for you.”
“Thank you!”
I roll my eyes as JJ chuckles, making her way into the living room to keep my daughter company. Levi joins me in the kitchen and looks like he’s about to say something, but the front door flies open and Blue and RJ come walking in.
“The party has arrived,” she announces, hands in the air before she strikes a pose. I release a laugh through my nose, shaking my head as I walk up to my best friend. “What?”
“Nothing.” I close the gap between us and pull her into a hug, her head dropping to my shoulder. “I’m just grateful that you’re here.”
Blue pulls back, keeping her arms on my shoulders as she narrows her eyes on me. “When were you going to tell me that Travis has been making appearances?”
My eyes widen in surprise, my mouth parting slightly. Levi comes into my line of sight and my eyes narrow to slits, to which he throws his hands up in surrender before slinking away. Turning back to my best friend, I give her a strained smile.
“I didn’t want to bother you with it,” I say, forcing her hands off my shoulders and back down to her sides. “I have everything under control.”
“I’m your best friend, Mar. I’ve watched her multiple times since that softball game of hers, and yet you still neglected to tell me.” There’s genuine hurt in her expression that causes my heart to clench. “You used to tell me everything.”
I sigh, running a hand through my straightened hair before squaring my shoulders. I’m not ready to drudge up the conversation we left unfinished at the bar all those weeks ago, but I know we need to. She deserves something.
“It’s Thanksgiving and Claire is here,” I say, reaching for her hand. “So, I have to keep it brief in case she comes tearing in here. But I can be the first to admit that Levi has been a huge rock star through the whole thing where I haven’t needed another shoulder to lean on.”
I take a deep breath before continuing. “One of our altercations a while back almost ended with Neve finding herself in the crosshairs, and I knew if I told you everything that was going on that you’d stay here with me, and I couldn’t risk you being here if he showed up. I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you because of me.”
“Oh, honey.” She throws her arms around me again, crushing my face against her chest as she hugs me tightly. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten so upset. I should’ve known you had your reasons.”
“It’s okay.” I wrap my arms around her waist. “I should’ve been more upfront about it in the first place.”
As I pull away, I see RJ giving me a weak smile over his girlfriend’s shoulder before he sidesteps us and disappears into the living room where all the commotion seems to be. Turning back to Blue, I give her an inquisitive look.
“So, you two have patched things up?”
She tips her head back and groans softly. “Things are still tense, but he hasn’t brought it up again. Truthfully, I still don’t know where we stand.”
“It’ll all work out the way it’s supposed to.”
Linking her fingers through mine, we head toward the living room. Claire is rough housing with Winston, Levi sitting in the saucer chair while JJ and RJ sit on the couch. Clearing my throat, Claire stops and all eyes turn towards me.
“Why don’t we sit down and eat?”
Everyone gets up and heads into the kitchen, picking their respective seats. I plop Claire down between me and Levi, Blue on my left, RJ across from her and JJ next to him. Levi slices the turkey and slips pieces onto plates before everyone starts passing around the side dishes.
