Her beautiful face doubles down from guilty to chastised. “Fair point. I’m sorry if you felt ambushed.”
I hold my thumb and forefinger an inch apart, and she hides her mortification in the sleeve of my shoulder.
“Okay, I feel thoroughly guilt-tripped now.”
“Austin is a nice guy. The Trevor thing threw me, though. Didn’t he date that girl, Meredith, in college?”
The two things I remember about her are that she had the energy of a squirrel on stimulants, and she talked. A lot.
“Trevor and Austin are both bi. And Meredith says hi, by the way.”
“You still speak with her?”
“Practically joined at the hip since college. She and her husband, Bryce, live in Fuquay. They couldn’t come tonight.”
Liz laughs at the relief I must show. Meredith plus the migraine I’m trying to keep at bay would not be a good mix.
I glance over in Austin and Trevor’s direction as they talk to Julien and Elijah and…holy shit. “Is that JD Hallstead?”
Liz peers over at the man I’m gawking at. “Yeah. He’s married to Aurora. Come on. I’ll introduce you.” Her fingers fist the front of my shirt, and I’m given no choice but to follow.
My pulse kicks up as Liz leads me across the yard, weaving through clusters of people chatting over drinks and paper plates stacked with grilled corn and hamburgers. I can’t believe I’m about to meettheJD Hallstead. JD is a football legend. The quarterback who had turned the league on its head and stunned the sports world when he retired out of the blue and walked away from a multi-million-dollar career to work at some nonprofit youth center in Highland.
Just a few feet away, I can see why JD had been a force on the field. Broad shoulders, powerful stance, and the gilded confidence that someone of his stature carries around with ease.
Julien spots us first, his eyes questioning, and I give him an imperceptible nod that I’m okay. I love my brother, but he and Mom have been hovering, and it’s driving me a little crazy.
“JD, meet Jayson. Huge fan,” Liz expounds with excited hand gestures, taking delight in throwing me under the bus.
I ignore the twist in my stomach and try not to act like an obsessed fanboy. “It’s an honor to meet you, man.”
JD’s grip is firm. “Good to meet you, too.”
The woman next to him must be Aurora, and my stomach doesn’t twist—it drops. She is almost the spitting image ofFallon. Same facial features, pale-blue eyes, and blonde hair. Another sibling? How many does that guy have?
“This is my wife, Aurora,” JD says.
Her mouth thins into a grim line when I give her a polite “hello” in greeting. With folded arms, her glacial gaze studies me. I’ve just been assessed, and not in a nice way.
Liz prods her with an elbow.
“What?” Aurora says.
“So, what do you do?” JD asks, breaking the tension by trying to make small talk.
I clear my throat. “Nothing at the moment. I used to work in construction. Taking some time off.”
Liz shifts, pressing close, like she’s trying to shield me from some unknown danger lurking close by. I hadn’t noticed that everyone around us had gone silent. It’s the kind of quiet that is deafening.
My gaze flicks upward, and Fallon’s entire countenance hardens when our eyes meet. Had he been standing there the entire time?
He makes a point of moving right behind Liz and skimming his hand down her hair, his touch intimate and possessive. He basically just pissed a figurative circle around her, marking his territory. Liz wouldn’t give me a straight answer when I asked her if she and Fallon were together, even though Fallon insinuated as much at the bar. Now I know for sure, and it makes what I need to tell her that much more important.
As much as it kills me, I can’t blame her for moving on. Julien told me how bad things got after Ry died. But fuck, did it have to be withhim?
I should have come. I should have been here for her. Screw my sobriety. Ry needed me. Liz needed me. But what good would I have been for either of them when I was barely able tofunction on a good day? Liz didn’t need the added responsibility of babysitting my drunk ass when she was fighting for Ry’s life.
Liz bewilders the hell out of me when she turns around and purses her fingers between her lips, releasing a shrill whistle that gets everyone’s attention.
