I startle at the eruption of cheers when Austin shouts, “Yes!”
Needing to go to Jayson, I slip out of Fallon’s arms. “I’ll be back in a sec,” I tell him and make a beeline toward Julien. “Jayson,” is all I say.
Julien immediately understands and looks for his brother. “Where?”
I point in the direction. “He walked off that way. I’ll be right there.” Putting on a cheery face, I weave through the crowd and throw my arms around Trevor. “I’m so, so happy for you.”
He and Austin fought hard for their love, and no two people deserve a happy-ever-after more than them.
Austin positively glows. “We’ve been wanting to tell everyone.”
Aurora takes Austin’s hand to inspect his diamond eternity band. “Best friends should’ve been given dibs. This is gorgeous.”
“We waited for you to get back. Doesn’t that count?” Austin says.
“When’s the wedding? And I better be your woman groomsman.”
“We want a winter wedding…”
I try to pay attention, but it’s impossible because every fiber of my being is screaming at me to go to Jayson.
“Excuse me,” I say, hoping not to be obvious in my hasty escape. I make it two feet before I accidentally bump into Christopher.
“Mom, what’s wrong?” I don’t know how he senses my worry, but he does.
“Nothing’s wrong, baby. You were incredible.”
“Yeah?”
“Absolutely amazing. Can you check on your grandpas for me and see if they need anything?”
Daniel and Drew are at that age where late nights, for them, usually end around ten o’clock. I insisted that they stay the night in the guest room…which means Fallon and I will be sleeping in my and Ryder’s bed…for the first time. It’s either that or the sofa. I should put my bed in storage and buy another one. It’s part of the process of moving on, right? So why am I still hesitant to do it?
“Kitten—” Fallon tries to intercept me on my way across the backyard.
For Pete’s sake. Is everyone going to hound me for something? “I’ll be right back.”
He catches up to me at the garage. “What’s going on?”
Not stopping, I reply, “Jayson is upset.”
“Why?”
“The song.”
“He’s upset because of asong?” Fallon asks incredulously.
“You wouldn’t understand.”
It’s an idiotic thing to say because Fallon was there that night. He knows what happened.
“Elizabeth, stop.”
“I just need to make sure he’s okay.”
Fallon plants himself directly in my path. The moonlight exposes the frustration on his face. “He doesn’t need you to babysit him. You’ve been hovering over him all fucking night.”
Getting irritated because he won’t move, I snap, “I wouldn’t have had to if everyone would stop glaring at him like he’s the devil incarnate. What happened between Jayson and me ismybusiness. Mine. No one else’s. I don’t appreciate the cold shoulder he’s been getting from everyone. For a bunch of adults, everyone has been behaving like fucking children.”
