Megan’s eyes flick to Jordan’s hand again, and a spark of panic hits my chest.
I brace myself, waiting for her inevitable question about the ring, knowing the jig might very well be up, when Jordan says, “So Matt and I have some news. We were hoping for a better time to share, but now seems as good a time as ever since you’re all here.” She darts a glance at Megan. “Especially since I know you’ve noticed my ring.”
She clears her throat and plants a genuinely happy-looking grin on her face. “Matt and I got married last week!”
Wait...
What?
I hope to God no one notices the shock written all over my face as I force myself to recover. I smile and nod, playing along.
What the hell, Jordan?
Guess she just gave her answer.
We’re married.
She took the reins on this whole act and ran with them.
But... married? Already?
Holy shit.
I wish I had this moment on video, because goddamn. The look on everyone’s faces is priceless.
Alley’s jaw drops. Megan gasps. Kevin looks confused. Nate’s friends shell out a round of happycongratulations.
But Jensen? He’s not fooled.
His eyes narrow, locked on my every move. There’s no way he missed my surprise. He takes a slow sip of his sparkling water, his gaze shifting between Jordan and me, before smothering a grin and giving a subtle shake of his head.
I don’t know what the hell that means, but I’m sure I’ll find out soon.
“What?” Megan gapes. “I’m sorry… you’re married?” Her brows pull together. “Since when were you even a couple?” She looks to Kevin. “Did you know about this?” Then back to me. “How did I not know about this?”
Poor Meg. She hates being out of the loop. She takes it personally.
“We haven’t told anyone,” Jordan says quickly, sensing Megan’s injured pride. “We’ve been seeing each other for a few months. After the whole thing with Richard went down, Matt didn’t want people spreading rumors about me, so we’ve been staying out of the spotlight. Keeping things private while we… navigated our feelings.”
She glances around the circle, then shrugs. “We’d been talking about getting engaged, and then Nate died… and when Matt was back in New York last week for work, we went to the courthouse.” Her gaze slides to me. “Sometimes it takes something awful happening to make you realize what’s most important.” Her smile turns sweet. Soft. “Right, babe?”
Shit.She just handed me the baton. My eyes widen a fraction as it hits me that it’s nowmy turnto add onto the show.
But I’m slow. My brain’s still stuck on the first thing she said. That we’remarried.It hasn’t even made it to the last sentence. The one where she looked at me and told me how important I am to her.
I know I’m important to Jordan, but does sheactuallyfeel that way? Did Nate’s death really make her feel that?
I brought it up in the car as a scenario we could use, but hearing her say it, thewayshe said it…
I can’t tell if it was real or pretend.
Either way, she’s a great actress. And I love her for it. I really do. Jordan didn’t just show up for me today. She fuckingshowed up.
I force words out of my mouth whether my brain’s caught up or not. Time for Matt to go into CEO mode. Take action. Take charge.
“Right,” I say slowly.
That’s it. That’s all I’ve got. No more words come.
