“He was my roommate in college,” Crew supplies.
“That’s what Bret was telling me. You were all roommates, close friends, right, Bret?”
She chokes on her water. Crew eyes his wife suspiciously before observing me. I offer a tight-lipped smile as Jett leans close. “Tell me I don’t need to be jealous of him.”
It’s my turn to place a reassuring palm on his thigh. “You don’t.”
“Speaking of football,” Dad shifts the conversation. “When do you report back?”
“Toward the end of July. We have a few more weeks until we move back.”
Jett wipes his mouth, placing his napkin on his empty plate. “You guys could’ve stayed at my house. You didn’t need to rent something.”
“That’s kind of you,” Bret says, adjusting Carter in her arms. “We didn’t want to trouble you. Carter doesn’t sleep the greatest, and we didn’t want to keep you up.”
“It would’ve been no trouble,” Jett grumbles. A part of me thinks he’s a little offended they didn’t want to live with him. I think he misses having his brother close, even though the two fought constantly growing up. But life has a way of shifting perspective.
“I try to keep up with football,” Dad says. “Where’d all your friends end up?”
Crew finishes chewing the bite he just took. “As you know, Tyler Harris is the quarterback in Los Angeles. There’s a good chance he takes the team deep into the playoffs this year.”
Lydia and Grandma Warren stand from the table and gather empty dishes. I start to rise, but Grandma places her hand on my forearm, shaking her head and mouthingstay.
“JP’s not far from us, still up in Buffalo. Quinton Boyd’s still the top running back in Denver.”
“Oh, how's Q and his wife, what was her name?” Nora taps her chin.
“Brynn. They’re good. Up to four kids now, and she’s on some reality show.”
My head jerks at the mention of a reality show, but I don’t say anything. I keep the haunted memories to myself because not every reality show is as fucked up as mine.
Crew carries the conversation as he recounts stories from life on the road and playing professionally.
An hour passes as dessert is served and the dining table is cleared. Carter begins to fuss, so Crew and Bret take it as their sign to head out for the night.
I sit, lost in thought, as the laughter dies and goodbyes are said. Physically, I’m here, but I can’t bring myself to be present. Over the last few months, I’ve buried my time in LA in the back of my mind, allowing myself to be me and live a life I deserve.
But darkness swirls at the edge of my consciousness, and I’m afraid it's sinking its claws into me and dragging me under the surface.
I can’t go back to living in fear and pretending to be the Wren LA knew.
Breathe, Wren, breathe.
Jett’s strong body leans into mine as I catch a whiff of his familiar scent, pulling me in. Leather, vanilla, and mint. I don’t notice the smoke as much anymore. I wonder if he’s started to back off on his smoking. “Ready to go, Whiskey?”
I nod, resting my head on his shoulder. “I’m ready.”
“I’ll drop you off first, but I need to come back to the office and finalize payroll. Or you can come with me?”
Shaking my head, I press a kiss to his jawline. “I’ll be fine at home, J. Don’t worry.”
We hug our goodbyes, and I paste on a smile, thanking everyone for dinner. As I close the door to the log cabin, I can’t help but feel at home. Dinner tonight felt normal, like everything is how it’s supposed to be. I’m glad I waited until Jett and I worked through our differences. I would’ve felt like I was tarnishing our past and our families with our issues.
With his hand in mine, it feels like we’ve turned over a fresh leaf, and it’s time to embrace our future.
That’s if the monster stays hidden. But he’s there. I can feel it, even though I can’t see him. I know he’s hiding in the shadows.
I wave to Jett as he drives off before stepping onto my front porch.
