All I Feel (The Everything Legacy #3)

Prologue

TESSA

“Alright. You’re all set, Janine. I’ll see you in a month.”

Janine, who’d been my client for the better part of a year now, smiled and said, “I’ll be looking forward to it. For now, I’m just excited to run to the mall to grab that handbag I was telling you about.”

My eyes rounded, and the corners of my mouth tipped up in a smile. “You better be carrying it with you when you return. I want to see it.”

“Will do,” she said with a wave of her hand as she moved toward the exit. “Have a good time tonight, Tessa.”

“Thanks, Janine.”

After saying goodbye, she left. And once she was gone, I didn’t dally like usual. Instead, I did my best to be diligent about cleaning everything up so I could leave in a reasonable amount of time and not come in to work on Monday morning to a disaster.

Before I knew it, I’d accomplished that task, shut everything down, and walked through the space to the opposite side to find Lark.

Walking down the hall, I found her in one of the treatment rooms, changing the linens on the table.

“Hey,” I said as I stepped inside and leaned my back against the wall. “All finished?”

My best friend nodded. “Yep. I just want to finish up these last few tasks before we head out. You?”

“I just did the same. Want some help?”

Lark balled up the dirty linen, tossed it aside, and grabbed a clean one. Jerking her head toward the end of the table, she said, “Grab the other end of this for me.”

I stepped forward, grabbed the other end, and helped her make up the table.

It didn’t matter to me that this wasn’t part of my job description.

Lark was my best friend. We’d been inseparable for as long as I could remember.

Even with a sister of my own—one I was undeniably close with—there was no question Lark Townsend felt like one as well.

Maybe that was part of the reason we’d ended up here together.

There wasn’t a time I could recall when the two of us hadn’t felt like we’d been cut from the same cloth.

Of course, it was possible it’d been that way since our parents were best friends.

Even one of my older brothers was best friends with Lark’s older brother.

Years ago, long before we’d even graduated from high school, Lark and I had decided what our plans were for our futures.

We’d both been interested in beauty, so it came as no surprise that Lark became an esthetician while I became a makeup artist and nail technician.

The only natural thing to do after the two of us had gone through the training we’d needed and gotten our licenses was to open a salon together from which to operate our two separate businesses.

It had been about five years since we opened, and it was safe to say our businesses were thriving.

“I’m so glad things didn’t run over today,” Lark said after we’d gotten the linen on the table. “I’ve been looking forward to tonight for a while.”

“Me, too. I know we’ve got to run home to get ready, but do you want to ride there together tonight?”

Lark blinked in surprise. “Isn’t Ryan going?”

“He is,” I assured her with a nod. “But he’s got a few things keeping him tied up at the office today, so he’s going to miss dinner. He’ll meet us at Lou’s afterward.”

It was Harper’s twenty-seventh birthday, and everybody in our friend group was getting together to celebrate my sister. I would’ve loved nothing more than for Ryan to be able to arrive along with me, but the timing was inconvenient with a case he’d been working on recently.

Ryan and I met and started dating one another at the beginning of this year. We’d been together about eight months now, and things were getting serious in a way I believed this might be the real deal.

From the start, Ryan had always been attentive and compassionate. He spoiled me often and frequently surprised me with gifts. Though I genuinely liked him for who he was and how he treated me, I could admit that I was a girl who liked nice things and had expensive taste.

Ryan seemed to enjoy gift giving, too. As a lawyer, he did well for himself, and while he took steps to be responsible with his money, he didn’t hesitate to spend freely as well. Although unexpected and unnecessary, it was appreciated.

The only downside came in instances like this.

Work could be demanding for him, and recently, he’d been working long hours on a case of his.

It sucked, but I couldn’t be mad about it.

When I’d spoken with him earlier, he promised to work diligently all day so that he’d be able to get to Harper’s party as soon as possible.

With the news that Ryan would be meeting me there, Lark shrugged indifferently. “Okay. So, I’ll drive. I’ll swing by your place on the way and pick you up. This way, you can leave with Ryan, and I don’t have to bum a ride off anyone when I’m ready to leave.”

“That works. Are you set to head out of here, so we can at least attempt to make it there on time?”

She rolled her eyes. “That’s unlikely, but yes. Let me just grab my things.”

I laughed. It had been an ongoing joke among our friends.

No matter what the occasion, Lark and I never showed up to anything on time.

Sometimes, we were just a few minutes late, and other times, it was far worse.

It wasn’t intentional, and we tried our best to improve, but it never seemed to happen.

In the end, we both decided that we had reasonable time management skills when it came to maintaining our schedules at work. Beyond that, it was a toss-up.

Arriving home, I went about my business of getting a shower and getting ready for a night of fun. And though I didn’t want to be too late to the festivities, I just couldn’t cut corners when it came to going out. I loved getting myself all dolled up, no matter the occasion.

And since Ryan had such a challenging week at work, I could admit I wanted to make a lasting impression when he saw me tonight. It would be the first time since things had taken a serious turn in our relationship.

Last weekend, at twenty-four years old, I’d finally done it. I lost my virginity to Ryan.

It was nice. I thought he made it special. And I loved how attentive he’d been afterward. I was looking forward to exploring that part of our relationship more this weekend.

About ten minutes after I’d finished getting ready, Lark showed up, and we took off. As was not uncommon, we walked in fifteen minutes late to celebrate with my sister.

After offering her birthday greetings, hugs, and presents, Phoenix said, “Finally! Now that these two have decided to join us, we can order. I’m starving.”

I glared at my brother. “I’m sure you’re going to be just fine, Phoenix.”

“Yeah. Besides,” Lark cut in, “it’s not like you didn’t already know this would happen. You should’ve planned better.”

As Phoenix pinned his eyes on her, something washed over his expression, and he let out a sigh of defeat.

Our server walked up and took our orders, and after she marched away, Savanna said, “This feels so strange.”

“What does?” Olivia asked.

The moment Savanna’s expression turned melancholy, I knew what was going through her mind. “Chloe.”

My heart was aching as Kingston said, “She was bummed about it, but the important thing is that my sister’s on the mend. And we’ll just celebrate with Harper again when Chloe is healed.”

No doubt in my mind that we’d do that. Chloe and her boyfriend Hawk didn’t come tonight because she’d recently been shot and was recovering. Savanna was right—it felt strange being here without her.

Mia added, “Well, as important as it is that she’s healing, it’s also a relief that everything seems to be settled between her and Hawk now.”

“I can see Mia’s focused on what’s most important,” Kingston muttered.

I bit my lip to stifle the laughter. It was only just over a month ago that he’d learned about Chloe dating.

It had taken him a moment to come to grips with that knowledge.

Although Mia was her twin, she was the meeker of the two, and I got the suspicion that Kingston wasn’t ready for his only other sister to be caught up in a relationship.

“It is what’s most important,” Savanna insisted. “Chloe’s happy. Taj and Olivia are happy. And Tessa and Ryan are well on their way. I think it’s wonderful.”

“Speaking of which,” Ace interjected, bringing his eyes to me. “Where is Ryan?”

“He’s meeting us at Lou’s later. He’s been working late all week on a case between depositions and whatnot,” I explained.

As Ace lifted his chin in understanding, Taj said, “Well, let’s just hope that the way everything went down with Olivia and me or Chloe and Hawk isn’t any indication of what might happen with Tessa and Ryan or anyone else in this group.”

I couldn’t have agreed more. It hadn’t even been a full year, and we’d already dealt with Olivia being run off the road and kidnapped, as well as Chloe being shot.

We’d experienced our fair share of drama already, and I wasn’t interested in seeing anyone else I cared for winding up in a precarious situation.

“I’ll add that,” Harper declared.

“Add what?”

A bright smile spread across my sister’s face. “I’m certainly grateful for all the gifts everyone showered me with tonight, but I’ve been thinking about my birthday wish. And tonight, when I blow out my candles, I’ll wish for no drama along with the chance to fall in love this year.”

Our brother, Archer, groaned. “Why is this the only concern? Can’t everyone just be happy with things the way they are?”

“There’s more to life than just snowboarding, big bro,” Harper informed him.

“I’m aware. Why do you think I’m here?”

“Because it’s the middle of summer, and you have no other choice,” Lark countered, a hint of amusement in her tone.

Everyone laughed, our server returned, and all of us spent the rest of dinner catching up. It was nice, especially considering the last time we were all together like this had been in a hospital while we waited for news on Chloe.

Following a wonderful dinner and delicious dessert—though not nearly as good as one of Chloe’s cakes—all of us moved to leave. As soon as I was back in Lark’s car, I sent a text to Ryan to let him know we’d finished dinner and were heading to Lou’s.

I hadn’t heard from him by the time we’d arrived there, and I’d just assumed he was already on his way.

Not giving it a second thought, I was immediately out on the dance floor with my girlfriends.

Harper might’ve been the only one of us that did it in a professional capacity, taking over the studio our mom had opened years ago, but we’d grown up taking dance lessons together and loved to do it anytime the opportunity arose.

In fact, I enjoyed it so much, it was no wonder I got so caught up in it that I hadn’t realized how much time had passed.

When I glanced over at where the guys were sitting, belatedly noting that Ryan hadn’t arrived, I leaned toward Lark and said, “I’ll be right back.

I’m just going to check and see if Ryan’s okay. ”

She nodded and continued dancing with the rest of the girls as I walked off the dance floor.

“Hey, Tessa. All done out there?” Archer asked.

I shook my head, reaching for my purse. “No. I texted Ryan on the way here.” Pulling my phone out, I noted the blank display and got worried. Had something happened to him on the way here? Focusing briefly on the guys at the table, I said, “I’ll be right back.”

Phone clutched in my hand, I turned from the table and made my way to the opposite corner of the saloon and called Ryan. Three rings later, his voice came through the line. “Tessa.”

“Ryan? Is everything okay?” He sounded like he’d just woken up.

There was a bit of rustling around before he replied, “I’m so sorry, babe. I came home from work and laid down for a few minutes. I must’ve dozed off.”

Disappointment washed over me. “I’ve been looking forward to seeing you all week. Are you not going to make it tonight?”

“I… I’m exhausted,” he said, his voice dipping low. “But I miss you, too. How about I come to your place first thing tomorrow morning? No work for either of us, and we’ll spend the day together.”

Maybe I needed to have some understanding. He had been working hard all week on this case.

I parted my lips to respond, to tell him that we’d see each other tomorrow, but more words were spoken. A feminine voice came through the line. “Ryan, baby, come back to bed.”

My stomach plummeted, and I gasped.

“Tessa—”

“Is someone there with you?”

“It’s not what you think,” he said, his voice panicked.

“She just called you baby and asked you to come back to bed,” I fired back. “Are you cheating on me?”

“I’ll come by tomorrow morning. We’ll talk.”

He didn’t deny it. My insides felt like they’d been hollowed out.

Despite the noise from the music and the folks surrounding me, I could only hear the ringing in my own ears.

As I lowered my hand from my ear, I could’ve sworn I heard Ryan call my name, but I didn’t care.

I disconnected the call, tried to breathe through the mounting devastation, and finally turned to run outside.

The moment I was on the wrap-around balcony, I sucked in as much air as I could. But it was summer, and the evening air didn’t feel as cool and dry as it usually did. Feeling unsteady, I rested my arms on the wooden railing and bowed my head, tears clouding my vision.

How could I have been so stupid? So blind?

Whoever that woman was, she was comfortable with him. She called him baby. They had to be close, familiar. How long had this been happening?

I didn’t know how long I’d been standing there, simply trying to breathe, but at some point, I felt his approach. Then, Ace’s palm landed lightly on the middle of my back before he said softly, “Tessa.”

That tenderness in his tone was all it took. I broke down sobbing seconds before Ace pulled me into his arms.