Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Ever
I had never seen the clubhouse like this before.
Not even close.
It wasn’t just busy—it was alive in a way that felt bigger than the space itself.
People filled every corner, laughter layered over music, voices overlapping until it all blended into one loud, constant hum.
The kind of energy that made it impossible to stand still for too long without getting pulled into something.
Alice had gone all out.
Of course she had.
Inside, tables had been lined up and covered with enough food to feed half the state. Every time I passed one, I caught something new.
Carnie and Wendy were still moving in the kitchen like they lived there now, cooking all day, sliding trays out, wiping counters, and refilling anything that got low.
Outside, it was even more lively.
Kids were bouncing inside giant inflatable houses, one shaped like a cow that looked like it had been plucked from a cartoon.
Water splashed from the oversized pool while a group of teenagers tried to dunk each other like it was some kind of competition.
There was even a stage at the back, promising live music.
And the giant beer pong setup had a crowd around it already, shouting and arguing over shots like it was a championship game.
It was loud, bright, and a little overwhelming.
And I was here.
With Jesse.
I tightened my fingers around his hand as we walked through the yard, trying to ignore the way my eyes kept drifting.
Looking and searching for him.
“Looks like a good turnout,” Jesse said beside me.
“Yeah,” I said, forcing my attention back to him. “Alice doesn’t really do anything halfway.”
“No kidding. Kind of a lot.”
We moved farther in, and Alice found us within seconds.
“Ever!” she said, like she’d been waiting for me specifically. “You made it!”
She pulled me into a quick hug before stepping back and looking at Jesse. “And this must be Jesse,” she added.
“That’s me,” he said, an easy smile back in place.
“Welcome,” she said. “Eat, drink, have fun, and don’t break anything.”
“No promises,” he said lightly.
She laughed and was already turning to shout at someone else about moving a chair.
“See?” I said to Jesse. “A lot.”
He nodded, but there was something different in his eyes. A sharper edge than I’d seen before.
We made our way around, talking to people I knew, but Jesse seemed to fade back. Something… shifted.
It wasn’t one moment.
It was gradual.
Like a slow turn of a dial I didn’t realize was moving until the sound changed.
He drank. I talked to people.
One beer turned into two.
Then three.
Then more.
And with each one, the easy version of Jesse I’d been getting used to started to slip.
Less steady.
More impatient.
He laughed, but it wasn’t as natural.
He talked, but there was a bite to it now.
People didn’t seem to notice, or maybe they did and didn’t care.
I noticed, though. I couldn’t not notice.
We ended up outside near one of the picnic tables after a while, sitting across from each other as the party kept moving around us.
It had been about two hours and the initial rush had settled into something more relaxed.
Still loud and busy, but less chaotic.
“Should we get some food?” I asked.
Jesse leaned back slightly, his eyes dragging over me in a way that made something in my stomach twist. Then he shook his head. “I think we’re good.”
I blinked.
Twice.
Okay.
Maybe he meant he was good.
Not us.
I shifted on the bench, turning slightly away, trying not to overthink it.
“Get me another beer,” he said.
I turned my head back to him. “Excuse me?”
“I said, get me another beer. Now.” Something in his tone was sharp. Demanding. Wrong.
I leaned back a little, caught off guard, and my brain scrambled to catch up to what had just happened. Before I could respond, Jude was there.
“I think you can get your own beer, man.”
Jesse looked up at him, and the look on his face—it wasn’t the Jesse I knew. It wasn’t the guy I’d been on dates with.
It was something else.
Ugly.
Cold.
“I wasn’t talking to you,” Jesse said.
The air shifted. Jude didn’t move or blink, but something in him snapped tight.
“Uh, I can get him a beer. It’s not a big deal, Jude,” I said quickly.
The last thing I wanted was a scene.
Not here.
Not now.
This was Eden’s night.
Jude looked at me and his eyes were dark, hard, but I knew that wasn’t directed at me.
“Jude, please,” I whispered.
“You know what?” Jesse said suddenly, pushing up from the bench. “I think it’s time we leave this lame fucking party.” He stood too fast and swayed, grabbing the edge of the table to steady himself.
My heart dropped. “Maybe we should go,” I said.
I stood too, trying to smooth things over, trying to get us out of whatever this was before it got worse, but I didn’t make it far.
Jude stepped in front of me, blocking me with his body, and boxed me in between him and the table.
“Nah,” he said, voice low, final. “I just think Jesse should go. You’re not going anywhere, Ever.”
“She came with me,” Jesse snapped, “so she’ll leave with me.”
Jude turned fully toward him, folding his arms across his chest. “I don’t fucking think so,” he said. “You can walk your ass home and pick up your bike tomorrow when you’re sober.”
“She’s mine,” Jesse said.
Something inside me recoiled hard. I was not his. Not even close.
We had gone on a handful of dates, but that was it.
I became aware of everything around us all at once.
People watching and conversations dying down. All eyes on us, and that was exactly what I didn’t want. I wanted to disappear.
Oliver, Wrecker, and Pipe stepped in behind Jesse like they had been summoned.
“Everything good?” Wrecker asked. His tone was calm. Deadly calm.
Jesse turned and somehow found the nerve to glare at him. “Nothing that concerns you.”
Wrecker’s gaze swept the area. “You’re in my clubhouse,” he said. “So yeah, this concerns me.”
“Wrecker, I’m sorry,” I said quickly.
He held up a hand without looking at me. I shut my mouth immediately.
“I think it’s time for you to leave,” Wrecker said to Jesse.
Jesse laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Yeah, I was fucking trying to,” he snapped, “but your little fucking puppet here won’t let my girl go.”
Wrecker’s eyes flicked to Jude, then to me. “You want to leave with him?” he asked.
I shook my head before I could think.
At the same time, Jude growled, “No.”
Wrecker nodded once and looked back at Jesse. “She doesn’t want to go with you,” he said. “You can go, and we’ll make sure she gets home safe.”
“She’s mine,” Jesse said again.
Pipe stepped closer. “Time to go,” he said quietly. There was nothing quiet about the threat in his tone.
I had never seen them like this. Protective, sure. But this? This was something else.
“This is bullshit!” Jesse shouted, getting right in Pipe’s face.
Everything happened fast.
Too fast.
Oliver moved.
Grabbed Jesse’s arm and twisted it behind his back in one smooth motion.
Jesse shouted, trying to pull free but didn’t even come close. “Let me fucking go!” he yelled. He tried to lunge toward me, but Jude stepped in front of me completely, his arm reaching back, pulling me tight against his back.
Solid.
Unmovable.
“You got thirty seconds to get the fuck out of here,” Jude growled, “before I rip your fucking head off.”
I peeked around his shoulder just in time to see Jesse spit at him.
Any feelings I had for Jesse were gone.
Instantly.
Oliver yanked him back, Pipe right there with him, dragging him away.
“This is bullshit!” Jesse shouted again.
No one responded.
They just moved him.
Out.
Gone.
Like he had never belonged there in the first place.
Silence hung for a second.
Heavy.
Awkward.
Embarrassing.
“I’m so—” I started.
“You good?” Wrecker asked Jude.
Jude nodded.
Wrecker turned, clapping his hands once. “Excitement over,” he called. “Back to the party!” And just like that, everything snapped back.
Music.
Voices.
Movement.
Like nothing had happened.
I was still standing behind Jude, pressed to his back, trying to process what the hell had just happened.
He turned and looked down at me.
“Let’s get some food,” Penny said, appearing at my side.
“And a drink,” Adley added from the other side.
Penny looked at her. “You’re pregnant.”
Adley shrugged. “But you two aren’t. You can drink for me.” They hooked their arms through mine like this was normal. Like I hadn’t just had my entire night flipped upside down.
“I got her,” Penny said to Jude.
He didn’t move.
“Jude,” she said softer, “I’ve got her. Go cool down, little brother.”
He looked at me and I didn’t know what to say.
Didn’t know how to say it.
“Macaroni salad,” Adley said suddenly. “I want macaroni salad. And cake. At least three slices since there are three flavors.”
She tugged on my arm.
Penny did the same.
They pulled me toward the clubhouse.
But I looked back over my shoulder at him. And he was still standing there.
Watching me.
Not like before.
Not like he ever had.
This was different.
Heavy.
Focused.
Like I was the only thing in the middle of all of this that mattered.
Adley shoved a plate into my hands once we got inside, piling it with food I barely saw.
Penny handed me a drink.
People were talking.
Laughing.
Eating.
The party kept going.
But none of it mattered because all I could think about was the way Jude had looked at me.