Chapter 8 #2
She ran a hand through her hair, and I noticed it shaking as it slid back.
I knew I wasn’t going to find anything good when I made it to her.
“You okay?” I asked when I finally reached her side.
Tess jumped and shoved her phone into her back pocket. “Y-Yeah.” She waved a hand around. “Just hate crowds.”
I knew she was lying. She squinted just barely every time she did; it wasn’t even noticeable unless you were looking for it. But I was. I’d spent every interaction I’d had with her this past month reading her face and trying to decipher every microexpression.
“What did he say, Tess.” It wasn’t a question. I needed to know what had her so shaken, so I could fix it.
She swallowed and dug her phone out, looking at the ground as she handed it to me. I knew her password already—Luke’s birthday—since I had to unlock it for her when we got ice cream earlier this week. Her hands had been sticky from wiping up his mess.
My blood turned to acid at what I saw. My vision went red. I wanted to throw her phone across the parking lot. Or find Jeremy. Both, actually.
Jeremy Watson: I gave u ur time Tess but it’s run out now. I’m hiring a PI to figure out where the fuck u are. U can’t keep my son from me. And ur not gonna like what happens when I find u both.
I sucked in a deep breath, trying to rid myself of the mind-numbing rage I felt when I saw his other texts talking about dragging her back to Corpus Christi by her hair. “That motherfucker,” I ground out, my hand shaking around her phone.
I handed it back to her, clenching my jaw so tight I was surprised my molars hadn’t cracked. “You’re keeping all of these, right?” I could barely get the words out past the scream I was shoving down.
She put her phone back in her pocket. “Yeah, backing them up to my computer like you told me to.”
Her eyes met mine. Gone was the woman who was smiling into her camera while she ran earlier. She was clearly rattled, but was trying to brush it off for my sake. I didn’t want her to feel like she had to hide with me. I wanted to make her feel safe.
I wanted…everything with her. The good, the bad, the ugly.
I opened my mouth, getting ready to say that when Luke’s voice floated down from above. “Mommy! Wevi! Are you coming?” I looked up, finding him leaning over the railing with Emmett’s arms wrapped around his waist so he didn’t fall over.
I couldn’t decide if his timing was impeccable or inconvenient.
“Yes!” Tess said, grinning at him. And my anger only lessened a fraction, seeing that it was genuine.
“Let’s go,” I said, taking her hand in mine.
Her hand tightened around mine as she followed. It wasn’t just a light squeeze either. It was firm, like she needed something solid to hold onto, so I held on just as tight. When I glanced over my shoulder to check on her when we made it to the most congested area, she gave me a forced smile.
Thankfully, the section Weston reserved for us was close by, so she wasn’t in the thick crowd for very long.
And when I let her go, watching as she climbed the bleachers to sit between Claire and Delilah, I didn’t miss the way Delilah was smirking at me.
No one else had noticed me staring, just her.
I was beyond the point of caring if anyone knew I had feelings for Tess, but I wanted to be the one to tell her, not someone else, so I brought a finger to my lips behind her, and Delilah winked, nodding.
Weston’s name came over the loudspeaker right as I sat down next to Emmett in the row in front of Tess. The crowd went insane, acting as if this were the Super Bowl. The noise only grew as he flew out into the arena on the back of a bull moments later, counting the seconds he stayed on.
“So what’s the point of this?” I asked Emmett.
“Basically, it’s just to see how long you can stay on.”
I frowned, glancing between him and Weston as he got flung around. “That’s it?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I don’t really get it either, but it is kinda interesting to watch when you know the guy stupid enough to do it.”
That was true. I knew this meant a lot to Weston and that he was having a hard time letting go of this part of his life, but I also knew he was doing it for Savannah, and I admired that kind of devotion.
I glanced back at Tess. Her eyes were glued to Weston, widened slightly, her hands steepled over her mouth.
When the crowd got to eight, everyone lost it. People were blowing air horns, ringing cowbells, yelling into megaphones, and shooting confetti cannons. Weston fell to his knees, his face buried in his hands, his body shaking with sobs.
“Jesus Christ,” I chuckled, glancing over at Emmett, who was grinning.
“Fuck yeah!” Beau hollered, high-fiving everyone, me included.
Emmett and I high-fived for the sake of joining in.
Then, a flash of blonde caught my attention, and I watched slack-jawed as Savannah climbed the bleachers’ fence and ran out into the area, falling into the dirt with Weston, holding him as he cried.
He rested his head in her lap, clinging to her like she was the only thing keeping him afloat. My chest tightened as I watched them, wanting that kind of closeness with someone for myself.
Looking over my shoulder, I found Tess already watching me, something warm in her eyes that hit me like a freight train, making my smile soften.
I was pretty sure I was falling for her, which felt insane to think about, considering I’d only known her for a month, but she was just…
everything. Beautiful beyond belief, but that didn’t even compare to who she was.
She was sweet and kind and strong, so strong.
And she was adorable with her nervous rambling and bubblegum pink shoes.
“Oh my fucking God!” Delilah screamed.
I turned, my eyes widening at Weston on one knee, holding a small box between him and Savannah. She nodded and threw her arms around his shoulders, nearly knocking him to the ground.
I cheered them on like the rest of the arena as he slipped the ring on her finger, but I couldn’t help the jealousy I felt knowing the one person I wanted, I couldn’t have. Not yet, at least.
She wasn’t mine yet, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t already hers.