Happenstance 3 (Happenstance #3)(29)
Author: Jamie McGuire

“Why don’t we let Erin figure it out, darling?” Sam used the tone he saved for when he was aggravated but was trying to be nice.

“Figure what out?” I asked, my eyes dancing between my parents.

Julianne sat back in her seat, deflated. “I’m helping too much again, aren’t I?”

Sam leaned over and kissed his wife’s cheek. “It’s one of the many things I adore about you…but yes.”

He relinquished her phone, and she put it away.

“Do you know something about Weston that I don’t?” I asked.

Julianne shook her head. “No, but you might have noticed that I’m a fixer. Your dad has asked that I work on that.”

Sam patted her on the shoulder, proud.

I looked down, wondering what on earth was going on with Weston. I hadn’t thought too much about it, but Julianne was right. The text wasn’t like him. There were probably things to fix, and I wasn’t sure I had any more words to fix them.

I shot off a reply.

We’re at Los Potros. If you’re hungry, you should come.

Weston didn’t answer, so I sent another.

Are you upset?

Still, there was no reply.

Are you just busy? Can you at least let me know you’re all right?

I’m all right.

I slammed my phone next to me in the booth.

Sam and Julianne were surprised by my reaction. Sam seemed a bit overwhelmed as he stroked Julianne’s shoulder, and then he reached across the table to pat my hand. Our nice family dinner had quickly gone downhill.

I forced a grin and lifted my chin. “I’ll figure it out later. I’m okay. Weston is probably okay. We should enjoy our dinner. We don’t have many left.”

Julianne’s eyes filled with tears, and her bottom lip began to tremble.

“Oh no. No, no,” I said, holding out my hands. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Honey, please,” Sam said.

Those around us who weren’t staring before certainly were now.

I covered my eyes with my hand and looked down.

Sam chuckled once, and Julianne and I both shot him a look.

“This is real life, my loves.” He laughed again. “We are a real family.”

Chapter Twelve

I FACED FORWARD, staring at the night sky, next to Weston in the cab of his pickup truck. The engine was silent, and the cars beneath the overpass made the occasional swish that let me know I was in my beloved place. But in that moment, it wasn’t.

Weston had barely spoken since he met me in Sam and Julianne’s drive half an hour before. He hadn’t responded to further texts, and he’d seemed more than just a little pissed off when I climbed into the passenger seat. I wouldn’t break the silence though. He had to fix whatever was bothering him this time.

He sighed but didn’t speak. A minute went by and then another. The air was beginning to grow thick, and the cab of the truck was full of everything we hadn’t said.

“Are you mad?” he finally asked.

“Are you?”

He craned his neck at me and then swallowed. “Why would I be mad?”

After a few seconds of silent disbelief, I turned to him. “If you’re not, then why are you acting like you are?”

“I’m not mad.”

“You’re not?”

“I’m…nervous.”

My expression twisted. “What are you talking about?”

“I saw Brady today.”

“Oh.”

“At Gose Jewelers.”

“Oh?”

“He said he was going to tell you what I was doing there, and it dawned on me that you might be pissed. Even though”—he squirmed in his seat—“it’s not meant to piss you off.”

He kept his eyes forward and held up his arm between us, across the seat. He was pinching his class ring between his index finger and thumb. It was a thick gold band with black etchings—our class year on one side, a baseball on the other. The gem was garnet, meant to signify our primary school color and mascot, the Maroon Spirit. The band was a lot smaller than the last time I’d seen it. It was definitely too small to fit on any of his fingers.

I raised an eyebrow. “You…had your ring sized?”

“To fit your finger.”

“The necklace wasn’t enough?”

He faced me, dismayed. “Brady was right. You’re pissed.”

“I’m not…pissed. I just thought that maybe you might have asked before doing something so drastic.” I raised my hands, fingers spread apart. “I don’t wear rings, Weston.”

He let his hand fall.

“It’s really sweet,” I said.

“I had it all planned out. It wasn’t until Brady reminded me that I remembered. You’re…you.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” I asked, offended.

His shoulders fell, and he looked out his window. He shook his head. “Nothing.” His head fell back against his headrest, and he blew out a breath.

“You asked me to say that I needed you. I did because I do. You asked for promises. I made them. Now, you want to put a ring on my finger.”

“Just until I can save up for a real one.”

“A real what?”

He expectantly looked over at me, waiting for the answer to come to me.

I snapped my open mouth shut. “No. No. I don’t want that, not yet.”

“Don’t worry. It’s going to take me a while. The ones I saw at Gose’s were expensive.”

My mouth turned dry, and my lungs weren’t getting enough air. “What is this obsessive need you have to put a leash on me? I’ve been waiting my whole life to get out of here and be free, and it’s like you can’t wait to put me back on a chain!”

Weston suddenly appeared very tired. “Yep. You’re pissed.”

“I’m not pissed! I can’t…I love you, but I can’t keep…you have to stop!”

“Just say it.”

“Say what?” The tone of my voice scared me more than his words.

“You’re going to start packing soon. I figured you would say it at some point before.”

My chest hurt with searing physical pain. “Why are you doing this? Why are you trying to push me away? Does everything really have to be the way you want it or not at all?”

Weston held up the ring. “Does this look like I’m pushing you away?”

I looked at the ring, my heart breaking. “Why is this so hard?” I looked down. “It shouldn’t be this hard.”