“We’ll need them for a while, Lennon. And after this is over, I’ll sell them online or something. People buy secondhand jewelry all the time,” I explain as we arrive at our gate and find a seat. I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her in close, hoping to calm her. “I’m not worried how much it cost, so you shouldn’t either. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there, okay?”
She slightly relaxes and smiles. “Alright. I’m just nervous about this and stressed to the max. I’ll be better once we get back, and we return to normal.”
We sit in silence for a while, people watching as they walk by us. Lennon eventually pulls out her phone and sends her sisters a picture of the rings. I can only imagine what they’re saying right now, considering I’m so fucking transparent to them. They’ve made way too many side comments over the past month not to see right through me. Shit, they’ll probably show Mason and Liam too. I’m so fucked.
As she laughs and texts, I get lost in my head, thinking about Brandon. I shouldn’t be the one going to Utah with Lennon. I think back to when he mentioned proposing over the summer. We were sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast, and I remember how fucking excited and nervous he was about it. It seems like yesterday when the jealousy took over, and I regret ever feeling that way, especially now. Guilt consumes me as I stare out at the sea of strangers waiting to board their planes.
Lennon notices me withdrawing. “Are you okay?”
I nod and lie. “I’m fine.”
She doesn’t ask me what’s on my mind, and the awkward tension between us returns. I’m sure she assumes I’m thinking about Jenna and the baby.
A man comes over the intercom and lets us know we’ll begin boarding in ten minutes. Lennon and I move to stand in line, and as I look over her shoulder, I catch a glimpse of one of the text messages from Sophie about Jenna—about me becoming a father. Lennon lets out a long breath and tucks her phone into her purse as we walk down the passenger boarding bridge.
After I put the carry-on suitcase in the overhead storage, we sit and wait for everyone to board. The awkward silence returns, and she’s lost in her thoughts again. Lennon glances down at the sparkling diamonds as the plane takes off, and I look over at her.
“I know this whole Jenna thing is on your mind, but I don’t want you to worry about it. This doesn’t change anything, especially what I said before she showed up.” I lower my voice and move closer so I’m practically whispering in her ear. “It’s not mine. I can promise you that.”
Her eyes meet mine, and our mouths are so damn close. Too close. “How can you be so sure? Even if you double wrapped it and she was on birth control, a pregnancy can happen.” She points her chin down to her swollen stomach as if to imply she and Brandon were careful too.
I swallow hard, pinching the back of my neck. “I just know. I’m one hundred percent positive, okay? Please…just trust me.”
Lennon inhales a deep breath. I need her trust more than ever right now.
“Okay,” she tells me with a tight nod. “I trust you.”
Chapter Two
Lennon
My words come out ragged. I want to trust him more than anything, but I know his past. I saw the countless nameless women he brought home before and after I moved in. He was a classic fuckboy. Honestly, this shouldn’t surprise me as much as it has. Actually, I’m shocked he hasn’t knocked up some random chick before this, but hell, why did it have to be her? What bothers me the most is the jealousy that courses through me when I think about it. I have no right to feel that way, no claim on him, which only irritates me more. Between this and the stress of seeing my parents, it’s the only constants I have.
With everything that’s happened this year, I feel like the universe is constantly shitting on me. Nothing has been easy or worked in my favor. Each time I think I might be okay, a curve ball comes my way and something else happens. First, Brandon’s unexpected death, then finding out I’m pregnant with his baby, and now Hunter’s situation. At this point, I’m just wondering what else could possibly happen.
As soon as Hunter told me we’d be a makeshift family, Jenna came barreling in like a freight train. Knocking me off my axis, she immediately forced me back to my sad reality. I’d been so caught up in preparing for Utah that it was almost easy to believe Hunter’s promises, believe every word he said to me. For a moment, in my heart, I knew I’d be all right. The worry and stress had temporarily vanished as I got caught up in the fantasy of Hunter always being there for me and the baby.