Believe in Us (Jett #2) (2 page)

My stomach growls. I haven’t eaten in over three hours and my body is now waging a war against me in the form of rumbling angry growls until I give it some food. Luckily, my parents and Park and Becca (my other parents) are grilling burgers tonight. It’s kind of an unofficial Sunday night tradition that usually takes place at my house.

I throw on some shorts and a blue T-shirt and grab the pair of flip-flops by my door. Not only am I starving, I’m anxious to see Keanna wearing one of the new outfits she bought today. She’s been making this slow transition ever since the day I met her. She used to be shy and reserved and a little bit mean. She’s had a hard life and I never really know exactly
how
hard it was until her own mother made me tell her she wasn’t coming back home. That was a rough night.

And it’s been nearly two months since then and we still haven’t brought it back up. Mom says it’s for the best that we let Keanna work out her issues on her own time and that we should just be there to support her. Dad has similar advice for me. He’s drilled it into my head that whenever she talks, I should just listen. I shouldn’t try to fix everything for her, no matter how badly I want to.

Every day it’s like she becomes more and more of the person she’s supposed to be. She’s no longer angry at the world, and she doesn’t seem to keep so much from me anymore. Her new clothes mean a lot, I know. The way her eyes lit up when she tried on an outfit at the mall—it’s like she’s trying on a new self. And I love the way she smiles now—like she has something worth smiling for.

Everything she picked out made her look beautiful and I’m excited to see what she’ll wear tonight. I’m not exactly a guy who cares what a girl wears, but when it makes her eyes light up and her smile a little bigger, then I’m all for it.

I take the back stairs that lead into the kitchen instead of the front grand staircase. I’m also texting Keanna to let her know I’m out of the shower, so my footsteps are slow to avoid falling down the stairs. Mom and Dad are talking in the kitchen and something Mom says makes me stop in my tracks.

“ . . . drunk as hell tonight,” she says, giggling. I lift an eyebrow. My parents don’t exactly get
drunk as hell
, like ever. Dad chuckles and Mom says, “If I can’t drink for the next nine months, I should fit it all in tonight.”

My blood runs cold. Nine months? That could only mean . . . I take a step back up the stairs, making sure I’m out of their sight. I probably shouldn’t be eavesdropping but this is just too good to walk away.

“It’s actually ten months when you think about it,” Dad says. “It’s forty weeks and all that, which is ten months. Why do they always say nine?”

“Hell if I know,” Mom says. “Can you hand me the margarita mix, babe?”

“Don’t get too crazy on the drinks,” Dad says. There’s some shuffling sounds while he digs through the pantry. “Once you get a couple of drinks in you, you tend to pass out.”

“Ugh, true,” Mom says. Then she yells, “Jett! Keanna is here!”

The back door opens and my parents tell her hello and I quietly walk back up the stairs and then come jogging down them as if I’d only just left my bedroom. If anyone notices that I’m freaked out of my mind, they don’t say anything.

“Hey,” I say, hugging Keanna. She’s wearing a pair of jean shorts, silver sparkly sandals, and a flowy tank top with the words “Follow your Bliss” printed across the front in cursive letters. We’d picked out the outfit today and she looks even cuter than she did in the fitting room.

“Do you need any help in here?” Keanna asks my mom.

Mom waves her hand and pours herself a margarita from the large pitcher on the counter. “No, hun, we’re all good here. You brought an appetite, right?”

Keanna nods and reaches for a handful of chips from the bowl on the counter. “You know I did.”

“Me too,” I say, grabbing some chips. It’s funny how hearing your mom talk about having a baby takes the hunger right out of you. I eat anyway, hoping it makes the nerves in my stomach calm back down.

Does this mean Mom is already pregnant? Or that she’s trying to get pregnant? It must be the second one because she wouldn’t be drinking so much if she were already pregnant. I didn’t even know she wanted another kid; she’s never exactly talked about it.

Keanna and I take the appetizers and some chips out to the patio table on the deck. I pour us a Coke and take a seat next to her on one of our fluffy patio chairs. My hands shake the whole time.

“You okay?” Keanna asks. She leans back in her chair and a soft breeze blows her hair back. I know it sounds cliché, but I swear it makes her look like an angel. I don’t even know how I survived before I knew this girl. Maybe that’s why I wasted so much time with other girls. I was always trying to find the perfect girl, but I was looking in the wrong places.

“Jett?” Keanna says, leaning forward. “You look weird.”

I snap back to reality. “Sorry,” I say, reaching over. I grab the armrest on her chair and drag her closer to me, then I rest my hand on her knee. “I was just thinking.”

“About what?” she says, lifting an eyebrow.

I’m just about to tell her about the weirdness I overheard from my parents when Park and Becca walk up. Damn.

“Hey, kiddos,” Becca says, climbing the three stairs to the top of our deck. She’s carrying a pie in her hands, apple from the smell of it. “Congrats on the win, Jett.”

“Thanks,” I say, glancing over at Keanna. Last weekend was the regionals motocross race and I’d taken first place in all three classes I raced. Now the racing season slows down for a bit before the winter season which will start after school begins. I know my talent is due to years of training my ass off, but lately it feels like having Keanna there on the sidelines is what helps me to win. That might sound cheesy, but I don’t care.

Park and Becca join my parents for margaritas and then they all come out to the deck to start grilling. I can’t get a single second alone to tell Keanna about what I just overheard.

I’m about to take her inside and make up some lie about needing to show her something, but then Dad starts talking to me about motocross.

Keanna watches me while we eat dinner. She can tell there’s something I want to tell her and I love that we’re that in tune with each other.

Becca brings up school again, and the moms talk about how great it will be for Keanna to finish off her high school at LHS. When we’ve finished eating, I realize Keanna and I are the first two done with our burgers, probably because the adults are yapping away constantly, Becca and Mom talking about school and Dad and Park talking about motocross.

“Let’s take our plates into the kitchen,” I tell Keanna, flashing her what I hope is a knowing look. Normally I’d take our plates in by myself, but I need her to join me. She gets my gesture and rises to follow me into the house.

“So what is going on?” she says, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I glance around then check out the kitchen window to make sure they’re all still on the patio. They are, but I whisper anyway. “I overheard my mom saying she should get drunk tonight because she won’t be able to drink for the next
nine
months.”

Keanna’s jaw drops. “They’re going to have another baby?”

I lift my shoulders. “I guess? They’ve never talked about it, ever.”

“Wow, that’s really crazy, especially because of Becca . . .” she says, putting a finger to her lips.

I put our plates in the dishwasher. “What do you mean?”

She bites her bottom lip while she thinks. “Well, it might be nothing, but Becca has been acting really weird lately. Like, she’s suddenly become obsessed with cleaning out their other guest bedroom, the one with all the junk in it.”

“That’s not
too
weird,” I say.

She nods. “But Becca has been straight obsessed with that room. She’s talking paint colors, new carpet . . . and it’s weird because she doesn’t want to fix up any other rooms in the house. I know it’s a long shot, but this morning I got the idea that maybe
she’s
going to have a baby, ya know?”

“Whoa,” I say, as all of the pieces click together. Why else would you fix up a junk room in the house? Keanna and I must get the same idea at the same time, judging by the look on her face. “Do you think they’re both having a baby?”

A look of fear crosses her face and I’m not sure why. She shrugs. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and find out.”

The early morning sunlight filters in through my yellow curtains, giving the whole room a warm glow. I stretch and blink my eyes. I don’t even remember falling asleep last night after watching tons of Netflix with Jett. I yawn and roll over.

And land face-to-face with Jett.

“Oh shit,” I mutter. I bolt up in bed and look around. It’s seven in the morning, so who knows if Park and Becca are awake yet. My TV is still on the Netflix menu. We must have fallen asleep last night and that’s why I don’t remember telling Jett goodbye.

I lean over and shake him. “Wake up!” I whisper-yell. “Wake up.”

His eyes squish together and he yawns, slowly opening them against the bright sunlight. He smiles when his eyes focus on mine. “Hey there, beautiful.”

I throw a pillow at him. “No! This is bad!”

I jump out of bed. The blankets aren’t even rumpled that much since we’d fallen asleep on top of them. But this is bad. I know for a fact that Becca and Park won’t be too pleased if they know Jett slept over last night. And Bayleigh! Oh my god, she’ll be so disappointed.

I shudder as I remember the awkwardly embarrassing safe sex speech she’d given us a few weeks ago. Jett and I have
not
slept together yet, and after the terrifying story of her teenage pregnancy, we might not ever.

I look over at Jett and he grins and it makes my toes tingle.

Okay, maybe we will. One day.

“Get up, you big . . .” I glare at him and try to come up with an insult. “Butt-face!”

His grin stretches into a smile. He sits up and rubs his eyes, then yawns again. “It’s so early,” he says slowly, blinking and trying to wake up.

“Babe, you have to go,” I say, my arms swinging widely toward my bedroom door. “I don’t want to get in trouble.”

He snorts. “You won’t get in trouble. Becca loves you.”

I put a hand on my hip. “What about your mom?”

He flinches. “Maybe it’s best if she doesn’t find out.”

My heart races as I crack open my door and stick my head out into the hallway. I can’t hear anything but that doesn’t mean much. It’s Monday morning at exactly the time Becca gets up for work. We have to be at the Track in an hour.

“Oh god,” I mutter, turning around and pressing my back to the door. “I don’t want to disappoint Becca or Park or your mom.” I heave a sigh and close my eyes. “I just want them to like me.”

Jett checks his phone then slides it into his pocket. He walks over to me and puts a hand on my cheek. “Baby, it’s okay. Breathe. If anyone sees me, I’ll just say I came over here early to get you for breakfast.”

“Wearing the same thing you wore last night?” I ask, eyeing his blue shirt.

His shoulders sag and he steps closer, his toes touching mine. “It’ll be okay, Key.” His lips kiss mine, slowly, lovingly, until my heartbeat slows.

And then he wraps his hands around my waist and slides his tongue across my bottom lip and suddenly my heart is back at it, beating insanely fast, but this time it’s not out of fear of getting in trouble.

I break away to catch my breath and put my hands on his chest to keep him a few inches away. “You have to go,” I whisper against my heart’s desire to keep him here, as close as possible, forever.

“Okay,” he says, leaning down and kissing me again. “Whatever my girl wants, she gets.” He gives me that oh-so-adorable wink and then slips his shoes on.

I rush into my closet and change into a black tank top, but keep the same shorts on. I throw my hair into a ponytail so that I look different from yesterday.

“You want to make sure the coast is clear?” he says, opening the door.

I inch into the hallway and walk down to peak into the living room. It’s empty, so I motion for him to follow. We do this same routine until we’re outside and I can finally breathe again.

“It’s a good thing I walked instead of drove,” he says. “My truck in the driveway might have made Park suspicious when he went to work this morning.”

Sure enough, Park’s truck is gone but Becca’s car is still here. She must be getting ready for work, although since the weather is nice she’ll probably walk there instead of drive. “Hurry up,” I say, pushing him toward his house which is on the opposite side of the Track. It’s a fairly long walk.

He takes my hand. “Come with me.”

“I—” I begin an automatic excuse but then I realize that I’m already dressed. “Well, I guess I can,” I say with a laugh. Now that we’re out in the open, it just looks like I’m going to work. I pull out my phone and text Becca that I’m already at the Track so she won’t look for me when she leaves the house.

Jett and I hold hands as we walk across the Track’s parking lot toward Jett’s house. “I wish I could wake up next to you every morning,” Jett says, squeezing my hand.

“Maybe when we have our own place,” I say, putting a hand to my chest. “That was way too much drama for me. Don’t laugh at me! I can’t stress it enough, Jett. I
do not
want to get on Becca or Park’s bad side.”

A stinging fear hits me again, the same fear from last night. If Becca really is cleaning out that guest room for a baby . . . does that mean she won’t want me anymore? I’m just a weird house guest that’s been crashing in their spare room for weeks. I’m not exactly a perfect addition to a husband and wife who are having their first child.

“Why do you look so sad?” Jett says. “I’d love to have my own place with you. And one day I will and it’ll be awesome and we’ll sleep naked.”

I give him a sideways look. He winks.

When we get halfway between the Track and his house, we stop. “I’m going to work now,” I say, turning to face him. He slides his fingers into my front pockets and pulls me toward him. “I guess I’ll go change clothes and come to work, too.” He drops his forehead to mine and then slowly nudges me backward until my back presses against a massive oak tree. I slide my arms around his neck and hold him close. His eyes gaze deeply into mine, and it’s almost like he wants to say a million things at once, but he doesn’t say anything. I get it though. I want to say a million things to him as well. Like how he makes me feel like a real human being. Like someone worthy of being loved. I want to tell him how freaking hot he is, like all of the time, and how much I miss him when he’s not right next to me.

But we kiss instead, and I put all of my emotions into my actions, letting him know exactly how I feel by kiss alone. Jett presses against me and his body is warm, strong, and
so
sexy. I run my hands up the back of his head and squirm when he kisses my neck.

We both stop when the sound of footsteps breaks the silence. He looks up and glances over, then the alarm on his face softens into recognition. He holds one finger up to his lips and gives me this devilish grin as he presses me closer against the tree.

We’re hiding from someone.

His mom’s distinct laughter fills the air and then his dad says something I can’t quite figure out. They must be walking to work, and if we’re lucky, they won’t see us hiding on the other side of this huge tree trunk.

His parents talk some more and Jett and I shuffle around the tree as they get nearer. I’m trying not to laugh because I’m not quite sure if what we’re doing is stupid or hilarious. My heart pounds in my chest as they get really close, walking right past the tree. We slide over until we’re on the other side and we can’t see them so I’m guessing they can’t see us.

“It’ll definitely take some getting used to,” Jace says. “I mean, it’ll be weird, for sure.”

“But,” Bayleigh says, sounding a little curious and excited. “You’re saying you’re totally okay with me having another man’s baby?”

My jaw hits the ground.

Jett’s eyes go wide and he stumbles backward, the shock throwing him off balance. I grab his hands and hold him still. His jaw flexes and I can tell he wants to run out right now and ask what the hell is going on, but I shake my head and mouth the word
no.

That would be way too awkward. Plus, with all of our freaking out, we didn’t even hear the rest of what his parents were saying and now they’re too far away to hear anymore.

We stand against the back side of the tree for a while. Jett’s nostrils flare and he shakes his head. “What the
hell
was that?”

I bite my bottom lip. “That doesn’t make any sense . . . your parents are perfect for each other . . .”

“Why would my dad be okay with this?” Jett says, running both hands through his hair. “This doesn’t make any sense.”

I put my hands on his chest and look him in the eye. “Baby, you have to calm down. You can’t run after them and confront them on this.”

“Why not?” His hands clench. “I want some answers.”

Having been in the middle of tons of Dawn’s drama over the years, I know better than to let him run and confront his parents right now. So I take his hand. “Let’s go back to your house and you can change clothes and calm down first.”

He heaves a heavy breath and then sighs. “Okay. Yeah, okay. You’re right.”

I slip my arm around his back and we start walking toward his house. “I know I am,” I say, holding my chip up in the air. “I’m
always
right.”

Jett tickles my side. “Uh huh, sure you are.”