Believe in Us (Jett #2) (7 page)

While Keanna is getting officially adopted, I’m sitting around the kitchen island with my parents, snacking on chopped up carrots and broccoli with ranch dip. I’m very excited for her and it’s taking everything I have not to text her and ruin her special event with her new parents.

“You know what would go great with this?” I ask, pointing to the carrot in my hand. “Those brownies in the pantry.”

Mom rolls her eyes. “Only healthy snacks. We’re going out to dinner in a couple hours and you don’t want to ruin your appetite.”

“Mom,” I say, giving her a look. “When is my appetite ever ruined? I’m always ready to eat.”

Dad reaches for a carrot. “That may be true son, but respect your mom’s wishes.”

“Yes sir,” I say, casting a longing glance toward the pantry.

“Do you have a dress shirt ironed for tonight?” Mom says. She just got her nails done so she reaches for a piece of broccoli as if the polish is still wet.

“Yeah, I think so. The blue one should be ready.”

“Great. We’re going to a really classy place, so we all have to pretend that we’re even two percent classy, okay?”

Dad and I laugh and we agree to do the best we can but Mom doesn’t exactly look convinced.

“I can’t believe my best friend adopted a seventeen-year-old after only knowing her a couple of months,” Mom says. She sinks her chin into her hand and gazes out the back window.

“Well if things had gone the way Becca wanted them to, she’d have a teenager right now. Hell, she’d probably have three or four kids,” Dad says. “Can you imagine how great it’ll be when they get their new baby and he drives Park crazy the way Jett used to drive me crazy?” Dad chuckles and shakes his head. “It’ll be awesome.”

“Hey!” I say, pretending to be offended.

Mom waves away my worry with her hand. “You were a great baby, Jett.” Her head tilts. “Kind of a pain in the ass when you were five to seven though . . .”

I wince. “Sorry.”

Mom shrugs. “Back then we were only a couple years into the business and we were still working out all the kinks. That kid room at the Track practically raised you, not us.” She points a carrot stick at me. “But you turned out okay, so far.”

I glance at my phone. “I wonder if they’re back yet?”

Dad is closer to the back window than I am, and he gazes out of it. “Doewn’t look like it.”

“You’ll be back with her before you know it,” Mom says, rolling her eyes. “Jace, were we as love-struck as our kid? We couldn’t have possibly been that bad.”

Dad’s brows lift. “Of course we were! You were totally in love with me from the start,” he says, shaking his head. “Couldn’t keep your hands off me . . .”

Mom makes a sarcastic face and looks at me. “So things with you and Keanna are getting kind of serious?”

My parents are cool—way cooler than most of my friend’s parents—but it’s still awkward talking to them about my relationships. Especially since I’ve never really talked to them about girls before. Keanna is my first real girlfriend. Simply saying yes, we’re serious, doesn’t seem like it’d do the relationship justice. But I say it anyway.

“Well I never thought I’d hear my son say that,” Dad says with a mouth full of broccoli.

“Okay, you’re acting like I’m some kind of man slut,” I say.

Mom and Dad look at me. I throw up my hands. “Okay, I’m not anymore. I’m an honest man now.”

“Well, while we’re on the subject of girls, you should probably brace yourself for dealing with Keanna over the next few days or weeks,” Mom says. “She’s going through a lot, and she’s already been through a lot in her life. You may think she’s the only thing you care about, but she has a lot of stuff in her life right now, so don’t get upset if she can’t dedicate all of her attention to you.”

“That’s a good point,” Dad says. “Don’t get upset if she doesn’t text you constantly,” he says, nodding to my phone which I’ve been looking at every few seconds. “She’ll need you to be there for her but don’t be pushy about anything.”

The words kind of sting because I want to spend every waking second with her, but I nod. “That’s actually good advice. Thank you.”

My parents exchange a look. “Our advice is always good advice!” Mom says. “It’s funny though,” she says, looking off in the distance. “When you were a baby, Becca and I used to talk about having kids close in age and then they would date each other. Now, it’s kind of happening.”

I smile. “With any luck, Keanna and me will turn out just like you and dad. And Becca and Park.”

Mom picks up the veggies and starts packing them away in the fridge. “Maybe you should aim for being like Becca and Park, not me and your dad. Being a teen parent sucks and ages you terribly.”

“Aww, don’t say that, Mom. You look amazing. You don’t look a day over twenty-five.”

She pats my head as she walks by. “That’s my son. Now go get dressed up nice and show Keanna how lucky she is to have you.”

My celebration dinner is going to be a hundred times better now that my new parents have told me Jett and his family are coming, too. I’m practically dancing around my room as I get dressed. All of this family stuff has been amazing and life changing but all day I’ve just wanted to share it with Jett. But I need to be here too, at my new house, to experience how wonderful it all is. And now he’ll be at dinner so I get the best of both worlds.

My fists shake in excitement, and I laugh at myself in the mirror. Everything is so awesome right now, I’m not even sure how to handle it. My brain might just explode. On my death certificate they’ll say the cause of death was too much happiness.

The white dress is part of my new wardrobe. It’s dual layered. The bottom layer is made out of T-shirt material that’s sleeveless and very short, like a mini skirt. But then a white sheer layer on top has tank top sleeves and it goes down to just above my knees in the front, but gets long and flowy in the back. I feel like a mermaid or some kind of beach princess in it. Even better, Jett had stepped outside to take a phone call when I was trying it on at the mall, so I’m pretty sure he hasn’t seen me in it.

I want to wow him tonight, so I borrow Becca’s curling iron and use it to make big, flowy curls around my face. I do my makeup, using a combination of the eyeliner I’ve had from the old days with Dawn, and the new makeup I recently bought. I don’t usually wear any makeup around here, especially since it’s so hot outside I’d just sweat it off. But we’re going out to dinner and I want my looks to reflect just how beautiful my life is right now.

When I’m satisfied with my hair and makeup, I hear Park call out, “Fifteen minutes, girls!”

Becca calls out, “I only need five!”

And just to join in on the yelling across the house, I say, “I’m already ready! I win!”

The bathroom in the master room is almost as big as my bedroom, and it has a built in vanity with a mirror bordered in lights just like some Hollywood actress’s dressing room.

I knock on the door as I pop my head in.

“Come on in,” Becca says, motioning with her hand. She leans forward, looking into a handheld mirror on the counter as she applies her mascara.

“Just bringing back your curling iron,” I say, holding it up. “Thanks for letting me borrow it.”

She points to a cabinet to her left. “It goes in there, and you’re welcome to borrow it anytime, dear.”

Becca stops me when I go to leave. “Turn around,” she says, twirling her finger.

I spin slowly. Her lips purse. “Hmm . . . you look nice but you need something extra.”

She walks into her closet, motioning for me to follow. Inside, it’s like a home organizer’s dream. Cubby holes and shelves and rows of hanging clothes. Their master closet is spectacular. Becca goes to a tall jewelry cabinet and pulls open the drawers, searching through them.

“Here,” she says, smiling as she takes out a silver necklace with a sparkling blue pendant. She puts it around my neck and then steps back to admire me. “Perfect!”

I finger the sparkling jewel and check out my reflection in the tall mirror mounted inside the closet. “Thanks,” I say softly.

“Anything in here you can wear any time you want, okay?”

I nod. So this is what it’s like having a normal mother. I can definitely get used to it.

*

I text Jett on the drive over to the restaurant.

Me:
I miss you

Jett:
I miss you more

Me:
How far away is this place?

Jett:
About 45 minutes, if it’s the place I’m thinking of.

I groan. This day has been so wonderful, waking up and making blueberry pancakes with Becca, then having lunch with her and Park before going to the court house. Even the long line at the DMV was fun, but now that I’m so close to seeing Jett, I’m desperate to be with him again. I’m missing the woodsy scent of his cologne and the flash of mischief in his eyes.

I kind of wanted to ask if I could ride with Jett to the restaurant, but then he said his dad was driving them. There’s no point in taking three cars, and since it’s my first day as an official member of this family, I need to be riding with Becca and Park. I just miss Jett so much. It really is kind of pathetic.

Inadequate doesn’t even begin to describe how I’m feeling when we get to the restaurant. For starters, there’s valet parking, so we climb out at the front of the restaurant and someone else drives away Park’s truck. The Lantern is a posh place that’s on the water of Lake Conroe, so you can see yachts and boats out on the water while you’re eating. The hostess is dressed nicer than I am and she leads us to our table.

My stomach tightens with nerves as we walk through the elegant dining room. I am so close to seeing Jett and I need him so bad. I can’t even function without him now, as silly as that is. I guess I’ve just been through so much in the last few days that he is my normalcy. My rock. I need him so I can feel grounded again.

His blue eyes crinkle when he sees me. It takes everything I have not to break into a sprint and throw myself at him. Instead, I play the role of
normal human
and nod politely.

Jett looks like a movie star. Wearing black slacks that look as though they were custom made for him, and a dark blue long-sleeved shirt that hugs his chest and arms just enough to show his muscle definition. He stands, and he reminds me a lot of his dad since they’re both dressed nicely tonight.

Bayleigh wears a little black dress that makes her look gorgeous. She puts the rest of us women to shame.

Jett wraps me in a tight but chaste hug. “I missed you,” he whispers as he lets me go. Jace and Bayleigh also hug me, welcoming me into Park’s family.

Before I take my seat, I notice Becca across the table. She’s staring with a confused look on her face. “Why are there two?”

I don’t know what she’s talking about, but I slip into the chair next to Jett and thread my fingers through his.

Bayleigh clears her throat. “I’ll explain in a second, Becca, but first of all, I don’t think your new daughter even noticed what’s in front of her.”

I look up. “Huh?”

And then I see it, a gorgeous bouquet of flowers in pinks and blues and purples. A card in the middle has my name on it. I flush. Yeah, I totally didn’t notice that.

“Thanks guys,” I say, taking the card.

It says
Welcome to the family. We love you -The Adams’

I look up to thank them for the kind gift, but then I see what made Becca so confused. There are two bouquets of flowers on the table.

Bayleigh stands up and we all turn to look at her. “This second bouquet is for you,” she says, sliding the vase across the table to Becca.

“Me?” Becca says, putting a hand to her chest. “I don’t need flowers . . .” She says, rambling on as she takes the card out of the little plastic holder.

I can tell by the look on Bayleigh’s face that something else is going on. Something good.

“This is very sweet guys, but—” Becca stops rambling mid-sentence and puts a hand to her mouth. “Oh my god.” Her eyes fill with tears and Jett squeezes my hand and everything all happens at once.

“You’re pregnant?” she says.

Bayleigh nods quickly and lifts her hands. “The procedure worked!”

Becca tumbles out of her chair and rushes across the table to wrap her arms around her best friend. My heart swells to what I’m sure is capacity but somehow manages to get even more happy as I watch the two men at the table shake hands, the experienced dad congratulating the new one.

Becca and Park embrace and I’m pretty sure they’re both crying. I lean into Jett’s arms until I’m halfway off my chair and halfway onto his. His strong arm wraps around me and holds me in place and I nuzzle against his neck, inhaling the scent of him.

“This is a good day,” he says, kissing the top of my head.

Today I got parents and a new sibling in the same day. “Yeah,” I say, smiling at Becca. “It’s the best.”