My eyes narrowed farther, darting between the two of them.
“That’s right. We have a big surprise. We’re going out!”
“Umm?”
She grinned, her red ponytail swishing far too excitedly around her shoulders. “The correct response is, hell yes and hallelujah, thank you, Tessa, for dragging me out of my house and showing me a proper night of fun.”
“Thank you, but I have Juni…”
I trailed off when Juni giggled like my excuse was absurd, and I shifted toward the house when I felt the disturbance at the screen door. Mimi pushed it open and stepped out, grinning like mad, too.
“Correction, I have Juni, and sweet child, you now have friends, so you’re going to have yourself a night of fun. Kind of like you did last Saturday night.”
Mimi waggled her brows.
“And just where are we going?”
Tessa shimmied her hips. “Absolution, baby! Time to get your rocker on. There’s a band playing tonight that is supposed to be crazy good, and it’s my boyfriend’s birthday, but he’s kinda boring, and I’m afraid he’s not going to be any fun, so you have to come with us. I need a wingman.”
She jerked at my hand.
My brow furrowed. “Wingman?”
She waved an errant hand in the air. “Okay, okay, you need a wingman because I have a hunch this burly mountain man might show.”
She gave me three exaggerated winks.
Great.
When I didn’t bite, Tessa hiked an innocent, nonchalant shoulder while her voice twisted with casual manipulation. “I mean, I’m sure he could find someone else to keep him entertained. And I don’t know about you, but since Eden and Trent are getting married, I’m thinking that we should really be there to support Trent, anyway, right, you know, since that club is his baby. His heart and soul. His bread and butter. And now they’re going to have a baby to support?”
Her voice lowered with the tragedy.
I glared at her. “You’re so full of crap.”
Trent was clearly loaded.
Hell, all three brothers were rolling in it.
But what didn’t sit right was the way my stomach twisted with the idea of Jud being there.
In that club.
Without me.
Doing exactly what Tessa had implied. Finding someone else to keep him entertained.
Crap.
This was bad.
Juni Bee tugged at my opposite hand. “It’s a party, Mommy! You gotsta. And guess what? Gage is even gonna come to my house to haves a sleepover and Mimi is gonna make us her specialist tacos and we’re gonna have popcorn and tell secrets, so you gots to go because you’re not allowed to hear.”
“Whole thing is set. No bother arguing.” Mimi grinned as she passed my purse to Tessa.
Holy wow.
I jerked to look over my shoulder when a screen door banged and Gage’s little voice pelted the air.
“Hi, Juni Bee!”
Eden was holding his hand and leading him toward us. A giant backpack bounced on his shoulders as they approached. “Are you ready to have the most fun all the way to the highest mountain?”
“Yes!” Juni bolted that way, skidding to a stop at the curb and jumping in welcome. “This is the best day of my wholes life!”
I sent a death glare at Tessa.
She grinned in triumph. “I know, I’m amazing, right?”
Eden giggled a soft sound as she climbed the curb, and she gave me a tiny, apologetic wave. “I see you’ve been Tessa’d.”
“Clearly, it’s a deadly disease.”
“It is, and you’ll never recover. But don’t worry, DD here, we’re in this together.” Eden’s mouth slipped into a tender smile, and she spread her hand over her still-flat stomach.
Affection blossomed, all while fear sprang up in the middle of it.
I shouldn’t do this. Shouldn’t allow myself to get any deeper.
Because I felt it, spreading through me, sprouting through the cracks.
Love.
Hope.
Home.
It whispered in my ear.
I looked at my grandmother whose expression had turned gentle, and she mouthed, It’s time.
Juni took Gage’s hand, and the two of them went blazing by and scrambling up the steps. She shouted, “Bye, Mommy!” as she went, clearly all broken up about my being gone for the night.
I hesitated, warred, fully unsure.
“Go on then,” Mimi urged. “They’ll be just fine. I raised you and your brother just fine, didn’t I?”
My smile was somber, the words whispered from my mouth, “You raised us the best.”
“Eeeps! Let’s do this!” Tessa shouted beside me, and she yanked at my hand again, drawing me toward Eden’s car across the street.
I tried to skid to a stop. “Wait…I’m not even dressed.”
“Um, hello…do you actually think I haven’t already thought of this? We’re heading to my house to pre-game and get ready. I already have an outfit picked out for you.” Tessa opened the door and gestured for me to climb in, dipping low with a flourish of her hand. “Your chariot awaits, madame.”
I climbed in, barely able to contain the laughter that bubbled at the base of my throat. “You’re insane. Has anyone ever told you that?”
She grinned. “Every single day.”
“To tonight!” Tessa lifted her champagne flute and clinked it against mine and Eden’s, though Eden’s was filled with sparkling cider.
Apparently, Tessa really did think about everything.
My spirit swam with a softness I’d never felt before. Never, in all my life. Because they both did.
Thought about everything.
Truly cared and gave their best to make sure you felt it.
And god, I did.
For the first time in so many years, I felt the true meaning of what friend was supposed to be.
My spirit groaned with the loss.
With the treachery and the treason.
Terrified of repeating the same mistakes I’d made then.
But Mimi was right.
There was a part of me that’d known.
Shoving the reservations down, I took a sip of champagne before I glanced in the full-length mirror at the dress Tessa had found at the back of her closet, but since it was most definitely not her size, I knew she was full of it, but I didn’t bother calling bullshit.
Because I felt beautiful.
Alive.
Excited.
Real.
Emotion crested on my lips.
“You look freaking hot.” Tessa clapped her hands wildly. “I can’t wait for Jud to see you.”
“Jud and I are just friends.”
She rolled her eyes. “Um, I think there’s a chance Jud might have shit himself when you walked into the restaurant last weekend. Tell me he didn’t take you home after the party and ravage you?”
Fire hit my cheeks, and I pressed my lips together as the memories assaulted me.
“Oh my god, he did.” She pressed her hands to her face. “I was just messing with you, and he did. Tell me. This girl needs details.” She frantically gestured at herself.
“This is true. Only because her lame boyfriend doesn’t have a clue how to do her right.” Eden said it from behind her glass, taking a sip like she wasn’t the one responsible for the words.
“Hey.” Tessa pouted and smacked Eden’s arm. “It’s Karl’s birthday, no dogging him tonight.” She looked at me and overexaggerated that pout. “Even if it’s horribly, terribly, devastatingly true. But I love him,” she peeped.