Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 120631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 603(@200wpm)___ 483(@250wpm)___ 402(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 603(@200wpm)___ 483(@250wpm)___ 402(@300wpm)
“You guys!” Wren covered her face, hugging the staff members who had lied to get her there under false pretenses.
Jocelyn quickly dashed the wetness away from her cheeks with the back of her wrist and pressed through the crush to reach her best friend.
“You did this, didn’t you?” Wren accused through priceless laughter. She seized Jocelyn in a hug, her infectious happiness radiating into her like a jolt of electricity. “I love you!”
Jocelyn pulled back and laughed. “You really had no idea?”
“None. I thought we were meeting Freya and the others for lunch.” Wren gasped, her eyes luminous, then gathered Jocelyn’s hands and pressed them to her belly. “The baby’s surprised, too.”
Breath caught in her throat as the strangest little flutters danced under her palm. “Wow,” she breathed, having never felt anything so precious before.
Wren was quickly pulled away as others wanted a chance to feel. Jocelyn stared down at her hands, empty and trembling.
It’s funny how loneliness can sneak up on a person sometimes, even when one isn’t necessarily alone. There she was, in a room full of friends, more aware that something was missing in her life than conscious of all the beauty surrounding her.
“You sneaky, sneaky people. Every one of you,” Wren accused lovingly.
Jocelyn shook off the unwelcome feeling and chastised herself for even going there. It only took one look around to see how incredibly grateful she should be for having so many amazing people to call friends.
“Pretty stealth, Collins,” Greyson said, hooking a thickly muscled arm around her shoulders and shaking her like a big brother might shake a little sister.
Hiding how ridiculously emotional she was reacting to every little thing, she smiled. “I have my moments.”
He met her gaze, and she saw how genuinely grateful he was for her efforts. “Thank you for this. I know you put it all together.”
Her heart fluttered. “You guys deserve it.”
His stare roamed the room. “Where’s Soren?”
Words stuck in Jocelyn’s throat, and Logan coughed. “Business thing. Out of town. Couldn’t get back in time.”
Grey’s jaw noticeably tightened, and Wren’s attention darted to Jocelyn, quick and searching.
Jocelyn dropped her gaze to the floorboards before they made a bigger deal out of his absence than it needed to be. With a galvanizing breath, she plastered on a smile and lifted her head. “Come see your cake.”
She took Wren’s hand and led her through the tables to the back, drawing her toward Esther’s fondant masterpiece.
Wren was sufficiently distracted. “Aw! Look at the little lobstahs!”
“Esther did a great job, didn’t she?”
“It’s perfect. Everything is, Joce.” Wren took her hand, squeezing tightly. “I can’t thank you enough.” She smiled, but her brow wore the stress of concern. “Why isn’t Soren here?”
She shrugged. “Like Logan said…he had a business thing.”
Wren being Wren, she saw through the excuse and heard the pain in her voice. “I’m sorry.”
Jocelyn held her smile even when it refused to reach her eyes. “His loss.”
“It doesn’t have to be,” Wren whispered. “Sometimes people just don’t think until it’s too late.”
True, but Jocelyn knew that wasn’t enough. Not this time. According to her heart, he had already lost.
Soren flew into the first parking spot he saw and ran up Main Street, still in his golf shoes. The sidewalks were littered with wet leaves from the storm, and he nearly busted his ass twice trying to make it to Vine & Barrel.
Several traffic jams had stretched his drive from what should have been four hours to five and a half. He burst through the doors at five-forty-nine, expecting to see a restaurant full of familiar faces sipping cocktails and coffee as they nibbled on dessert. What he found was Jocelyn, sitting alone at a ravaged table in the back, staring into a whiskey, as bus staff cleaned up around her.
Her head lifted slowly, her expression blank and her eyes flat.
Soren rushed to her. “Joce, I’m so sorry.” He panted for breath, closing the distance and falling to his knees in front of her. “I fucked up.”
He wrapped his arms around her, but she made no move to hug him back.
He looked up at her, finding no light or forgiveness in her eyes. “I called. I tried to get here.”
She looked at him like a stranger. “You left town.”
“I wasn’t supposed to be gone this long. The jet had an issue, and I had to rent—”
“It doesn’t matter, Soren.” There was no inflection in her voice. “None of it matters now. You missed everything.”
“Don’t say that. It does matter. I tried—”
“You failed.”
Her words sent a shock through his chest. “Joce, I did everything—”
She looked away, lifting her chin and pressing her lips tight. Shit. Her expression tightened as if it was taking everything in her not to cry.
“I’m sorry. You have to believe I would never do something like this on purpose.”
She pulled in a slow breath and lifted her cocktail, taking a long sip and not setting the glass down until it was only ice.