24. Leah

CHAPTER 24

LEAH

"Surprise!"

"Second biggest one of the night," I mutter to myself through clenched teeth.

"What?" Jackson frowns, confused because he couldn't hear me. I glance up at Sawyer and just before he retreats to the living room, he gives me a wink that—luckily—only I can see. My cheeks heat instantly, and I try to mask it with a smile directed at Jackson.

Tucker slaps Sawyer over the back of the head as they walk side by side across the room and I can't help but smirk when Sawyer shoves him back.

"Oh, I can't believe I actually pulled that off." Jackson walks over to pull me into an embrace, clearly proud of himself for pulling off this very unexpected surprise.

"What are you doing here?" I try my best to sound pleasantly surprised but I'm having a hard time focusing on anything but the phantom feeling of Sawyer's tongue gliding across mine.

"I wanted to surprise you!"

"During the biggest family Christmas gathering anyone's ever seen?" I laugh nervously.

"I mean, yeah. I knew you said you'd be here tonight and even if I don't love being here with all your friends, I still wanted to see you . Plus, I can finally meet your parents this way." The one part of my brain that was finally starting to work after the hottest kiss of my life, breaks all over again as I process what he just said.

"What did you just say?" Cocking my head to the side I glare at him until he becomes visibly more uncomfortable.

"What? You don't want me to meet your parents?" He frowns.

"Um, no. I want you to rewind to the part where you said you don't like my friends." I don't let my glare waver for even a moment as I cross my arms over my chest defensively.

"I didn't say I didn't like them. I just… I don't know. They're a lot sometimes. But you're not! I just like it better when it's just the two of us." He smiles. He actually smiles at me.

"What the hell, Jackson?"

"Is that a problem?" His brows knit together, as my eyes widen. He can't be serious.

"Uh, yeah. It's a fucking problem. Those girls aren't just my friends, they're my family. If you have a problem with them then this, " I wave a finger between us, "isn't going to work."

"Things just seem to work out better for us when they're not around. Don't you agree? We don't have to get along for you and me to be together, do we?"

He truly thinks we can date and just never see my friends? The people I've shared more than half of my life with?

Suddenly my entire future flashes before my eyes and it's only me and Jackson, a closet full of the same pair of khaki pants in bulk, with no other friends in sight.

"Hey, look…if it's really that important to you, I can try again." He plasters a larger-than-life smile on his face, takes both my hands in his and it takes everything in me not to rip them away. He makes it sound like he's doing me some kind of favor—offering to try to like my friends. There are just some things you can't force to happen, and if he doesn't love them already, chances are, he never will.

"I don't think that will be necessary. You should go." I take a step back out of his grip and his face falls.

I wait for him to argue and say he wants to stay and make this work or get angry that I'm not letting things go any further simply because he doesn't like my friends. I mean, I'm sure other twenty-eight-year-old women don't come with four deal-breaker best friends, but I'm not other women, and I do.

But, of course, he doesn't fight for me to give him another chance. He simply nods and turns to leave. I should have known he wouldn't care. He's way too passive to fight for what he wants. Or maybe I'm just simply not what he wants anymore.

I hear the front door slam and I close my eyes, fighting the tears that are daring to spill out the moment I lift my eyelids again. I take a few deep breaths, trying to compartmentalize everything that's happened tonight so I can at least attempt to appear merry and bright for the remainder of the evening. Then I feel someone's hands on my arms and my eyes fly back open.

My girls.

All four of them are standing around me in the corner of the kitchen, looking on with concern as I blink away the unshed tears.

"You okay?" Shane asks first.

"What was that about?" Lauren nods to where Jackson just made his unnecessarily loud exit.

"I uh, I think Jackson and I just broke up."

"What? How come?" Taylor asks. Even though it feels like the universe is trying to somehow apologize for constantly screwing me over in the relationship department by giving me a glimpse of what it will be like to be with Sawyer the very same night Jackson revealed his true colors as the perfect shade of shitstain, I can't bear to tell them—on Christmas no less—that it's because he has a problem with them . So, I roll my eyes and brush it off. That's a conversation for another night.

"Something stupid. It's not even worth mentioning." I give them a half-ass smile as they all scoff and start in on the We never liked him anyways speeches that come with the territory of defending your best friend's broken heart.

Only I'm not broken-hearted. Things with Jackson had become mundane at best even before he said what he did about my friends. I thought maybe I missed the spark between us because our first—and second—kisses were tainted by Sawyer's presence. But even when Sawyer wasn't around, things with Jackson never felt electric.

Not the way my friends made it out to be.

Not the way it was when I was kissing Sawyer.

Then, of course, there was the date where Jackson let our waiter ogle me without so much as a care in the world. Now, tonight, him telling me he doesn't like my friends was simply the last straw for me to justify being done.

My heart is… fine.

Or at least it is until I look up to see Sawyer standing in the threshold of the kitchen with hurt written all over his face.

Jackson

Mon, Dec. 25 10:00am

I'm really sorry for how I handled things on Christmas. I really would like to try and get to know your friends better. Please give me one more chance.

Moose

Mon, Dec. 25 10:05am

You and I will never be something "stupid" Dove.

How did I go from the girl who's never had a real relationship to THIS?

Ruby

Sat, Dec. 30 1:30pm

NYE at our house this year? We can do sparklers with the babies before they go to bed then watch the park's firework show from the backyard??

Shane

OMG that sounds perf. We can bring the sparklers!

Tay

Tucker said he's bringing his own fireworks because he's a man and wants to light something on fire. eye roll emoji

Lauren

Can you tell him to bring me a man instead? I'm gonna have to kiss Maverick at midnight at this rate and I'm not fucking happy about it. dog emoji I wanna make out with someone hot. cry emoji

Me

You could invite Lucifer and kiss him? skull emoji

Lauren

I'd rather lick the floor of a school bus.

Ruby

Tank said you're not making out with his dog.

Lauren

Asshole.

Cece squeals and smiles so big her rosy cheeks look squished beneath her blush pink beanie as she watches the sparklers come to life. Hendrix is running around the yard with one in each hand, dancing and making every shape he knows while Poe just stares blankly at the one Ruby is holding in the hand opposite of where she's carrying him.

It's crazy to think that just a few years ago we were spending New Year's Eve at Chattahoochies, wondering what the hell was going on with Max and Shane after she mysteriously disappeared during the ball drop. Now they're married with a beautiful daughter and two more of our friends have started families. All because the two of them ran into each other one day.

"Okay, Munchkins. Time for bed!" Tank waves Hendrix in from the yard as he grabs Poe from Ruby's hands and gives her a quick peck on the cheek. Max carries a drowsy Cece in after kissing Shane on the forehead and just like that, the dads of the group are putting their babies to bed. I never in my life would have dreamed I would see either of those men carrying their kids to bed at 10PM on New Year's Eve, but here we are.

"Okay, well. I'm gonna take the furry babies in the house and turn their sound machine on so the fireworks don't bug them." Tucker whistles for Riley and Maverick to follow behind him, closing the French doors to Ruby's living room behind him once they're inside.

"Isn't it so weird that this is how we're spending our New Year's Eve now?" Shane hugs her blanket tighter to her, taking a seat next to me on the outdoor couch.

My mouth pops open as I spin to face her. "Stop. I was literally just thinking that. Get out of my brain." She giggles and leans in to rest her head on my shoulder.

"It's so wild. Two of us are married with kids. I'm next in the queue to get hitched, unless one of these bitches decides to elope or something—" Ruby slaps Taylor's arm, cutting her off.

"Bite your tongue. They better not." She leans forward, switching between me and Lauren as she stares us down. "You better not. We may have gotten married quickly, but at least you guys were there for it." She waves a finger between her and Shane.

"And who the hell am I running off with, exactly?" Lauren glares at her.

"Me, obviously." I lean over and kiss her cheek obnoxiously loud. We all fall into a fit of laughter but as soon as it's quiet again I hear the faint sound of my phone going off.

I pull it from my pocket, hovering over my phone while wrapped up in my fleece blanket, and I can feel the moment my cheeks turn red. It's the same moment my heart rate picks up to an unhealthy speed.

Moose

Meet me at L27 Rooftop Lounge at midnight.

Me

I kind of already have plans. I'm spending NYE at Ruby and Tank's with everyone. I don't wanna just bail.

Moose

Please, Dove?

I lock my phone and clear my throat. "Um. So, I kind of forgot to mention something that happened on Christmas Eve." Everyone stops talking and looks straight at me. Their unwavering attention feels like a big ass spotlight, and I do not love it.

"What? With Jackson?" Shane frowns.

"Um, no…with Sawyer." I glance around nervously, and Taylor not so subtly squeezes Shane's arm next to her.

"We kind of kissed." Immediately squeals begin to break out around the circle.

"I knew he looked smug and happy when he walked back in the room after being with you. I just thought he'd called Jackson a mean name or something though." Taylor waves a hand in the air.

"Details!" Shane wiggles in her chair.

"I don't know. We didn't have a ton of time to talk but… apparently, he liked me too. Back in high school I mean, and all he said before he did it was that he's not walking away again."

More squeals.

"What happened?"

"What's wrong?" All three guys come running back out the doors, causing the excited noises to come to a halt.

"Leah and Sawyer kissed!" Taylor screams.

"I know, but it sounded like someone was getting their eyes scratched out." Taylor levels Tucker with a lethal glare as he finishes his sentence.

"It might be you. What. Do. You. Mean. You knew? " she asks and the rest of us slink into our seats further to watch his rebuttal.

"Oh, I just… I mean," he chuckles nervously, looking to Max and Tank for help.

"Nope."

"You're on your own, brother."

"Oh, I think Cece needs her Uncle Tucker." He backs into the house and blows Taylor a kiss.

"Mhm, I'll deal with you later."

"Promise?" He wags his brows and winks at her, making her cheeks turn red as she rolls her eyes. Then the guys follow behind him and we're left alone on the patio again.

"So, what does this meannnn? " Lauren grins ear to ear as she shakes my arm. I love that about her. Even though she jokes about wanting a man, and being so lonely she resorts to kissing a dog—she's able to be happy for her friends when something like this happens.

"I don't knowwww, " I mock. "Jackson fucking showed up and I haven't talked to him since."

"What! Why?" Ruby exclaims.

"Well, he heard me telling you guys that the reason Jackson and I broke up was over something stupid and I think he assumes I meant the kiss."

"But it wasn't?" Taylor narrows her eyes, as if she's now wondering what the stupid thing was too.

"No. But he left early, and I didn't want to explain unless I could do it in person and now—" I pull my phone back out and open our texts, showing everyone the latest one he sent me. "He wants me to meet him at midnight."

Taylor jumps out of her chair and grabs my phone.

Shane stomps her feet on the ground excitedly.

Ruby claps at the speed of light.

And Lauren shakes my arm again.

"You have to go!" Taylor hands my phone back to me and I look down at the lackluster outfit I'm wearing.

"To a rooftop lounge? Looking like this?" I wave a hand down my body.

"Obviously not. You're borrowing something of mine. But your hair is all cute and curly and you can just throw on some blush and mascara because your skin is sinfully perfect." Ruby pulls me from my seat and starts dragging me through the house.

"Wait. Are we sure this is even a good idea?"

"Only one way to find out." She grins at me as we all pile in the house to get me dressed.