Faithful (22 page)

“Uh-huh. A sister you kiss?”

I let out a breath and shook my head. “It was high school, Jeff. I’d say that’s far enough back that she shouldn’t worry!”

“Dude, I would think it has more to do with the fact that you told her you were only friends, and now, she just found out that you kissed her.” Jeff raised his eyebrow at me. “Y’all date?”

I looked back at the dance hall.
Fuck, this is not happening.
I turned back toward the truck. Jeff had given Ari the keys, and she had started his truck, so there was no way Ellie could hear us talking.

“For a bit, right before I started UT, but we weren’t meant to be anything other than friends,” I said.

“You sleep with her?”

I looked at him, and the moment our eyes met, I didn’t have to give him my answer. He shook his head and walked toward the driver’s side of the truck. I stood there and watched them drive off with a sick feeling in my stomach.

“I take it you never told Ellie we were more than friends?” Jessie said from behind me.

“No, no, I didn’t, Jessie. The first time she saw us together, she got insanely jealous. I didn’t think it would matter. It was so long ago.”

Jessie let out a laugh. “Yeah, it was a long time ago. You were never worried she might ask about the first time you had sex?”

I turned and looked at her. “No. Why the fuck would she ever ask me that?” I walked past her to head back into the dance hall.
I need a damn drink.

When I saw Scott at the bar, I walked over to him and slapped him on the back. Jessie came in right behind me, and I noticed when Scott did a double take at her.

“Holy shit, is that little Jessie Rhodes?”

“Yep.”

“Damn. She grew up…and she looks like a girl. I mean, she looks like a woman…a very hot woman.” Scott took a drink of his beer.

I glanced back toward Jessie. She was talking to Josh and Heather, and I assumed Heather was getting her caught up on everything.

Scott and I talked at the bar for a while longer. I lost count on how many beers I’d downed. Scott kept looking over toward where Jessie and Heather were talking.

“You should go say hi and catch up with each other. Didn’t you like her for a bit in high school? Before Chelsea? Jessie always had the hots for you.” I downed my beer.

Scott turned to me. “What? How do you know that?”

I looked at him and smiled as I stumbled back.
Why is the fucking room spinning?
“When I fucked her, she called out your name.”

Scott shook his head. “Nice, Gunner. You’re fucking trashed, dude.” He grabbed my arm and walked us over toward our table.

“Looks like Gunner got himself drunk. I’m gonna take him home. Any volunteers on who can drive his truck back?” Scott asked.

I tried to stand perfectly still.
Shit, I haven’t been this wasted in a long-ass time.

Jessie jumped up so fast that it caused me to take a step back. I ended up tripping over a chair, and I started to fall backward, but Scott and Josh jumped up and caught me.

“Jesus H. Christ, Gun. How much have you had to drink?” Josh asked.

“Well, he just downed at least six beers in the last thirty minutes while we were talking at the bar. Not sure how many he had before I got here,” Scott said.

“I’ll drive his truck!” Jess announced. “I mean, I think he should drive with you, and I’ll follow y’all in his truck.”

I looked at Scott and raised my eyebrows. I was just about to say,
I told you so
, when he grabbed me, and we headed out the door.

Shit, I wish the room would stop spinning.

I was pacing back and forth in the living room, trying to remain calm. For the last thirty minutes, I’d been trying to call Gunner. When the bartender from the dance hall answered Gunner’s phone, I was stunned. I was guessing that Gunner must have dropped it or left it on the bar.

Where is he?

I grabbed my cell and called Heather.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hey, sweets. Is Gunner home yet?”

“Um…no. When did he leave?”

“Well, he was really wasted, so Scott was giving him a ride home, and Jessie was following them in Gunner’s truck.”

Oh, just great. I can’t believe he got drunk.
“Well, I guess that’s my fault he got drunk. I acted like an insecure, childish brat,” I said.

“No, sweets. He really shouldn’t have lied to you about Jessie,” Heather said.

“Where are you?” I asked.

“Oh, um…Josh and I are, um…well, we’re heading home…or I mean, back to my house.”

I let out a laugh. It was going to be their home before the accident happened. Josh had almost his whole apartment packed up and ready to move in with Heather. My heart started aching for them both.

“Okay, sweets. Well, drive safely and call me tomorrow.” I hung up and started pacing again.

I’d decided to have Jeff just drop me off at home. I had hoped Gunner would have just come home right after I left, so I hadn’t bothered to pick up Alex. I’d thought we could make up.
Gah!
I’d wanted him so bad all night, and then that stupid Victoria had gone off and ruined everything.

Just then, I heard two vehicles pulling up. I didn’t have any of the lights on, so I walked up to the window and peeked out. Scott was helping Gunner out of the truck, and then it looked like Gunner was pushing Scott away. Jessie walked up and grabbed Gunner by the arm. Then, Scott and Jessie started to bring Gunner up toward the front door. I was just about to open the door for them when I heard Gunner talking to Jessie.

“I’m really sorry I’s your first, Jessme.”

Her first? Her first kiss? Her first love? Her first crush?

“Drew, you’re really drunk, and you need to sleep this off before you talk to Ellie. Do you think she’s asleep?”

“Shheee’s probably at my Graaaammm’s house,” he said with a slur.

“Oh, okay. Well, you can make it inside the house and to bed on your own, right?”

“Don’t worry, Jessme. I won’t try anything on yous. I wuv my wife very much.”

I rolled my eyes.

Jessie laughed. “Drew, I know you better than that, and I know how much you love Ellie. Just do me a favor. Always be honest with her, Drew. Honesty is so important in a relationship.”

When I heard a bang on the door, I jumped back.

“Jesus, Gunner, be careful,” Scott said.

Gunner started laughing. “Don’t worry, Jessme. If shheee ever asks who I fucked and wost my virgin…virginity to behind the barn at sixteen, I’ll be sures to be honest and tell her it was yous.”

I threw my hand up to my mouth.
Oh. My. God. No!

“Nice, Gunner. Really nice, you asshole. You make a lousy drunk,” Scott said.

“Fuck off, Drew,” Jessie said.

I stepped back away from the door. My hands were shaking.
He slept with Jessie? She was his first? That motherfucker!

I reached out, grabbed the door, and opened it as fast as I could. I stepped back when I saw Gunner come flying into the house. When he landed, he hit his head on the tile floor.

Oh shit!

“Motherfucker! What in the hell just happened?” Gunner sat up and grabbed his head.

When I looked over at Jessie, I saw she was looking at me. I noticed a tear rolling down her face as she held her hand up to her mouth.

She slowly pulled it away. “Oh god, Ellie…”

Scott helped Gunner stand up, and then he asked where our bedroom was. I told him and then turned back toward Jessie.

“Was he your first?” I asked.

She nodded, and I sucked in a breath of air.
Fuck.

“Ellie, it wasn’t anything like that. I mean, we weren’t meant to be together. We were friends…almost like brothers and sisters even.”

“Uh-huh…brothers and sisters who sleep together?”

“Drew and I started talking about it when we were behind the barn one day. He mentioned he’d never had sex, and I couldn’t believe it. I mean, all the girls around here loved it whenever he came to town, and they were always throwing themselves at him. I was only fifteen at the time, and well…one thing led to another, and we—”

I shook my head. “I really don’t want the details of the first time my husband ever had sex.” I needed air, so I walked out onto the porch.

“Of course. I’m sorry. It’s just that…well, Ellie, it didn’t mean anything to either one of us. We were curious, that’s all. I’d heard my brothers go on and on about it, and well…I wanted to know. I begged Drew. I told him if my first time was going to be with anyone, I wanted it to be with one of my best friends.”

I spun around and looked at her. “Funny because most girls want it to be with someone they love!” I shouted at her.

“I know, Ellie, I know. I wasn’t a normal girl. I was such a tomboy, and I didn’t want to be a virgin when I started school, so…I guess you could say we both used each other.” She looked away. “Believe me, I think back to that afternoon, and I wish I could take it back. I wish I would have saved myself for when I met the man of my dreams. But I can’t take it back, and I’ll never experience that magical moment…ever. I cried afterward, and I told Drew how stupid I was for talking him into doing that with me. I felt so guilty, and I kept saying how I’d never get my special moment. He apologized to me for five years after that. Every time he saw me…he would say how sorry he was that I never got my special moment.”

Oh my god. No wonder he wanted to make our first time together so special.
“That must have hurt you for him to say he fucked you behind the barn.” I walked closer to her and took her into my arms.

She started crying. “He didn’t mean that, Ellie. He doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. But you should know everything.” She pulled back and looked at me as she took a deep breath. “When he came here the summer before he went to college, we started dating. It was for a very short amount of time, and I think he only did it out of guilt. I don’t think either one of us wanted to date each other. It was awkward. Maybe we were just trying to make each other feel better. I was actually totally in love with one of his friends,” she said with a laugh.

Do I really want to hear this?

“We only lasted for a month and a half.”

“What happened?”

She looked away and then back at me with a weak smile. “Um…I called out someone else’s name while we were having…um…”

They dated…and slept together more than once. I think I’m gonna puke.

“He told me y’all were just friends,” I said, tears sliding down my face.

“Ellie, why would he tell you? Why would he want to hurt you or make you doubt him?”

I let out a gruff laugh. “Well, I can tell you I certainly doubt him now!” I turned away.

“Please don’t, Ellie. He loves you so much. Please don’t let something that happened so long ago get in the way of something so beautiful.”

She was right, and I knew it, but it didn’t mean I had to like it.

We sat down on the porch swing and talked for a few minutes longer. I slowly started to feel like an insecure fool again.

“Can I ask you something, Jessie? And you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“Of course you can!”

I peeked up at her and smiled. “Whose name did you call out?”

Even in the dark, I could see the blush on her face.

She looked back at the door and then at me. “Uh…Scott’s.”

I let out a gasp. “Oh my god! No!” I grabbed her hand.

She smiled and nodded. “Oh my god, Ellie, I’ve never told anyone that! I’ve never told anyone at all about how I feel for Scott. Only Drew knew.”

“Wait. What? How you feel? Oh, Jessie…are you still in love with him?”

She gave me a weak smile as she nodded.

“Why haven’t you told him or gone after him?”

“He’s been dating the same girl since high school. It’s the reason I left Mason. I couldn’t stand seeing them together. It drove me crazy. Then, I heard they were getting married, so I just knew I would never come home. I’m almost done with vet school though, and I wanted nothing more than to work around here, but—”

I jumped up. “Jessie! He’s not getting married!”

Jessie stood up and grabbed my hands. “What? How do you know?”

I let out a laugh. “Okay, Scott loves to torment the hell out of Jefferson. Jefferson thinks Scott has the hots for Ari, but he doesn’t at all. Jefferson told me tonight that Scott’s fiancée left him! She told him she didn’t love him.”

Jessie dropped my hands and put her hands up to her mouth. Then, she started pacing.

“Jessie, what’s wrong? I thought that would make you happy?”

She stopped and looked at me. “Oh, Ellie, it makes me very happy…and scared as shit, too. Scott’s only ever looked at me as Dewey and Aaron’s tomboy sister.”

I looked her up and down. She was breathtaking. She was about my height and weight, but she had blonde hair and the lightest of green eyes. And at the moment…she was totally freaked out.

Well, shit. I sure don’t need to worry about her having feelings for Gunner.
“Um…well, I can tell you that you’re certainly not a tomboy anymore, sweets.”

“I would have to agree,” Scott said from behind me.

I closed my eyes and wondered how long he had been standing there. Jessie spun around, and her mouth just dropped open.