Page 70 of That Last Secret
I avert my gaze and focus on putting food on my plate.
Everyone takes a moment to greet Logan before he enters the kitchen and makes his own plate. Everyone does the same before taking their seats at the table.
Marc sits on one head of the table while Thomas sits at the other. No seating arrangements were planned, but weirdly enough, all the girls took their place on one side of the table while James, Oliver, and Logan sat on the other.
With Logan directly across from me.
Dammit.
“I almost forgot to tell you guys!” Peyton starts. “We got our wedding pictures back last week. You guys, I am so obsessed with them. They came out so good.”
“I can’t wait to see them,” Avery squeals in excitement. “Especially the ones of us girls jumping up and down on the bed in our robes while we got ready that morning.”
“You mean before you fell off the bed?” I raise a brow in her direction.
“Listen”—she points her fork in my direction—“I was able to contain the extent of my bruises to just my legs. Which stayed hidden under my bridesmaid dress, thank you very much.”
Peyton and I laugh at the memory while Marc shakes his head.
“They all came out amazing,” Peyton continues, pulling out her phone to show us. “I have some fantastic ones of you all during the slow dancing songs too.”
I keep my head down toward my plate but lift my eyes to find Logan looking in my direction.
It makes me wonder if he’s thinking the same thing I am.
She passes the phone to Avery and me. “Have a look,” Peyton says.
Avery swipes to a picture of Peyton and Thomas dancing, and I can’t help but smile. How they look at each other with suchunmistakable affection reflects how much they really love each other.
She swipes again, and it’s a photo of her and Marc. Avery has her arms wrapped around his neck and looks like she is singing the lyrics of the song, while Marc looks at her like she put the stars in the sky.
Avery swipes one more and lands on a photo of Logan and me.
My stomach falls to the floor.
Logan’s hands are resting on my hips. I don’t think it’s something the girls, or even my brothers, could pick up on by simply looking at the image, but he was gripping me tight like he needed me closer. Our bodies are only inches apart, and I continue to scan the photo before I land on our faces.
We’re smiling at each other, our eyes locked as if the rest of the dance floor was empty, and it’s just us.
“Interesting,” Avery whispers before closing out of the image and handing the phone back to Peyton. “I can’twaitto see the rest now,” she says louder this time.
My breathing picks up, but I do my best to hide it.
“I can’t wait either,” I say, using the most excited tone I can muster up. “I’m going to run to the restroom quickly.”
I don’t wait for an answer and avoid looking at anyone when I get up and walk away. As soon as I enter the bathroom, I close the door behind me and press my back to it as I work on controlling my breathing.
In for three, out for three.
There’s no way anyone other than Avery could pick up on that. She’s always just assumed something was going on. That’s definitely why she said that like that.
This guilty consciousness I have over nothing is making my head spin.
There’s a light knock on the door, and I immediately assume it’s Avery coming to tell me she thinks something is up.
“Open the door, Em,” Logan whispers.
No, no, no. This is even worse.