Page 82 of The Sacrifice

Andrew’s eyes are glued behind me, so I follow his line of vision. Jackson is laughing with a group of guys from the football team when a petite blonde woman launches her arms around his neck. He hugs, lifting her off the ground, and then drops her back to her feet.

There are balloons and packages on the table. If he’s getting married, I’m going to lose my lunch. My stomach churns. I’m going to lose my lunch anyway.

I jerk my head back around as my heart clamors in my chest.Holy fuck. This isn’t real.My breath comes out in ragged pants as I drop the glass to the table with a clunk. Run. No. What if he sees me?

The table.I can crawl under the table and disappear. I don’t want him to see me.

Shit. Can you delete text messages once you send them?

“I’ll be back.” Andrew shoves back his plate.

I grab his hand. “Don’t.”

“Fuck that,” he growls and slides to the edge of the bench.

“Wait!” He turns around. “Let me go before you talk to him. I don’t want to be here.” Tears swim in my eyes, making my vision blurry. “I don’t want to see that he’s happy and moved on.”

“Fine.” He settles back into the cushions. “You’ve got one minute to get out of here before I drag his ass outside and beat the shit out of him.”

“Thank you.” I don’t even bother talking him out of hitting him. A small piece of me wants to live vicariously through my brother.

Jackson

“I’m so happy for you.” Ashley pats my chest and stands back, putting a little distance between us.

The fact my friends were throwing me a baby shower came as a complete surprise. I’d begged off from coming for hours until my mom showed up at the same time Dillon did. They weren’t taking no for an answer. Even then, I didn’t want to leave Hadley. She’s growing like a weed and sat up for the first time. I don’t want to miss anything. But my mom shoved me out the door while assuring me that a good dad takes a break to spend time with his friends. And girlfriend.

“When is court?” Ashley perches on the barstool next to me.

“Next week. My attorney got me on the docket the second Cade had the termination paperwork in his hand.” I’m never going to complain about money or privilege again. I’m blessed to have the means necessary to get this done quickly. “Thank you. I appreciate you and Dillon setting up the party.”

“You’re welcome.” She smiles and swings her foot back and forth. The heel of the blue stiletto dangles with her movements. “I enjoy a good party. But that’s not what I meant. My dad is a prosecuting attorney. He asked the judge to rearrange his schedule to fit you in. As a favor to me. Dillon told me about your situation, and my dad still owes me for being a dick to my brother and me when we were growing up.” She grins and waggles her eyebrows. “I plan to use that to my advantage for as long as I can pull it off.”

I grasp her shoulder. “Thank you, Ashley. You’ll never know how much I appreciate that.”

“What are you doing?” A voice bellows behind me as a hand grabs my bicep and twists me around.

I drop Ashley’s shoulder as I spin to find Andrew with flames shooting out of his ears. “Hey.”

Dillon steps between us and slams his hand into Andrew’s chest, shoving him backward.

“Dillon, it’s okay. This is my best friend from school.”

“He looks like a dick.”

“He acts like one, too,” I mutter as Dillon steps back, giving Andrew room to breathe.

“Hey, man.” Gunner nods at Andrew as Ashley hops down from her stool. “I remember you. You sold Dani and I our house. “

Andrew’s hands are balled into fists at his sides. He inhales and relaxes his shoulders a fraction of an inch as if he’s trying to not make a scene. Good call. My friends would kick his ass. It’s up in the air if he’s still in the friendship category.

“That’s right. I remember you.”

Dillon’s face scrunches as Ashley rests her hand on his chest. “Dillon? He’s Jackson’s friend. Tone it down a notch.” His demeanor changes in an instant. He’s now as docile as a kitten, even though he towers over all of us. His brow furrows. “You sell real estate?”

“Yes.” Andrew nods as his face pales.

“I think I remember you. You showed Ash and I our house, also.” He throws his arm over Ashley’s shoulders. “You remember him, don’t you?”