Chapter 7

“You really are relentless. You know that, right?” At this, Jessie simply shot her a grin.

“I know. Its both my most toxic trait and my most endearing quality.”

Aiden shook her head and disappeared into the bathroom to scrub her face, reapply some deodorant, and brush out her hair. Already feeling better, she next headed for her closet to see what she had left behind that was both appropriate and comfortable. But Jessie was way ahead of her, up like a shot and sifting through what was there.

“Ohhh, this one is perfect!” She exclaimed, pulling out a pretty, fit and flare sundress, pale pink and covered in a delicate flower pattern. It was perfect for the warm summer evening they were headed for. But Aiden shook her head.

“Nope. I am not dressing for a date, Jess.”

“Oh stop. Its cute, you’ll look casual and sexy, and it’ll give Mitch all the right ideas.”

“No thank you!” she said firmly, starting to look through her drawers instead. Eventually, she pulled out a pair of light blue capris and a loose white blouse. “There.”

“Ugh, you’re absolutely impossible, Aiden Matthews! But it won’t matter. He’s going to get ideas either way,” she teased.

“You know, if you weren’t knocked up, I’d totally throw something at you.” She tossed the outfit she’d picked next to the dress and sighed, suddenly having second thoughts. Her lips pursed slightly as she considered. Were the capris too casual?

“Come onnnnn, you know you wanna wear the dress.”

All Aiden did was shoot her a look before disappearing back into the bathroom with it to at least try it on. And as she emerged to look into the full length mirror, even she had to admit that it looked good on her. It had been ages since she’d bought it, and she couldn’t remember if she’d ever worn it anywhere. Jessie let out a low whistle.

“Whoa, Foxy Mommaaaaaa,” she said with a satisfied grin. “Seriously, you look amazing. Mitch isn’t going to be able to keep his hands to himself.”

“You’re the worst!” Aiden said with a laugh and a shake of her head. “And OKAY, you were right.”

“AHA! Keep talking.”

“Seriously. Staaaaahp. You got your way. You’re right, it looks better than the capris and blouse.”

“Perfect. Now make sure you get the guy.”

“JESSICA.”

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I know there are… messy logistics involved. But you deserve to be happy. So does he. And I can’t deny I’m heavily invested in you becoming my sister for real.” She shrugged.

“Look. It’s been a silly teenage crush for as long as I can remember. Maybe we’re finally on the same page, maybe we’re not. But I don’t want to overthink this, and nor do I want to ruin our current relationships with each other and you and the rest of the family. It's not just logistics. What if things don't work out?"

Jessie moved to stand behind her best friend in the entire world, her hands resting on her shoulders as her mood at last went serious and she met her gaze in the glass.

"Oh, but my darling Aiden… what if they do?"

#

"What if they do…"

Even as the four of them sat around the living room, three out of the group with a beer in hand and laughter filling the air, Jessie's words still echoed in the backdrop of her thoughts. Aiden was doing her best to shake them off, but they were consuming her focus, even with the pain in her hand becoming a bit more insistent, until she was almost wincing.

"Time for more painkillers?" Mitch asked, practically reading her thoughts. Or maybe the pain was really starting to register again. Either way, she gave a grateful nod as he stood to grab another packet from his kit before she glanced at the clock.

"So as much as I love having you guys here, I know we're stalling a bit. Maybe it's time to head over."

Mitch handed her the two small pills and nodded in agreement. "Aiden's right. Mom is going to be banging the door down soon. We should head over. I'm good to drive, but we could walk if you guys prefer."

"Thanks," she murmured with a relieved smile, popping the pills into her mouth and chasing them with the last of her beer.

"Driving is fine, this way we don't have to leave the luggage and you guys can still head out later,"Jessie piped up from her position of leaning back against Jacob. Once she'd found out they actually had made some plans, she'd been playing up the 'exhausted pregnant person’ routine, shooting Aiden a wink almost every time. "Alright," she breathed out, finally standing to stretch as she reached for Jacob's hands. "Come on. Time to face the music."

Within minutes they'd headed outside and made their way to the Jeep. Jessie and Jacob hopped in as Aiden locked up the house, and Mitch hovered close by. He offered his arm as they walked down the stairs, a grin touching the corners of his lips as he walked her to the passenger door. "You look beautiful, by the way," he said.

She couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips in return. "Thanks. All Jessie," she replied with a laugh. "She somehow made me feel like Red Sky required dressier attire."

He tossed his head back with a laugh at that as he opened her door for her. "Jessie treats every outing like a fashion-forward event, you know that."

"Damn right I do," Jessie called from inside the car.

Aiden just shook her head and hopped in, thanking him before he slid into his seat and they smoothly headed up the road and around the corner. Two more blocks and the Davis house was clearly in sight. Aiden turned to face the couple in the back. Even though the excitement was unmistakable, Aiden knew that her best friend's nerves were starting to fray.

"Hey. Everything's going to be okay. And if for some reason it's not, in case it needs saying, you guys are welcome at the house. The guest room and bathroom are all set. Okay?"

Jessie took a deep, bracing breath before she gave Aiden's good hand a squeeze and shot her a wan smile as they pulled into the driveway. "Okay," she whispered, just before a familiar voice sounded from the front porch.

"Jessica Marie Davis, just what is going on?!"

Planting a firm smile on her lips and taking a deep breath, Jessie got out of the car and headed up the steps, Jacob just behind her.

"Hi, Mom! You remember Jacob…"