The One That Got Away: Friendship, Texas #4

by Magan Vernon

  “How do you have all that money anyway? Aren’t you some sort of a starving artist?” I asked, changing the subject.

  He smirked. “My aunts gave me some money from the estate sale and then sold some of my projects on their local Facebook groups. Turns out these Texans like this whole eclectic look of turning bed frames into benches or rusted metal gates into headboards.”

  “So that’s a good reason for you to stay here,” I offered.

  “You know I’m not going to do that, but I don’t want to go back without you, Abbey. For real.”

  I swallowed hard, staring into his eyes. I wanted to tell him yes so badly, but there was no way to know for sure if things would work out between us. For me. For New York. Then I’d be right back where I started.

  “Love birds, you’re up,” Clay yelled.

  “You know what, I’m kind of getting a headache. I think I’m going to call an Uber or something,” I said, springing up.

  I didn’t want to have this conversation with Jordan anymore. Or anyone. I just needed to be somewhere that wasn’t a dark bowling alley with Jordan and required alcohol.

  “You’re not getting an Uber all the way to Friendship. I’ll drive you. No problem,” Jordan said, reaching for my hand, but I pulled it out of reach.

  “I can drive you. It’s fine. Lemme just finish showing Clay how to bowl,” Christy said, shooting a smile in Clay’s direction.

  “You’ve been drinking, Christy. No way in hell should you be driving. Noah and I can take you both home.” Clay folded his arms across his chest, his full sleeve of tattoos looking a little menacing and a little trippy in the black light.

  “Puh-lease. I had not even half a glass. I’m fine, and there’s no way in hell I’m leaving my car here.” Christy rolled her eyes.

  “No one needs to leave, okay? I can take care of myself,” I muttered, walking toward the door.

  I didn’t stop until I opened the front doors and the cool night breeze hit my face. It was an oxymoron to have a cool Texas night in late June, but it was better than the one-hundred-degree temperature during the day.

  “Abbey!” Jordan yelled from behind me.

  I didn’t even turn around and slumped on the front stoop, pulling out my phone.

  Jordan sat down next to me, taking my phone out of my hand. “You know I’m not letting you call an Uber, and neither is anyone else in there.”

  “I know. I know. Blessing and a curse of staying around here.” I sighed.

  “Do you really have a headache or was that just an excuse not to talk about New York?” Jordan asked.

  I laughed. “I think you know the answer to that.”

  “I’m trying to take it slow and give you roses and romance, but I know the best way to do that is to get you to follow your dreams. To get out of this town and do something real. To take those landscape photos. To eat pizza from a vendor on a street corner in Brooklyn. To do everything we talked about doing when we were younger and had a case of wanderlust.”

  I shook my head. “That was you talking about all those things. Not me.”

  “But why? Why are you afraid of something more?” Jordan begged.

  I blew out a breath. How did I tell this guy who left me that I was afraid to go with him? Afraid he’d leave me again. Afraid because of my dad’s infidelities. Afraid I’d end up right back here in Friendship when it was all said and done and be labeled a failure.

  “Hey, y’all, can we get a little help?”

  Before I could answer, Christy poked her head out of the front doors.

  “Yeah. Be right there,” I said, jumping up, and running to the door, not even waiting for Jordan.

  There were two rent-a-cops by the door, and Teagan stood there with her hands crossed over her chest. Clay and Noah were talking behind her, and Marcus and Joey stood off to the side with Joey holding his face.

  “What the hell happened?” I asked, staring at all my friends.

  “Apparently, Teagan, Joey, and Marcus were doing shots then there were some heated words, and Teagan slapped Joey. The bartender got in it because she had to be dragged off since she wouldn’t stop clawing at him. Now, these uniforms are asking them all to leave.”

  “We can take Teagan home,” Jordan offered. I didn’t realize he was right beside me until his arm was on my shoulder.

  “Are you sure, Abs? I can take her. I mean you and me,” Christy said.

  “What about Joey? Who the hell is going to drive his drunk ass home? And mine, for that matter?” Marcus stepped into the conversation.

  “Clay can take you both home,” Christy offered.

  Marcus smirked. “Yeah, like I’m riding with that guy. No offense to Noah, since he’s his roommate and all, but that dude scares the shit out of me.”

  “I can drive Joey’s truck with Teagan, and Christy can follow me,” I offered.

  “Do you even know how to drive a stick?” Marcus asked then smiled. “Oh, never mind.”

  “Abbey, you don’t have to drive his car. I can take everyone in mine,” Jordan said.

  Teagan sauntered her way over to us, leaning her head on Jordan’s shoulder. As if it was an instinctive move, he put his arm around her waist. Well, either instinctive or he thought she was going to fall over.

  “Can someone please just take me home? I have a headache, and your grandma’s place is the closest to my mom’s,” Teagan said, pouting out her bottom lip.

  I found my fists clenching at my side. I didn’t know what the hell happened with Teagan and Joey, but now, Teagan was definitely putting the moves on Jordan. After all that he said, was he going to fall for that?

  Marcus shrugged. “I guess that makes the most sense if you drive us, Abs. I’ll crash at Joey’s tonight.”

  I looked at Jordan and Marcus, hoping someone would tell me I didn’t hear this right.

  “Can we just go, Jordan? I’ll even get us a Whataburger on the way. My treat.” Teagan gave him a sultry smile.

  Jordan looked at me but didn’t say anything and nodded before looking down at Teagan. “Yeah. I can take you.”

  I stared open-mouthed as the two walked out of the bowling alley, leaving me wondering what the hell just happened.

  ***

  Joey hopped into the passenger side of the truck and Marcus half-passed out in the back. As soon as I saw Christy’s headlights behind me, I started up the truck and pulled out of the parking lot.

  Jordan and Teagan were long gone, but after Clay and Christy had argued for what felt like forever, we left with Christy following me and Clay following her in his truck.

  “Why the hell was that Jordan dude there anyway?” Marcus asked, slurring from the back seat.

  “Ask Abbey since she’s screwing him and it looks like Teagan will soon be too,” Joey half-muttered.

  “Aw, shit, Abs, you like sharing men? If that’s the case, I can give you a two-for-one as well with you and Teagan,” Marcus said with a laugh.

  I snarled my upper lip. “First off, I’m not screwing anyone, and there’s no way in hell Teagan and Jordan are doing anything.”

  Joey let out a single laugh. “You and I both know that Teagan gets what Teagan wants. She got him to leave with her when he had puppy dog eyes over you, and I’m sure she’s hoping the night will end with him in her bed. Bet she’s already had it all planned. Burgers. Her breasts. Then some Boococky.”

  I shoved Joey’s shoulder. “You’re nasty. No wonder Teagan slapped you.”

  Joey didn’t respond to that and just put his head against the window, leaving us in silence.

  I didn’t want to think about the three B’s Joey so eloquently pointed out, so I focused on the drive and didn’t say anything until I got into Christy’s car.

  “Whoa, what the hell did Joey say to you?” Christy asked as I buckled my seat belt.

  “What? Nothing, just some drunken ramblings,” I muttered, pulling out my phone, hoping to see a missed call or text from Teagan or Jordan. I didn’t see anything, so I s
ent a text to Jordan.

  Stop by after you drop off Teagan if you want.

  I sent the text and waited forever for a reply while Christy droned on and on about how upset she was about Clay’s over-protectiveness, but I could tell she secretly liked it by the way she smiled when she talked.

  But even as she kept talking and pulled into my driveway, my phone remained silent. No calls. No texts. No nothing.

  I walked into my dark house alone and up to my bedroom. I stared at my phone, playing mindless games for another hour or two and still no response. So finally, I drifted off to sleep, holding my phone and hoping Joey was wrong. For once.

  Chapter 9

  I couldn’t sleep the whole night before. I waited for Jordan to text me or for a knock on my window after he dropped Teagan off, but neither happened. The only thing I got was a text from Teagan at midnight

  I wish you would have told me how hot Jordan was. Talk about a growth spurt.

  OMG, his hands are so big.

  Thank God, my mom isn’t home.

  After that text, I chucked my phone across the room. When I picked it up the next morning, it was luckily still intact but still no texts. No answers. What if I was just something to pass the time while Jordan was stuck here for the summer? What if this wasn’t real? What if Teagan really did get what she wanted? I had to know.

  I showered and dressed in record time, twisting my hair up into a bun as I tumbled down the stairs.

  “Whoa, is there a fire upstairs?” Mom asked as I barreled past where she sat in the kitchen. To her, it was a normal Sunday morning filled with coffee and Dave’s sweatpants. To me, it was about not running from my problems or staying stagnant. If I was even thinking about changing, then I had to know if I was going to be stuck in the same friends-with-benefits rut just to have someone cheat on me.

  “Just running late. I won’t be out too long,” I yelled. Before she could respond, I had already shut the door and was running out to my car.

  Mom stopped questioning where I was going most of the time. She would pry at times, but mostly, she said she trusted me enough to know I wasn’t getting in trouble. I was old enough to make my own decisions, but I just wished I trusted myself that much.

  ***

  The only car parked in front of the Keller place was Jordan’s Honda. Good — at least, he was home and not parked at Teagan’s.

  I slammed my car into park next to his and flew out the door as fast as my flip-flops could carry me. He must be home if his car was there, but I just hoped no one else was ... like possibly a redhead in his bed.

  I knocked on the door once, twice, three times and no answer. I was beginning to worry that maybe he’d dropped his car off and they walked somewhere, or maybe Teagan was there, and he was trying to get her out without me seeing. Before any more thoughts could enter my head, I heard the slow creak of the door. There, squinting his eyes like he just woke up, stood Jordan. But that wasn’t my only clue that he was probably sleeping.

  The only thing he wore was a pair of light blue boxers slung low. His hip bones were visible, showing off the nautical star tattoos I remembered so well. I couldn’t help but let my gaze wander up his well-defined abs and to the compass tattoo right above his left pec. I remembered it from all those years ago, but it had been redone. It didn’t look like a piece of artwork that someone did out of their barn anymore. Now that I saw all of him in the daylight and not just pressed against me in the pond, I could see that the compass tattoo was now attached to a large ship that went across his very well-defined chest.

  “Can I help you with something?” Jordan asked with a yawn.

  “Yeah, yeah, you can.” I tried not to yell. But my hoarse voice kept rising volumes. I took a step toward him so that we were toe to toe. I wasn’t going to let him lie to me or try to escape the conversation, and I couldn’t just pretend I wasn’t falling back in love with this guy. Yeah, it had only been a short time he was back in my life, but maybe I never stopped. Maybe with all that time away, it had just been festering. And thinking he was just going to go for another girl was gutting me more than Joey ever did.

  “All right. Want to come inside then? Everyone went to church this morning, so it’s just me.” He took a step back, extending his arm out to the foyer that was finally clear of random housewares.

  “I won’t be staying long,” I said, storming past him. “Are you sure you still don’t have a house guest from last night?” I turned back toward him with my arms across my chest as he shut the front door.

  He shook his head, wiping his eyes with his free hand. “I didn’t sleep with Teagan. Not that it’s any of your business, but she started spouting stupid shit as soon as we left the bowling alley. Trying to tell me that it could be our little secret. I told her I definitely wasn’t interested.”

  “And how is it not my business? She’s one of my best friends.”

  He took two slow steps toward me, closing the space between us. “Yeah, and like I said, not a very good one if she’s trying to make you jealous of her.”

  I stared at him, trying to be mad, but the more I got lost in his blue eyes, the harder it was. “How can you even say that? Remember you left, Jordan. She was here when you left. Off to New York with chicks named Ashley Amber.”

  He smirked, running his hands through his hair. “Yeah, I did leave. You’ve mentioned that multiple times. But you knew I was leaving. No bullshit from me like you get from your so-called friends.”

  I glared, anger boiling inside me. “What? You think just because we’ve made out a few times and I lost my virginity to you six years ago that I’m just going to give up everything here? My friends? My life? Because you say so?”

  He put his hands up, letting out a big breath. “I’m not telling you what to do. I’m just saying you have a shitty friend if she’s getting drunk in bowling alleys, slapping one ex-boyfriend and then trying to get in the other one’s pants. You wouldn’t believe the shit she was saying on the drive out here. I wanted to gag the bitch.”

  “Hey! There is no reason to call her a bitch!” I spat.

  He threw his arms down. “What the hell do you want me to say, Abbey? That I hated the way all your friends were treating you last night? That I’ve always hated how you and I had to be someone we weren’t when we were here? When we were around them? How I want you to come back with me to New York so badly so I can see the real Abbey I fell in love with all those years ago? The one who I know is still in there, and if you keep pushing the real Abbey away, you’re going to be stuck married to a loser like Joey and working at the bakery forever.”

  “How dare you,” I growled.

  He licked his lips and stared down at me. “Leaving you has been my biggest regret. Now that I’m here, I’m not going to leave you or lose you again.”

  “I’m not yours to lose.”

  Cupping my face in his big hands, he stared into my eyes. He didn’t say a word. He just pulled me toward him and kissed me, stealing my breath away. He ran his tongue along my lips before pulling my head back and forcing my mouth to open. Tasting him, I gasped as I came up for short breaths between his pleading kisses. As if he needed to taste me to breathe.

  “You can’t just kiss me and expect that to be the end of our conversation,” I murmured as his lips trailed to my neck.

  He grinned and looked at me before wrapping his arms around my waist and lifting me so that he cradled me and I looped my legs around his strong waist.

  “Jordan, what do you think you’re doing?”

  I’d never been carried or held like this in someone’s strong arms, and it had me melting against him even though I wanted to fight him.

  He walked forward, carrying me up the wooden stairs.

  “Where are we going?” I held my arms around his neck while he glided up the stairs with ease, carrying me as if I was as light as a feather, though I was still afraid of falling on my ass and breaking his boner that was definitely poking me in the stomach

  Once
we reached the top of the stairs, he opened a door directly to the left. It was a plain white room with a brown dresser and a twin-size bed with navy sheets tucked underneath the sole window. He set me down on the floor, and as soon as my feet hit the hardwood, I crossed my arms over my chest.

  Jordan grinned, getting down on his knees. “You said a kiss wasn’t going to end our conversation … but you didn’t say where …”

  Slowly, he trailed his fingers from my ankle up to the seam of my shorts. I watched him move his hand up the denim fabric to the waistband and unbutton and unzip. I sucked in a deep breath, thanking God I showered and shaved as he pulled down my shorts and panties.

  Before I could protest, he had one hand on my ass, pulling me toward him as his tongue flattened against my core and he took long strokes inside me.

  “Oh …” I managed to moan, stumbling forward a bit, which caused him to laugh while still inside me.

  He looked up, pulling his lips away. “Maybe you should sit on my face. It’ll make it easier to taste you.”

  “I, uh, I …” I couldn’t think of the right words. He’d been my first everything, and we were both really inexperienced kids, so we didn’t know what was good. I was also a lot lighter back then and was afraid if I sat on his face now, I’d suffocate him.

  “I’ll take that as a yes.” He pulled me backward until we stood next to the bed. Crawling up to the blue comforter, he sat down and took my hands, pulling me toward him. He didn’t wait for me to say anything and took my hips, pulling me toward him. With one hand on my waist, he took his other hand, cupping my mound. “Tell me what you want, Abbey. No bullshit. Tell me.”

  “I … I … I want you in me,” I managed to gasp.

  “Gotta be more specific, Abbey,” he murmured, hooking a finger inside me. I gasped as his finger swirled inside me. He moved his thumb to my clit and circled it in the same direction as his finger. I felt my body already building up to the brink just from his digits.

  “Don’t come for me yet, baby,” he whispered huskily, pulling out of me. I found myself whimpering, already missing his touch.