I Never Expected You

by Stefanie Jenkins

  I almost choke on my coffee. Dani’s face turns the reddest shade I have ever seen.

  Ky steps up to Dani and kisses her forehead.

  Damn, who knew Kyler Lawson was so adorable? You better believe I will be getting details of whatever went down later.

  “Sounds good. Leave in five?”

  Zach nods, and Ky walks out of the room, along with Dani. I turn to face Zach and raise my eyebrows.

  “What?” he asks, pretending to be innocent.

  “You’re such an asshole.”

  “You always have known this.” He laughs, stepping into my space. “I promise to be on my best behavior.”

  It’s now my turn to laugh. “Zach Jacobs on his best behavior? I never thought I’d see the day.”

  Zach goes to lean in to kiss me when a throat clearing behind us pulls us apart. We both turn to find Kyler standing there with his gym bag.

  “Ready to go, man?”

  “Yep.”

  With a quick peck on my lips, Zach leaves with Kyler, and I am headed to Dani’s room to get the scoop. I find her rummaging through her closet, trying to find clothes. I first look at the pile of clothes spread out all over her bed and smirk. I know what’s going on—someone has a hot date and nothing to wear. I’ve waited so long to do this with my best friend.

  I clap my hands together. “Looks like we need to go shopping.”

  I grab my keys, and we are out the door.

  “So…” I start as we climb into my car.

  “So…” she responds as she buckles her seat belt and places her hands in her lap.

  Oh, hell no. She is not going to play all innocent with me.

  “You and Kyler, huh?”

  A goofy grin and a blush appear on her face. Oh, this is going to be good.

  “Mmmhmm.” Did she moan?

  I throw my head back in laughter as I start the car. “Oh, I think lunch might need to added to our shopping date, and that lunch may need to include cocktails because you better damn well believe you are spillin’ all the details! But first things first, we need to set the mood.”

  I have waited years for this moment. Her face lights up as bright as the sun as Katy Perry begins to play through the speakers.

  “What!” Dani squeals.

  “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to be able to jam to this CD with a Jacobs and not feel like I’m being judged. I have watched your brother and Kyler do some crazy and stupid shit over the years, but there is some serious judgment in his eyes when I play this in his presence. It’s like he didn’t even know who I am, even though he’s seen us perform these songs all the time. I guess it was different once it was his girlfriend doing them? I had to channel my inner Katy, all by myself. Now…let’s go get you all hot for your date!”

  We make our way to the mall, singing and dancing to all our favorite songs. This feels good; it’s us against the world again.

  After a full morning of shopping, Dani and I make our way to the cute little bistro on the waterfront. It’s one of my favorite places to eat. I usually bring my mom here when she comes to visit. We both order a mimosa and a salad. I order my typical chicken Caesar salad, and she orders a steak salad. It’s cute—that’s usually what my mom orders too.

  Once the waiter leaves, I place my hands on the table and stare at Dani. I eye her up and down, and she looks confused.

  “What?”

  I smirk. “I’m trying to figure out who you are and what you did with my best friend?”

  She laughs. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

  She doesn’t say it rudely, as a smile is still on her face from ear to ear. That smile hasn’t left all day.

  “Well…it means, look at you, Dani! Look at how far you’ve come recently. You’re opening yourself up to not only us, but to Kyler. After all that time away and shutting us out, you actually saw your parents and mine—my mom has not stopped talking about how excited she is about having someone to help her in the kitchen, so thanks.”

  It’s a never-ending story of jokes about how bad I am in the kitchen.

  Dani giggles and shrugs. Smug bitch.

  I continue. “But in all seriousness, D, I’m proud of you. I mean, look at you, actually going on a date, and hello, that kiss last night.”

  I fan myself because it was H-O-T.

  She nods, and I don’t miss the blush on her cheeks.

  The waiter brings our drinks and salads. I take a bite and moan. Oh my God, this is heaven in my mouth. I look up to see that Dani is just pushing food around on her plate.

  “To be honest, Hails, I’m not sure how to feel. There is something about Kyler that, I don’t know how to put it in words…”

  I’m not sure where this is going, but I cut her off instead of letting her continue. “You don’t need to put it in words, because you just smiled when you mentioned his name, and that, I think, is enough.”

  “Can I be honest?” she asks while taking a bite of her salad. I nod, so she continues. “I have no idea what I’m doing. I mean, I’ve only ever been on one first date, and that was when we were thirteen. What if I’m no good at it or Kyler realizes how much of a mess I am? Then it’ll just be awkward.”

  I hate that she is doubting herself right now. This stops now. I raise my glass at her and nod so that she picks hers up too.

  “I know you are scared, but that’s how these things go.” I think back to how nervous I was before Zach and I’s first date. “I knew Zach my whole life, but I almost threw up from nerves before our first date.”

  She giggles. I narrow my lips into a straight line.

  “What I’m trying to say is just take it one day or date at a time, okay? Now cheers, bitch—to us being back together and being able to gossip about boys and it not be my brother.”

  She grimaces and opens her mouth as if she had a smart-ass comment, but quickly shuts it. After setting my drink down, I prop my elbows on the table and rest my chin on my fists.

  “Now spill all the juicy details of Lawson, because I’m dying to know.”

  “I don’t think life can get much better than this, do you?” Haylee asks, snuggling into my chest as we enjoy our morning coffees in my favorite chair in the living room.

  The house is quiet; Dani and Kyler must still be sleeping because we haven’t heard a peep from them yet, and both of them are fiends for caffeine first thing in the morning.

  I lean down, kissing her temple. Haylee is right; life is perfect at the moment. My girl is in my arms, a smile is back on my sister’s face, and my best friend is happy. We even spent the weekend home for my mom’s birthday. It was perfect having everyone back together. I know it made my mom’s night.

  My fingers trace up and down Haylee’s arm. I can think of one way life can actually be better—if she agreed to marry me.

  What am I waiting for? This is the perfect moment. It’s now or never. I tap her leg so that she hops up off my lap, and she stands with a look of confusion.

  “Don’t go anywhere. Stay right there.”

  As I head toward our bedroom, I hear her say behind me, “Where are you going?”

  Before I back out or some sort of karmic accident happens yet again, I am doing this. I am going to ask Haylee to be my wife. I should have done this a while ago, but then life got in the way. I’m done waiting. Like she said, life is perfect, but as we know, that can change in an instant. I am going to make her my wife. I reach into the closet and pull out the box of ties. I open the small velvet box one more time and take a deep breath.

  You got this, Jacobs. Go make her yours forever.

  Zach disappears into the bedroom, and when he returns, I notice something in his hand. Before I have the chance to ask what he has, he strides over to where he left me and drops to one knee.

  Holy shit, is he…?

  “Oh my God, Zach…” I shriek, my hand flies to cover my mouth as I take in the view in front of me.

  Zach Jacobs is on one knee in our living room. He opens the v
elvet box, and I am met with the most stunning ring I have ever seen. It looks like my grandmother’s ring yet different.

  My eyes fill as he begins to speak.

  “Haylee Grace Hanks, I have had the honor of knowing your love and friendship for twenty-two years. Throughout those years, I have watched you go from the silly, nerdy girl next door to this incredibly beautiful and charismatic woman. We had to go through an earth-shattering tragedy to find ourselves.”

  I choke out another tear as he continues.

  “Your love and comfort put me back together. You make me laugh, smile, and feel complete. I look at you and not only see my past and present, but also my future. I am so head over heels in love with you. Please let me spend the rest of my life making you as happy as you make me. Hails, will you marry me?”

  Is this happening?

  “Yes! Yes! God, yes!” I shout as he slides the ring on my finger and stands, pulling me into his arms and crashing his lips to mine.

  My hands wrap around his neck and pull him closer to deepen the kiss. When we break apart, I hold my hand out to admire the ring.

  A noise in the hallway turns our attention to find Dani and Kyler standing there. Tears are running down Dani’s face; Kyler next to her rubbing her back. He leaves her side and walks toward us.

  “Congrats!” He first pulls me into a hug. “I’m so happy for you both.”

  I somehow manage a “thank you” in between tears.

  “It’s about damn time, man.” He and Zach hug their manly hug, slapping each other’s back over and over.

  Once they separate, Zach puts his arm around me, and I instinctively wrap my arms around his waist. I look down at my ring finger one last time before my eyes meet my best friend’s.

  I see it in her eyes—something is wrong. Dani has still not moved from where she’s standing. I tense, and I feel Zach’s arm tighten around me.

  The smile has left Zach’s face as his eyes narrow at his sister. “Dani, say something.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Dani shouts.

  Her brother and best friend get engaged, and the first words out of her mouth are “are you fucking kidding me”? My heart begins to break. I suck in a breath, and the tears continue to fall down her cheeks. My eyes travel back and forth between Dani and Zach. The atmosphere in the room changed drastically from love to…I don’t even know the words to describe what is happening right now.

  Kyler cautiously walks to his girlfriend, glancing back toward us before he places his hand on her arm. “Aren’t you excited for your brother and your best friend?”

  “Are you seriously going to lecture me right now?” Her eyes are full of rage now, and I can’t hold back my tears.

  A sob rips from my throat. This was supposed to be the happiest day of my life—just a moment ago it was.

  Zach steps in front of me, his arm wrapping around my waist as I grip his shirt and continue to cry. Is she not happy about me and Zach getting married or us being together at all? Maybe we read her being happy for us all wrong.

  “Fuck, Dani! Why can’t you just be happy for Haylee and me? Huh? It’s always just about you still, isn’t it?” The anger is radiating from my fiancé’s body.

  Dani leaves the room for a moment, then returns with her purse and keys in hand. Oh, no. This is not happening again. I am not going to watch my best friend walk out that door again.

  “Oh, please. Love is for assholes. All it brings is pain, and anyone would be a fool to believe in that shit…that happy ever afters can actually happen.”

  Emmett. My heart sinks in my chest when I realize this is another moment my brother is missing. That’s it. She thought of him too. Of course she did. Even though she has been happy lately, a new version of her old self, in fact, and I can tell that she loves Kyler, her mind drifted to the one she always thought she would see in front of her. I need to stop her.

  I go to step forward to stop her, and Zach puts his hand in front of me to stop me as Kyler approaches her first. He reaches for her hand, and she snaps.

  “Don’t touch me. What, you think you can fix me? That we can just play house and live out our happy ever after bullshit? You’re nothing but a replacement. You may have replaced Emmett in my brother’s world, but you won’t in mine. This is… This is…”

  Kyler’s face goes white. Zach falls back as if her words punched him. My arms wrap around him to hold him up. I can’t believe this is happening. Can I pinch myself and wake up from this nightmare?

  “What, baby… It’s love? It’s real? It’s raw? Because it’s all of those things, Dani! Why can’t you just let me in?” Kyler’s voice is full of anger and hurt.

  I have known him for years now, and I have never seen him like this.

  “It was a mistake, Kyler. You can’t make me happy, and you’re a fool to believe you can. I’m incapable of loving or being loved. I’m just broken,” Dani fires back at him, giving us one more glance before she leaves, slamming the door.

  Silence fills the room as we all just stand there, unsure how to react. Did she just leave for good? Is she coming back?

  I know what she said hurt, but I know her more than she knows herself and she didn’t mean those words only out of hurt. By the time Kyler finally comes back to reality, her words have left a brand on him.

  He rushes to the front door, opening it to find her already gone. “Fuck! Where did she go?”

  Zach turns in my arms, his hands cupping my cheeks to rub the tears away. “Baby, I am so sorry.”

  For the second time today, Zach gets on one knee in front of me, this time begging for forgiveness, only there is nothing to forgive.

  “It’s okay; we need to find her. I told you once before that I have her back—I’m not letting her go.” I nod over to my fiancé’s best friend, who is sitting on the floor with his head down.

  Panic of the reality that his sister just walked out the door finally hits, and Zach’s eyes go wide and he rises.

  “Fuck.” He looks over at Kyler and sees that his phone is in his hand. “Is she answering?”

  The look on his face has devastation written all over as he shakes his head no.

  Zach crouches down in front of his best friend and puts his hand on his shoulder. “Hey, we’re gonna find her okay?”

  He nods, but doesn’t say anything as he hits “send” again.

  I back up to the couch, pull my legs to my chest, and rest my head on my knees as I try to think like Dani. She just witnessed me and her brother get engaged. I replay her words over and over again. Where would she go when her family is out of town? She wouldn’t have really left, would she? I mean, all she took was her purse, keys, and phone. She left all the rest of her belongings behind. I look down at the ring on my left hand and stare at the combination of diamond and amethysts—my brother’s birthstone.

  Oh my God. Emmett. That’s it!

  I ignore the conversation going on in the background between Zach and Kyler, and I hop off the couch and gather my things. Crap, where are my keys? I see the keys to the Jeep on the table and grab them before heading to the door.

  “Woah, Haylee, where are you going? You’re just going to leave?” Zach rises to his feet.

  Concern is written over both Zach and Ky’s faces.

  “Call it best friend’s intuition, but I know where she went. Give me some time to get there, okay?”

  “I don’t get it. Where did she go?” Kyler asks.

  Instead of answering, I step up to Zach, press a brief kiss to his lips, and give Kyler a small smile, reassuring him I am confident.

  As I close the door behind me and head to Zach’s Jeep, I pray to God I am right. Pulling out of the driveway, I take a deep breath and put the vehicle in drive, then head to the same place I go when I’m upset—Glen Ridge Cemetery.

  I hold my breath as I pull through the cemetery gates, hoping my intuition was right, and finally release it as I turn onto the hill and see her SUV parked there. I pull out my cell phone to call Za
ch. We spoke for most of the drive, mainly me reassuring him and Kyler that this is where she would be.

  The phone doesn’t even ring before he picks up.

  “Hey, baby.” His voice, while calm, is laced with panic.

  “Hey.”

  “Please tell me you have some news. Ky and I are going crazy here.”

  I get out of the Jeep and make my way toward her. I see that she is sitting next to Emmett’s grave with her knees pulled into her chest, resting her chin on them.

  “Yeah, I found her. She’s okay. We’ll be home soon.”

  “Oh, thank God. Ky, she found her.” Instant relief floods my fiancé’s voice.

  I hear Kyler mumble something in the background, but can’t fully make it out.

  “Bring her home. I love you.”

  “Love you too.” I end the call and put my phone away as I approach her. I take a seat next to her on the grass.

  “I figured this is where I’d find you. I come here when I need a moment too.” I turn to face my brother’s headstone and place my hand over his name, Emmett Adam Hanks. “Hey, big bro. About time she visited, huh?”

  I know that this is the first time she has been here since the funeral. I think of all the times I have been here since then.

  Silence consumes us. I just sit and stare at her. There is so much emotion written all over her face. Her eyes are swollen and red. All of the years of pent-up grief finally unleashed. I just want to pull her into my arms and never let go, but I need to give her the lead with this.

  I hate this for her. I hate this for us. Her eyes turn heavy with guilt as she looks to me and begins to speak, but I cut her off.

  I reach for her wrist. “It’s okay, Dani.”

  She shakes her head. “No, it’s really not. I’m not sure how to do this. I’m a mess. I ruined this morning, and then I said some very hurtful things to Kyler.”

  Her shoulders are tense as if she is carrying the weight of the world on them. The things she said to Kyler hurt all of us, but he loves her enough to know she didn’t mean them. He just wants her home and safe. I can see how upset this whole situation has made her, and it kills me to see her like this. This is a shell of the girl she used to be before Kyler brought her back to life. Yeah, I can honestly say that she is a better person and healing because of him, not because of anything Zach, our parents, or I did, but it was all Kyler. I can see how much they mean to each other.