Believe in Us (Jett #2) Read online

  “Jett?” Keanna says, leaning forward. “You look weird.”

  I snap back to reality. “Sorry,” I say, reaching over. I grab the armrest on her chair and drag her closer to me, then I rest my hand on her knee. “I was just thinking.”

  “About what?” she says, lifting an eyebrow.

  I’m just about to tell her about the weirdness I overheard from my parents when Park and Becca walk up. Damn.

  “Hey, kiddos,” Becca says, climbing the three stairs to the top of our deck. She’s carrying a pie in her hands, apple from the smell of it. “Congrats on the win, Jett.”

  “Thanks,” I say, glancing over at Keanna. Last weekend was the regionals motocross race and I’d taken first place in all three classes I raced. Now the racing season slows down for a bit before the winter season which will start after school begins. I know my talent is due to years of training my ass off, but lately it feels like having Keanna there on the sidelines is what helps me to win. That might sound cheesy, but I don’t care.

  Park and Becca join my parents for margaritas and then they all come out to the deck to start grilling. I can’t get a single second alone to tell Keanna about what I just overheard.

  I’m about to take her inside and make up some lie about needing to show her something, but then Dad starts talking to me about motocross.

  Keanna watches me while we eat dinner. She can tell there’s something I want to tell her and I love that we’re that in tune with each other.

  Becca brings up school again, and the moms talk about how great it will be for Keanna to finish off her high school at LHS. When we’ve finished eating, I realize Keanna and I are the first two done with our burgers, probably because the adults are yapping away constantly, Becca and Mom talking about school and Dad and Park talking about motocross.

  “Let’s take our plates into the kitchen,” I tell Keanna, flashing her what I hope is a knowing look. Normally I’d take our plates in by myself, but I need her to join me. She gets my gesture and rises to follow me into the house.

  “So what is going on?” she says, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  I glance around then check out the kitchen window to make sure they’re all still on the patio. They are, but I whisper anyway. “I overheard my mom saying she should get drunk tonight because she won’t be able to drink for the next nine months.”

  Keanna’s jaw drops. “They’re going to have another baby?”

  I lift my shoulders. “I guess? They’ve never talked about it, ever.”

  “Wow, that’s really crazy, especially because of Becca . . .” she says, putting a finger to her lips.

  I put our plates in the dishwasher. “What do you mean?”

  She bites her bottom lip while she thinks. “Well, it might be nothing, but Becca has been acting really weird lately. Like, she’s suddenly become obsessed with cleaning out their other guest bedroom, the one with all the junk in it.”

  “That’s not too weird,” I say.

  She nods. “But Becca has been straight obsessed with that room. She’s talking paint colors, new carpet . . . and it’s weird because she doesn’t want to fix up any other rooms in the house. I know it’s a long shot, but this morning I got the idea that maybe she’s going to have a baby, ya know?”

  “Whoa,” I say, as all of the pieces click together. Why else would you fix up a junk room in the house? Keanna and I must get the same idea at the same time, judging by the look on her face. “Do you think they’re both having a baby?”

  A look of fear crosses her face and I’m not sure why. She shrugs. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and find out.”

  Chapter 3

  The early morning sunlight filters in through my yellow curtains, giving the whole room a warm glow. I stretch and blink my eyes. I don’t even remember falling asleep last night after watching tons of Netflix with Jett. I yawn and roll over.

  And land face-to-face with Jett.

  “Oh shit,” I mutter. I bolt up in bed and look around. It’s seven in the morning, so who knows if Park and Becca are awake yet. My TV is still on the Netflix menu. We must have fallen asleep last night and that’s why I don’t remember telling Jett goodbye.

  I lean over and shake him. “Wake up!” I whisper-yell. “Wake up.”

  His eyes squish together and he yawns, slowly opening them against the bright sunlight. He smiles when his eyes focus on mine. “Hey there, beautiful.”

  I throw a pillow at him. “No! This is bad!”

  I jump out of bed. The blankets aren’t even rumpled that much since we’d fallen asleep on top of them. But this is bad. I know for a fact that Becca and Park won’t be too pleased if they know Jett slept over last night. And Bayleigh! Oh my god, she’ll be so disappointed.

  I shudder as I remember the awkwardly embarrassing safe sex speech she’d given us a few weeks ago. Jett and I have not slept together yet, and after the terrifying story of her teenage pregnancy, we might not ever.

  I look over at Jett and he grins and it makes my toes tingle.

  Okay, maybe we will. One day.

  “Get up, you big . . .” I glare at him and try to come up with an insult. “Butt-face!”

  His grin stretches into a smile. He sits up and rubs his eyes, then yawns again. “It’s so early,” he says slowly, blinking and trying to wake up.

  “Babe, you have to go,” I say, my arms swinging widely toward my bedroom door. “I don’t want to get in trouble.”

  He snorts. “You won’t get in trouble. Becca loves you.”

  I put a hand on my hip. “What about your mom?”

  He flinches. “Maybe it’s best if she doesn’t find out.”

  My heart races as I crack open my door and stick my head out into the hallway. I can’t hear anything but that doesn’t mean much. It’s Monday morning at exactly the time Becca gets up for work. We have to be at the Track in an hour.

  “Oh god,” I mutter, turning around and pressing my back to the door. “I don’t want to disappoint Becca or Park or your mom.” I heave a sigh and close my eyes. “I just want them to like me.”

  Jett checks his phone then slides it into his pocket. He walks over to me and puts a hand on my cheek. “Baby, it’s okay. Breathe. If anyone sees me, I’ll just say I came over here early to get you for breakfast.”

  “Wearing the same thing you wore last night?” I ask, eyeing his blue shirt.

  His shoulders sag and he steps closer, his toes touching mine. “It’ll be okay, Key.” His lips kiss mine, slowly, lovingly, until my heartbeat slows.

  And then he wraps his hands around my waist and slides his tongue across my bottom lip and suddenly my heart is back at it, beating insanely fast, but this time it’s not out of fear of getting in trouble.

  I break away to catch my breath and put my hands on his chest to keep him a few inches away. “You have to go,” I whisper against my heart’s desire to keep him here, as close as possible, forever.

  “Okay,” he says, leaning down and kissing me again. “Whatever my girl wants, she gets.” He gives me that oh-so-adorable wink and then slips his shoes on.

  I rush into my closet and change into a black tank top, but keep the same shorts on. I throw my hair into a ponytail so that I look different from yesterday.

  “You want to make sure the coast is clear?” he says, opening the door.

  I inch into the hallway and walk down to peak into the living room. It’s empty, so I motion for him to follow. We do this same routine until we’re outside and I can finally breathe again.

  “It’s a good thing I walked instead of drove,” he says. “My truck in the driveway might have made Park suspicious when he went to work this morning.”

  Sure enough, Park’s truck is gone but Becca’s car is still here. She must be getting ready for work, although since the weather is nice she’ll probably walk there instead of drive. “Hurry up,” I say, pushing him toward his house which is on the opposite side of the Tr
ack. It’s a fairly long walk.

  He takes my hand. “Come with me.”

  “I—” I begin an automatic excuse but then I realize that I’m already dressed. “Well, I guess I can,” I say with a laugh. Now that we’re out in the open, it just looks like I’m going to work. I pull out my phone and text Becca that I’m already at the Track so she won’t look for me when she leaves the house.

  Jett and I hold hands as we walk across the Track’s parking lot toward Jett’s house. “I wish I could wake up next to you every morning,” Jett says, squeezing my hand.

  “Maybe when we have our own place,” I say, putting a hand to my chest. “That was way too much drama for me. Don’t laugh at me! I can’t stress it enough, Jett. I do not want to get on Becca or Park’s bad side.”

  A stinging fear hits me again, the same fear from last night. If Becca really is cleaning out that guest room for a baby . . . does that mean she won’t want me anymore? I’m just a weird house guest that’s been crashing in their spare room for weeks. I’m not exactly a perfect addition to a husband and wife who are having their first child.

  “Why do you look so sad?” Jett says. “I’d love to have my own place with you. And one day I will and it’ll be awesome and we’ll sleep naked.”

  I give him a sideways look. He winks.

  When we get halfway between the Track and his house, we stop. “I’m going to work now,” I say, turning to face him. He slides his fingers into my front pockets and pulls me toward him. “I guess I’ll go change clothes and come to work, too.” He drops his forehead to mine and then slowly nudges me backward until my back presses against a massive oak tree. I slide my arms around his neck and hold him close. His eyes gaze deeply into mine, and it’s almost like he wants to say a million things at once, but he doesn’t say anything. I get it though. I want to say a million things to him as well. Like how he makes me feel like a real human being. Like someone worthy of being loved. I want to tell him how freaking hot he is, like all of the time, and how much I miss him when he’s not right next to me.

  But we kiss instead, and I put all of my emotions into my actions, letting him know exactly how I feel by kiss alone. Jett presses against me and his body is warm, strong, and so sexy. I run my hands up the back of his head and squirm when he kisses my neck.

  We both stop when the sound of footsteps breaks the silence. He looks up and glances over, then the alarm on his face softens into recognition. He holds one finger up to his lips and gives me this devilish grin as he presses me closer against the tree.

  We’re hiding from someone.

  His mom’s distinct laughter fills the air and then his dad says something I can’t quite figure out. They must be walking to work, and if we’re lucky, they won’t see us hiding on the other side of this huge tree trunk.

  His parents talk some more and Jett and I shuffle around the tree as they get nearer. I’m trying not to laugh because I’m not quite sure if what we’re doing is stupid or hilarious. My heart pounds in my chest as they get really close, walking right past the tree. We slide over until we’re on the other side and we can’t see them so I’m guessing they can’t see us.

  “It’ll definitely take some getting used to,” Jace says. “I mean, it’ll be weird, for sure.”

  “But,” Bayleigh says, sounding a little curious and excited. “You’re saying you’re totally okay with me having another man’s baby?”

  My jaw hits the ground.

  Jett’s eyes go wide and he stumbles backward, the shock throwing him off balance. I grab his hands and hold him still. His jaw flexes and I can tell he wants to run out right now and ask what the hell is going on, but I shake my head and mouth the word no.

  That would be way too awkward. Plus, with all of our freaking out, we didn’t even hear the rest of what his parents were saying and now they’re too far away to hear anymore.

  We stand against the back side of the tree for a while. Jett’s nostrils flare and he shakes his head. “What the hell was that?”

  I bite my bottom lip. “That doesn’t make any sense . . . your parents are perfect for each other . . .”

  “Why would my dad be okay with this?” Jett says, running both hands through his hair. “This doesn’t make any sense.”

  I put my hands on his chest and look him in the eye. “Baby, you have to calm down. You can’t run after them and confront them on this.”

  “Why not?” His hands clench. “I want some answers.”

  Having been in the middle of tons of Dawn’s drama over the years, I know better than to let him run and confront his parents right now. So I take his hand. “Let’s go back to your house and you can change clothes and calm down first.”

  He heaves a heavy breath and then sighs. “Okay. Yeah, okay. You’re right.”

  I slip my arm around his back and we start walking toward his house. “I know I am,” I say, holding my chip up in the air. “I’m always right.”

  Jett tickles my side. “Uh huh, sure you are.”

  Chapter 4

  Keanna’s hair smells like green apple shampoo that she bought after using mine that one time she showered at my house. Tearing myself away from her is the hardest damn thing ever. But eventually I get back home and take a quick shower, hoping it’ll cool my head. It doesn’t really help. No amount of hot water rushing over my face will wipe my mother’s words out of my head.

  Another man’s baby?

  What the actual ef is that?

  My mom would never cheat on my dad—at least, I never thought she would. And why is he okay with this? I know he loves her more than life itself but damn. I would be beyond crushed if Keanna hooked up with another guy. Would I want her back? Probably not.

  I groan as I get dressed and my pulse races as I walk back over to the Track. Keanna doesn’t want me to confront them, especially at work, but I can’t help it. I shouldn’t have overheard this in the first place, but I did, and it’s going to kill me until I know the truth. And if the truth is as horrible as I think it is—I don’t know how I’ll ever live around my parents again. They are supposed to be much better people than this.

  I take the back entrance into the building, walking through the gym. If I came in the front doors, then Keanna would see me and I don’t need her trying to stop me. Luckily it’s after nine in the morning so she’s working the front desk. She won’t be able to walk around anywhere else since most of the clients arrive at this time.

  I walk to Mom’s office and find it empty, so I go over to Dad’s. Bingo.

  Dad’s in his desk chair, looking at his computer and Mom sits on the corner of his desk, wearing one of his old motocross jerseys over a pair of leggings. How can she just sit there smiling and acting like this is a normal day?

  “What the hell is wrong with ya’ll?” The words fly out of my mouth before I have an opportunity to censor them or make them into something a little more polite.

  Dad’s expression hardens. “Excuse me, son? You want to try that again?”

  I fold my arms across my chest. Sure, he’s my dad but I’m just as tall as he is now. “No, I was being perfectly clear. What the hell did I overhear outside?”

  Mom stands. “Jett, what are you talking about?” Her forehead creases and she reaches for me. I pull backward. If my mom’s a cheater, I don’t want anything to do with her. God, I can’t even look at her the same way.

  “You’re having another man’s baby,” I spit out, unable to meet her eyes. I look at Dad. “What is going on?”

  My parents exchange a glace and then they both start laughing. I throw my hands in the air. “Uh, hello? I’m still waiting for an explanation.”

  Dad’s brows crease. “Wait, why were you outside? I thought you slept late?”

  “Never mind me, what where you talking about?”

  Mom clears her throat and sits back on the corner of Dad’s desk. “Okay well, you’re not supposed to know this yet, but since you’re so mad, I’ll tell you but you have to swear to keep it qu
iet for now.”

  My entire body trembles with anger. Why is she being so calm about this?”

  “Your mom didn’t cheat on me,” Dad says.

  Relief hits me hard and makes me feel a thousand times better. “Then what did I overhear?”

  Mom frowns and plays with the hem of her jersey. “You really aren’t supposed to know but . . . first of all, I’m not pregnant. Not yet, anyway.”

  I lift an eyebrow. Mom glances behind me and then motions for me to close the door. I do, and then glare at her for an explanation.

  “Becca and Park have asked us to consider being a surrogate for their baby. That means that I’ll go to a doctor and they’ll put Becca and Park’s baby inside of me, and I’ll have the pregnancy since my body is healthy for childbirth but Becca’s isn’t.”

  My nose wrinkles. I didn’t exactly need that many details. “So . . . you’ll have her baby?”

  She nods. “It’s one hundred percent their child’s DNA. They’d be using my womb as a greenhouse to grow the baby, so to spea. And then once the baby is born, I’d give it over to them.”

  “Wow.” That’s all I can say. I sink into the chair up against the wall to take it all in. “You would do that for them?”

  She nods and Dad grabs her hand. “Of course I would. It kills Becca that she can’t have her own baby and we’ve been talking about this for a while. What you overheard was just me joking with Jace. This is a big deal for all of us because if we do this, I’ll have to get fat and pregnant and your poor dad will have to put up with my fat, moody ass and he won’t even get a baby out of it.”

  Um, gross. I hold up a hand. “I don’t exactly need to know all the details,” I say. “But I’m really really glad you’re not cheating on Dad.”

  They both laugh at this, like it’s the craziest idea in the world. And that makes my heart feel better because it should be the craziest thing in the world. My parents are soul mates. Even when everything else in the world is wrong, I can count on them.