Falling Away (3 page)

             
“What the heck are you talking about? Robert and I are not getting married yet.”

             
“Oh please.” She waved me off and stabbed another section of salad. “We both know Robert is always one step behind
Jhett
when it comes to our relationships. He’s totally gonna ask you now. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s out ring shopping right now.” She cocked her eyes suggestively and smiled before taking another bite of her salad.

             
Seriously? Could he be doing that? He always did seem to follow
Jhett’s
lead, albeit a little slower. Where Sophie and
Jhett
were on the fast track to get there, Robert and I had always been a little more comfortable falling back. Slow and steady wins the race, you know?

             
I wasn’t even sure if I was ready for marriage. We’d been dating for a little more than two years now, but for God’s sake, I was only twenty! My chest began to burn and it wasn’t because of the choking. I sipped on my tea, but it only seemed to feed the anxious butterflies flitting around in my stomach.

             
I wasn’t an expert on panic attacks, but I guessed these bodily reactions weren’t normal when thinking about marriage. And that upset me even more, ‘cause since I never really thought about it before, I was beginning to wonder if somewhere deep inside, I questioned our relationship. On the surface it was perfect, but our conflicting schedules made me feel like we were growing apart.

             
“So how are we supposed to know if a guy’s
the one?”

             
Sophie shrugged. “I don’t know. With
Jhett
it just feels right. The other guys I dated took effort, you know?
Jhett
doesn’t. We hardly fight, seem to like a lot of the same things, and seem to tolerate the things we disagree on.”

             
“But we’re only twenty, Sophie. Aren’t we supposed to date a bunch of guys before we decide this stuff?”

             
She bobbed her head side to side playfully as she thought, swallowing her food. “It’s kinda like the dress. Sure, there will be others I’ll like just as well, but I’ve already found one that I love and who complements me. So why go in search of something else when I know I’ll always be happy with this one?
Jhett
and I are good together, and I don’t have to date him five more years to confirm that.”

             
“I don’t know. It just feels weird.”

             
“Don’t you want Robert to take care of you?”

             
Rolling my eyes, I deadpanned, “I don’t need anyone to take care of me.”

             
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Miss Independent. Look, I know you can, but Robert can give you a hell of a better life than what you could ever do alone. Probably even better than any other guy you’d meet too.”

             
“I’m not really comfortable with that being a reason to choose Robert. The money’s nice but it’d be completely shallow of me to marry him because he can provide a better life. Besides, marrying into his family means I’d get the mother-in-law from hell.”

             
“She still up your ass?”

             
“Like a proctologist. Nothing I ever do is good enough. To her I’m just this leech that’s attached myself to Robert and I’m trying to bleed him dry. I mean, why couldn’t she be like your mom? I’d kill to have a mom like that.”

             
“My mom is your mom, Jenna. You know that.”

             
“I do. But sometimes I just feel out of place. And his mother sure knows how to amplify that.”

             
“Screw her. Look, you want the straight up truth?” I nodded. “Yeah, you weren’t born into a lucrative family like the rest of us. You by far got the shitty end of the stick when you were abandoned and couldn’t get an adopted family to stick. You didn’t like your situation and you were smart enough to work your ass off and get a scholarship to a school that
did
get you mingling with wealthier students. You met a guy, fell in love,
bada
bing
and done. You’ve been fighting all your life to better your situation, so don’t go feeling guilty ‘cause the guy that ended up loving you is well off. Let people call you a gold digger. We all know it’s not true. Screw. His. Mom. So you’re not gonna bring family wealth with you if you marry. She’ll get over it. It’s not like they need it anyways.”

             
I suddenly regretted the balsamic vinegar I drizzled over my salad, the acid churning roughly in my stomach. I tossed the bread aside, my stomach now more interested in getting food out than in. Cringing, I asked, “People think I’m a gold digger?”

             
She waved me off again. “Just his mother. Very few of us knew the truth about you at school. And I promise we didn’t go behind your back on that.”

             
I forced a smile. “Yeah, I know.”

             
Sophie sighed and pushed her plate to the side. “Happier subject. Tomorrow
Jhett
and I
wanna
take the two of you out and celebrate Robert’s birthday early, ‘cause it’s just too close to finals for us to get out there for it.”

             
Yep, having a birthday in early December kinda sucked during the college years. “He and
Jhett
are the only ones that’ll be twenty-one, so what exactly did you have in mind?”

             
That creepy Cheshire grin spread across her face, and I knew I was gonna hate whatever she was thinking. “Oh, I have a bar or two in mind.”

             
“
Sophieeeee
…” I drew out, practically reprimanding her in advance.

             
“Oh, please, sour puss. You know we all have fake IDs.”

             
“I don’t,” I rebutted, crossing my arms.

             
“You do now!” she said all giddy-like. “Just consider it an early Christmas present.”

             
I forced the best smile I could, and judging by Sophie’s reaction, I pulled it off, but I couldn’t care less about a fake ID. Though it may come in handy when I was forced to spend Christmas with Robert’s mother next month…

“I GOT MY DRESS!” Sophie shouted the moment we entered the living room.
Jhett
and Sophie’s dad were stretched out in two recliners that sandwiched Robert on the sofa, watching a football game, and her mother was at the back of the room, reading by the window. Needless to say, the guys didn’t react with the excitement she’d been hoping for. Her mother beamed, however, and tossed her book aside to join us as we leaned against the back of the sofa. Robert reached up to gently stroke my arm, smiling warmly.
             

             
“Oh, honey, that’s wonderful!” Sophie’s mom hugged her, then held out her hand to the guys. “All right boys. Pay up.”

             
All three groaned as they reached into their back pockets, removing several bills from their wallets.

             
“That’s right. Momma always knows best.” Sophie’s mom snatched the money from one guy at a time, starting with her husband.

             
“Diane, no one likes an obnoxious winner.”

             
“Says the sore loser. Next!” she called to
Jhett
, who grumpily obliged. Sophie impatiently tapped her foot and threw him a contemptuous glare. “You placed a bet on me?”

             
He threw his hands up in surrender. “You love to shop! I thought for sure you’d shop around awhile before buying one!”

             
“And you?” Sophie asked Robert as he added his bills to the pile in Diane’s hand.

             
“I gave you a few months.”

             
“Daddy?” Sophie probed further.

             
“Sorry,
hun
. I figured you’d procrastinate to the end, and then ask to have something specially made.”

             
If it dropped any lower, Sophie’s mouth would have hit the floor. Her mother leaned in and gave her a tight squeeze. “Only her momma knew she’d be so excited she couldn’t resist the first pretty dress she saw.”

             
O
h
, boy. Sophie may have actually been offended this time, and with the look she gave me, I wished she’d focus her attention elsewhere. “What about you?”

             
“Me?” I burst. “Like I could afford the ante to one of their bets.” Looking down at Robert, who had replanted himself back on the sofa, I tossed him an evil glare as I added, “And I didn’t know about it anyways.”

             
“Hey, I was going by what
you
told me. I thought it was a safe bet,” Robert explained. I gently smacked the back of his head.

             
Diane had counted their money and was now heading out of the room. “Who-
hoo
! Tiffany’s, here I come!”

             
“Well, I hope you’ll be picking me up something pretty to go with my dress while you’re there,” Sophie called as she followed her out.

             
I figured they’d need some time for the mother-daughter bonding thing, so that left me with the guys. Then again, the way Robert was looking me up and down like he could eat me, I may be hanging out with just one soon enough.

“I like the way these snowdrops bloom downwards. It’d be totally cute in a winter bouquet.” Sophie returned the flower to its bucket and ran her fingers across the next few flowers. This particular aisle was dedicated to mostly cream-shaded flowers, and Sophie was trying to choose accent flowers that would really get her dusty rose peonies to pop. She elbowed me in the side. “You know, you could get married in the winter and use them.”

             
“Thanks. I’ll consider it,” I lied.

             
I fell back, trying to hide my yawn. This was way more exciting for Sophie than it was for me. I elongated my neck, stretching out the tension. Holding it back, I stared through the skylights, watching the small snow flurries congregate on the clear glass, slowly trying to block out our view of the winter sky. The heater was making this place too warm, and now I was all sleepy. I yawned again, this time stretching my arms and letting my mouth go uncovered.

             
You know that feeling you get when you’re being watched? Yep…totally getting that vibe right now. I swept the room as best I could. There were a ton of aisles here, and some of the floral stems reached high enough to obstruct my view. But still, it didn’t take long to find what I was looking for.

             
I inhaled a sharp breath. “Sophie? Where exactly is this flower shop?”

             
“Floral district.”

             
“I figured that. I mean, which city?”