Page 16 of Just One Kiss

Slowly, Josh moved to the perimeter of the room, feeling like that was where he belonged, but in his head, he prayed that this whole ordeal left them with good news. That Jaden was fine. That there was no irregular heartbeat.

God, this is one of yours. One of the good ones. That’s got to count for something, right?

“What are the possible outcomes?” Beverly asked.

Carly explained them, leading, of course, with the least serious, and as she continued talking, Josh’s eyes fell on Jaden, who looked like a prisoner trapped in this room.

The din of conversation escalated, and finally Josh cleared his throat. “Maybe we should give the kid some space.”

An awkward hush filled the room as they all looked at him, certainly thinking what right did he have to suggest anything about Jaden at all.

But everyone had thoughts and questions and opinions, and it seemed like Josh was the only one considering his son’s feelings at all. He looked at Jaden. “You need some fresh air?”

Jaden met his eyes and nodded.

“Well, we can go,” Carly said.

“Why doesn’t Dad drive me home?” Jaden asked.

Carly’s face fell and the tension in the room rose. But Josh wasn’t trying to swoop in here like the hero. He only wanted to do what was best for his son.

It’s what they all wanted, right? But maybe they had different ways of showing it.

“Okay,” Carly said quietly. “If that’s what you want.”

“Maybe we can swing by the training center, Grady?” Jaden said. “I’d love to show my dad.”

“You should probably go home and rest,” Carly said.

“Come on, Mom.” Jaden sounded exactly like the teenager he was. “I’m fine. They’re monitoring my heart, not giving me a pacemaker.”

Carly’s frown lines deepened. Josh loved the idea of hanging out with his son, and especially seeing this training center he’d been talking about for weeks. But going against anything Carly said right now was a quick way to land on the worst side of her “bad” list, and he had no interest in doing that.

“Maybe we could do that tomorrow, Jaden,” Josh said. “Your mom’s right—you need to get some rest.”

Jaden groaned. “Fine, but can you still be the one to drive me?”

Josh glanced at Carly, who avoided his eyes. “If it’s okay with your mom.”

She looked at Jaden, then finally, at Josh. She didn’t look angry, like he expected. She looked hurt. “It’s fine.”

But her tone said otherwise.

“I don’t have to,” he said.

She found his eyes. “I said it’s fine.”

Josh could feel pairs of eyes on him, as if everyone was waiting for his next move. Unfortunately, he had no idea what that move should be.

He didn’t understand Carly anymore. He’d been away too long. He’d made too many mistakes. It was hard to believe that once upon a time, they’d had such an easy relationship. From the day they’d met in third grade, they were friends. And after just moving to town, Josh needed a friend.

They’d grown up together—went to each other’s birthday parties, spent their summers with a big group of friends at the beach. Like all Harbor Pointe locals, they had inside jokes about the tourists. They knew the best places to fish, the most secluded spots on the beach, and that Dockside had—hands down—the best Chicago-style pizza in town. They were the kids all the adults knew by name, which made disobedience next to impossible, at least when they were really young.

Carly was in nearly every single one of his childhood memories. The good ones, anyway.

In fact, she might’ve been the only reason he had good memories at all.

He supposed at some point, the past was bound to come seeping in. He got older. More withdrawn. Somehow, it seemed only Carly could reach him.

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