Page 83 of While You're There
“You two good?” Jake asked, nodding to the glasses sitting in front of her and Field.
“I’m good,” Tori confirmed.
A sly smile crept onto Fielding’s face. “I’ll probably have one more before I switch to water, but I’m gonna wait and harass my brother about it.”
Jake smirked at Fielding and took a step back to turn away from them, but then his eyes grew wide as his gaze focused just past her shoulder.
“Bro?”
That was all the warning she got before she felt a strong, familiar body wrap around her from behind. “Hey, beautiful,” Rhett murmured into her ear as she raised both her hands to clasp his arms.
“Rhett?!” she confirmed, her voice shaking slightly, his name coming out more as a question than a statement. “What are you doing here?” She was out of her seat in an instant and in his arms a moment later.
She let herself sink into the hug as she savored his distinctly familiar presence, a scent that was unmistakably Rhett. He was home. And now she was whole.
“Hi, you.” He ran his hand up along her spine before working it into the hair at the nape of her neck. “Fuck, I missed you,” he whispered, the proximity of his mouth to her ear the only way she was able to hear him over the music.
“What are you doing here?” she asked again. She hadn’t expected him home; he hadn’t given her any indication that he’d be in Hampton this weekend or anytime soon. The excitement of being in his orbit was quickly giving way to worry.Why had he come home without telling her?
“This is a big night for our boy,” he replied, nodding to where Jake was still standing with his arms spread wide on the bar. “And I really missed my wife.” He bowed his head and simultaneously lifted her chin so their kiss met in the middle. He used the hand in her hair to pull her closer, melting away all the questions and concerns that had started to swirl around her mind. He smelled like fresh rain and sandalwood; he tasted like expensive whiskey and sweet mint. She let him part her lips with his tongue, welcoming him home right in the middle of the crowded bar.
“I love you,” she whispered against his mouth before pulling away. She turned around to face their friends but kept close and let Rhett hold her from behind. She was grateful for the contact she hadn’t even realized she’d been missing until her body instinctively pressed back into his grasp. She inhaled deeply, trying to steady her nerves from the shock of seeing her husband for the first time since they had parted ways in Columbus last weekend.
“Congrats, bro,” he said to Jake, his voice dripping with sincerity. “The parking lot and all the side streets are packed. It took me ten minutes just to find a spot. This place is incredible.”
“Thanks,” Jake replied coolly. Tori felt Rhett’s arms tense around her at the dismissal. She knew Rhett was on Jake’s shit list for a lot of reasons right now, but she didn’t want that to spoil this night. She gave Jake a pointed look, silently urging him to say something else.
He sighed for a fraction of a second before continuing. “It’s been a long time coming, and it was a ton of work. But I’m pretty proud of it. Make sure you check out the team pictures outside the restrooms. You’ll see some familiar faces.”
She felt Rhett nod behind her, but he didn’t say anything else. The awkwardness between the two men was palpable. She glanced over at Fielding to see if he was picking up on the vibe, too, but he had his gaze set straight ahead.
She realized then that Rhett hadn’t even acknowledged Fielding’s presence. That irked her to the core, especially after everything Field had done for her over the past week. But it’s not like Rhett knew that he’d been in the car when Jake came to pick her up, or that he’d been the one helping her with all the prep for Camp New Hope over the last few weeks.
“Yo! Wheeler! I didn’t see you come in! Can I get you a drink?” Teddy walked up and stood shoulder to shoulder next to Jake behind the bar, his full sleeve of ink on display thanks to his form-fitting uniform shirt. She didn’t miss how Jake’s eyes narrowed on Rhett as they all waited for his response.
“Nah, man, not tonight. I just came in to check out the new place and to get my girl.” He tightened his hold around her midsection before she could remind him that her stomach was super sensitive from the hormone injections. She winced slightly, then worked her hands under his forearms and peeled herself out of his grasp. She turned around and met his gaze. Rhett cocked his head in question.
“My stomach… it’s sensitive from all the shots,” she reminded him in a whisper. She assumed Jake had been watching them closely enough to catch her reaction, but she didn’t want to embarrass Rhett or call him out in front of everyone else.
His eyes dropped from her face to her stomach then back again. “Fuck,” he muttered to himself as he ran a hand through his hair. “I’m so sorry, V. I completely forgot.”
His admission hurt worse than the injection she’d struggled to give herself that night.He forgot?How the hell could he just forget something that had been consuming most of her waking thoughts?
Today had been the first day she had to give herself two separate shots, and the morning shot had burned going in. She thought she was getting better with the nighttime injection, but she was jumpy and squeamish after the new shot that morning, so much so that she had almost asked Fielding to help her tonight. He’d been at the house anyways, hovering in the hallway as promised, riling up Penny and cracking jokes to lighten the mood.
She downplayed the whole thing with a flippant subject change. “No worries. I’m fine. Did you want to stick around for a bit?”
Rhett shook his head. “Not unless you do?”
“No, I’m ready to go. And I’m sure the guys will be happy to have another bar stool freed up.” She looked toward Jake to find his gaze still set on the two of them, his eyes assessing Rhett up and down. So much for not letting the tension between them sour the night.
She stepped a few feet forward to talk to Fielding over the music. “Hey, I’m going to get going now that Rhett’s here,” she said as she leaned into his personal space.
Fielding didn’t even acknowledge he heard her, instead looking over her shoulder to Jake. She watched with trepidation as they shared a quick, wordless exchange.
“Is he good, Tori?”
Awareness swept over her as she realized what Fielding was asking and what Jake had been looking for when he eyed Rhett up and down.
