Page 86 of Fourth Wheel
Jake looks at me wearing a puzzled expression.
“Dempsey’s ex-fiancée.” I raise both my eyebrows, and his eyes widen in surprise. For once he doesn’t call me out for my attitude—way to read the room, Jakey.
“I think I’ll just find a seat and meet up with him afterward,” I relent, turning to step out of line and head to an empty row at the back of the church.
“Are you meeting up with the guys from The Oak? Or will you sit with me?” I ask as Jake follows my lead.
He scoffs under his breath before replying. “Of course I’ll sit with you. But you’re sure you don’t want to go up there? Or sit closer to the front?”
I shake my head adamantly as I slide into one of the last rows in the back of the church. I busy myself arranging my dress and making sure Jake has enough room before looking up to the front of the church again.
I don’t know what I was hoping to see. But Brooke in the second row, directly behind the reserved seating for immediate family, was not it.
I feel like a birthday candle compared to the blinding light that surrounds her. Multiple people move on to speak to her after speaking to the boys. They wereengaged, after all. They were going to be married. It makes sense she’s here. And that she feels entitled to sit front and center.
I double check that my phone is on silent before glancing over to find Jake’s attention on me.
“You okay, Fourth Wheel?” he asks, genuine concern in his expression.
I bite down on the inside of my cheek to hold back the tears I have no intention of shedding as I nod.
“Do Rhett and Tori know?” I whisper, desperate to change the subject. I don’t need anyone—least of all Jake—knowing just how affected I am by Brooke’s presence or just how much Dempsey means to me.
Jake doesn’t answer right away. He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees, then he turns to me. “What are you really asking me right now?” he counters. “Do you want to know whether your brother knows that their mom died… or whether he knows about your not-so-secret summer fling?”
I roll my eyes at his non-response. “I assumed he knew about Dempsey and me, considering you made it your personal mission to out us this summer,” I snap back in defense.
“Youneed an attitude check,” Jake admonishes as he wraps one arm around me and pulls me into a side hug.
I shove him in the ribs but let him hug me.
“I don’t think your brother knows about your summer of love. If he does, he didn’t hear it from me. And for the record, I only told Fielding about you two because he needed to hear it from a neutral source. Regardless of what happened in the past or how I feel about what he did, Field’s not a bad guy. He deserved to hear the full truth after that night at the bar with Adley, not some small-town gossip from an unreliable source.”
I don’t love his explanation. But we can’t go back and change it now.
“And to answer your question, yeah. Rhett and Tori know.”
My eyes widen as that little realization sinks in.
“But they won’t be here,” he continues. “Theywerecoming. They had already booked their flights. But Dempsey called and asked them to stay away. Fielding’s not… he’s just not in a good place. Hasn’t been for a while. Add in Gloria’s death and the fact that he was the one who found her—”
My heart lurches with that confession—I didn’t know Fielding was the one who found her.
“—and he’s fucked in the head right now. Being around Tori would have been a gamble with his sanity, and Dempsey decided it wasn’t worth the risk. It was his call to make. Rhett respected his wishes.”
I nod somberly, then sit up straighter when organ music begins to play. Jake releases his grip on my shoulder and settles in beside me while my mind drifts to who’s actually here, who’s not, and why.
Chapter 45
Dempsey
Theserviceends,andwe’re escorted to a family waiting area as people file out of the church. That’s fine by me—for the last twenty-four hours, Fielding and I have gone through all the motions of smiling and nodding and thanking people for coming.
I’m ready to be done. I’m ready to get to her.
Dempsey: Are you still here?
I spotted her before the ceremony, sitting toward the back and being comforted by Jake. I had secretly hoped she would sit next to me during the service. But I might not have been able to focus with her back in my orbit.
