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CHAPTER ONE
1

JADE

Yesterday when I got home from class, Garret was acting really strange. Actually, he’s been acting strange for a couple days now. It’s like he’s trying to act normal but something’s off. He seems on edge but not outwardly. It’s one of those things that, when you know someone really well, you notice tiny details that tell you something’s not right.

I asked Garret about it last night and he said everything’s fine. But he’s not fine and I think I know why. Ten years ago last Monday his mom was killed in a plane crash. He says that day doesn’t bother him anymore but I know it does and I think that’s why he’s not himself right now.

I thought he’d feel better after seeing his dad, but it didn’t seem to help. Yesterday Pearce came by the house while I was at class. He was in California for a meeting and wanted to stop and see Garret and me. But he only stayed for an hour so I never got to see him. When I got home, Garret seemed even more out of it than before I left. It was like his mind was elsewhere. I asked him about his dad’s visit and he just said they talked, but he didn’t say what they talked about.

This morning, as we were getting ready to leave for the airport, he still seemed off, but he keeps telling me nothing’s wrong. I think he’s just saying that because tomorrow is Thanksgiving and he wants me to enjoy the holiday. If something’s wrong, I know he wouldn’t tell me until we get home next Monday.

“Jade, we’re almost there.” Garret kisses the top of my head. I’m leaning against his shoulder, which is where I’ve slept for the past few hours. We’re on the plane to Des Moines and the pilot just announced that we’ll be landing in a few minutes.

I sit up and rub my neck. “I must’ve slept funny. I can barely move my neck.”

“Here.” He reaches behind me and starts massaging it for me.

“Mmm. That feels sooo good.” I close my eyes, tilting my head side to side. He hits a pressure point that releases the knot in my neck. “Oh, yeah. Right there.”

“You like that?” He puts a little more pressure on it.

“Yes. Don’t stop.” He puts his thumb at the base of my neck and runs it up to my hairline but I need more pressure. “That’s good. But go deeper.” I lean forward a little.

I hear him laugh, then clear his throat. “Jade.” He takes his hand off my neck.

“What?” I sit up and see the old lady across the aisle staring at us with a disapproving look on her face. I peer back at the crack between our seats and see two businessmen working on their laptops. They smile when they see me looking at them. I replay the words I just said and realize how it sounded. Shit!

I whip back around, my cheeks on fire. “Garret!” I whisper. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“About what?” He’s trying not to laugh.

“Why didn’t you tell me people were listening?”

“We’re crammed in here, Jade. Everyone can hear. They don’t even have to try to listen.”

“I was talking about my neck!” I’m still whispering. “That’s it! They saw you rubbing my neck. So why are they looking at me that way?”

He leans in, lowering his voice. “Because you just recited the dialogue from a porn film. Doesn’t matter which one. They’re all the same.” He laughs. “It sounded like you were auditioning for one of them.”

“This is not funny.” I bury my face in his chest as he hugs me.

“Actually, it’s freaking hilarious,” he says by my ear.

“I’ve never seen porn. How would I know what they say?”

“You’ve never seen porn?” He keeps his voice low.

“No! When would I have seen porn?” I whisper. “I don’t have those kind of movies.”

“You can see it on the Internet.”

“I don’t go to those sites!”

He looks at me. “Seriously? You’ve never seen it?”

“No.” I cross my arms over my chest. Now I feel like an idiot. He’s right. How could I be 20 years old and have not seen porn? Not that I’m interested in that stuff, but still.

He pulls me back into a hug. “I had no idea you were so innocent.” He kisses my head. “I might have to dirty you up a little. But not too much. I like you sweet and innocent.”

I peek over his shoulder and see that the old lady has gone back to reading her book. She’s obviously seen porn or she wouldn’t have given me those looks. So she’s seen it and I haven’t? I need to go online and check this out.

The flight attendant walks by. “Tray tables up. Seatbelts fastened. We’ll be landing in a couple minutes.” Her head moves left and right as she checks that we’re all following orders, then she takes a seat up front behind the cockpit.

Cockpit. It sounds like a dirty word now that I’ve got porn on the brain.
Cockpit. Cockpit. Cockpit. Cockpit.
The word keeps repeating in my head, sounding dirtier each time. I start laughing and can’t stop.

“What’s so funny?” Garret’s smiling at me. “Thinking about the neck rub?”

“No. Yes. Kind of.” I’m still laughing. “I think I just need to get off this plane.”

“We’re landing right now.” Our hands are joined and Garret squeezes mine a little. “You good?”

“Yes.” I close my eyes and feel the wheels touch down. I get nervous on planes, especially the takeoffs and landings, but Garret always calms me down.

The plane comes to a stop and Garret reaches overhead to get our stuff. We’re in first class, so as soon as they open the plane door we get right off.

“Well, that was embarrassing,” I say, as we walk through the airport.

“And informative.” Garret puts his arm around me. “Learn something new about you every day, Jade.”

We go down the escalator and I see Frank and Ryan standing there.

“Welcome home.” Frank gives me a hug while Ryan says hi to Garret.

“It feels like I haven’t been here forever.”

“We ordered up some snow for you,” Frank says as I give Ryan a hug.

“It snowed already?”

“No, but it’s supposed to on Saturday night,” Ryan says. He looks at Garret. “You up for shoveling? You’re part of the family now, which means we put you to work.”

“Sure, I don’t mind.” Garret takes my hand as we walk to baggage.

“You guys need to get a snowblower,” I say to Frank.

“We already have one. Ryan’s just testing your husband.”

Ryan laughs. “I wanted to see if pretty boy would agree to shovel.”

“Hey.” I punch Ryan. “Be nice.”

“And enough with the pretty boy shit.” Garret smiles as he says it. “I don’t get why you call me that, but keep it up and I might have to come up with a nickname for
you
.”

“We should totally give him a nickname,” I say to Garret. “What should it be?”

“Okay, kids,” Frank says, all Dad-like. “Everyone be nice. This is Thanksgiving.”

“Ryan started it,” I say like a kid would.

Frank shakes his head, smiling. “This is going to be a long weekend.”

We all laugh.

Garret takes our suitcase off the conveyor belt and walks with Ryan toward the parking garage. “You gonna let me drive the new car?”

“It’s not really new anymore, but yeah. We can go when we get home.”

Frank and I are behind them. I look at Frank. “What is with those two and cars? It’s a BMW. Aren’t they all the same?”

“It’s their thing,” Frank says quietly. “They both like cars. It’s something they can bond over. And going for a drive gives them an excuse to spend time together.”

We stop at the white Honda CR-V Frank bought last summer after I gave him some of the money from my trust fund. Ryan puts our suitcase in the back, then comes around and gets in the driver’s seat.

“Why aren’t you driving, Frank?” I slide in the back seat, next to Garret. Frank’s in front of me on the passenger side.

“I didn’t sleep well last night. I don’t like to drive when I’m tired.”

His comment worries me. Frank looks healthy on the outside but I wonder if he’s not feeling well. If he was, I know he wouldn’t tell me. He doesn’t want me to worry, but of course I still do.

“You guys haven’t even complained about the cold.” Ryan turns the heat up. “It’s only 30 degrees. I thought you California people would be freaking out by now.”

“We’ve only lived there a few months.” I look at Garret. “I don’t feel that cold. Do you?”

“Didn’t even notice it.” He aims his cocky grin at Ryan. “I’m not some pretty boy who can’t handle the cold.”

Ryan glances at him in the rear view mirror. “Then maybe we’ll go throw the football around in the back yard. Get some of that cold Midwest air in your lungs. Unless swimmers don’t play football. Might be too rough of a sport.”

Garret knees the back of Ryan’s seat. “I was quarterback in high school.”

“Pretty boys are always quarterback,” Ryan mumbles, loud enough for us to hear.

Garret laughs and shakes his head.

Guys. This is obviously how they bond, insulting each other, challenging each other. I don’t get it, but if that’s their way of becoming friends, it’s fine with me.

We get to the house a half hour later. When Frank said his new house is on the west side of the Des Moines metro, he meant it. It’s really far west. The house is off by itself on a couple acres of land, surrounded by woods. It’s a one-level house with dark tan siding, multicolored stone, black shutters, and a black front door. The house blends in nicely with the wooded setting.

“You did a good job with the colors, Frank.” We’re standing in the driveway, admiring the house.

“I drove around and looked at other houses and copied one that I liked. The property goes way back into the woods. We’ve already seen a lot of wildlife, even out here in the driveway.”

I latch onto Garret. “What kind of wildlife? Like snakes?”

“Snakes, raccoons, fox, deer, coyote.”

Garret laughs as I grip him even tighter. “You shouldn’t have told her that. Now she’ll lock herself in the house the rest of the weekend.”

“You’re afraid of wildlife?” Frank asks me.

“Yes! You know how scared I am of snakes. At least at the old house we didn’t have any, or any other wildlife.”

“What are you talking about?” Ryan takes the suitcase out of the car. “We had snakes at the other house. And raccoons were always getting in the garbage. We even had a bat in the house.”

“A bat?” I shudder. “You never told me that.”

“You were at school when it happened. We got it out before you got home.”

“Where was it? In the living room?”

Ryan looks at Frank, who shrugs and says, “We don’t live there anymore so you might as well tell her.”

BOOK: Always Us (The Jade Series #8)

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