That Boy (44 page)

It's almost nine and we're still in bed, trying to get motivated to do something besides stay here all day. The Nebraska game starts at eleven-thirty, and everyone is due to arrive around eleven.

Speaking of arriving, I realize I
still
don't know if Monica is coming to the party.

So I ask bravely, “Um, Phillip, what about Monica?”

He looks at me kind of funny.

“Look, I know you've gotten kinda serious with her lately, and well, I just need to know if she'll be here today. You know, so I can prepare myself.”

Phillip pulls me close and runs his hand through my hair. God, I love it when he does that. Then my mind wanders to all the other things he does that I love, and I swear, I blush
just thinking
about them.

“Why in the world would you think Monica and I have gotten serious? I was just telling Danny the other day that she's been driving me nuts.”

I blink my eyes.

Hard.

I am going to
kill
Danny.

He told me that to make me jealous!

He manipulated me.

And it worked!!!!

Now he will try to take the credit for us being together, and he will
never
let me forget it. We'll be sitting in wheel chairs at the old folks home, and he will
still
be telling me that I owe him. And I don't think I can take that!

Shit.

“Danny told me.”

“Danny lies,” Phillip says, smirking.

Yeah I know.

“That little ……” I start to say a bad phrase about Danny, but Phillip just laughs and kisses me.

I'm back in dreamland.

“We
really
need to get up and get things ready,” I tell him.

“Nah, I think we should just lock the door, turn off the lights, and not come out all weekend.”

I am tempted. Very tempted.

But our consciences get the best of us, so we get up and do everything on Mrs. Mac's list. While Phillip runs into town to get beer, I take a quick shower and get ready.

I'm looking at myself in the mirror and am now thinking that I really wished I hadn't waited so long to get together with Phillip. Aside from all the fun we may have missed out on, I think about
how many days
I could have looked like
this
!

I mean, I look beautiful.

Incredible.

And I
never
look this way. Kind of cute maybe, but not this!

Whatever
this
is, if I could bottle it and sell it, I would be very, very rich.

Quite frankly, I don't know how I'm going to get through the party today. I feel like people are going to take one look at me and
know
. There's a permanent grin on my face, my knees are weak and my eyes are smoldering, like there's a fire in them that can't quite get put out.

I might as well be wearing a flashing neon sign.
I slept with Phillip. Flash. I slept with Phillip! Flash.

I don't think anyone will be able to miss it.

And I'm worried about this because I really don't want people to know yet. I don't need any coaching, or advice, or pressure.

I want to savor this.

Oh. And I have a BIG confession to make.

I think I may have found my prince.

I always knew I would, and I know,
technically
he's not a prince, but I don't think you necessarily have to be royal to be a prince.

I mean he acts like a prince, and he treats me like a princess.

He always has. What more could a girl ask for?

I'm half tempted to look at the sky and yell up to my parents,
I told you so!

But then I remember they always hoped I would marry Phillip, so I guess we're even.

I can't believe that I'm actually
thinking
about marrying him.

It is WAY too soon to have thoughts like this.

Phillip gets back with the beer, and I don't get to attack him again because people started showing up early.

Damn them!

What? I missed him.

And surprisingly, no one notices my neon sign.

This is amazing to me because every time I look at Phillip, I swear it flashes all the dirty little thoughts I'm having about him.

I have fun catching up with Katie and her husband, Eric. They just bought a new house and are all excited about it. Lisa brought her new boyfriend, Parker. I like him a lot, and they seem really good together. Other than her big crush on Danny, she hasn't always had the best taste in men.

I'm happy for her.

Hell, I'm happy for everyone today.

I can't seem to wipe the happy off of my face.

Brandon, Joey and Neil are here too, and a bunch of other old friends.

I get the big spread of food out onto the kitchen island. While I'm doing that, I can't help but watch Phillip. He's talking and laughing. He's got such an easy way about him. He makes everyone feel comfortable and welcome, and he's so sweet and so handsome and so…..everything I need.

Pretty soon the game gets started.

After getting everyone else situated, I realize that there is nowhere left to sit, except the floor. So I get brave and plop down across Phillip's lap. He's sitting in a big cushy chair, and I sit across the arms in the opposite direction. I figured this move would surely blow our cover, but no one seemed to think it was all that unusual.

I am
really worried
about my friends.

They are not very perceptive people.

A little before halftime, I run to the garage to get more ice out of the dreaded freezer. As I come around the corner, I nearly collide with Phillip, whose hands are filled with bottles of beer. He sets the beer down, grabs me around the waist and kisses me wildly.

“Do you know how
badly
I've been wanting to do that?” he asks, when he finally stops kissing me.

“Yeah, I think I do.”

He caresses my cheek and declares, “I love you.”

Shit. Those three little words have woken up my previously dormant brain.

“Phillip, don't say that. Okay?”

“Why not? I mean it.”

“Phillip, I know you love me. I love you too, but do me a favor.” He starts to roll his eyes at me, but I give him a stern look and say, “This is important to me. Please don't tell me that you love me until you've spent some time with me, and we have a better idea of whether this will all work out.”

A flash of irritation crosses his face. He thinks I'm looking for a way out, but I am
so
not.

“Look, I just want you to wait until you can honestly tell me that you're IN love with me. And I'm not talking friend love either.” Then chicken shit in me goes out onto a big and scary limb. I bite my lip and say, “I'm talking REAL love, like the
forever
kind.”

He smiles at me and kisses me again, very sweetly.

“I can live with that. Mostly because it means you're serious about this, about us.”

He kisses the tip of my nose.

“It also tells me you're actually thinking about forever with me. I really like the way that sounds.”

“We should probably get back in there.” I tell him, but he ignores that.

“So you were
desperate
to be with me last night, huh?” He teases, then flips my hair behind my shoulder and kisses my exposed neck. He's never gonna let me live this down.

“Yeah, I was prepared to beg,” I say flatly, trying to keep my cool. But what I really want to do is kick everyone out of the house, drag him upstairs, and see if I can make
him
desperate.

“You know, I think I
definitely
heard some begging last night.” He gives me a huge grin.

I laugh at that because I know
exactly
what he is referring to.

And, uh, I
was
begging.

He's got his hands up the back of my Husker shirt, and I swear my skin is practically sizzling. I'm tempted to look over my shoulder to see if there is smoke, but instead I come back with, “Oh really? Well, what
I
want to know is when you got so religious? I haven't heard God's name spoken that many times in church.”

We laugh at each other and Phillip says, “You know, I keep wishing this game would just get over so all these people would go home. I couldn't care less if they win or lose.”

Phillip doesn't care if the Huskers win or lose?

WOW!

Now that's saying something.

In fact, that may be the
best
compliment I've gotten in my entire life.

Sunday morning, Phillip and I are awakened around ten by my loudly ringing phone. Yeah, it's unusual for Phillip to sleep in, but I did keep him up late last night.

I grope around for the handset, can't find it, so I hit the speaker button on the base.

“Hello,” I say groggily.

“
JADE!”
Lori's screaming voice echoes into my room.

My God, she can't possibly know about Phillip and me already.

Can she?

“You don't sound awake. Are you still in bed?”

“Uh, yeah, but that's okay. What's up?”

“AAAHHHH. I AM SOOOO EXCITED!!!!!! OHHHH. I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE IT. YOU'RE. NEVER. GOING. TO. BELIEVE. IT!!!!!”

“Believe what?”

“I. AM.
PREGNANT!!!!!
!”

“Oh, Lori, that is
so
awesome!” I look at Phillip, who just rolled over toward me when he heard the news. He has a great expression on his face, and I'm so excited I start to say, “Phil…” Then I stop quickly.

Because I am not in bed with Phillip right now, as far as my friends know.

“What did you say, Jade? Did you say…?”

I interrupt her, “I said that's awesome,
fil
ipping awesome.”

“No, you didn't, you said Fil….OH MY GOD! Is
Phillip
there? Am I on speakerphone? Phillip, if you're there, you'd better answer me.”

I shake my head no at Phillip, but he doesn't do as I say.

Sure,
now
he's a rebel.

“Yeah, I'm here, Lori,” Phillip confesses. “Congratulations, this is so great. I bet Danny is just ecstatic.”

“Um, well, he doesn't exactly know yet.”

“He doesn't?” I ask surprised.

“NO!” she says, and starts talking very fast. “I know I should have told him first, but after he left for the game this morning, I was getting ready and realized it's been a long time since I've had my period, and I looked at the date and saw I was like
two weeks late
! I've been so busy trying to get this house all painted and decorated that I hadn't even noticed. So I quick ran to the drug store and bought a home pregnancy test. I was standing here alone when it said PREGNANT, and I just
had
to tell someone! And I didn't want to call Danny right before his game and just tell him on the phone, like I was asking him about the traffic or something. I mean, I want to do something
special
.” She pauses for a moment.

“
HEY, WAIT A MINUTE!
Did you say you were still
IN BED
?”

Damn!

I am so busted.