Returning to normal life was a struggle. I wanted the life that we’d had together in Seattle. The wave of fresh and new, Jordan’s friends nearby, the incredible team at the University of Washington residency. I wanted it all.
And Jordan had just offered it to me on a platter.
He’d said that he’d actually move with me.
It felt…too good to be true. I’d avoided dating for so long, thinking that I couldn’t get with anyone that I was going to have to leave behind…like Chase had left me behind. But now, Jordan was saying that I could have it all. That he’d go with me.
I just had to get together my list of residency programs for selection. It was the single most important decision of my career, and I didn’t want to fuck it up. I’d been moving programs up and down the list since I started interviewing.
In a week, I had to make my final choice.
And I’d just moved Seattle to the top.
- Seattle—University of Washington
- Baltimore—Johns Hopkins (unlikely but necessary)
- Atlanta—Emory
- Los Angeles—University of Southern California
- Dallas—University of Texas, Southwestern
…
The entire list was sixteen total schools with Texas Tech at the bottom. I’d probably partner with a school before Tech, but it was good to have a safety school on the list, just in case.
I stared down at the list on my phone as Jennifer pulled up to the soccer complex. I’d missed a few indoor meets because of interviewing and overnights at the hospital. Isaac had said that it was fine and that they’d gotten someone else to sub in. But I’d gotten texts from Cézanne and Julian, asking if I was coming today. Apparently, Blaire had gotten Piper to sub, and she and Hollin had been at each other’s throats the entire time. Everyone was glad to have me back.
I hopped out of Bertha—Jennifer’s wreck of a car—grabbing my bag out of the back, and walked with her into the complex. Jordan and Julian were standing near the entrance, huddled together with the woman I recognized as their mother. I’d seen her around at Wright events, though I wasn’t sure we’d ever been formally introduced.
“Annie,” Jordan said, waving me over.
Go ahead,” Jennifer said.
“See you after,” I told her.
Then, I headed toward Jordan as she walked toward Blaire and Piper since Sutton wasn’t at this game.
“Hey, babe,” Jordan said.
He reached for my hand, lacing our fingers together. I flushed at the easy contact. Things had changed in Seattle when we got to be ourselves without any other eyes on us. But here, I still wasn’t entirely used to it…even if I didn’t mind.
“Hey,” I said with a smile.
“I wanted to introduce you to my mom,” Jordan said.
“You must be the Annie I’ve heard so much about. I’m Helene.” She pulled me into a hug in lieu of shaking hands. “It’s so nice to meet you. Jordan and Julian speak so highly of you, and I’m glad to see Jordan finally happy again.”
“I’ve been happy, Mom,” Jordan said with a laugh.
Julian eyed him skeptically. “Yeah, right.”
“You’ve been pouting since we left Vancouver,” Helene said.
I covered my laugh. “I didn’t really know the difference until we went to Seattle and I saw him with his friends.”
“Cush?” Julian guessed.
Helene sighed in exasperation. “That boy! He can eat you out of house and home. Did you see Tye, too? He’s such a sweetheart.”
“Yes, Mom, We saw Cush and Tye. Georgia was with them, too.”
“You should invite them down,” Helene said. “I’ll make that peach pie they all devoured.”
“I’ll let them know,” he said with a laugh.
“And you’re welcome to come to dinner, dear,” she added to me.
“Thank you so much, but I actually have a hospital shift after I leave here.”
“Next time you’re free then,”
“I’d love to.”
“See now, Jordan, you can’t hide her from us anymore,” his mother said. She winked at me and then headed into the stands to watch the game.
Jordan shook his head. “It’s so fun when you guys gang up on me.”
Julian shrugged. “Only way we know how to show our love.”
Jordan rolled his eyes. Julian punched his arm and then headed out to the field to warm up.
“I should go, too,” I told him. “I feel sloppy, having not been here in a few weeks.”
“I’m sure you’ll be great. When are you going back to the hospital?”
“This is my last week of overnights, and then I’m back to mids. Thank God.”
“Shower, dinner, and then work?”
I nodded. “That’s the plan.”
“I like the plan.”
A figure appeared next to me, and I found Isaac standing with crossed arms.
“Hey, Isaac,” Jordan said, holding his hand out.
Isaac glanced between us with a total big-brother look. Welp. I hadn’t mentioned to him that I was seeing Jordan. And technically, Jordan was Isaac’s boss. So, maybe that should have come up.
“What’s going on here?” Isaac asked.
I laughed. “Stop that.” I smacked his arm, and he released a smile. “Jordan and I are dating.”
Jordan looked a little put out. “I probably should have mentioned…”
Isaac waved him away, taking his hand and shaking once vigorously. “Forget it. Apparently, I’m the last to know. I was trying to be an overbearing big brother. How’d I do?”
“Terrible,” I said, bumping against him.
“Why wouldn’t I be happy that you’re dating my little sister?” Isaac asked with a smile. “We’ve worked together for three years. I know the kind of person you are by now.”
Jordan relaxed at the comment. “Well, still, I’ve heard that older brothers have the tendency to punch the new guy their sister is dating.”
“Should I punch you?” Isaac asked with mock seriousness.
“If it’ll make you feel better,” Jordan said with a barely contained smile.
“I think I’m good. I’m going to steal Annie so that we can play soccer. We can discuss ways in which I need to assert my masculinity later.”
Jordan snorted. “Sounds good. Good luck out there.”
I shook my head and followed Isaac out to the field.
“You’re happy?” he asked me.
“I am.”
“Good. That’s all I care about.”
Then he started to run drills before the game. He was still in tip-top shape from years of playing soccer, and I was envious of how easy he moved. I felt sluggish even stretching. Tonight was going to be rough.
“Tell them, Hollin,” Julian said, smacking Hollin in the chest.
They were stretching with Blaire, Cézanne, and Gerome.
I sidled up to the group, leaving Isaac to his warm-up drills. “Tell them what?”
Julian glanced over at me, and his face split. “We’re throwing a party at the winery.”
“Already? Is it ready?”
“Well, not officially. It’s not, like, the grand opening. But we’ve had enough of the construction finished and all the permits in order that we can have a friends-and-family thing. But that’s not the best part.”
Hollin finally chimed in, “Campbell said that Cosmere was going to be traveling nearby on tour, and he’d stop by to perform.”
“Oh my God!”
My jaw dropped. That was news.
Campbell was Hollin’s younger brother and probably the most famous musician to come out of Lubbock after Buddy Holly and Natalie Maines of The Chicks. He sang lead for the band Cosmere, a group he’d joined out in LA after high school graduation. They were constantly hailed as the next Maroon 5. Understandably, Campbell hadn’t been back in Lubbock much since breaking out a few years ago.
“Holy shit,” Cézanne said. “I don’t even like their music, and holy shit! We never get bands that big in town.”
Blaire had gone pale. “They’re coming here?”
“Yes!” Hollin said. “Well, Campbell will be here for the friends-and-family thing. Not the whole band. He said he could do a few acoustic songs.” He waved his hands, as if there were no difference. “But he said he’d try to convince the entire band to show up for the grand opening!”
“That would be incredible for the winery,” I said. “You’d sell out.”
Hollin laughed. “I know. I figured it’s the best I can do for it, considering the Wrights fronted the money.”
Julian kicked him in the shin. “Shut up. You’re doing all the heavy lifting.”
“So, just to confirm,” Blaire said, clearing her throat as she got to her feet, “Campbell is coming here for your party? And that’s when again?”
“Two weeks!” Julian said.
“Oh, hey,” Hollin said as if it’d just hit him. “Didn’t you two graduate together?”
Blaire clenched her jaw and shrugged. “Yeah. But he was, like, cool.”
“Says the Instagram Influencer,” I said with a laugh.
But I could see her discomfort from a mile off. Of course, the boys were oblivious.
“Yeah, you’re the coolest person I know,” Cézanne said.
Blaire forced a laugh. “I managed to be cool after high school, but back then, I was a huge nerd. My mom was a psychiatrist, and it was just…” She trailed off and made a face. “Campbell Abbey didn’t even know my name.”
I highly doubted that.
“Okay, let’s play!” Isaac said.
We all stood from where we’d been stretching, huddled together for one of Isaac’s pep talks, and then broke and ran into position.
Cézanne glanced at me. “So, Seattle?”
I nodded. “I think it’s going to be number one. You?”
“Tech.”
“Really? Top of the class and all those interviews, and you still want to stay here?” I asked as the whistle blew.
“If I can do some good in my community here in Lubbock, then I don’t need to go anywhere else,” she said as if it were obvious.
And maybe it was. I’d never thought of it that way.
We won the game thirteen to nothing.
Isaac had actually pulled Blaire back from forward after her fifth goal. Girls got two points for every goal. Julian scored the next three, and the ref called a mercy rule. I hadn’t even known there was a mercy rule. But I was glad for it. Not that I’d done much to help win. I wasn’t a soccer player, and I felt like I’d been run over by the end of it. We slapped hands with the other team, and then I ran to the sidelines to guzzle my water bottle.
Blaire invited everyone out for our typical pizza. I bowed out since I had to work and found Jennifer and Jordan waiting for me.
“You did great!” Jen said.
I laughed. “I was terrible.”
“Same thing,” she said. “You played the sports balls, and the team won. So, you won.”
“I love you.”
She made a cute face like she was going to rub her nose against mine. It was so adorable. “Love you, too. I’m going to get pizza.” She glanced at Jordan. “Can you get her home?”
“Already the plan,” he said easily.
“Thanks!”
“I’ll see you later.”
“Bye!” Jennifer said, waving at us and then running to catch up with Blaire.
“Shall we?” Jordan asked.
I nodded, stretching my arms overhead and yawning. “Why am I tired already?”
“Because just ran for an hour and you’ve been working overnights.”
“Right,” I said with a soft laugh. “Of course.”
We reached his truck, and Jordan came around to my side to let me in. But before he opened the door, he turned to face me. “Before we go, I wanted to give you something.”
“Oh?”
Then he produced a small box…a jewelry box. My mind stopped, and everything in the entire universe screeched to a halt. I mean, he’d said that he was willing to move with me, but that couldn’t be what that was, right? Right?
He laughed when he saw my face. “Breathe, Annie. I’m not proposing.” Then he considered it. “Not yet.”
I flushed all over at that comment. “Jordan…”
“Shh,” he said playfully and then handed me the box. “Just open it.”
My mouth opened and closed as the box settled in my hand. I swallowed, wondering what the hell he could be surprising me with. And why I hadn’t recoiled at the thought of him one day proposing?
I opened the box and gasped, my hand going to my mouth. Nestled in red velvet was a small claddagh ring.
“Jordan,” I breathed. “You didn’t!”
“I know it’s not the same as the one your parents gave you.” He plucked the ring from the box as I stood there, frozen, trying not to cry at the thoughtful gift. “But I wanted you to have something at least.”
“Thank you so much,” I whispered. “It’s perfect.”
He went to slide it onto my finger, but I stopped him.
“The claddagh is a traditional Irish ring with three parts. The hands represent friendship, the crown represents loyalty, and the heart is for love. If you’re single, you wear the ring with the heart facing out,” I told him, showing him that was the way he was about to put the ring on my finger. I turned the ring around. “If the heart is facing inward, it means that you’re taken and your heart is guarded.” I slipped the ring on and looked up at him tenderly. “Now, you’re guarding my heart.”
“Yes, I am,” he said and then kissed me.