Impossible To Resist (BWWM Romance Book 1)(50)
The Final Chapter
“Hurry up, Alex!” Jaida yelled at her sister. She’d been ready and waiting in the living room for an hour. Ally and her family would be there to pick them up any minute and Alex was still trying to decide what to wear. “Just put on the jeans and your jersey!”
A.J. regarded herself in the mirror. Her jeans were snug and the jersey tugged a little across her breasts but she didn’t look half bad. Why did she care so much? Gah! A.J. chastised herself for worrying about her appearance when she really needed to figure out what the hell she was going to say to him. If she even got to talk to him. A.J. remained unconvinced that he really wanted to see her and she highly doubted he would respond favorably to what she had to say.
“Alex!” Jaida’s screech jolted A.J. into motion. She grabbed her earrings and popped them in on her way down the hall.
“I’m coming! Hold your horses!” A.J. found her sister standing in the doorway.
“They’re here.” Jaida pointed toward the driveway, clearly irritated with her sister’s lack of urgency.
A.J. peered outside at the unexpected procession. “What the hell is that? I thought it was just Ally and her family and us?”
“And the kids from the hospital and the guys from the rec center,” Jaida said gleefully. “Jared arranged all of this with some help from Ally’s family.”
“What?” A.J. felt sick. “No. No. He didn’t do this. No.”
“Yeah, he did.” Jaida looked at her sister, confused. “I thought you’d be excited. He’s doing this for you, for us.”
“I thought we’d just be a small group going to a football game, not drawing attention.” A.J. leaned against the wall. The room spun around her and her heartbeat quickened. “This is going to draw some serious attention.” Signs were tacked onto the buses being used to transport the kids and their families, all drawing attention to their support of Jared. Even Ally’s family’s cars were covered in Panther colors that called out support for number forty-two.
A horn blared signifying the impatience of the caravan. Jaida tugged at her sleeve. A.J. stood frozen in place. This was not what she had in mind, not what she imagined. How could she talk to Jared with all of these people around? Shit.
“Alex?” Jaida looked worried now. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Y-yeah, sorry, just a little lightheaded. Probably just need a little more caffeine.” A.J. dismissed her concerns and glumly followed her little sister to the SUV driven by Ally’s new husband.
“It’s about time,” Ally sang from the front seat. “You two are with us.”
A.J. half-smiled at her friend and climbed in after her sister. “I didn’t realize we’d have so much company.”
“Jay arranged it all.” Ally echoed Jaida’s announcement that Jared had indeed arranged this grand caravan.
“So I hear,” A.J. mumbled.
“C’mon, A.J., don’t be so glum. This is going to be really fun and Jay went through a lot to make this happen. He talked half his team into getting tickets for us so we could all sit together,” Ally explained. “And I hear you’ve been brushing him off since he left.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” A.J. muttered.
“Then what would you say?” Ally pressed. “Because I hear he’s been texting and calling and even sending very well written letters.”
A.J. glanced at her sister who seemed very focused on the scenery passing by her window. “I see. So you all have been talking about me and conspiring behind my back.”
“Conspiring sounds so horrible, A.J.,” Ally chastised. “I prefer looking out for your best interests since you seem hell bent on ruining the best thing that ever happened to you.”
“Ouch.” A.J. pretended to take a shot to the heart.
“Truth hurts.” Ally shrugged. “You should have called or texted him back. Then maybe we wouldn’t have had to go to such lengths to get you two back together.”
“He left without saying good-bye,” A.J. defended herself, “then showed up in L.A. with a tiny blonde cheerleader on his arm. And, he didn’t reach out to me for two days. What would you have done?”
“Whatever you have to tell yourself so you can sleep at night,” Ally replied, “but there may be very reasonable explanations for all of that.”
“There are!” Jaida chimed in. “He wrote them all in the letter he sent her.”
“Enough!” A.J. frowned. “You are both incorrigible. I will go, enjoy the game, and thank him for his kindness. Maybe he and I can find a way to be friends but I don’t see how we could ever be more with him living in L.A. and me living here.”
“Indeed.” Ally winked at Jaida and let the subject drop.
A.J. took advantage and looked out the window, watching the scenery fly by as she considered what she knew. Jared arranged for all of the kids to attend the game in Nashville. But why? What did he get out of it? He fired his agent and hired Ameryst. Could he really have meant what he said to her? But then why didn’t he say good-bye? Why not reach out to her for two days? And then the blonde at the party. What was real? The Jared he was in Amherst or the Jared he was in L.A.? Or, was the real Jared something entirely different altogether?