Until the End (Sea Breeze #9)(64)

The waiter at the Italian place I knew Jess loved seated us at a table. She had tried to tell me she wanted to go eat Thai food. That was a lie. I was the one who loved Thai food. Once again she was trying to give me what she thought I wanted. This was getting out of hand.

Her eyes lit up as she took the menu and started reading it. That was what made me happy. Seeing my pregnant fiancée drooling over food. She was craving things. I knew she was, but she wouldn’t tell me. I would come home and she would have gone and bought strange items she never used to eat.

“I want you to order three things. Eat what you want and we’ll take home the leftovers for you to enjoy for the rest of the week, in case you crave it and I’m not there.”

Jess glanced up at me from her menu. “How did you know I was trying to decide between three things?”

I smirked. “Because you’re mine and I know you. The ricotta and Grana Padano gnocchi, pesto lasagna, and cannelloni are always hard for you to choose between. Just get all three.”

Jess pressed her lips together and closed her menu. “Fine, then. Read my mind. I guess I’m predictable.”

Laughing, I shook my head. “Jess, you are anything but predictable. And I love that about you.”

She tilted her head as she looked at me. “Really?” Like she didn’t believe that I loved that.

Jess didn’t normally need reassurance like this. Another new thing that bothered me.

“Jess,” I said, leaning on the table and closer to her. “I adore everything about you. You shouldn’t question that by now.”

She beamed at me and looked like she let out a sigh of relief.

“Jason, what’s up? Hardly see you off campus,” Jamieson Kennedy said as he stopped beside our table. He glanced at Jess, and I could see the glint of appreciation in his eyes. It was something I was learning to deal with. Jess was beautiful, and men would always notice.

“I’ve got better things to do when class is over,” I told him with a smirk, then winked at Jess.

“Jason, hello. We missed you at study group last night,” Vivian Northrop said as she walked up beside Jamieson. They were on-again off-again and had been for years. That social circle, they seemed to inbreed and keep dating just each other. It was weird and boring. Vivian, however, liked to remind me we had once slept together. Not something I ever thought about until I worried that she was going to bring it up. Especially in front of Jess.

“Vivian. You both have met Jess,” I said, nodding toward Jess as she suddenly looked like she would rather be anywhere else.

“Oh, I didn’t realize you were still together. I thought . . .” Vivian was elbowed by Jamieson and they both put on those fake smiles I hated.

“You thought what?” I asked her, annoyed now. Because I made it very clear I was with Jess and brought her up regularly.

She waved it off like it was nothing. “I just haven’t seen you around outside of classes, and I assumed you were in a serious relationship.”

Scowling, I reminded myself that she was just a bitch. “I am in a serious relationship. I’m engaged,” I told her, and reached for Jess’s hand and covered it with mine. “To Jess.”

Vivian acted shocked as she looked at Jess, then turned her head. “Oh, well, I’m sure your mother is thrilled,” she said. “I’ll see you later, Jason.” Then she walked off.

Jamieson shrugged. “That’s just Viv. You know how she is,” he said, making an excuse for her.

“Yeah, I know,” I replied.

When he walked off, I looked over at Jess, who was staring down at her lap. I squeezed her hand. “Hey, don’t get upset over that. Vivian is a grade-A bitch. She’s uptight and likes to say things that make her feel better about herself.”

Jess only nodded. Then I saw her take a deep breath as she lifted her head to look at me. “It’s okay. I’m used to this by now.” The small smile she was forcing didn’t fool me.

“Is that what is bothering you? The elitist ass**les around here? Because none of them matter. Nothing they do or say matters.”

She sighed and glanced away, looking out over the dining room. “I know. It’s okay.”

No, it wasn’t okay. “Jess,” I started, but then the server walked up.

I let Jess place her order. She only ordered the lasagna. So I ordered what I wanted, and her other two choices boxed up to go. I wasn’t letting Vivian freaking Northrop ruin Jess’s dinner.

Jess

When lunchtime came the next day, I was really thankful that Jason had ordered my other two favorite dishes the night before. I put a little of both on a plate and heated them up. I had a hard time going to sleep last night. Once I had finally fallen asleep I slept so hard that I hadn’t woken up when Jason left this morning. He had gotten up and made his own coffee, and left without even a kiss from me.

It had ruined my morning. I worried over not being what he needed. What I thought would make him happy. Last night he’d been determined to go eat at my favorite restaurant and, in the end, I had wished so hard we were eating Thai. Running into those uppity people who saw me as less than them had taken away my appetite. I hadn’t wanted to eat.

Under Jason’s watchful and concerned eyes, I had forced it down. Or at least half of it. I couldn’t do more than that.