You Promised Me Forever (Forever Yours #1)(60)

Us patiently waiting around for them reminded me of high school. When Livvy and I would linger outside the locker room until her boyfriend at the time, Ryan, would finally emerge.

And I, of course, was there for Tuttle. Not that I ever wanted to admit it back then, before we were officially dating. What we had before our actual relationship was so complicated and confusing. He drove me insane. So much push and pull. All the, I want to be with you but I don’t know how to love stuff. He made my teenage heart ache.

He still makes my heart ache, but for entirely different reasons.

Jordan and Cannon approach us, and I can sense Susanna tensing up. She presses her lips together, a vaguely desperate humming sound coming from her, and when she turns to look at me, I see the panic written all over her pretty face.

I have so been in her shoes. That unsettling feeling of “where do I belong in this equation?” I know that’s what she’s experiencing.

“Hey.” Jordan greets me with a hug and a quick kiss on the lips. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“You have a job to do.” I smile up at him. “I get it.”

That familiar nagging feeling hits me, though. One I remember from when we were younger. Will he always keep me waiting? Is that my role in this relationship? To stand on the sidelines while the bright light constantly shines on the Jordan Tuttle?

“What are your plans tonight?” Cannon asks us, thankfully forcing me to stop thinking about all the negative parts of dating Jordan.

We both turn to face him and Susanna. They’re standing next to each other, Susanna looking a little uncomfortable. A lot awkward.

“Not sure,” Jordan answers. “All I know is I’m starving.”

“Same,” I add.

“All four of us should go to dinner,” Cannon suggests, slipping his arm around Susanna’s waist and pulling her in close. “What do you think?”

Susanna stares up at him adoringly. I think she wants him to be all lovey dovey, which isn’t normally Cannon’s thing. At least, it wasn’t when we were in high school. “That sounds fantastic,” she tells him.

Jordan is watching the two of them in confusion. I’ll have to update him on what’s going on later, but for now we have to just roll with it. “Yes, let’s go to dinner. Have any suggestions, Susanna?” I ask.

She grins and nods. “Definitely. I can even drive us! I brought the family car.”

The family car?

We walk out into the mostly empty parking lot, headed straight for an older, silver Mercedes sedan.

“It’s a beastly thing. My father drove it when he was a teen, if you can even imagine,” Susanna explains while we walk. “It’s one of the safest cars on the road. That’s why he insists I drive it.”

“Protecting his baby girl?” Cannon asks, tugging on the ends of her hair.

Susanna darts away from him, her heels sounding loudly as she walks. “That and, well, I wasn’t the best driver when I first started out.”

Jordan grabs hold of my hand and tugs me close, whispering into my ear, “She’s not going to kill us, is she?”

I shake my head, trying to contain my laughter. “I hope not.”

We pile into the vehicle, Jordan and I taking the back seat while Cannon barely fits his huge frame into the passenger seat. Susanna pulls a pair of glasses out of her purse, putting them on before she starts the car.

“My driving glasses,” she explains when Cannon looks at her funny. “They really do help.”

“Holy shit, you’re adorable,” Cannon says just before he leans over and kisses her on the cheek.

They keep talking as she starts to exit the parking lot, and Jordan sends me another one of those confused looks. He ducks his head, our cheeks practically touching as he says, “You need to tell me what’s going on. Unless you’re just as clueless as I am.”

“Lucky for you, I’m not clueless.” Thankfully, Cannon turns the radio on, and Susanna starts bopping her head to the music. “They met last night.”

Jordan’s frowning. “Last night? I didn’t know Cannon could move so fast.”

“Well, he did. I guess they really hit it off. He invited her to watch the game, so here she is.”

“And who, exactly, is she?”

“Lady Susanna Sumner. Youngest daughter of an earl. She’s twenty-three and doesn’t know a thing about American football.” That’s about all I know. “Oh, and I get the sense that she grew up very sheltered on her family’s estate.”

“Estate?”

“I did mention she’s the daughter of an earl? Meaning she’s nobility.”

“Actually, we’re distant relatives of the queen, so yes. We’re technically part of the royal family.” Susanna’s gaze meets mine in the rearview mirror, her eyes looking huge behind her glasses. “Sorry, didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”

“I should apologize. We’re the ones blatantly talking about you in the back of your car,” I say.

“Saying only good things, I hope.” Susanna appears truly worried.

“Just giving Jordan the rundown.” When Susanna frowns, I continue. “He didn’t know who you were, so I was letting him know.”

“She’s my future girlfriend,” Cannon says proudly.