My phone chimes again, kicking me out of my daydream and back into my text thread.
Ollie: Do they have any donuts left? The cinnamon ones?
JT:The fuck are you talking about?
Ollie: You’re at that bakery near the diner. Those chocolate muffins are laced with crack, I swear. Get me two. I’ll cash app you.
I shake my head, cursing the day Ollie put us all on his Life360 plan.
JT: Do I look like DoorDash?
Ollie: Idk. I can’t see you.
Ollie: And what the fuck are you doing at a bakery? Aren’t you the man who declared sugar to be poison?
Ollie: Holy shit. Are you being kidnapped? Is this your danger signal?
Ollie: I can cash app the kidnappers if that’s better.
CHAPTER 31
MAGGIE
As soon asJT texts that he’s here, I rush to the door and open it wide. I’m too excited to be coy or demure or in any way chill.
Jules had a consultation in D.C. this morning, and she’s not home yet. And Uncle Hudson is at the athletic center, as always.
That means I have the house to myself. I planned to spend the afternoon napping or reading or painting my toes while I can still see them, but when I checked my email five minutes ago, my plans changed.
JT jogs up the steps and reaches for me. “Hey,” he says, kissing me.
“I passed!” I say, the words bursting out of me before I can contain them or offer any context.
JT blinks. “You…holy shit, your Financial Math exam?”
I nod. “I just got the email and I had to tell you first. Oh my gosh, this is such a relief. People say the Probability one is even harder, so I have to keep studying, but not today. Today, I can just relax.”
“And celebrate,” he says, kissing me again. “You know what this means, right?”
“No,” I answer, leading him to the couch and settling onto his lap. His hands rest on my belly. It hasn’t fully popped yet, but I’m not sure how much longer my secret will keep.
“This means, Nugget,” he says to my belly, “that your mama is smart as hell. That she accomplished something pretty freaking awesome. So, we need to celebrate. Maybe see if Coach and Jules want to have dinner? Maybe share some other pretty incredible news?”
He’s right, and I know it. But I also know that my happiness bubble will burst when Uncle Hudson finds out that my life has taken some unexpected turns.
“That’s not the only way we can celebrate,” I say, running my hands over his shirt. We really should come clean soon, so I may as well enjoy the perks of being with JT before my uncle runs him out of town.
JT starts kissing my neck and reaching for the hem of my shirt. I’m about to peel it off when I hear a noise behind me.
I freeze in JT’s arms and look toward the entryway.
My Uncle Hudson is standing there, his body taut with disbelief. Jules stands next to him, taking in the scene before her.
“Does anyone want to tell me what the hell we just walked in on?” My uncle’s voice is low, lethal.
JT and I are both fully clothed, but I’m in his lap, my lips are swollen, and JT’s cheeks are flushed. There’s no doubt about what we were doing. Or what we were on the verge of doing.
“Uncle Hudson,” I start.
