On His Knees by Tabatha Kiss
Chapter 61
Jenna
Thankfully, I put clothes on before I made it to the kitchen. Sure, it wouldn’t be the first time I've flashed Drew Rose, but what happens at Taint Night stays at Taint Night.
“What are you doing here?” I ask him.
Drew stands up from the chair at the kitchen table. “Sorry if I’m intruding,” he says.
“You’re not. I mean,” I shrug as I walk casually toward the fridge, “you practically live here, anyway.”
He chuckles. “It feels like that sometimes.”
I glance back into the hallway, spotting the top of Seth’s head as he bolts back into my room. Better stay there, buddy.
“You looking for Heidi?” I ask. “Because she’s not here. I don’t think...”
“She’s on campus,” he says. “I just dropped her off. I came here to talk to you, actually.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, I...” he gestures over his shoulder into the hallway, “I saw the hair scrunchie on your knob. Didn’t want to disturb...”
“You wouldn’t have,” I lie. Damn. Getting good at doing that lately. “Honestly, sometimes I put that thing there just so I can sleep in. Heidi sometimes wakes me up with an easily Googleable hair emergency or something.”
Drew laughs. “I see.”
I hold a finger to my lips. “Don’t tell her I told you that.”
“Your secret is safe with me.”
“Coffee?” I offer.
“No, thanks. I’m good.”
“So, what’s up, big guy?” I ask as I grab a cold frappé from the refrigerator door.
Drew sits back down. “I, uh...” He retrieves his phone from his pocket and swipes the screen a few times. “I need your help with something.”
I take a seat at the table across from him. “With what?”
He hesitates before setting his phone down on the table between us. Without a word, he pushes it toward me and waits for me to pick it up.
I furrow my brow. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Drew so nervous. I slide the phone closer to get a better look at the screen.
It’s a photo of... a ring.
A diamond ring.
“Uh...” I blink twice. “Drew.”
“Yeah.”
“That’s an engagement ring.”
He nods. “Yeah, I know.”
“You’re gonna ask Heidi to marry you?!” I spit without thinking.
Out of the corner of my eye, Seth’s head pops out from my bedroom doorway.
“I am,” Drew says, thankfully with his back to the hall.
I ignore Seth in favor of pinch-zooming on the ring instead. A diamond nestled between two bits of topaz. Heidi’s birthstone.
“Oh, my god,” I say. “It’s perfect.”
“Is it?”
“Yes.”I look at it again. Hell, I can’t even stop looking at it. “She’s going to love it, Drew. Kudos.”
“I’m having it custom-made by a jeweler in Paris. They’re shipping it over this week.”
“You bought this in Paris?”
“Yeah.”
“Then, why didn’t you propose in Paris? Kind of a missed opportunity there, Rose.”
“No. No, it has to be here,” he says. “Chicago is where it all began. You know?”
I smile. Drew Rose, you old softy.
“When are you proposing?” I ask.
“Next month. For her birthday. I’ve got it all planned out. I’m going to do it on my dad’s boat. It’s a special place for us.”
“Ah,yes. Where you two first...” I stop, knowing full well who might be listening to this conversation. “Well, you know. You were there.”
Drew clears his throat. “Apparently, so were you.”
“Only in spirit.” I grin as I give his phone back. “I couldn’t be happier for you.”
“Thank you.”
“What do you need me for?” I ask.
“Oh!” He shifts his chair forward. “Turns out I’m great at planning proposals, but I’m awful at planning parties.”
“Ah!” I say. “I see.”
“You, on the other hand...”
“Say no more.”
“And honestly, I’m so swamped with work right now. I’m going out of town tomorrow morning with Nora and the team, and I won’t be back until next week. I get freaked out just thinking about everything that needs to get done and how I’m going to get it all done in time—”
“Drew, I got it.” I wave a hand. “I will be happy to throw an engagement party for you guys.”
“Birthday-slash-engagement party,” he says. “I figure we can call it a surprise birthday party, but then when everyone shows up...”
I grin. “Engagement party.”
“Exactly.”
“Assuming she says yes.”
Drew stops cold. “You think she won’t say yes? Why wouldn’t she say yes?”
“No. Of course, she’ll say yes. But there’s always a chance of a no, you know?”
He swallows hard. “Okay...”
I reach across the table to touch his hand. “Drew, it’s fine. I mean, there’s a chance I could be struck by lightning right now, but I’m not worried about it and you shouldn’t be worried about Heidi Newbury saying no to your proposal. Trust me.”
“Okay,” he says, a tad more confident now.
I sit back. “Also, she’s been practicing her oh-my-god-yes reaction face in the mirror since we were, like… ten years old, so... she’s ready for you.”
He chuckles. “Right.”
“Now...” I clap my hands together. “Party.”
“Party.”
“Are we thinking small and intimate or full-blown rager?” I ask.
“A little of both,” he says. “I’ll text you a guest list. Maybe around thirty people or so. I’m still narrowing it down. Our parents should come, so keep that in mind.”
“Classyrager it is, then.”
“Not really sure on the venue. Moira’s was first thought, but it’s way too small for a group that size.”
“I’ll take a look around,” I say. “It’s Chicago, so I’m sure I can find something within budget. Which is?”
“Spare no expense.”
I raise a brow. “Really?”
He holds up a finger. “Keep it reasonable,” he warns.
“Okay. Question.” I tilt my head. “What’s considered a reasonable budget to a guy who’s proposing to his girlfriend with a custom ring he bought in Paris on the exact private yacht he deflowered her on?”
Drew pauses. “I see your point.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I am a privileged man.”
“Yes, you are.”
“I want it to be memorable, but not over the top,” he says. “Save that for the wedding.”
“Gotcha.”
He tenses, rightfully worried about me running rampant with his credit card. “Just run everything past me first before you sign anything. Please?”
I pretend to think about. “I guess I can make that work,” I muse with a teasing smile.
“Thank you.” Drew sighs. “Thank you, Jenna. This really means a lot to me.”
“Hey,” I shrug, “it’s for Heidi.”
“Yeah.” He nods, eyes full of love. “It’s for Heidi.”
I sit back in my chair. “Wow,” I say as it all sinks in. “You guys are getting married.”
“Hopefully, yeah.”
“I always figured it’d happen eventually, but...”
“I know,” he says. “Still doesn’t feel real to me either.”
“I’m really happy for you.”
“Thanks. I hope everyone is.”
I cant my head. He exhales hard.
“I’m not sure how to tell Seth,” he explains.
I peek around him into the empty hallway. “No?” I ask.
“Things have been weird between us lately.”
“Weird how?”
“I don’t know, really,” he says. “There’s some tension. I know he’s got things going on, and I’m totally cool with that. I haven’t exactly been around much myself. It’s just... lots of things left unsaid. And when it comes to me and Heidi, Seth and I have always... left things unsaid, so... I’m not sure exactly how to tell him about this.”
“Just be honest with him,” I say. “He might surprise you.”
“You think so?”
“As strange as it is for me to defend Seth Newbury, yeah. I do. I can’t imagine him not being by your side on your wedding day.”
Drew smiles. “Me neither.” He shifts his chair back a bit. “Thanks again, Jenna. I really needed this.”
“Anytime,” I say.
“I’ve got to get to work.”
“Yeah, I need to get to campus, too.”
He stands. “I’ll see you later.”
“You, too.” I smile. “Congratulations, Drew. She’s gonna be so happy.”
“Thanks.” He picks up his phone. “Bye.”
“I’ll let you know when I find a venue.”
He flashes a grateful smile before walking out of the kitchen. I sit still, listening to the sound of his gait as he exits the house through the front door.
A moment later, Seth emerges from my room. He walks down the hall fully clothed in his Botsford Plaza blazer, his face sunken and pale.
I screw up my nose. “So, how much of that did you hear?”
He silently exhales.
“All of it?” I ask.
“All of it,” he repeats.
“Yeah...” I hop up out of my chair. “Coffee?”
Seth plops into Drew’s empty seat as I grab a second frappé from the refrigerator door. I set it down in front of him before stepping behind him to give his shoulders a quick massage.
“You okay?” I ask.
“My best friend is going to ask my little sister to marry him,” he says after a moment.
“Oh, come on.” I rub between his tense shoulder blades. “You knew this was going to happen, eventually.”
He doesn’t respond to that. I bend to kiss his neck.
“You okay?” I ask again.
“Kinda have to be, right?”
I shift into the chair beside him. “Pretty much.”
“I mean, what say do I have in who my sister spends the rest of her life with?”
“None.”
“So... I’m okay with it.” He looks at me. “It actually almost makes me feel better about him ditching me. At least I know he’s doing it for her.”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“He’s providing for Heidi,” he says. “Staying at Little Black Book, heading their new app. It’s all for her, and I don’t blame him.”
“Drew isn’t going to stay at Little Black Book forever, Seth.”
“Yes, he is.”
“Well, have you asked him?”
Seth goes quiet.
“See?” I say. “You’ve made all these assumptions about him, but you’ve never given him the chance to prove you wrong. Heidi’s right. Dude friendships are dumb.”
“Oh! Okay, then! How’s your best friend feel about you dating her brother, since you two are so close and you tell each other e-ver-ything?”
I glare as he glares right on back.
“Okay, this is getting nowhere,” I say.
Seth turns up his hands before popping the lid off his coffee.
I take a sip from my own. “I can’t believe Heidi’s getting married,” I say. “I always thought I’d have blown through at least two husbands before she finally found someone.”
Seth scoffs. “You jealous?”
“No,” I say. “It’s just typical. I mean, I’ve always been open. I’ve always put myself out there. Gone through guy after guy and no match. And then, there’s Heidi. She’s shy and reserved, but she goes all-in one time and it’s happily ever after. It’s private yachts and European family vacations. It’s a gorgeous boy who buys gorgeous, expensive jewelry for every birthday and holiday. And it kinda… sucks.”
“Is that what you want?” Seth asks. “Some billionaire’s kid who will spoil you? Pay for everything? Buy you any trinket you want?”
August Jenna would love that, actually.
But October Jenna...
“No,” I say. “I don’t.”
Seth studies my expression, clearly surprised by my response. “Then, what do you want?”
“Don’t get me wrong,” I say with a bat of the eyelashes. “The occasional gift to highlight a milestone is very much encouraged and appreciated.”
He hums, amused.
“But I want a guy who will just... be there,” I say. “Someone who won’t mind the long hours or the nights on call. Who will stay up to have dinner with me at three in the morning and won’t give a crap when I make more money than he does. I want a guy who will take care of the little things so I don’t have to. He’ll seek them out because he knows that doing it will make my life one percent better.” I swallow. “Someone who won’t fuck his secretary because my post-baby body just ain’t what it used to be anymore.”
“Never really pictured you with kids.”
“I don’t either. It was just... an example.”
Seth nods, understanding. “Well, good luck finding that poor sap.”
I chuckle. “Okay, then. What kind of girl are you looking for?”
“I’m an old-fashioned kind of guy,” he says with a shrug. “I just want a woman who will be by my side, have my back when I’m not there, and look good while doing it.”
“Oh, that’s me out,” I quip. “Except the looking good part. I do that just fine.”
He laughs. “So, we have an expiration date?”
“It would appear so.”
His smile dips slightly. “Then, we’re really not heading in the girlfriend direction, are we?”
I pause, our gag stabbing deeper than expected. Is this all Seth and I will ever be?
Is this all we ever could be?
A ringtone breaks the silence. Seth shifts to the side and pulls his phone from his back pocket.
“It’s Drew,” he reads the screen.
I say nothing. He takes a breath and answers it.
“Hey,” he greets. “No, I’m on campus all day. ... Uh…” He hesitates. “No, I’m covering a shift at the hotel tonight. It’s a late one. … Yeah, totally. We’ll talk when you get back. … Bye, brother. Be safe.”
He hangs up with a hard exhale.
“What’d he say?” I ask.
“He asked if I’d be home tonight. He has something important to talk to me about, but I have a shift, so…”
“No, you don’t.” I squint. “You’re free tonight. You’re always free on Thursday nights.”
“Yeah, well, not this week. Like I told him, I’m covering a shift.”
“For who?”
He twitches. “Polly.”
“Polly?”
“I’m covering Polly’s shift for her. She’s got a thing.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Another nephew’s birthday?” I ask. “Or is this the same one?”
“It’s a different one.”
“How many nephews does she have?”
“Fourteen.”
“She has fourteen nephews? How many nieces?”
“No nieces.”
“That’s statistically impressive.”
“I know, right?”
“Yeah, you’re full of shit, Seth.”
“Fine! Yes! I am!” He throws up his hands. “I’m not ready to talk to Drew about this yet, so I’m avoiding him. What of it?”
“So, instead of just getting it over with, you’re going to put yourself through days of needless torment until he comes back?”
“Yes.”
I roll my eyes. “Jeez.”
“Okay, Jenna,” he snaps. “I’ll talk to Drew tonight if you tell Heidi tonight that we’re dating.”
“Well, that’s…” I pause. “That’s not the same thing.”
“It’s not, huh?”
“No! Talking to Drew is about you and Drew. Telling Heidi is about us.”
“Yeah, well, there won’t be an us for much longer, right?”
My jaw drops as he stands. “Seth…”
“I gotta get going.” He shoves his phone into his pocket. “Be seeing you.”
I scoff. “Be seeing you, too.”
He marches out of the kitchen. I listen to his stride, mapping his way across the house to the front door.
It opens. It closes.
I deflate. My gut clenches with… every horrible emotion I can think of.
Fuck.
Well, that… sucked.
Fighting with Seth is not supposed to hurt this much.
I swallow hard, pushing the lump in my throat, but it rises right back up.
There won’t be an us for much longer?
What the fuck, dude?
The front door opens. It closes.
Shoes whisper on the carpet, following the same trail back to the kitchen doorway. I discreetly dab the tear from the corner of my eye before Seth appears again. He stands shorter than usual with heavy, sunken shoulders and a guilty expression.
“That didn’t feel right,” he says. “I’m sorry.”
“Wow,” I say. “That was quick.”
“Well, I thought about bailing,” he says. “Maybe disappear for a couple of weeks. Dodge you. Leave you on read. Something like that.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Oh, it’s not nearly as effective without the celebratory handshake first, so…” He shrugs, a smile returning to his mouth. “Are we okay?”
I take a breath, leaving him hanging for another moment more. “Come here,” I say, waving him back to me.
Seth steps forward, passing by the empty chair. He reaches me and drops to his knees, his head slowly coming to rest on my shoulder.
I wrap my arms around him. I kiss his forehead. His closed eyelids. The tip of his nose.
All the ouchies.
“We’re okay,” I say.
He exhales hard. “Fighting with you used to be more fun.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” I smile as he raises his head. “I guess we took it too far.”
“I’ll say.”
“But you came back.” I touch his cheek. “Keep doing that and I think we’ll be okay.”
He turns into my hand to kiss my palm. “Then, I will,” he says as his golden eyes find mine. “Fuck the expiration date.”
“Oh, the hubris.”
“You disagree?”
I grin. “No.”
He kisses me, tender and sweet. His arms curl around me, one hooking my knees beneath my chair. He picks me up as he rises, prompting me to brace myself against him while he carries me out of the kitchen toward my bedroom.
“Don’t we have classes?” I ask.
“Thinking of skipping mine,” he says.
“Me, too.”
Seth kicks the door closed behind us.