A New Path: The Love Series: Jess, #2

By Emma Keene

Jess and Logan get a little taste of the life Amy is leading, now that she's an actress, when they head to Dublin for her wedding to Spencer Thomas.

With each passing day, Jess thinks more and more about Logan leaving to play professional football. It's tearing her apart, but she tries to focus on living each moment and not regretting anything.

An incident at school forces Jess to think about what she wants to do with her life and what would make her truly happy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Outfox Digital Publishing
• Release date: Feb 14, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524283667

Emma Keene

I live in beautiful Seattle, WA with my amazing, supportive husband and our two German Shepherds that truly believe it's all about them. I love the rain and it gives me plenty of time to read and write. Visit emmakeene.com to find out more about Emma or to join her mailing list.

Book preview

1

My phone starts to ring and Logan looks over at me to see if I’m going to answer it before he turns his attention back to the TV. I’m not expecting any calls, so I doubt I’ll even want to answer it once I see who it is. I pick it up off the coffee table and smile when I see the call is from Spencer.

The last time I talked to him was when he called and asked if we’d be able to make it their wedding… even though he didn’t have a date picked out. I of course told him we would, but I was starting to feel like it was going to be a while.

It’s Spencer, I say, swiping my finger across the screen and holding my phone up to my ear.

Logan grabs the remote and pauses the movie. I look over at him and smile.

Jess?

Hey… how are you?

Pretty good… I’m just getting everything set for the wedding… and I wanted to see if you guys would be free this weekend.

As in tomorrow? I say.

Yeah… sorry… I know it’s kind of last minute.

Um… I mean… I’m supposed to work, but I’m sure I could get someone to cover my shift. Let me ask Logan.

Of course, Spencer says.

I pull the phone away from my ear and press it against my shirt.

He wants to do it this weekend… do you have any plans or objections?

No… I’m not doing anything, Logan says. I have a test to study for and I wanted to workout… but nothing major.

I nod and smile as I lift the phone back to my ear. Logan didn’t explicitly say it, but I feel like he was trying to imply that he could study on the plane, or while we’re there, and that working out could wait.

Spencer?

I’m still here.

Logan is free, too.

Great… I’m glad you’re both free and that you can be there for our wedding.

Good.

So, I’m chartering a flight out of L.A., coming to get you guys and then we’ll pick up Amy.

Sounds good…what time?

She’s shooting until early evening… I would guess. How about be at the airport at five?

Here in Salem? I say.

Yeah… there’s a separate entrance on the north side for private flights… just head there and show them your driver’s license.

Great… I’m looking forward to it.

See you tomorrow, Spencer says.

I hang up the phone and turn to Logan with a smile on my face.

I guess tomorrow we’re going to Ireland.

Crazy, he says, shaking his head and smiling.

Are you excited?

Yeah….

What’s wrong? I say.

Logan shakes his head and smiles at me, but I can tell by the look on his face that something is bothering him… and he’s going to tell me what it is.

Logan… please… just talk to me.

It’s stupid… probably nothing.

What is it? I say.

I know Amy seemed fine when we were in Aspen, but I think she caught up in the whole moment. Do you really think she’s okay with our relationship to the point where she would want us at her wedding?

I do.

Really?

I mean… I could tell when I talked to her. She’s moved on and I honestly don’t think she’s really all that bothered by it. It seems like she wants us to be happy… and I think she wants us there for her wedding.

How about if I stay?

You don’t want to go? I say, wrinkling my forehead.

I… it’s not that. I’m just not sure if it’s a great idea.

I nod, take a deep breath and look into his eyes. What he’s saying totally makes sense and I’m sure if our roles were reversed I’d be hesitating, too. I really do want him to go… Ireland wouldn’t be the same without him, but I’m not going to pressure him into going.

Well, I’m going, of course… and I’d love for you to be there, I say.

Logan looks down and nods. I’m not sure if he’s agreeing to go or if he’s just acknowledging my statement. We sit there for a few seconds as I wait for him to speak.

I’ll think about it.

Good… that’s all I needed to hear.

Logan looks back at me and gives me a half-hearted smile. He’s a man… that means it’s not always easy to get him to talk about this kind of stuff and I know that. I do hope that as we spend more time together he’ll start opening up more, emotionally, but I’m not going to bank on it.

Ready? he says, pointing to the TV.

Yeah.

Logan glances at me and smiles as he turns our movie back on. I scooch closer to him on the couch and rest my head against his shoulder and put my hand on his leg. This is a perfect moment…one that I want to just embrace as we sit here.

The moment doesn’t last long, well… at least the mental part of it. We’re still sitting here watching the movie, but I can’t help that my mind is just constantly somewhere else.

There’s a ton of stuff I have to get done before we go, which is just about twenty-hours from now. I need to pack, call my mom and text Brad to see if he’ll cover for me. I know we’re only going away for a couple of days… but I’m already starting to feel overwhelmed by the whole thing. I take a deep breath and just close my eyes for a few seconds. Most of that stuff has to wait until tomorrow since it’s already so late. I open my eyes and look back at the TV—I might as well try to enjoy my time with Logan.

Ugh… thinking about spending time with him only reminds me that with each passing minute we draw closer to end of the school year… and him leaving to go play professional football. I sigh and push the thought out of my head.

What’s wrong? Logan says, pausing the movie.

Nothing… I’m fine.

Are you sure? You seem really distracted and tense, right now.

Yeah… I’m OK… just thinking about everything that I need to get done before we leave tomorrow.

Well… is there anything you can do right now to alleviate some of the pressure you’re putting on yourself? he says.

No, not really.

Do you want to stop watching the movie?

Let’s finish, I say.

I can tell by the status bar that we’re only ten minutes from the end and I was really getting into it before Spencer called.

The rest of the movie goes by quickly, at least it feels that way, but my thoughts were elsewhere and I wasn’t paying attention to what was even happening.

Logan leans over and kisses the top of my head as the credits start to roll. I put my arm around him and take a deep breath.

Are you staying over? I say.

No… I’d really like to, but I need to hit the gym first thing in the morning for a team workout.

You still haven’t told anyone you’re leaving?

I haven’t.

When will you?

I’m not sure… I just haven’t found the right moment, Logan says.

I nod my head—I get what he’s saying, but it still kind of seems like an important thing to tell at least his coach. I’m sure Logan has his reasons and he’ll tell them when he feels ready.

Logan turns off the TV and I sit up, stretching my arms above my head. This past week was really busy for me both at work and school, so I’m really looking forward to getting away for a couple of days—although I have a feeling that flying halfway around the world isn’t going to exactly be restful.

I should get going, Logan says, standing up from the couch.

I nod in response as I get up. He quickly checks his phone and heads for the door. Logan holds it open, turns back to me and we share a brief kiss as the cool air of night rushes through the open door.

I’ll see you tomorrow, he says.

Sounds good.

He opens his mouth, as if he’s about to say something, but quickly shuts it and smiles at me.

Bye.

I smile and nod as he turns and starts to walk toward his SUV. I stand in the doorway and watch until he starts it and pulls away from my house. My mind drifts back to tomorrow as I shut the door and grab my phone off the coffee table. It’s not that late… I could probably text Brad, right now, to see if he can cover for me this weekend. I write him a text and hit send as I walk toward my bathroom.

Hey, I was wondering if you could cover for me this weekend. My friend is getting married, the one who was at the bar that one night, and her fiancé really wants me to be there.

My phone lights up with a response just as I finish brushing my teeth and washing my face. I read the response from Brad as I walk back toward my bedroom.

Yeah, I should be able to cover for you, since you covered a shift of mine last weekend.

I sit down on the edge of my bed and write a response to him. I hit send, put my phone down on my nightstand and pull back the covers.

I’m thinking I probably won’t be back until Monday morning, or something, I’m not really sure. The wedding is out of town and her fiancé planned the whole thing, so I don’t know exactly what’s going on.

My body is tired, but my mind is still feeling a little awake. I close my eyes and just try to make myself sleep as I pull the covers up over me and sigh. I’m still thinking about what Logan said… and how he might not go to Ireland tomorrow. It would be a real shame, as far as I’m concerned, but I guess it really is up to him. The trip wouldn’t be the same without him, though, so I really do hope that he decides Amy is OK with our relationship and goes with me. There’s still a part of me that feels the same way and I can’t blame him for feeling the way he does.

I sigh again and grab my phone—I’m going to text him and ask him if he’s made a decision yet.

Hey, I’m not sure if you’re still awake…but I was wondering if you made up your mind about tomorrow. I don’t want you to feel like I’m pressuring you…I just wanted to tell you again that I would really like for you to go, but I totally understand what you were saying and I get it if you decide not to go. I won’t be upset if you decide to stay here.

The screen on my phone dims and then eventually goes back as I stare at it, waiting to see if Logan is going to text me back. I wait another minute, but give up and set it back on my nightstand. He’s probably sleeping already, it only takes his like five minutes to get back to his room from mine.

I close my eyes and try to force myself to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a little hectic and I really do need the sleep. I roll over onto my side and slowly start to fall asleep.

2

Aterrible night of sleep was certainly not what I was hoping for. I kept having all kinds of crazy dreams about Logan, but I can’t seem to remember any of them now that I’m awake—I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.

I roll over and grab my phone off my nightstand to check if Logan texted me after I fell asleep or early this morning. Nothing…zero messages from him or anyone else, which is somewhat weird. Logan not texting last night doesn’t surprise me, but he did say he would be up early to work out and it’s almost nine.

My thumbs hover over the screen of my phone as I debate whether or not I should text him again. I decide not to and that I should go for a run instead. If he hasn’t texted me by the time I get back, then I can call him to check in and see if he’s going or not.

It takes a few more minutes, but I finally manage to drag myself out of bed and get my running clothes on. I sit down on the couch and slowly tie my shoes as I look out the window. The branches of the tree in my front yard sway from the light breeze. I get my windbreaker and put it on as I grab my phone and head out of the house. It’s not particularly chilly, but I’d rather have it and not need it… and I really don’t want to catch a chill from sweating.

I take my time doing my stretches, mostly because I keep stopping to check my phone to see if Logan has texted me back yet. Still, nothing. I know he’s busy, but I’m sure he’s seen the text by now. I’m starting to wonder if he really is set on not going, but he doesn’t know how to tell me. I put in my earbuds and turn on my music as I start to run.

Running is the only thing that seems to be clearing my mind as of late, but I’ve also been bad about not going often enough. It takes a few minutes before I’m able to push all thoughts out of my mind and just focus on my feet as they hit the pavement.

I’m lost in the music as I slow down for an intersection. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going and now I’m at the same street corner where I tripped and fell right in front of Logan. It makes me wonder what he’s doing right now. There’s a distinct possibility that he’s working out, it’s what he’s been doing with all of his free time as of late. I’ve started to worry about him the last couple of weeks, he’s just been pushing himself so hard to get in even better shape with the draft coming up.

The light changes and I start to run again. I manage to clear my head, again, as I continue to run. Three miles later, I’m back at my house. Sweat is pouring off me as I do a few cooldown stretches in my front yard. A vehicle pulls up in front of my house and I glance over my shoulder as I walk toward my door. It’s Logan. I stop, turn around and smile as he gets out of his SUV and walks around the front. He smiles at me and I feel my heart fluttering.

Hey, baby, he says.

Hi.

How are you?

Good, just got done running.

I can see that.

He puts his arm around my waist and kisses me. I close my eyes, but pull away quickly once I remember that I’m feeling really gross right now.

What’s wrong? he asks.

Nothing, I’m just all sweaty and stuff.

I don’t care.

Logan looks into my eyes and all of my worries are gone in a fraction of a second. A smile forms on his face after a few seconds and we turn toward my house. I walk into the kitchen and grab a glass of water while Logan sits down on the couch. He watches me as I walk into the living room and lean against the wall.

I got your text, he says, from last night.

Oh…I thought maybe you didn’t see it or something.

Well, I saw it this morning. I was already running late for my team workout…so I thought I would just come over and talk to you.

You’re never late for your workouts, I say. What’s going on?

The moment I woke up this morning I…I started to pack.

I smile as I take a drink of water.

For Ireland?

Yeah…I have my suitcase with me. I figured we could leave whenever you’re ready…and I’ll drive.

I walk over and sit down next to him. Logan puts his arm around me and pulls me close. He kisses me on the top of the head…a kiss that I’m sure isn’t very pleasant given how sweaty I still am. I really need to take a shower. Logan said he doesn’t care, but I do and I feel pretty gross right now.

Thank you, I say.

For what?

I really didn’t want to go without you. I would have…but I wasn’t going to be happy about it.

I know, he says. "What you said last night…you’re right. I know she’s important to you as a friend, but I feel like we have something so…special and amazing. I can’t even comprehend wasting a single moment we get to spend together because I’m worried about