“Thanks for understanding,” I said. “I’ll make it up to you.”
“Don’t worry about it. I just hope Jake is okay. It’s not like him to get in a fight.”
“No, it’s not,” I agreed. We hadn’t been able to come up with a better lie, though.
We found parking and walked to Bleakers. Rachel was waiting for us out front. “They’re letting him wait for the cops in the private room. Management has the other guy in the office.”
Becca released my hand so she could hug Rachel. “We’ll figure this out.” Rachel grinned at me over Becca’s shoulder then quickly wiped the smile off her face when Becca broke off the embrace.
Rachel led the way to the private room, which was dark. When she pushed aside the curtain over the doorway, the lights flicked on.
“Surprise!”
Becca stumbled backward against my chest as she was faced with all her friends and then some—Nicole, Evan, her other engineering friends, Blake, Lucy, Jake, Wyatt, Katie, and a lot of other people I didn’t know. I’d enlisted Nicole and Lucy’s help for the invite list.
I steadied Becca and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Happy birthday. You really didn’t think a bar crawl was all I had planned, did you?”
She spun to face me, her eyes wide. “You tricked me.”
I nodded solemnly. “I did.”
She pressed her lips to mine. “Thank you. This is awesome.”
“It’s just the beginning.”
She raised her eyebrows for a moment before a knowing smile stretched across her face. She understood what I meant—it was our beginning. And it was fucking awesome.
***
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About the Author
Jessica lives in Virginia with her college-sweetheart husband, two rambunctious sons, and two rowdy but lovable rescue dogs. Since her house is overflowing with testosterone, it’s a good thing she has a healthy appreciation for Marvel movies, Nerf guns, and football.
To learn more about Jessica, visit her website jessicaruddick.com. Connect with her on Twitter at @JessicaMRuddick, on Instagram at instagram.com/jessicamruddick, or on Facebook at facebook.com/AuthorJessicaRuddick.
OTHER BOOKS BY JESSICA RUDDICK
Virginia Valley University
In the Pocket
Fair Catch
False Start
The Elemental Saga
Undefined (Book One)
Untamed (Book Two)
Uneleashed (Book Three)
Unveiled (Book Four)
The Legacy Series
Birthright (Book One)
Retribution (Book Two)
Sacrifice (Book Three)
Redemption (Book Four)
The Love on Campus Series
Letting Go
Wanting More