Hard to Find

Chapter Twenty Seven - Ms. Leighton

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

c h a p t e r t w e n t y s e v e n 

{Ms. Leighton}

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Skylar's POV

For some strange reason, my skin ripples with goosebumps as Jayden, Addy, Jasper, and I pull up to the restaurant Marlee chose for brunch. I keep telling myself that Addy, Jasper, and Dylan go way back, so this is not a formal introduction. However, this is the moment our two families are being brought together. No parents, just us. Because oddly enough, we have that in common.

Jayden involuntarily grabs my hand, comforting me, and guides us to the entrance. After giving our name to the hostess, she shows us where Marlee and Dylan are already seated.

Marlee doesn't hesitate to stand when she sees us. "I'm so glad you guys could come!" She hugs me first, then makes her way toward Addy. They instantly bond over their pregnancy and I feel at ease. I knew things would go well, but seeing it unfold in front of me is a distinct relief. We sit down, order drinks, and the conversation flows easily.

"You were so ornery, don't pretend you weren't." Dylan raises his eyebrows at Addy, which she replies with an overly exaggerated eye roll. Jayden nods his head in complete agreement.

"See Sky, I told you I wasn't the bad one."

"Oh yeah? Says the boys who peed in Mr. Jillian's bushes junior year."

"I knew you were bad." Marlee shakes her head in disappointment, and the boys immediately try to defend themselves. I can't stop the laughter from coming out.

Jayden's hand finds its way to my thigh, he squeezes gently. "She's a liar," he says. A grin dances around the corners of his mouth, and I lift his hand off my thigh and lock my fingers with his.

There is a light in his eyes today. Something that hasn't been there for a while. I don't know if it's because we're with family, but he seems at peace. And I have never wanted to kiss him more.

"Okay love birds," Someone speaks from across the table, snapping us out of our daze. Suddenly my hand grows cold and I realize Jayden isn't holding it anymore. He is fidgeting with his phone which isn't like him.

"I'm sorry, the office keeps calling. I was going to ignore it."

"You're okay," I reassure him with a smile. "Go take the call."

He excuses himself from the table, kissing my forehead on the way out.

Just as it always does, the food comes out right when he leaves. I tell everyone to eat because I know they'll wait for Jayden if I say nothing. Who knows how long his call will be, especially if it is business. We continue chatting, but I can't help but worry. A strange pit formed in my stomach when Jayden left the room.

A couple of minutes later, he re-enters the restaurant as if nothing happened. "Sorry about that." He takes his seat. "The food looks good, I'm glad you guys didn't wait to dig in." He smiles for everyone, but I notice his demeanor is off, and by the look on Addy's face, so does she.

He squeezes my hand under the table, but he won't look me in the eyes. Something is definitely wrong, but I don't ask.

The conversation continues as normal, and we talk about everything under the sun. Marlee and Addy show each other pictures of the nursery, they ask about due dates and their baby showers. I take the moment to lean over and ask Jayden what's wrong, but he beats me to it.