Page 40 of Game Plan
“Busy,reallybusy, but good,” Emily said before continuing. “Everything went so well with Claire that I continued working on her tour until she finished two weeks ago. Then I jumped on to another author’s mini book tour for the past ten days. I’ll be home next weekend.Finally.” Emily said with an exhausted exhale and eyes briefly closed.
“Well, hey, at least you’re keeping busy and out of trouble.” Jade winked at her friend.
“That’s just it; it’s been far too long since I last got in trouble. Which means it’s been far too long since I’ve had a break from mother dearest about finding someone to, and I quote, ‘settle down and get started on giving me some grandbabies before I’m too old to remember their names’.” Emily rolled her eyes with a groan as Jade let out a belly laugh at her friend.
Emily’s Mom, Louise, was great. Really. But because she had Emily later in life, it meant she’d been desperate for grandchildren ever since Emily turned twenty. But at least she waited that long, that’s what she kept reminding her best friend anyway.
“Nothing like a loving reminder from dear old Lou about my never-ending single status.” Emily added.
“Well,” Jade started, then cleared her throat before continuing. “It might not beyouwho’s met the person you want to be having babies with,but...”
“Ohmigod,” Emily notably sat up from wherever she had previously been sitting, and her eyes nearly bulged out her head at the prospect of the gossip Jade was very much aware was about to be heading Emily’s way. “Don’t tell me the woman you’ve been hanging out withfinallycompares to your dreamdate from the last time we hung out? You know, when you were a completeidiotand didn’t get her number?” The grin on her friend’s face would give the Cheshire Cat a run for its money.
“Not exactly," Jade said, looking away from the screen to play with her friend a little before admitting the truth. Using all her self-control to stop her own grin from spreading across her face.
“You need to let it go, Jae. Just take the memories of what was a great night, and move on. It’s not like you to linger on someone like this.” Emily said, before catching the twitch at the side of Jade’s mouth. “Right, what are you hiding?!”
“As I was saying,” Jade began. “It’s not exactly the case that the woman I’ve been hanging out with recently, compares to the woman from the bar.”
“How so?” Emily asked, with her face twisted in confusion.
“You see, they can’t compare,” Jade let the grin spread, “Because they're the exact same woman.”
“WHAT?!” Emily screamed through the phone at her friend.
“I found her,” Jade sighed in relief. “I found April.”
“Wait, what?How?” Emily clearly was having trouble processing, and Jade couldn’t help but laugh. “The last time we spoke, you didn’t have any way of contacting her. Then over the past while you’ve been messaging about this woman you met while on tour and how she’s amazing. How could you have kept this from me?”
“For the very simple reason, my friend, that I wanted to see your facial reaction to my news. A text wouldn’t have let me experience this!” Jade laughed.
“Screw you and your twisted ideas, Jade.” Emily huffed, then a smile spread across her face when she saw the look on Jade’s. “So, this is what happy looks like on you then?”
“No, this is whatcontentmentlooks like on me, Em. She’s it. It’s that simple. Even if it’s not quite so simple for our life right now.” Jade admitted. She then brought Emily fully up to datewith everything that had happened, knowing Emily wouldn’t tell a single soul.
“I don’t know what to say, Jae. It’s great that you’ve found each other again, but I can’t imagine how hard it is to live in hiding with her.” Emily said.
“It’s been remarkably easy, given the hectic schedules of tournaments and training. Whenever a player isn’t competing, training, or recovering, they pretty much haul up in their hotel room. So, it’s not like her behavior on tour has changed that others would notice. Will and I are kept busy most of the time anyway, so it’s a lot of texts and calls. We video chat on nights before matches or hang out in her room and just talk for hours otherwise. It’s like a crash-course of a relationship in a happy little bubble, and I just can’t seem to learn enough about her.” Jade admitted with a smile.
“So, you’re really going to be getting the grandbabies going before me, huh?” Emily asked with a smirk.
“I don’t know so much about that, but Em, she’s the one.” Jade blushed at that.
“Well, I never thought I’d see the day Casanova settled down, but Jae, I’m so here for it! Oh, speaking of 'the one’, will you be using my connections with Raul for your own bridal outfit then?” Emily grinned.
“Em, the guy is a genius! I can’t believe what he came up with for the three of us. Seriously, Lana’s is the outfit we were stumped over, and he came up with something evenIwould consider wearing. You know, if I was more femme.” Jade added with a chuckle.
“I’m glad things worked out with him for you all. But I expect to be present for your own wedding outfit design and fitting. You know, when you’re so obviously going to marry this girl that I’ve yet to meet. Which, as your best friend, needs to be rectified at your earliest possible convenience.” Emily added with a smirk,which soon morphed into a full-blown laugh when she saw the sheer lobster color of Jade’s face at the mention of possibly marrying April in the future.
Give it time, it’s all I could ever want.
Chapter 33
April
When April had made it home on Saturday morning, her mom was in the kitchen prepping meals for the next couple of days while singing along to her favorite band, and her dad was in his office. She was relieved, because it meant she didn’t have to dampen her smile on her way to her bedroom. She just wanted to keep that feeling a little longer before leaving for the gym. Where she’d have to bury it down a little deeper.
She lay on her bed and video-called Dani. The only other person she could talk to about Jade.
