I'm soooo sorry this is late. I know I said Wednesday, but the week got way crazier than I expected. So this post and the next one are a little longer than normal to make up for it. I think after this chapter, the next one will be the last one, and then the epilogue...but we'll see as I keep working on it. I might have too much to squeeze into one chapter. Anyway, thanks for your patience and all of your reminder reviews. :) I hope you enjoy it enough to make up for the wait (I love this chapter). :)
"What about breakfast?" Jude asked innocently, half-joking.
"I'll buy you lunch," Tommy replied as she smiled warmly in agreement. Without another word, she leaned in to press her lips to his as he walked back to her bedroom, kicking the door closed on their way in.
-----------
"Hello?" Jude said softly, her voice strained from sleep.
"Jude?" she heard on the other end, trying to focus on the voice.
"Yeah?" she responded absentmindedly as she rubbed her eyes to wake up.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just waking up from a nap, Sadie…Sadie? Sadie!" she exclaimed, finally realizing who was on the other end of the line.
Listening to her sister's laughter, Jude immediately hushed, glancing over to see Tommy roll over, still asleep. She smiled to herself and quickly leaned over, gently placing a kiss on his head, before pulling herself out from underneath the covers.
"Hold on one sec, Sades?" she whispered, while steadying the phone on her shoulder and slipping on a sweatshirt and shorts from her dresser.
"Sorry, Sades, I'm back," she said, creeping out of the bedroom and into the hallway. "How are you? How was the honeymoon?"
"It was amazing. Totally relaxing and fun. And I got really tan," she boasted.
"Of course you did, Miss Coppertone Princess," Jude replied, collapsing onto her couch. "How was the hotel? Did you get to swim with dolphins or parasail?"
"Yeah, we did both. They were really fun, although Kwest somehow managed to get sick while we were parasailing."
"Does he have a fear of heights or something?"
"No, more like one too many margaritas," Sadie joked. "It was great. We took plenty of pictures, so you'll get to see a lot of it."
"I can't wait! A trip to Hawaii sounds so good right now…" Jude reflected dazedly.
"It was perfect," Sadie recalled wistfully. "So, how are you? Any more drama while I was gone or did you manage to have a low-key week like I asked?"
Jude couldn't help but burst out laughing at her question, thinking about all of the events that had occurred while her sister was away.
Totally confused, Sadie said, "Umm…okay…I'm going to take it that the laughter means you didn't stick to my request?"
Quieting down, Jude shook her head. "No—sorry, Sadie. I couldn't help it though – drama just seems to find me."
"Right," Sadie replied doubtfully. "So what happened this time? Did Tommy and his fiancée run off and elope or something?"
"Not exactly…" Jude said vaguely. "Let's just say that over the past week, the dating scene in New York has gotten very interesting."
"What does that mean?" Sadie asked, even more confused.
Jude sighed and explained a little more. "Well, let's see… Rob and I decided to take a break, which ended up being the smartest decision I ever made because I found out that he had been cheating on me over the last couple months."
"Cheating?" Sadie exclaimed. "No way!"
"Oh yes, but wait—the week gets better," Jude started. "So Rob and I are done. Officially. And then, another couple you might know called it quits too."
"Another couple?" Sadie asked, thinking of who she could be referring to. "Wait—you're not talking about—hold on. Tell me it's not—"
"It is," Jude confirmed, not even needing names to figure out what she was thinking.
There was a pause on the other end of the line, then Sadie muttered, "But…they were engaged."
"I know," Jude said, trying to hide her anticipation of telling her sister the next part. "But they're done. Totally over."
"Wow," Sadie replied, totally stunned. "I can't believe they actually broke up. I mean, clearly they were having issues, but—wait a second. What caused this? Did they end it—wait."
Instead of replying, Jude sensed the beginning of Sadie's comprehension and just let her sister slowly put the pieces of the situation together.
"Was it—was it because of what happened with you and Tommy?" Sadie asked.
"Sort of," Jude replied ambiguously.
"Sort of?" Sadie responded in irritation. "Jude, you're being all weird. Is everything okay? You're seriously starting to worry me."
"I'm fine," Jude attested. "Never been better."
"Seriously?" Sadie questioned dubiously.
"Yes, seriously," Jude confirmed.
"Then why are you so…secretive? Just tell me what happened already!" Sadie exclaimed in exasperation.
"But it's more fun to listen to you try to figure it out," Jude stated with a snigger. "And you were getting really close…"
"Jude, enough. What the hell happened? Tommy and that girl broke up, you broke up with Rob, and then—wait. Wait one second. Tommy broke up with his fiancée, so he's single now. And you broke up with your boyfriend, so you're single now…"
"Yeah…" Jude replied, drawing the word out and smiling widely.
"So—are you—did you—wait. How did you know he broke up with his fiancée?" Sadie stumbled, her voice getting louder in eagerness. "Who told you exactly?"
"Tommy did," Jude replied casually.
"I did what?" she heard from beside her, looking up from her position on the couch to see Tommy standing at the entrance to the living room.
She smiled at him and mouthed the word "Sadie" to him, pointing to the phone. He nodded and sat down next to her, as she adjusted the phone so he could hear too.
"Jude, what was that?" Sadie asked quickly, hearing a man's voice in the background. "Oh my god. Jude…tell me that wasn't…it can't be…that wasn't Rob."
"Nope, it wasn't," Jude replied, her laughter escaping just enough for Sadie to hear a bit. Tommy couldn't help but laugh a little too, picking up on the fact that Sadie was putting everything together.
"Was that—Jude! Just tell me already! What is going on?!" Sadie yelled over the phone, completely frustrated.
Jude kept laughing a little, thoroughly entertained by her sister's aggravation. Without hesitation, she handed the phone to Tommy who smiled and took it, sensing Jude's plan.
He quickly cleared his throat and then said, "Welcome home, Sadie."
There was silence on the other end of the phone as Jude bit her lip to keep her from laughing any more. She leaned in closer to the phone and waited for her sister's reaction, knowing that the sound of his voice probably flustered her more than anything.
After a few moments, they both heard a quiet voice say, "Tommy?"
He smiled at Jude, who was already grinning, and replied, "Yes?"
They both remained quiet and listened as Sadie nearly had a panic attack on the other end of the line. Her breathing became heavier and she started muttering obscenities.
"Sades? You okay there?" Jude asked into the phone.
"Jude—Tommy—you're…you're…"
"In the same room?" Tommy offered with a chuckle.
"Both in pajamas?" Jude added, not being able to contain her giggles.
Sadie mumbled a couple of incoherent sentences before asking, "So…what is this? How did this happen? Are you two…what are you two?"
Jude glanced at Tommy uneasily, not knowing how to answer the question since they hadn't really had that conversation yet. They agreed to live together but the exact terminology of their relationship had yet to be defined.
His expression showed a bit of hesitation too, but it quickly disappeared as he responded, "We're together."
Jude grinned, happy to hear his response. He smiled too, putting his arm around her and pulling her in closer. She leaned against him as he pressed the speaker button on the phone, allowing him to put the phone down in front of them.
"Really?" Sadie asked hopefully, her voice becoming softer, like she was getting choked up.
"Yeah," Jude replied sweetly.
"Wow, this is…totally unexpected! And totally crazy! And totally—"
"Overdue?" Jude offered.
"Yeah…definitely. I just can't believe…" Sadie started, still totally in shock. "You know, hold on one sec—KWEST!"
At the sound of Sadie screaming for her husband, both Jude and Tommy jumped a little, startled by her abrupt change in volume.
"KWEST! GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE NOW!!"
Jude and Tommy both couldn't help but laugh at Sadie's tone and bossiness. Jude looked at him with a grin and teased, "See what you have to look forward to?"
Tommy laughed lightly and replied, "I think I can handle it."
She gave him a quick kiss before turning her attention back to the phone, hearing some faint talking coming from the other end. Sadie was clearly trying to get Kwest up to speed on everything that had happened while they were away. There were some muffled voices and some confusion, until they both could hear Kwest say,
"They what?!"
"I know!" Sadie exclaimed.
"Are you serious?" he asked Sadie, sounding skeptical.
"See for yourself—they're on the phone."
There was a little movement on the other end and then Kwest's voice came through the line, "Hello?"
"Hey, Kwest. Welcome back!" Jude exclaimed, leaning forward towards the speaker phone.
"Thanks, Jude," he replied. "Umm…so this story that Sadie just told me, it's not true, is it?"
"What do you think?" Tommy asked from next to her.
There was quiet for a few moments and then Kwest asked, "T?"
"Yeah. Congratulations, man," Tommy replied.
"Holy—" Kwest started, realizing she wasn't kidding.
"I told you!" Sadie exclaimed, clicking in from another phone.
"Wait a second," Kwest said, sounding more serious. "How did this happen? I mean, we were only gone for a week."
"Well, a lot can happen in a week," Jude said with a smile.
"Clearly," he replied. "So you two are official?"
"Yep," Tommy confirmed.
"Wow. We really picked a bad week to be away, Sadie."
"Umm, okay. We'll try to plan our next honeymoon a little better then," Sadie replied with a snigger.
They all laughed lightly as a calm washed over the group. They continued talking, with Sadie and Kwest recounting stories from their honeymoon as Jude and Tommy briefing them on their eventful week. Listening to everyone excitedly telling stories, Jude snuggled up to Tommy and reflected on how perfect everything felt. She couldn't believe she had ever doubted her decision. The four of them were always supposed to be like this—a combination of best friends, sisters, and significant others. All of them happy and content in their interwoven lives.