Page 99 of The Way the Heart Breaks: Jade’s Story

He glances at me. “I get what you're trying to say.”

I snatch the flower back. “Well, you're not exactly helping your argument.”

I pull a petal and toss it. He loves me not.

“I know.” He looks down at the flower petals and back at me. “If Lane makes you happy, then I'm not going to be pissed about it.”

I stare at him, but don’t see his hand when he takes the flower, plucks another petal, and drops it.

He loves me.

“If you really think your brothers would have liked him, then that's even more reason for me to shut the hell up.” I don't say anything as he rolls the now-empty stem between his fingers. “Doesn't mean I have to like sharing the field with him.”

“You make it sound like that was their plan, that they wanted their team to fall apart senior year.”

He sighs. “I know they didn’t. Still sucks.” I raise an eyebrow. “For all of us.”

“So, you at least like them as players.” He arches a brow, and I roll my eyes. “Football players.”

“I mean, we won't know for sure until the game, but the coaches seem to think we've got a hell of a team. Despite him acting like a bumbling idiot, Lane can move, and Links has an arm. They know what they're doing.”

I grin. “So, you like them.”

“I didn't say that.”

“You basically did.”

“I said they're good football players.”

“Which means you like them.”

He shakes his head, but I catch the corner of his mouth lifting. “Whatever.” He pushes off the ground and stands. “If Lane makes you happy, Jade, then I'm happy for you. That's what matters.”

I look at him, surprised by how much I needed to hear it. “Thank you.”

He nods, looking back toward the house. “And for what it's worth, I think Jason and Jasper probably would have liked him too.”

My throat tightens.

“Yeah,” I whisper. “I think so too.”

He holds out his hand, and I take it, and he pulls me up. I hate that I think about all the times he’s literally and figuratively pulled me up, and how it always makes me feel like that girl I was a lifetime ago. Protected by him, and not the lovesick puppy I turned into after that night, when she smoked up our house, and I became a secondhand crackhead… for a moment.

He releases my hand. “If he hurts you, I will kick his ass, teammate or not.”

“He’s not going to,” I say, pushing my hands in the pocket of Tommy’s hoodie as we walk toward the house.

“Might wanna tell Tessa that Lucas may be the best QB on the field, but if he fucks with her, Alex will demolish him.”

“Oh my God,” I laugh as I walk up the porch steps and turn, giving him my best look of warning. “Both of you, just stop.”

Walking away, he says, “Just saying, you fuck with the farmer, you get the machinery.”

Dressed and ready, I all but hop down the stairs and head to the kitchen to grab a banana. I just about jump out of my skin when I see Dad at the sink.

“You’re still home.”

He turns, taking a sip of coffee from the Best Dad in The World mug I gave him when I was little. Jason wrapped it up every year after that for Father's Day. He swallows it back and clears his throat. “Finally finished that Ithaca job, gave the guys the day off.”