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“She never told you, did she, about her first love? The one she always wished would be the one to save her?”

Marcel didn’t say anything but the rigid lines of his body already said enough.

“I have sent her to him and this time, he won’t be the one to break her heart. Instead, he will finally give her the one thing she has always wanted.”

Chapter Forty-Four

“Jett?” Seeing him somehow made her feel small, plunging her back into the cold, dark waters she had just escaped from. “What are you doing here?”

Jet fiddled with his hands, eyes not quite meeting hers. He was nervous. Jett was never nervous. “I tried to talk to you,” he said. “Earlier in the hall. There’s something I need to tell you.”

Thicket blinked, taken aback. Before she could fully register the words, Jett continued. “I know you are mad and will probably never forgive me for everything I’ve done to you these past years, but I want you to know that I feel horribly.” The words spilled from his lips, like a faucet on full blast. “I should have defended you when Linda accused you of harassing her. I don’t know why I didn’t. I just started thinking about my baseball scholarship and how getting caught up in the middle of drama could ruin my chances at going to college. I saw how quickly people turned on you and was scared they would turn on me, too.” His hands clenched, as though restraining himself from blurting out more. “I know it is selfish of me to ask, but is there any chance you could forgive me? That we can somehow find a way to go back to how things were?”

Once, that was all Thicket had ever wanted. For Jett to come to her. To be the one to choose her. After wishing for years that he would and being let down time and time again, it didn’t make her feel as fulfilled as she always thought it would. Not with the way the memory of his indecision and doubt was burned into her mind.

“I asked you once why people still thought I was crazy,” Thicket said, choosing her words carefully. “You told me they didn’t know whether to believe I was better because they were just waiting for me to mess up again. That in order to convince them I wouldn’t, I needed proof.” She glanced down, swallowing. “You say you’re sorry and that you’ve changed, but you’ve hurt me too many times. If we tried to go back to how things were, that doubt would remain with me.”

Jett’s face fell. He looked as though he wanted to say more but decided against it. “I understand.” The despair in his voice chipped at her heart, tugging at her resolve. “Thank you,” he said, “for giving me the opportunity to apologize. I guess… I’ll see you at school on Monday.” He headed down the porch steps.

“Wait!” Thicket said, running out. “How did you know I was allowed back at school?” Her eyes widened, ears throbbing with the rapid pulse of her heartbeat. “You told Mrs. Kline?”

He nodded.

“But Linda… She was suspended. Were you— But your scholarship?”

She knew what baseball meant to Jett. It was his only way out of this town. And he might have just sacrificed it all. For her.

He would be stuck here just like she was.

Forever.

“I have spent too much of my life running from conflict, focusing on clinging to the small happiness I had found. Because of that, I was never there for you when you needed me. When I thought I had lost you for good, I realized I didn’t want to keep hiding where I thought it was safe and follow my heart.”

The smile he gave her was like sunshine, like the brightest, twinkling light of a faraway star. Her chest swelled, defenses crumbling as he said, “It was time I stood up for the girl that I love.”

His words sent chills racing down her spine, freezing her blood, locking her in place. “You love me?”

Slowly, Jett inched forward. Step by step. Thicket held her breath as he lowered his head and whispered, “I do. I always have.” And kissed her.

For once in Thicket’s life, everything she ever wanted was falling into place.

She had finally gotten her happily ever after.

Chapter Forty-Five

“What does happiness look like to you?”

Somewhere in the back of Thicket’s mind, a voice spoke. It was faint at first, no louder than a whisper on the wind.

Jett deepened the kiss, hands digging through her hair.

The voice was louder now, emerging from the depths of her consciousness and catching on the last ringing notes of an echo. Don’t look at the individual elements. Look at the whole picture.

Thicket had everything she wanted. She had her mother. She had Jett. She had her job. She had earned her place back in school.

For once in her life, everything was perfect.

But it wasn’t right. All the pieces were there, but as a whole it felt… forced.