Page 156 of Here With Me

“I’ve texted him all day. Even though he doesn’t respond, I’ve sent updates on your progress, but he leaves me on read.”

“He’ll come around. Give him time.”

“The only thing I wanna give him is an earful and chew his ass out for bein’ a shithead. Ya got hurt, and he didn’t even stay to hear if you’re okay.”

“I’m sure the nurse gave him an update,” I say, hopeful I’m right.

She takes out her phone. “Ya wanna call him?”

“Do ya know where mine is?”

“I assume in your truck. You stalker,” she teases, and it hits me she knows I was sleeping outside her house.

“Won’t apologize for that.” I wink.

“I’m gonna text him first so he knows it’s you and to pick up,” she explains before handing it to me. “Maybe FaceTime him?”

“Good idea.”

Once Noah’s message showsread, I call.

After five rings, he finally picks up.

“Jase?”

He stays silent as the screen points at the ceiling. If he doesn’t want to talk to me or look at me, that’s fine, but at least he’s willing to listen.

“It hurts to talk, Jase, but I’m gonna try my best so ya can hear this from me. I met Noah at the Franklin rodeo. We connected and spent the night together. We didn’t know who we were to each other in terms of you bein’ the link between us. All I knew was I felt somethin’ I hadn’t felt in years, and I wanted to explore it. Noah realized it after she learned my last name and ghosted me. When I found out she was a Hollis, I put the pieces together that she was the family I was workin’ for and tried tellin’ her before I arrived, but again, she ignored my calls. I didn’t know why until I showed up at the ranch, and she finally came clean.”

Noah hands me my water when my voice gives out. “You want me to continue the story?” she whispers, but I shake my head. I’m not stopping until Jase gets the full truth from me.

“She knew I was here for you and how I wanted to rebuild our relationship, so we decided to be just friends. I didn’t wanna risk hurtin’ ya or jeopardizin’ your trust.”

He snorts as if my words are bullshit, but I continue anyway, even if it makes me look bad.

“At first, we tried to stay away from each other. I know that sounds cliché, but we couldn’t and decided to secretly date to see how it’d go. Once it got serious, we’d tell ya and her parents. We didn’t wanna announce anythin’ until we knew it’d work out. But when I saw how upset ya were at the thought of her datin’ someone, I knew you’d never be okay with us together, and I broke it off.”

My heart aches at the way I’ve disappointed the two most important people in my life.

Noah holds up my water cup again, and I take a longer sip this time. My throat burns, but I keep going.

“When Noah got hurt, I blamed myself for not protectin’ her, and the guilt ate at me that she got injured on my watch. So I told her parents I’d help durin’ her recovery because even if we couldn’t be together, I still very much cared about her.”

“How’d ya end up in the barn?” Jase finally speaks.

I explained how being at her house so much was torturing her, so I opted to stop coming by so much, but I kept watch outside her house at night due to Craig making bail.

“Can’t say I’m completely surprised,” he says. “Maybe I shoulda noticed it earlier, but I figured I was overthinkin’ things. The way you two look at each other, how you were trainin’ with her and bringin’ her groceries. A part of me didn’t wanna see what was right in front of me.”

“I tried to keep my distance, but no matter what, I couldn’t help the way my eyes always found her whenever she was near,” I confess. “I’m sorry for not tellin’ ya.”

“So y’all aren’t together anymore?”

“Technically, no,” I say even though it hurts to admit. “But I dunno that I can stay away after this.”

I glance at Noah, who’s hanging on to every word but stays silent.

Jase finally shifts the phone so his face is in view.