Page 26

Thea

“Have I mentioned how hot you look tonight?” I asked, because honestly, no other word did him justice. Jackson in a suit shouldn’t have been anything new—I’d seen him dressed up before—but tonight felt different. Tonight, he felt like he was mine, and I could finally give him the attention and praise he deserved. Maybe it was just me, but his jawline looked sharper than ever, and I had to physically stop myself from running my tongue along it.

Jackson’s grin was wide as he held his jacket open and did a little spin for me, adding a hip shake in. It was cute and kind of hot. Not that I’d let him know that.

He buttoned his jacket up and winked. If this were a couple of weeks ago, I’d want to smack that smile right off his face. Now, I just wanted to kiss him senseless. What was wrong with me?! “You’re not just saying that? I’ve gained a little weight in the offseason, and it’s made it feel pretty tight.”

“Tight in all the right places,” I joked, my eyes homing in on his package.

“And I thought I was the horny one,” he said with a sigh.

“You look great,” I reiterated, taking him in one more time. It was an understatement; he looked gorgeous, but, honestly, he could wear a shirt and sweats, and I’d still like it. Even that too-tight baseball hat seemed to do it for me these days.

Jackson peeked into the banquet hall, and surprise took over his face. It was already filled with guests, meaning we wouldn’t be alone once we stepped out of this hallway. He wrapped his arm around my waist and hauled me against his body before dragging me away from the door and any prying eyes.

When we were alone, he placed a delicate kiss on my lips. “I don’t know how long we have before we see everyone, so I just wanted to say I think you look absolutely stunning.” His gaze dropped to my dress as he licked his lips. “Red suits you, and all I’m going to think about is how much I wish you were in bed with me tonight.”

I swatted him on the chest, laughing as I turned away. I didn’t want him to see how much I liked what he’d said. He pulled me back, kissing my forehead.

“You might hate hearing how beautiful I think you are, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop telling you.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled, looking anywhere but Jackson. It still felt weird to hear it coming from him. “Where’s Tanner?” I asked. “I thought you guys were speaking to the dean and then coming back out here.”

Jackson smiled. “Yeah, he was supposed to come with me, but he, uh, found Aster in there.”

My mouth dropped, and I glared at him. “Why wasn’t that the first thing you told me?” I swatted him on the chest, and he laughed before grabbing my hands and gently placing them at my sides.

“Because you came in hot with the compliments. Do you really think I’m going to turn down hearing my girlfriend talk about my giant cock?”

I rolled my eyes. “Did you see Aster too? Or did he just tell you he saw her?”

“I saw her. She was wearing a pretty green dress that really made her hair pop.”

“Is that it?”

He shrugged. “What more do you want?”

I grunted. “How did she look? Was she pissed off? Upset?”

“Indifferent,” he said with a shrug.

“Indifferent? What does that mean?”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t looking at her face, trying to analyze her emotions. I just wanted my friend to be happy.”

“Was he?”

“Why don’t you find out for yourself? They’re just in there.”

I nodded, moving away from him and back to the banquet hall, slowing as I took in the cathedral-style ceilings and paintings on the walls. I’d read the names of each professor when I came in earlier, and the walls oozed history.

“Do you like it?” Jackson asked as his hand grazed my back, then dropped to my side. I frowned, aching to know what it would feel like to have his hand there, warming me, claiming me. But not tonight. Tonight, we had to play the part—pretend we could barely stand each other. Maybe we’d trade a few sharp words, act like we wanted to tear each other apart when, in reality, all we wanted was to tear each other’s clothes off.

“It’s beautiful, if not a little creepy.”

“Creepy why?”

“I don’t know. There are a lot of eyes on me, and I’m not sure how I feel about that.”

“They’re paintings, Pyro, besides, you didn’t mind the eyes on you when my fingers were in your pussy outside the club last night.”

I groaned. “Did you have to bring that up?”

“Always. What can I say? I’m an oversharer, and I think these are things you should know.”

I grabbed his hand, hauling him through the people to find our table. “Come on, we need to get to our seats before someone starts questioning what we’re doing.”

“So, neither one of you is dead, which is great news,” Britt said, humor lacing her voice as she looked between us. “Guessing you got over that little dream you had?” she asked Jackson, whose cheeks went red.

“I’ll never get over that, B. Just let me know when you and Matty are ready. I’m here for it.”

Britt’s eyes widened, and she clutched the pearls on her neck. Funny, I didn’t expect her to act so prudish, considering I knew some of the things she and Matty got up to. Her ring glinted in the movement, and I still couldn’t believe she was married, or that my brother was in crisis over a potentially botched proposal.

Why did I suddenly feel so old? Marriage wasn’t even in my orbit, yet here were the most important people in my life discussing it.

“What was the dream about?” Aster asked, her voice quiet and subdued. Tanner was sitting next to her, but there was a stark contrast in their body language when compared to Matty and Britt. With visible space between them, they focused on their food and looked at everyone at the table except each other. It was awkward. They were fidgety and constantly apologizing every time one of them accidentally bumped into the other.

It broke my heart in ways I hadn’t expected. To me, these two were the very definition of soulmates—they just fit. They understood each other in a way most people could only dream of, and the thought that one small misunderstanding could unravel everything between them was almost too much to bear.

Funny. A misunderstanding kept Jackson and me apart. If only we’d realized sooner, then we wouldn’t be in a mess where we couldn’t celebrate our happiness in fear it would wreck my brother.

I subtly dropped my hand to my middle, nausea overcoming me because this didn’t feel right. Nothing about this situation did. I was hiding the best thing that had ever happened to me while waiting for the best thing that had ever happened to Tanner to crash and burn. This was awful.

Jackson’s palm settled on my knee, his fingers splaying over my skin instantly grounding me. Then, slowly, he slid his hand up, finding mine and clasping it, holding on like he had no intention of letting go.

My cheeks heated. The move almost felt like he was claiming me in front of everyone, even though no one could see.

His thumb rubbed across the top of my palm and sent a searing heat through my stomach. It wasn’t horniess—although that always seemed to be a factor when he was around. It was love.

I knew it. I’d first thought about it in the few minutes before Tanner nearly caught us, and I was grappling with how I’d tell Jackson. If I’d tell him. Jackson didn’t seem like the overly sensitive kind of guy. Especially since we’d only been sleeping together for two days. I felt it, though. A different kind of force burning between us. It was there, and it was very much on my mind.

“I just need a minute,” Aster said as she pushed her seat back, excusing herself from the table. I glanced at Tanner, noting the exasperation on his face as he ran a hand through his hair. He was tired and frustrated. I didn’t want to see him like that, so I knew I needed to talk to her.

I squeezed Jackson’s hand before letting it go and pushed my seat back. “I need a minute too.” I didn’t even bother coming up with a good excuse, everyone at the table knew exactly what I was doing, and although Tanner opened his mouth to protest, he said nothing. As much as he hated to admit it, he wanted me to chase after her. “I won’t be long.”

Patting down my dress, I made my way to the same exit I’d seen Aster walk out of and followed her into the bathroom. I checked my makeup as I waited for her to finish up. Once the door opened, I turned and leaned against the sink.

“Thea!” She clutched her chest, shocked to see me. “What are you doing here?”

“I was just checking my makeup and wanted to check up on you.”

Aster’s voice wavered slightly as she averted her gaze, shuffling over to the sink beside me. She turned on the water and scrubbed her hands with a little too much force, like she was trying to wash away more than just germs.

“Aster, what’s going on?”

She yanked a few paper towels from the dispenser, pressing them to her damp hands. “It’s complicated.”

I let out a sharp breath. “Don’t give me that. Don’t act like I haven’t been here for the entirety of your relationship, like I don’t know you and Tanner.” I folded my arms, unwilling to back down. “What’s going on with you and my brother?”

Her fingers stilled against the paper towels, the hesitation flashing across her face like a storm cloud. Finally, she exhaled. “So, you know he proposed, then?”

I frowned. “No, he didn’t. You found a ring in his bag.”

Her lips parted in surprise. “Yes. One he wanted me to find.”

Oh, Aster. I loved her, but sometimes, she was too smart for her own good.

“He didn’t,” I said firmly. “Trust me. I know. The only reason he brought that ring with him was because he didn’t want to leave it in the apartment with me and Jackson. He was afraid we’d do something stupid—like burn the place down.”

“Oh.” Her shoulders slumped, her expression shifting into something uncertain. She stared at the floor, brows knitting together.

“Everything okay?” I asked after a beat of silence.

“Yeah …” She nodded, but her voice lacked conviction. “I just wasn’t expecting to hear that. I thought—” She let out a humorless laugh, shaking her head. “I thought he wanted to marry me.”

“I thought you didn’t want that?”

“I don’t.” She squeezed her eyes shut, her nose crinkling. “That’s not what I mean. I want to be with your brother. But when I was holding the ring …” She twisted the damp paper towel in her hands.

“You froze?” I guessed.

“No,” she murmured, eyes flicking up to meet mine. “It was something I suddenly started contemplating.”

I blinked. “Wait, what?”

“It’s crazy, right?” Her eyes were glassy, and she seemed just as confused as Tanner. “I can’t get married right now. I’m working on my master’s, he’s about to go live in some other state, and yet, the only thing I could think about was what it would be like to have him by my side. To wear his ring on my finger. To know that when I was watching those games, he was coming home to me.”

“Uh.” Well, this took a turn I wasn’t expecting.

“I love your brother. I don’t think there’s anyone in this world I love more, and I didn’t want to hurt him. I just didn’t know how to deal with my feelings about being with him. Then he just left me with my parents, making everything even more awkward. You know they thought Tanner broke up with me?”

“Is that what you told them?”

“No.”

“Have you talked to him yet?”

“In not so many words. I feel awful, though. Every time I do, he starts apologizing and then we get interrupted by something.” She closed her eyes, the sadness clear in her voice.

“Hey, guys,” Britt said as she pushed through the bathroom door. “Uh, did I just walk in on something?”

“You’re fine. We were just talking about things.” I kept it vague since I doubted Aster wanted me to divulge the details.

“Things?” Britt’s eyes darted between Aster and me when a wide grin grew across her face. “Wait, are you telling Aster about everything that happened between you and Jackson?” She asked excitedly.

Shit.

I should have thought about that as a potential topic before I dropped myself in it. Britt had no idea Tanner and Aster were having problems. For all she knew, they were acting strange tonight because they were nervous.

“You and Jackson?” Aster’s brows crossed, her eyes searching mine for answers. “Is there a you and Jackson?”

“Uh.” Welp, I was taking one for the team tonight. Reveal my new relationship to save Aster from talking about hers. My lips curled into a sarcastic smile. “Maybe?” I said it like a question because it felt like it diminished my responsibility.

“Did something happen while Tanner and I were away?”

“Uh, funny story,” I started, and Aster groaned just as Britt tipped on her toes, listening to me eagerly. I cleared my throat, buying myself time to think about how I would explain this. “Jackson and I might be seeing each other.”

There. Short. Simple. To the point. Nothing to question.

“But that makes no sense. I thought you hated each other?” Aster asked.

“Turns out, we lean a little more on the love side of the scale.”

“Love? You’re in love with him?” Aster’s mind was blowing, and I wasn’t surprised. One minute, we’re talking about her and my brother potentially both wanting to get married, and the next we’re talking about Jackson and me.

I raised my finger. “No. No. That’s not what I said. I said on the scale of love and hate, we’re more on the love side. Only partially.”

“Does Tanner know?” Aster asked.

“Not yet … We, uh, kind of wanted to keep things between us.” I waved my hands in front of my face, trying to say as much as I could without saying the important stuff. I was aware Aster wasn’t Tanner, so she didn’t have the same telepathic abilities.

“You’re waiting to see what happens with me and Tanner, aren’t you?”

“You and Tanner?” Britt whispered, putting it all together. “Wait, is there something happening between you two?” Our silence answered her question. “What? No. That’s not possible. He’s obsessed with you.”

Aster let out a bitter laugh as her gaze dropped to Britt’s hand where the beautiful diamond ring sparkled.

“Maybe. I thought he asked me to marry him,” she said solemnly. “I found a ring in his bag, and he freaked out.”

“A ring?” Britt gasped, her giant ring glinting away. “What did you say?”

“I didn’t say anything.” She raised her hand in exasperation. “Tanner didn’t give me any time to. He walked out and took a flight back here before I could say anything.” Aster fiddled with her hands, her body filled with nerves; something I’d never seen from her.

“But you’re here as his date now. Have you been able to talk to him about it?” Britt asked.

Aster’s eyes widened as she shook her head. “I’m waiting for the right time. I’m pretty sure Tanner only thinks I’ve come here tonight so he’s not embarrassed in front of the dean.”

“Are you?” Britt raised a brow. I was glad she was here asking the questions I didn’t have the balls to.

“N-No. I love Tanner. I want to be with him. It’s just the timing of a wedding would be all off right now.” Typical Aster. Worried about the logistics of it all instead of focusing on her feelings.

“He’s just about to start his NFL career. I need to finish my master’s degree. It’s just not the right time, but that doesn’t mean it’s a no.”

“It all makes perfect sense,” I said, only making Aster stop and look at me with confusion. “I can’t speak for my brother, but I’ve known him since the moment our hearts started beating. He loves you—there’s no doubt about that. And I know the last thing he wants is to lose you. The only reason he’s freaking out right now is because, in his mind, it’s not a question of if you’ll leave—it’s when.”

“He’s not lost me.”

“I already know that. I think it’s my brother you might need to tell it to.”

“You’re right.” Aster smiled before I brought her into a hug and gave her an extra tight squeeze when I felt how much she was trembling.

“You’ll be fine. I promise,” I said, looking at Britt from over Aster’s shoulder with wide, shocked eyes.

Tanner and Aster were made for each other. They’d get through this. I knew it.