She’d probably end up with someniceguy with a degree in finance and a golden retriever named Max.
Can I give Jade what she needs?
Ithinkso. Assuming she wants me to.
One thing I know for sure is that the thought of leaving her behind—whether we’re only friends or something more—makes everything inside me contract. And being that far away from my sisters and Ella sounds like the worst idea ever.
What if I decide to stay, not for Jade, but…for me?
Here I go again with the “what ifs.”
I’ve been waiting for Jade to tell me what to do, to ask me to stay, to say that she wants me here, when I’m a grown-ass man who’s perfectly capable of making the decision for myself. I could choose to stay, to make Still Springs my home once more, the same way Jade could choose to be with me or some smug-faced accountant and his dog.
Fuck that. I don’t want anyone else to give her what she needs. I want it to be me.
Hopefully, she’ll feel the same.
There’s only one way to find out.
I press my heels to the ground that’s still turning, carving a line in the wood chips until the merry-go-round comes to a stop. But when I try to stand, the world tilts, and I nearly fall flat on my ass. My stomach revolts against the chocolate-filled croissant I shoved into my mouth for breakfast.
All the spinning was a bad idea.
I bend forward and brace my hands on my knees, breathing deeply until the cold sweat across my forehead dries.I will not puke. No, sir. I will swallow whatever bile climbs my throat so the joggers coming my way don’t have to see me losing my breakfast all over the playground.
With one final breath, I straighten, ready to tell Jade my decision, when I find a woman hovering beside the playground gate. My heart leaps into my throat.
Mrs. Williams.
Miranda’s mom.
Our gazes meet, and there’s no doubt that she’s seen me. I really might lose my breakfast.
“Dylan?” she says as if she can’t believe I’m really here. “Dylan King?”
My tongue feels so swollen that I can’t speak. All I can do is nod. Sweat leaks down my spine, and my heart thrashes in my chest. Miranda would’ve looked just like her mom if she’d lived beyond seventeen. It’s like glimpsing a future that wasn’t meant to be.
Mrs. Williams grips the iron railing, and I seriously consider my options. I could turn tail and run all the way to my parents’ house, get the keys to Dad’s Mustang, and leave town. Hayley could pack up my shit in the waterlogged apartment and ship it back to Austin. It’s the least she could do after the hell she’s given me over Jade.
Jade.
My mom’s and dad’s endless devotion to each other taught me that you never give up on the people you love.
I gave up on Miranda.
I won’t do the same to Jade.
So, instead of running, my boots remain glued to the wood chips.
“I heard you were in town,” Mrs. Williams says. “You’re staying above the old ice cream parlor, right? Next to where that awful fire happened today.”
I nod once more. As painful as all this is for me, it must be excruciating for this woman to come face to face with the man she blames for her only daughter’s downfall.
Her knuckles turn white where she’s holding onto the gate. “I’ve…um…been trying to find the nerve to stop by to extend my condolences about your parents.”
Oh, yeah. That. I haven’t forgotten they were killed, but when I try really hard, I can convince myself that they’re traveling somewhere in Europe or taking an extended vacation out west. Sarah wouldn’t be impressed if she knew that, but it’s helping me get through the hard days.
Hard days that didn’t seem so hard with Jade by my side.
