Page 111 of Pick Me This Time

“Okay,” I said slowly, dragging out the word as I desperately tried to figure out what he meant. “Why, though? You know that he’s a good guy. You wouldn’t have been friends with him for so long if he wasn’t, so why don’t you trust him with me when you’d normally trust him with your life?”

“I have trusted him with my life,” Eric muttered. “It’s not my life we’re talking about, though. It’s your heart, and when it comes to women, he’s not a good guy, Daph. He never has been. He’s a charmer. A playboy. He goes with whatever feels right in the moment and he never takes it seriously.”

“I don’t believe that’s true anymore,” I said after taking his concerns into consideration. “I get that he might’ve been like that before, but so were you. All of you were, yet look at Jake and Rachel now. Look how happy they are. Think about how long it’s been since you’ve just randomly fallen from one woman to the next. You can’t tell me that you believe you and Jake have changed so much, but Sterling hasn’t.”

“I don’t know what to think about him,” he finally admitted. “It’s been a long time since he and I have talked about this kind of thing, and honestly, I did think he’d grown up, but then I saw him with you and it occurred to me that he’s probably still single for a reason.”

“You’re single too,” I said. “Both of us know that you don’t have to be. You’re simply refusing to settle for just anyone. Maybe Sterling feels the same way.”

Eric shrugged. “Or maybe he’s still the same slutty dick he’s always been.”

I scoffed. “How was he a slutty dick when he was with Fiona? He was committed to her from day one. He never strayed.”

“Not that we know about.” Eric snorted and glanced at me. “Unless something happened between you⁠—”

“Don’t be a jerk,” I said, my voice a low warning. “Nothing happened between us back then and you know it. That only started a couple weeks after he got back, and he’s been great. Really great, Eric. He’s made me feel secure in his feelings for me and I have real feelings for him too.”

“That’s what I’m talking about, though,” he snapped. “You have real feelings for him and he’s fucking leaving.”

“Yes, he is, but I knew that was going to happen. He never made me any promises that he hasn’t kept. He didn’t fool me into thinking he was going to stay. Whatever happens between us, it’s between us and you really need to get over it. It’s got nothing to do with you.”

My brother grunted, white-knuckling the steering wheel as he pulled into the parking lot outside of the high school. People from Eric’s class swarmed around us, shouts of laughter ringing in the air. They hugged and chatted while making their way to the doors.

“Are you ready for this?” I asked as he opened his door. “Remember, I’m just here to make sure things run smoothly, so don’t worry about me tonight, okay? Just try to relax and have fun.”

And if you see Sterling, please don’t get in a fight with him, I added silently as Eric hopped out of the truck and came around to open my door.

I accepted his hand and linked my elbow with his, then scanned the crowd gathered outside, searching for one person above all others. I didn’t see Sterling yet, but I knew he would be here eventually. While I hoped he and my brother would make up, I also hoped I would get the chance to at least speak to him tonight.

Eric glanced at me as we walked through the wide doors and joined the throng of people moving slowly toward the gym. “I’m ready for this, Daph. I really just hope you are too.”