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I sucked in a long breath. “She told him that it doesn’t take becoming someone’s husband to become a good dad, that one has nothing to do with the other. She said that being a dad was a choice, and even though anyone could father a child, only a real man chooses to be a dad. She told him that being a husband was something that should be reserved for the person you truly want to call your wife.”
A small smile appeared on Cassie’s face. “Gran’s good.”
“What did he say to that?” Melissa asked, and I startled with surprise. I’d almost forgotten she was even in the room.
“He wouldn’t listen to her, either,” I said, shaking my head as Cassie’s smile disappeared. “He told her that his child wouldn’t grow up in a broken home. That sometimes you have to be unselfish and compromise, even if it’s not what you want, because it’s not about you anymore.”
“There’s no getting through to him. How are your grandparents doing?” she asked, and my shoulders slumped forward.
“They’re both really sad. They’re worried for him. And they’re worried about you.”
She nodded but said nothing, just tugged at a shredded tissue that had been balled in her hand.
“He loves you, Cassie. He doesn’t give a shit about this girl; he’s just so fucked up from our parents that he can’t see reason.” I pleaded with my eyes for her to understand, wa
nting her to know just how messed up my brother truly was over this.
Melissa stepped closer, watching me as she said to me, “I feel like you wouldn’t do this, though, and you both grew up in the same house.”
She was right. I couldn’t imagine doing this either, but I wasn’t in Jack’s position. Who knew how I’d react if this had happened to me?
“Yeah, you’re probably right. But he’s older and remembers things that I don’t. He was the one who had to hold it together while our mom fell apart. He remembers the day our dad didn’t come home. Honestly, Jack really lost it when Mom left. He was never the same after that, and he’s been fighting his demons ever since.”
Looking back at Cassie, I said, “I never thought he’d let anyone in. We would argue like crazy about how he always pushed everyone away until I realized there was no changing his mind. I don’t think it’s that he didn’t want someone to love him—he just didn’t want to risk loving them back. You know, in case they left him too.”
I paused for a moment before adding, “Then you showed up and everything changed. You changed him.”
Cassie’s eyes welled with tears as she whispered, “He changed me too.”
“I’ll say,” Melissa said. “She never let anyone in either. I knew the night she saw Jack that something was different.” She turned to stare at Cassie as she spoke. “I could see it. Watching the two of you together, it was like watching fireworks light up the night sky. You burn brighter when you’re together.”
“But even fireworks burn out,” Cassie said sadly, and my heart ached with the finality of her words.
• • •
Word of Jack’s wedding spread like wildfire. I had no idea how the press got wind of the news, but the school newspaper was having a field day with it, and then the local newspaper picked up the story. They all heralded Jack as our local superstar and celebrated his upcoming wedding to a Southern sweetie, a sentiment that I found puke-inducing.
Poor Cassie had to endure it all. She was humiliated, and even if she never said those exact words to me, I knew she felt that way. I didn’t want her to be alone, so I constantly texted Melissa to make sure they were together, or to ask if I needed to come over. Cassie was tough, but this was too much, even for a strong girl.
“Where is she?” I asked Melissa from our table as I scanned the student union, searching for Cassie.
“I don’t know. I just sent her a text telling her that we were here, so you can calm down.”
I scowled at Melissa just as her phone beeped, and she snatched it up to read the text.
“She’s on her way.”
“Good.”
Concerned, I kept an eye out for Cassie, not wanting anyone to harass her or to be mean to her the way girls could sometimes be.
When she came through the doors, I spotted her right away, and noticed with dismay how people stopped what they were doing to watch her every move. They expected her to fall apart, break down in some way, which would give them something juicy to post on social media.
Damn vultures.
It took everything in me to not run up to Cassie and play bodyguard. She didn’t need it, but I felt obligated when it came to her. I knew Jack would want me to protect her, especially since he couldn’t anymore.
When her eyes met mine from across the room, she relaxed slightly, but by the time she reached our table, she was practically hyperventilating.
