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I growl lowly at that; that’s not going to happen.
“Yeah, exactly my point. Have you guys thought about it, really?”
“We all discussed it after the fight. Makes sense. She’s a big girl, and she can chose for herself. Roman’s out. He made that clear. It’s just me against Hunter.”
“And you know how that sounds right now? You against Hunter. That’s not how friends should be. Against each other is what enemies are made of. God, Jace. You can be thick at times, but you need to stop and think. This is the end of you all if you do this. The pact is the only thing that kept you together all those years.”
I don’t answer him. I know what he’s saying. I get it. Fuck, I hate that he’s right, but I just can’t step back and watch the girl of my dreams with someone else. Does he even understand how hard that is? If he loved someone as much as I do Mila, he would get it.
Grady paces a by the door. Mom and Dad are home today. They can probably hear our fight but are ignoring it. Mom always says it’s best to work it out ourselves but to come to them before fists are involved.
“Have you ever thought about others? Like, not Hunter and you. There are plenty of guys who would love to go out with Mila. Guys who have been crushing on her for years. What about them?”
“She said Emerson doesn’t give her butterflies.”
I’d always known it would just come down to the three of us; that’s why the pact existed in the first place. Roman’s out, Hunter’s gone all in with the flirty shit, and the one who’s gonna be standing at the end is me.
Mila is end game. She’s the girl I’m going to marry. After college and everything, I will marry her and put babies in her belly and show everyone that she’s mine. We will be together forever. I smile at the image in my head of her with her long blonde hair, a cute little kid with my hair and eyes on her hip, kissing me as I walk in the front door of our house.
“I kissed her.”
I snap out of my daydream and look over at him, surprised by the expression of guilt on his face. Huh? What did he just say...?
“Jace, did you hear me? I said I kissed her. And she kissed me back.” His hand rubs the back of his neck, and I can see it written all over his face. He didn’t, she didn’t, no.
“No, you’re fucking with me.” No way, I can’t believe she kissed Grady…there’s no way. And he wouldn’t do that to me; he wouldn’t kiss the girl I’ve been in love with since I could walk.
“I’m not fucking with you. Shit, I had a crush on her for years, okay? Just like all three of you did. I wasn’t part of your pact, but I respected the rules and never made a move on her. Until last week.”
I don’t even blink. I just charge at my larger, older, line-backer brother and smash into him. He’s prepared for it and doesn’t fall over like I wanted. Motherfucker is strong. I should’ve known that, though. He’s tackled me enough over the years.
“You’re a fucking asshole. You knew I’ve loved her all these years, and you went and did that. You dirty bastard.” I punch at his chest, his kidneys, and he blocks them all.
“I’m sorry, okay? It’s been eating at me all week, and I wanted to tell you. I told her not to say anything. I wanted to be the one to tell you.”
I swing at him again, but and it doesn’t connect, and I scream out at him.
“Jace, stop.”
He isn’t fighting back. Why isn’t he fighting me? I want to kill him.
I can’t believe he would do that, that she would do that. Kiss him back. Unless she likes him?
She didn’t say anything. They’ve been sitting beside each other all afternoon, giggling and poking each other. I’d assumed it was friendly banter, like siblings do. He always called her an annoying little sister. When the fuck did he go from thinking of her as a sister to kissing her?
I don’t hear or see my parents as my fist connects with Grady’s nose. My dad is the one to pull me from Grady, but I’m still seething.
“I wanted to tell you, because as amazing as it felt to kiss her, the guilts been eating away at me. She was yours first. She won’t ever be mine. I know that.”
“Boys,” Mom cries out.
Dad lets go of me; I think he knows I need to be alone. I storm into my room just as Dad calls out that I’m grounded. I slam the door and don’t care if I’m grounded.
All I care about is whether she kissed my brother back.
Jace: Did Grady kiss you?
Mila: He told you?
Tears prick at my eyes, and I slump down to the floor.
Jace: Did you kiss him back?
She’s typing, the three dots keep appearing as I wait for her answer.
Mila: Yes.
Three little letters, and my heart shatters.
