Page 122 of Love Collided

Chase put a hand on my back, catching my attention. “I got it. What Scout is trying to say is that she would like to know if you all think I’m not a huge asshole or not, and if you would all accept me dating her. She would like permission to date me before I can even ask her out because she will just tell me no until you are all on board. After Jesse, she doesn’t want to disappoint you all again, and there seems to be a pretty decent concern that I am a disappointment.”

My eyes flew up to him as I grabbed his arm. “I don’t think you’re a disappointment.”

He was laughing now. “I know, but I thought a joke might soften the blow a little.”

The last thing I needed to add into this mess was him believing that I thought anything bad about him. Especially when it seemed everyone in his life seemed to tell him they thought little of him. I stepped a little closer, liking that we were doing this together.

“I’m sorry, you guys. I wasn’t trying to hide it, but I didn’t know how to talk about it after what happened with Jesse.”

“I thought we all kind of knew what was going on?” Quinn asked, looking around. “I mean, I hadn’t said anything, but I already knew after the hospital.”

“I knew,” Ash said. “The night of the party kind of solidified that for me for a while now.”

“And I knew,” Carly said. “But that’s because I actually pay attention and you two make itprettyobvious.” She smiled hard as she wrapped an arm around Jax.

“I didn’t know,” Fox said, his eyebrows high.

“I didn’t know either,” Ransom said.

“I mean, I hoped for your sake, dude. You looked a little pathetic looking at her, but I didn’t know,” Jax said.

They all looked at Kye, who was currently downing a glass of strawberry milk. Seconds went by before he finally noticed. “If you love sick puppies didn’t know, how the fuck would I? I’ve barely had a girlfriend and don’t understand how you all do.”

Ash rolled her eyes. “Do you think she was running to his side in the hospital because shedidn’tlike him?”

“I just thought she felt responsible for it, so was trying to make up for that,” Fox said. They all shook their heads, looking between us.

The guys were quiet as they looked around at one another. Suddenly, their faces fell, and they came around to us, pushing Chase towards the door as Kye opened it.

“Go. Get fucking going,” Fox said, pushing him out.

“Hey, wait, you can’t just kick him out!” I yelled, trailing after them. The barricade of tall, muscled bodies stopped me from getting close to Chase again, though. Jax stopped me, Kye and Ransom trailing after Fox and Chase.

“Well, that didn’t go nearly as good as I planned,” Chase said, his voice echoing as he was forced down the stairs.

“Yeah, well. You literally just came in asking to date our little sister. How the fuck should we feel about that?” Ransom said.

“Stay here,” Jax said to me, “And don’t you eventhinkabout coming after us.”

The door slammed shut, and I turned to the girls. All of our mouths dropped open.

“Wow,” Ash said. “I thought we were all on board that we liked Chase.”

“I mean, I was on board,” Quinn said. “I think you two are cute.”

“Even I liked him, and I don’t like many people. I mean, I really,reallyhated Jesse,” Carly said.

“That seemed to be the common theme here,” I said, shaking my head at her. “Well, I liked Chase too, but what the hell was that about? What am I supposed to do now?”

Ash shrugged. “Hang out with us until they get back?”

“But I didn’t even get to make my speech that I liked him, and that he’s giving it all up for me, and that I liked that you were all friends with him already,” I said, feeling more defeated than I had in months.

“What do you mean,giving it all up for me?” Ash asked.

“I mean, his dad hates me and we weren’t going to continue even talking, but Chase decided that he would give that all up with working with his dad, and being a lawyer, and all that.”

“Wow,” Quinn said, her eyes wide.

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