Page 31 of Marrying My Brother's Best Friend

“Sounds like he needs me,” I murmur before biting on my lower lip.

“He does,” Jace admits. “He’s miserable without you here, Gracie, but he needs to realize that for himself. No matter how hard you try, he needs to realize that his life is meaningless without you in it. Trust me on this.”

“You’re right,” I sigh, then rub a hand over my forehead. “You’re right, Jace.” I can’t keep giving without getting anything in return.

“Goodnight, Gracie,” my brother says just before the call ends, and I sit in silence for a long moment as different thoughts spiral through my head.

An idea pops into my head after that, and it’s refreshing because it feels like a weight has lifted off my chest. I grab my laptop, head to my living room, and sit down to pour out the words that come to mind.

It suddenly doesn’t feel like all hope is lost anymore because Trevor’s drunken call has reminded me of one important fact. Love is patient. And I choose to hold on to the hope that he’ll realize soon enough that love is also a gamble worth taking.

Chapter 18

Trevor

The pang in my head is too intense to bear, and it leaves me with a parched feeling in my throat. I realize after sitting up on my bed that the constant ringing in my ears is my alarm.

Shoot! I’m late for my game.

I scramble out of bed and head for my shower quickly. Jace is in the living room when I head out, and he looks at me briefly before shaking his head. It’s only been two weeks since Gracie has been away, and my life is a mess.

“You okay, man?” he asks. “Sure you can make it for the game in time?”

“I need to make it,” I answer, heading for the door. The only thing that keeps me sane since Gracie left is the game. On the court, I can forget all my worries and indulge in the rush of the game that exceeds every other feeling.

I have to meet with the rest of the team in about thirty minutes, and we’ll have a little practice pump before the main game tonight. It’s not a major practice, but it’s a way for our coach to hype us up for the big night.

“I’ll come watch you tonight,” he says. “It’s the first round of the NBA playoffs. The whole world is watching and you need me rooting for you in the crowd, don’t you think?”

Jace’s enthusiasm should cheer me up, but nothing seems to do the trick these days. I offer him a tiny smile, then open the front door and pause halfway.

“Do you think Gracie will be watching tonight?” I ask while hovering around the doorway. The delicate dance of my nerves heightens after I ask, and I realize I’m holding my breath as Jace turns to look at me again. “I just…It’s not a big deal if she’s not. I know she’s busy and all…”

“Gracie has never missed any one of your games, Trev,” Jace answers. “She’s a diehard fan. If you didn’t know that, then you don’t know Gracie.”

A flutter of hope rises inside me. “Oh,” I gasp as the heat inches towards my cheeks and leaves me with a flush. “See you tonight.”

Our game against the Chicago Bulls today is in Midtown Manhattan’s Madison Square, a few minutes drive from our training center.

That afternoon, during the final pace training, Billy walks over to me and extends a hand for a casual shake.

“Hey,” he greets me after we bump shoulders, and he removes the band over his forehead. “How’s Gracie? Is she gonna be around tonight?”

My relationship with Billy isn’t fully mended after what he did, and there’s no way I can trust him with anything again after that.

“No,” I answer him with a light shrug. “But she’s definitely gonna be watching.”

“Cool,” he whispers, then nods.

Knowing Gracie will be watching the game tonight leaves me with a tingle in the pit of my stomach. I can’t explain it, but finding out she has watched me all these years makes me happy.

Nothing else will matter but the two of us. I keep thinking about those words Gracie said to me that night in my kitchen. Can I trust these feelings? I’ve lived with the conviction that I’ll never let love weaken me like it did to my mother. Or let it change me like it did to my father. But the days rolling by without Gracie are bleak, and I hate it.

I’ve never been more certain about anything than I am at this moment.

Coach blows his whistle and pulls me out of my thoughts right then.

“Gather around, guys,” he calls, and we all jog towards him in the training court for a brief meeting. Tonight's game against the Chicago Bulls marks the start of the playoffs and I'm hopeful for a championship this year.

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