Page 60 of Hard to Take

Now, she emerges from her room wearing a jersey.

Every thought in my brain evaporates.

“Princess, you look…” I trail off as she turns and I realize it’s not my jersey.

It’s her brother’s.

Of course it is.

She’s not going to wear my jersey to a game in front of everyone.

Even if it’s suddenly the only thing I want.

“I, uh, have something for you,” I say.

“You already got me wine.”

“That was for your mom. This is something else.”

I get the package. “It’s a phone. I didn’t know what color you wanted, so I got you three.”

“Three?!”

“You can take the other ones back. Or keep them all.”

“Thank you. I have something for you too.” She grins and bounces off to her room, then returns with a wrapped package.

“Shit, it’s so beautiful I feel like a prick wreaking this.”

“It’s even prettier on the inside.”

I scan her with my eyes. “So’re you.”

“Shut up.” Her smile lights me up.

“Nah, I know you’re trying to be a brat, but it’s too little too late. You can’t convince me otherwise with that mouth. Worst that’ll happen is I’ll have to punish you for it later.”

I unwrap the package and my hands still as I see what’s in it.

It’s a picture frame, or rather a series of them. One of the photos is of me and a few guys from the team before we won. Another is me and my grandma and Waffles back when I was a rookie. Plus one of my parents, smiling on vacation with me as a kid. Of course, I’m still dressed in a hat and basketball shoes even at age ten.

“I found them in your closet,” Brooke explains. “I was planning to put them up in the living room, but I wanted to check first.”

It feels like a long time since my parents were that happy, since we had anything that looked like a family unit. After they split, I focused on having a big group of more casual friends.

“You just looked like you were having the best time in all of these,” she fills in quickly. “No matter what happened before or after, I thought you might want to remember some of the moments that brought you so much joy.”

She’s right. Looking at these pictures doesn’t hurt like it used to.

Brooke shifts on her feet. “But if it’s a bad idea...”

“No.” I shift the photos into one hand and pull her against my side with the other. “It’s a great idea.”

* * *

BROOKE

Miles: I want to take you on a date

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