Page 110 of Their Greatest Strength

Despite the weight of what Jamie was asking me, I knew what I was going to do the moment he brought it up. Giving in to my emotions doesn’t come easy to me, yet somehow, with him, I’m more open than I’ve ever been.

It’s still too early to know whether I’ve made a mistake, so I guess I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing and hope for the best.

Putting my arm around Nate and being hit with a reminder of how tall he’s getting, I say, “Yeah, he’s pretty great. We got lucky.”

“Think he’ll be up to play someMaddenwith me after practice?”

“I think he’d do just about anything with you if you asked.”

“Will you play too?”

“Only if you promise to go easy on me.”

“Yes!” he shouts, beaming as he pulls away and jogs to the SUV.

Jamie catches my eyes when Nate crashes into him. He reaches a hand down to mess up my brother’s hair and playfully shove him away.

“Don’t roughhouse before practice, Nate!” I shout, hiding a smile as I join them.

“Sorry!”

He gets in the back seat while Jamie closes the trunk and moves to open the passenger door for me.

“After you, wife.”

I grab his hand before getting in. “Thank you.”

“Anytime,” he coos, shooting me a wink.

He shuts the door and rounds the hood, his eyes not leaving mine until he’s forced to slip into the vehicle and drive the half hour to the field.

Even then, he keeps a claiming hand on my thigh and fills the drive with questions for Nate. By the time we pull up along the curb, Jamie’s repeating players’ names back to Nate and matching each one up with their position. It’s adorable, really.

Nate’s the first one out of the SUV and is waiting at the back for the liftgate to rise before I even have my door open. I don’t dare tease him for his excitement, though. I’ve been dreaming of seeing this spark back in his eyes for years.

“Hey, Nate, before we head up, I wanted to show you something,” Jamie says, shutting the driver’s-side door.

“Okay, cool.”

I pause beside the back door, keeping myself hidden just a minute longer. This is a moment for them, and I don’t want to interrupt.

“I got you a few things. Blakely did tell me that you were wanting to buy your own gear and that she wasn’t going to let you, but I wanted to try and help a bit. I’ve got access to stores and brands that I’ve never been able to take advantage of before, so I figured that now was a great time for it. You can tell me if you don’t like something, and we can make a trip together to swap it out for whatever else you’d prefer. Hell, you can even tell me to take it all back and that I totally overstepped here,” Jamie explains.

A pause and then a sliding noise. “You got me new gear?”

“I did.”

More silence. And some more.

I move out of my hiding spot and steal a look at them. My vision blurs instantly, and I cover my mouth to stop a sob from escaping.

Nathan is clutching Jamie in a bear hug and has his eyes squeezed shut so hard it seems painful. He tightens his jaw and clutches Jamie tighter, fighting his emotions.

“I’ve got you, kid. You keep looking out for your sister, and I’ll do the same for the both of you. We’re family,” Jamie says quietly, rubbing Nate’s back.

“Family,” Nate swears.

I don’t say a word as they finish their hug, and Jamie ruffles Nate’s hair again, lightening the mood.

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