Page 60 of Their Greatest Strength

“What?” he shouts, eyes bugging out of his skull.

“Don’t yell!”

“You’ve lost your mind.”

“No, I haven’t. You and I both know if I tell them, they’ll convince me not to do this the same way that you are right now.”

“If you want me to do anything other than convince you notto do this, then you need to tell me everything. You might be able to bluff your ass off to anyone else, Mom included, but I’m not falling for it. Tell me what the fuck is going on, Jamieson, or I swear I’m going to call Mom and Dad and get them to come here right now.”

The bathroom door squeaks open as Avery slips out and comes to Oliver’s side, worry obvious in her expression as they hold eye contact.

Fuck. I knew he wouldn’t be easy to convince, but I’d hoped it wouldn’t be this bad. He’s not the gossip type, and we’re brothers, but lying to our parents is bad enough when I’m doing it, but both of us? If our parents found out, it would kill them.

I collapse on the small couch across the room and swallow a thousand refusals before speaking. “Fine. But nobody learns about this. Not even our parents.”

“Fine.”

And for yet another time, I let the truth free.

19

BLAKELY

“Tomorrow?What do you mean we have to announce the engagement tomorrow? And why do you look so terrible?”

“I’m surprised they waited this long. We don’t have a choice now. A Friday night home game is the opportunity they want to capitalize on.”

Jamie ignores my last comment and shakes out his messy hair as if that’ll help any.

He’s still in the suit he went to the wedding in, only now it’s wrinkled, the buttons mismatched, and sleeves rolled nearly to his elbows. There’s a dark shadow across his jaw and a bleakness to his usually vibrant blue eyes that makes my stomach twitch with unease. The smell of alcohol that’s wafting off him is strong enough to reach from the doorway of my room to my bed.

Crossing my legs beneath the heavy comforter, I lean forward and fold my hands in my lap. Is it okay for me to ask what he was doing all night? Should it matter?

I roll my lips. “Are you okay?”

He pauses, as if surprised by my question. With a shoulder against the doorframe, he lifts the corner of his mouth.

“Yeah, Bandit. I just watched my brother get married to the woman of his dreams. What’s there to be upset about?”

“You can be happy for him and be upset about something else at the same time.”

“It’s just the hangover. You don’t have to worry about me,” he says softly.

Yeah, well, I am. And it’s all your fault.

“What time is the game tomorrow?” I ask, deciding to drop it to avoid looking too invested.

If he doesn’t want to tell me what’s upsetting him, then there isn’t anything I can do about it. If I keep digging . . . what happens if I don’t want to stop?

“Kickoff is at seven. I’ll be there a few hours early, and you and Nate will come closer to the game. It shouldn’t interfere with school.”

“I assume we have tickets already?”

His grin is smug. “Not tickets.Passes, Blakely. Get with it.”

“And do you have thesepassesfor me?”

“Nah. I’ll grab them after practice today. For right now, we need to focus on getting you and Nate game-ready. Think he’d be up to rooting through my old jerseys?”

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