Page 115 of Pick Me

“I don’t.” She squeezed her eyes shut, her nose crinkling. “That’s not what I mean. Iwantto be with your brother. But when I was holding the ring…” She twisted the damp paper towel in her hands.

“You froze?” I guessed.

“No,” she murmured, eyes flicking up to meet mine. “It was something I suddenly startedcontemplating.”

I blinked. “Wait, what?”

“It’s crazy, right?” Her eyes were glassy, and she seemed just as confused as Tanner. “I can’t get married right now. I’m working on my master’s, he’s about to go live in some other state, and yet, the only thing I could think about was what it would be like to have him by my side. To wear his ring on my finger. To know that when I was watching those games, he was coming home to me.”

“Uh.” Well, this took a turn I wasn’t expecting.

“I love your brother. I don’t think there’s anyone in this world I love more, and I didn’t want to hurt him. I just didn’t know how to deal with my feelings about being with him. Then he just left me with my parents, making everything even more awkward. You know they thought Tanner broke up with me?”

“Is that what you told them?”

“No.”

“Have you talked to him yet?”

“In not so many words. I feel awful, though. Every time I do, he starts apologizing and then we get interrupted by something.” She closed her eyes, the sadness clear in her voice.

“Hey, guys,” Britt said as she pushed through the bathroom door. “Uh, did I just walk in on something?”

“You’re fine. We were just talking about things.” I kept it vague since I doubted Aster wanted me to divulge the details.

“Things?” Britt’s eyes darted between Aster and me when a wide grin grew across her face. “Wait, are you telling Aster about everything that happened between you and Jackson?” She asked excitedly.

Shit.

I should have thought about that as a potential topic before I dropped myself in it. Britt had no idea Tanner and Aster were having problems. For all she knew, they were acting strange tonight because they were nervous.

“You and Jackson?” Aster’s brows crossed, her eyes searching mine for answers. “Is there a you and Jackson?”

“Uh.” Welp, I was taking one for the team tonight. Reveal my new relationship to save Aster from talking about hers. My lips curled into a sarcastic smile. “Maybe?” I said it like a question because it felt like it diminished my responsibility.

“Did something happen while Tanner and I were away?”

“Uh, funny story,” I started, and Aster groaned just as Britt tipped on her toes, listening to me eagerly. I cleared my throat, buying myself time to think about how I would explain this. “Jackson and I might be seeing each other.”

There. Short. Simple. To the point. Nothing to question.

“But that makes no sense. I thought you hated each other?” Aster asked.

“Turns out, we lean a little more on the love side of the scale.”

“Love? You’rein lovewith him?” Aster’s mind was blowing, and I wasn’t surprised. One minute, we’re talking about her and my brother potentially both wanting to get married, and the next we’re talking about Jackson and me.

I raised my finger. “No. No. That’s not what I said. I said on the scale of love and hate, we’re more on the love side. Only partially.”

“Does Tanner know?” Aster asked.

“Not yet… We, uh, kind of wanted to keep things between us.” I waved my hands in front of my face, trying to say as much as I could without saying the important stuff. I was aware Aster wasn’t Tanner, so she didn’t have the same telepathic abilities.

“You’re waiting to see what happens with me and Tanner, aren’t you?”

“You and Tanner?” Britt whispered, putting it all together. “Wait, is there something happening between you two?” Our silence answered her question. “What? No. That’s not possible. He’s obsessed with you.”

Aster let out a bitter laugh as her gaze dropped to Britt’s hand where the beautiful diamond ring sparkled.

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