Page 131 of Pick Me

Matty grinned, taking far too much pleasure in my misery than he should. “I’m helping by reminding you that hovering like an overprotective dad isn’t going to fix anything. Thea needs this space and time with her brother, and you need to stop checking your phone. She’ll message you when she’s ready.”

Britt punched the air as Max walked off the mound after striking out three batters, and then looked at me. “Give it some time. Tanner’s just getting over the shock of it all. He’ll eventually see what the rest of us do.”

“Which is?” I asked.

“That you and Thea are meant to be together.”

“Thanks,” I muttered, subtly glancing at my phone again. Still no messages. Damn, she knew how to keep me hanging.

“In the meantime, you could always go for a walk or hang out in our sauna upstairs.”

A smile tugged at my lips. “And think about the things you guys get up to in there when no one else is around? Mm-hm. That does sound like a good idea. Are you naked sauna people?”

“Don’t answer that, Britt,” Matty said sternly.

“I wasn’t going to. Who do you think I am?”

“You are not allowed to use our sauna after that.”

“Mean,” I teased.

“It’s fine. You’re not going to be here long anyway. There’s no way Thea and Tanner can go a whole day without making up. They’re best friends,” Britt explained.

“I hope you’re right.” I exhaled, shooting another glare at my phone as if that would somehow change the outcome. But no—still nothing. Just the same lock screen photo of my beautiful girlfriend sticking her tongue out at me, mocking me along with the silence.

Man, I couldn’t wait to see her in the flesh again. It’d only been a few hours, but I needed her. Iwantedher, and I couldn’t wait for her brother to get on board.

Chapter Thirty-One

Thea

“The final rose of the night goes to someone who’s shown resilience and tenacity during these dates. I’ve appreciated all the support, so—”

“Can we talk, Thea?”

I closed my eyes, grimacing because I was happy my brother had finally come to talk to me, but damn, did he know how to ruin the moment. I was so invested inThe Baseball Bachelor.

Slowly, I pushed myself up from the couch, offering my brother a small smile as he stood in the kitchen. For a moment, everything felt normal. But then, that insidious feeling crept back in—the one Jackson had the rare ability to make me forget.

I’m not good enough. I fuck up everything.

“Hey, Tan Tan,” I said solemnly. “Of course.” He looked as haggard and distressed as last night, and I hated that I was the reason for it. My brother and I didn’t fight. He never made me feel little or small or anything less than the perfect sister. Today was different. Today I felt like a failure, and it didn’t matter how many times Jackson told me I wasn’t, it was burning in the back of my head that I’d done something wrong and I’d yet again ruined my brother’s happiness.

Why did it always happen? Was it because I was jealous and looking for ways to subconsciously make it about me? Maybe somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind I knew I’d never be as good as Tanner, so I’d compensate by doing things to make people forget about him. It pained me to think about. I loved my brother, but I wasn’t sure I loved myself. Not yet, at least. Jackson was helping me feel things about myself I didn’t think possible.

Tanner made his way through the kitchen and sat on the end of the couch close to my feet. He relaxed his elbows on his knees, pretending to watch a show I knew he hated.

“Have you spoken to Mom and Dad?” he asked, his hands clasped together.

“Yeah,” I said faintly, not enjoying that memory. “They were obviously pissed off.”

“Not surprising.”

“They were more worried about my health and asked if they could come up to visit. I told them I’d stay with them for a while after the draft. You deserve all the support leading up to it.”

I swallowed against the nerves rising in my throat, unsure how he’d take that.

Tanner didn’t flinch, just let out a quiet “Mhm” in response.

---