Page 133 of Pick Me

Tanner smirked, but his expression softened. “So you really like him?”

I took a sharp breath and nodded. “Yeah. I do.”

“Have you always liked him?” His voice was open, curious—no judgment. I knew him better than that. He just wanted to understand.

“I think so.” I exhaled slowly. “I guess that’s why I was always so hard on him. It was easier to push him away than to admit what I really felt. Hating him was simpler than facing the fact that I might have actually liked him.”

“I knew it,” he muttered, shaking his head.

I narrowed my eyes. “Knew what?”

“That you liked him. I saw it the minute I walked in and found you talking to him at Aiden’s place.”

“Oh, and yet you acted so surprised yesterday.”

“No, I wasn’t surprised,” he admitted. “I was pissed that all of this happened and I didn’t know about it. Was I apprehensive about you and Jackson? Sure. You’ve been arguing like cats and dogs for the last year. But I get it now. I just really wish it hadn’t happened after a damn car wreck.”

“Yeah,” I drawled out, unsure what to say. “I’m sorry about that.”

Tanner let out a breath, then looked at me, his expression sincere. “I’m happy for you, sis. Even if I didn’t like how I found out. I’m glad you’re happy.”

I blinked at him, my brows furrowing. “Wait. You’re happy for me? But last night, you could barely look at me. And you called Jackson every name in the book.”

He eased out an awkward smile as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, it wasn’t my finest hour. I overreacted because I didn’t know what happened. When I saw my sister in a hospital bed and my best friend taking accountability for it, it brought back some bad memories. All I could think was I’d fucked up again. Something major had happened to you and I was too caught up in my own issues to protect you.”

“It’s not your job to protect me.”

“No, but it is my job to protect you from my idiot friends.”

“Jackson’s not a—” I didn’t finish that sentence because we both knew Jackson had a tendency toactlike an idiot even if he wasn’t one.

“He’s my best friend, and if you’re happy with him, well, then I can be happy for the two of you. Jackson’s a great guy when he wants to be, and he wants to be one with you.”

“So, you approve?”

He shrugged. “It’s not my place to approve or not. You can make your own decisions, and I’m happy there’s going to be someone here who cares for you as much as I do after I leave.”

“Thanks.” I took in his words, surprised he was being so reasonable.

“Jackson’s a good guy. He works hard and he tries his best with things he’s passionate about. I hope that’s you, and I hope you get what you want out of this relationship.”

“I will.”

It took me a while to shift enough so I was sitting up and close enough to Tanner when I said, “I’m sorry that I’ve always made you think I need saving or that I don’t appreciate it. You’ve done more for me than anybody in this world, and I never wanted to hurt you or make you feel like I was going behind your back. It’s just when you came in and you were upset about Aster I didn’t want to flaunt my new relationship in front of you.”

He nodded, clasping his hands together and stretching his fingers before meeting my eyes. “I get that, Thea, but I need you to know something. I have never thought of you as a screwup. I love you, and the only reason I worry is because I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

I dropped my gaze, kicking at the ground, avoiding the weight of a conversation Tanner and I had so carefully avoided for years.

The night he found me.

The night I sat there sobbing so hard I could barely breathe, convinced I was going to jail for everything I had done.

It was the first time I didn’t feel untouchable.

For the first time, I wasn’t invincible—I waswrecked. A broken doll, lost, with no idea where to go or what to do.

I had locked myself in the bathroom, crying into my hands, thinking no one would hear me.

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