Page 131 of The Forever After Bet

“Isn’t that what I said?” Jack smirks. He isn’t dealing with the baby very well, either. I wish I had some advice for both of them.

“Well, at least I understand why you want to go to Portland with me,” I say.

“I want to see Hannah dance, and head to slightly warmer weather, but yeah. Are we still planning on leaving after basketball practice tomorrow?”

“Yeah, since it’s a half day of school, I figured we could be on the road by about three. I texted Ty, and he’s still in.”

“Really, it’s perfect since Leah and June are going out of town for the long weekend. Does Hannah still think we’re going skiing?” Jack asks.

“Yep. I feel bad for lying to her, but seeing the look on her face when I show up will be worth it. I’m not sure how Beth will feel about it, though.”

“I can help appease my mom,” Jack says. “But I hope I don’t need to, and she and Hannah can figure things out.”

“I do, too. I think if Hannah goes off to college without reconciling with Beth, she’ll regret it; and it could cause a rift between her and the whole family, which would devastate her.”

“Have you and Hannah talked about the future yet?” Jack asks.

I slide my fingers through my hair, looking away from him. “No, we haven’t.”

Jack sighs. He nods to me, and we head into the kitchen. He pulls out a pan of brownies, and we sit at the counter. “Do you two have any plans for after high school?”

I lick my finger, picking up crumbs along the bottom of the pan. “No. Not really.”

“What do you mean, not really?”

I sigh. I knew, eventually, I’d have to tell the guys about my promise. “Have you ever heard Hannah or I talk about our promise?”

“Uh—yeah, you’ve mentioned it once or twice.”

I nod. “The night I asked Hannah to marry me, I made her a promise. No matter how long it took, I would wait for her. After our parents made us break up, we formed a plan. We would stay friends through the rest of the year, and if we still loved each other, we would meet after graduation in the Meadow and go off and be together.”

“And you still plan to do that?” Jack asks.

“It’s this unspoken agreement we have, but we don’t talk about it,” I say.

“So, what happens after you meet in the meadow?”

“We’d get married.” My voice is hoarse. I didn’t realize how hard this would be to talk about. Now that I’ve accomplished my football goal. This is what I’ve been working toward, finishing school and meeting Hannah in the meadow.

“Is that what you want?”

I look up at Jack. “Yes.” I nod. “I didn’t ask Hannah to marry me on a whim. It’s something I felt—something I feel deep down in the depths of my soul. That sounds dramatic, but I don’t know how else to describe it.”

“Do you think it’s what Hannah wants?”

“Yes…but I’m afraid.”

Jack scrunches his forehead.

“When our parents made us break up, Beth said something that has stuck with me. She told Hannah she didn’t want to see her settle. What if Hannah is meant for something greater than this? What if I’m holding her back?”

“It’s Hannah’s life. It’s her choice to make if she wants to be with you.”

“I know. If, after all, her choices have been put in front of her, she walks into the meadow after graduation…” I trail off. I scrub a hand through my hair, tugging on it.

“If she shows up at the meadow, you know she’s picked you because that’s what she wants.”

“Yeah.”

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