“Thanks for coming to get me.”
Tommy gives me a curt nod and shifts his car into drive.
Five minutes go by before he speaks.
“Jace’s house was the last place I expected you to hang out.”
We’re not dating so technically I don’t owe Tommy an explanation for my whereabouts, but if I was in his position, I’d be curious too.
“I wasn’t. I was at a party.” I wind a loose thread on my pants around my finger. “Long story short, the friend I went there with had to leave because she was late for curfew and my cousin, who I was planning on hitching a ride home with, got really drunk.” I pull the thread tighter. “Jace and Cole are his friends, so they insisted he spend the night at their house, but Cole was drinking so I drove Oakley’s car.”
Tommy makes a face. “Wouldn’t it have made more sense to drive your cousin’s car back home since you live together?”
I blow out an exasperated breath. “Jace didn’t want me to.”
His jaw muscles pulse as he heads down my block. “Old habits die hard, I suppose.”
“Don’t be like that. I didn’t have a choice.”
The look he gives me tells me exactly what he thinks about my excuse.
“If that’s what you really believe, then I guess you’re right.” He parks by the curb near the end of my driveway and cuts the engine. “But don’t expect me to be at your beck and call just so I can end up playing the part of the chump. Again.”
It’s aggravating that he views our relationship that way when I thought we were friends. Not to mention, he told me to call him if I ever needed anything.
“Wow, okay.” I undo my seatbelt. “Appreciate the ride. I won’t bother you again.”
“Dylan, wait.” He reaches for my arm. “I’m not trying to be a dick, but I’ve been completely honest with you from the start. I’m not interested in just being your friend or playing second fiddle to your screwed-up relationship with Jace. I want more than that.” His palm skates over my bare shoulder. “I deserve more than that…and so do you.”
I get what he’s saying, and on some level, he’s right. Neither of us deserve to be jerked around, but I’m not ready. Tommy wants way more than I’m capable of giving at this point.
“I’ve only been back a week. I need more time to sort my head out.”
“I know and I’m willing to give it to you.” His eyes spark. “But don’t play me for a fool.” His shoulders sag a little. “And don’t let Jace play you for one, either. It’s no secret he and Britney have been hot and heavy for years. Those two have been end game since eighth grade.”
My throat closes. “Right.”
His gaze drops to my lips. “Did he kiss you tonight?”
I’m not sure how to answer. Partly because it’s none of his business. And partly because we almost did a whole lot more than kiss.
I settle on the truth. “No.”
“Did you want him to?”
I avert my gaze. “What difference does it make?”
Closing the distance between us, he presses a soft kiss to my lips.
As far as kisses go, Tommy’s isn’t bad. It’s swift, gentle, and safe.
It’s everything I should want.
I start to pull away, but his hand cups my cheek, urging me to open my mouth. The moment I cave; he pushes his tongue inside.
An image of Jace zips through my head like a missile, and I have to remind myself to kiss Tommy back before drawing back.
“I won’t hurt you like he will.” His lips travel to the corner of my mouth, then my jaw. “I like you too much.”
I give him a watery smile. “I know.”
Inclining his head, he goes in for another, much longer kiss.
“Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to do this?” he whispers when we break apart.
“Since you were fourteen?”
He laughs. “Give or take.” Desire darkens his expression and his hand slides down my stomach. “But the real thing is so much better than any of my jerkoff fantasies.”
Yeah, he could have kept that little detail to himself.
I stop him before he goes too far. “Sorry, I’m—”
“Not ready,” he finishes for me.
Sucking in a deep breath, I nod. “We’re just…this is all happening a little—actually, a lot—too fast for me.”
“It’s cool.” He holds up his hands. “I’ll keep these to myself until you’re ready.”
Cheesy line or not, the fact that he respects me earns him some major brownie points.
His eyebrows pinch like he’s mulling something over.
“What’s wrong?”
“Go on a date with me.”
Zero to sixty again. “My schedule’s pretty hectic this week—”
“Then next week. After the Vikings whoop the Raiders. You can come hang out with me and a few buddies from my team.”
“Okay,” I say, because I honestly can’t think of a single reason to turn him down.
He grins. “You’ll have fun. I promise.”
“Fun sounds perfect.”
Aside from hanging out with Sawyer earlier, I haven’t had any in a long time.
Sadness claws at my belly. I don’t think Jace has either.
Tommy tips my chin. “Okay, my turn. What’s wrong?”
The events of tonight sit heavy on my heart. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
Given Tommy’s lived in Royal Manor his whole life, there’s a chance he knows a lot more than I do about Liam’s death.
“How did Liam die? I tried messaging Jace and his family, but they never responded. And his obituary—if you can even call it that—only lists his birthday along with the month and year he passed.”
Even to this day, Liam’s last post on Instagram is a picture we took together at the school dance. I kept hoping the RIP Liam comment I saw two days later was a mistake.
I’ll never forget the ominous feeling in my heart when the option to comment on his pictures was disabled shortly before his account was memorialized.
Tommy shifts forward in his seat. “I don’t have all the details, but from what I understand, it was just one of those freak accidents.” There’s a slight grimace on his face. “To be honest, everything surrounding Liam’s death was pretty hush-hush. The funeral was very private—family only.” He squeezes his shoulder. “Given Liam died so close to the last week of junior high and Jace and I went to different high schools, I never really saw him around.” His features twist. “However, I heard from a few people that he has one hell of a short fuse. If you get caught talking about Liam, he’ll rearrange your face.”
Based on what I’ve witnessed recently, I don’t doubt it.
I can’t say I don’t understand it though. Lord knows how bad I wanted to punch Britney in the throat every time she teased me about my mom.
He shrugs. “Can’t really condemn the dude, I guess. Stone annoys the hell out of me, but if he died, I’m not sure I could move past that kind of loss. You know?”
A ball of pain lodges in my throat. “Yeah.”
The fact that Jace and his family find the strength to get up every day is a feat in itself.
He drums his fingers on the steering wheel. “Look, don’t tell anyone I told you this, but I once overheard from a teacher that it was a complication from the accident he was in when he was younger.”
I assume he’s referring to the car accident that killed his mom. “How so?”
“Well, apparently he also developed some kind of heart condition after.” He reaches for a bottle of water in his cup holder. “Rumor has it his father—you know, the owner of Trust Pharmaceuticals—was having Liam test a drug they developed for it, but it didn’t go so well, and he passed in his sleep.”
My hands fly to my face. “No.”
Jace already had a rocky relationship with his dad after his mom’s death, but now? I wouldn’t be surprised if they hardly ever spoke.
Tommy’s eyes fill with sadness. “Yeah, it’s really awful. I get why his family doesn’t talk about it. Both for personal and legal reasons.”
Who could blame them?
Mr. Covington tried to help his son and ended up killing him.
Jesus. I can’t imagine the kind of guilt he carries…or the resentment his children must harbor for him.
“Hey,” Tommy whispers after a few minutes. “I know you cared about Liam, but I don’t think he’d want you feeling miserable.” Leaning over, he kisses my temple. “He’d want you to find a way to move on.”
Tommy’s not wrong. My mom aside, Liam was the kindest, most unselfish person I’d ever known.
It’s what makes his loss so profound.
I clear my throat and open the passenger door. “I’m gonna go inside.” With a wave, I step out of the car. “Drive home safe. Thanks again for the ride.”
I’m barely two steps up my driveway when I hear his car door open and shut.
The second I turn, he wraps his arms around me.
“You look like you needed one of these.”
I didn’t realize I did until this moment. “I miss him so much.”
I miss my friend.
Both of them.
“I get it.” He ruffles my hair and kisses the top of my head. “But you know how much it would hurt him to see you like this.”
I wipe the mist out of my eyes as we break apart. “I know.”
Tommy’s right. Liam definitely preferred smiles over tears.
My heart twists, protesting the thought my brain is forming, but deep down, I know it’s the right thing to do.
Jace was my best friend before he became my everything, and no matter how much it hurts to see him with someone else, I want the best for him. And while I don’t think Britney is it, she must make him happy…otherwise he wouldn’t be with her.
Perhaps it’s time I get off this merry-go-round with Jace and open myself up to the possibility that there may be someone else who can find their way into my heart.
If the few butterflies I have are any indication, I’m pretty sure that someone is standing in front of me.
“I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Tommy dips his head and I rise up on my toes to meet his lips.
Just like the first kiss we shared, this one is soft, gentle, and safe.
It’s everything Jace Covington isn’t.
And for the first time, I’m realizing that’s exactly what I need.
