Page 89 of Make Her Mine

I stare at Graham.

“What?” he asks.

“You’ve always been a genius, but when did you get poetic?”

He laughs. “I’ve been reading some interesting shit lately.”

I shake my head. “Well, wow, warn a girl before you pull the philosophy out at a bonfire at the river.”

He loops an arm around my neck and steers me back toward the bonfire. “Poor baby, making you feel things and be a little mushy.”

“I don’t mind feeling things and being mushy about you,” I mutter.

Graham kisses the top of my head. “I know. But now, we both know that you want to feel some things for my big brother. And I’m going to give you advice for once.”

I look up at him.

“Do it,” he says simply.

I just sigh. I’m not going to argue.

Because I’m already doing that.

Graham walks me across the packed dirt area that was long ago cleared of grass and weeds to make a space for big bonfires and chairs.

He stops in front of Jefferson. “Found something of yours,” he says.

Jefferson’s eyes are on my face. He doesn’t argue the yours part. He just holds out his hand and takes mine, tugging me up against his side where he slides his arm around me and rests his hand on my hip. “Thanks for returning her,” he tells Graham. “Didn’t know if I’d get her back. There was a time when separating the two of you was impossible.”

Graham nods, then gives me a little smile. “I might steal her once in a while in the future to talk all night, watch movies, and whatever again, but I think this is where she’ll want to come back to afterward.”

I should protest. I should make it into a joke. I should…do something.

Well, something other than look up at Jefferson, meet his gaze, and smile.

Because that seems like I’m agreeing with Graham.

That makes it seem like there’s a future that includes me standing in Jefferson’s arms while Graham moves on to hang out with other friends.

A future that includes me choosing Jefferson over those friends.

But…fuck.

What if that could be the future? What if our friends would come and go from my house, or Jefferson’s house, or Sapphire Falls and I was left behind with Jefferson?

How would that feel?

I watch Graham walk toward the group that includes Margot, Mia, Ginny, and Sloan, I register the feel of Jefferson against me, and…I smile.

I freaking smile.

Oh, man.

“I hate to break it to you,” Jefferson says, his deep voice rumbling against my shoulder and across my chest. “But I think my brother thinks you like me. For real.”

Again, I tell myself to make a joke. Mention that we must be good actors. Say something snarky. Anything to keep this from being serious. Or from being true.

But Graham got to me. More than even my parents. Or Jefferson's parents for that matter. Graham knows me. Graham loves me. And if he sees something between Jefferson and me, it’s real. And not just a flirtation or attraction or crush. Graham thinks we could be good together.

---