Page 4 of Major Love

And the second that I hear a whisper of what they’re talking about across the line – the details of an event that I can’t bear to comprehend right now – I’m picking up my ballet flats and racing out of the house, the screen door slamming shut behind me as I fly down the grass that lines our drive.

My breathing is rasping and heavy, my chest shaking as I hold back quiet sobs, and then a large truck is rounding the corner, just as my bare feet hit the sidewalk.

The black truck pulls up in front of me and my heart beats a little harder – because he hasn’t actually seen me yet, and I’m about to cut our night short.

I’m about to cuteverythingshort.

There’s no way that I can go to the prom.

And there’s no way that I can be with him.

Another man that I love turning into a soldier… something that can be taken from my grasp as easily as smoke in the wind…

I swipe my wrist over my cheeks as Jason steps down from the driver’s side, quickly so that he won’t catch the movement, before he rounds the hood toward me.

My lips part, my heart hammering, as I take in how handsome he looks tonight.

I’ve never seen him in a suit before, and it’s going to be burned into my memory forever – the way that his midnight blue jacket is slightly too tight for his enormous shoulders, and the deep contrast of his white shirt against the rich glow of his bronzed skin.

And the crimson flush on his cheekbones as he cautiously lifts his gaze up my dress, barely allowing himself to glance at the bodice before his eyes finally meet mine.

And then he sees.

He always reads me so well.

“Sunday?” he asks, his strong brow creasing as he steps toward me. His striking eyes search mine and I look away, feeling helpless. Wetness trickles down my jaw, hitting my chest beneath the tulle.

Jason’s warmth radiates over me, his body barely an inch from mine, and then he’s ducking down so that he’s more my height, making me meet his eyes as my lower lip trembles.

“Sunday,” he says gently, his brow arched in worry as I swipe my eyes.

“I… I can’t talk about it,” I pant quietly, my voice light and rasping as I swallow down another waterfall of tears. I would tell Jason anything but, right this second, I can hardly breathe.

He glances toward the house, maybe checking to see if my mom is at the window, watching us, and then his eyes drop down to my toes, the soft baby blue polish shimmering in the evening light.

His chest swells on a deep inhale, his expression concerned as he meets my eyes.

And then I can’t hold back anymore.

I fling my arms around his neck, and bury my face against his shirt, as I cry painful silent tears that sear my lungs with every breath.

He immediately stands to his full height, lifting my bare feet from the ground and wrapping his large forearms around my back as he strokes my hair, consoling me gently.

I can hear the faint chords of a country song playing on his truck’s radio, his key still in the ignition because he expected this to be a quick pick-up-and-go to the prom.

My heart squeezes harder at that because I’m pretty sure that Jason couldn’t care less about music – like, literally, any type of music, but he’s tuned his radio to this station just for me.

“It’s my step-dad,” I rasp shakily, and I feel Jason’s arms tighten, clutching me closer. “My mom just got a call,” I whisper, and his chest swells, understanding beginning to dawn.

Because being friends with Casey, Jason has met Cash a number of times, and they bonded really well, especially because he’s about to follow in his footsteps.

Jason knows what Cash does for a living.

And he knows what can happen in that line of work.

Jason pulls back half an inch so that he can look down at me as he holds me tight, his beautiful eyes boring into mine as hot tears streak down my cheeks.

I shake my head, overwhelmed, as I manage to whisper the words breathlessly out.

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