Page 141 of Firecracker

Jamie rolled his head side to side. “You do tend to be a bit overprotective of people.”

“I know. I’ve been thinking about that, believe me. I lost…” His throat clogged up and he coughed. “I lost the best thing that ever happened to me because I just couldn’t stop butting in all the time to try to help her.”

“Shit.” Jamie sat forward now, bowing his head.

“I knew she was trying to prove herself. But the thing is, she doesn’t have to prove a goddamn thing. She’s strong and determined. Even though she’s been through hell, she still believes everything is going to be okay. Everyone else can see that too. In the end, she’s the only person she has to prove anything to. And she needs to do that on her own. So she was right to end things between us.”

Jamie heaved a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“She wants me to go out with someone else.”

Jamie’s eyes opened and his head jerked up. “I don’t believe that.”

“She said that. She told me to go out with Sorcha.”

“What?”

“Yeah.”

“After you told her to get lost.”

“I didn’t tell her that!”

“Whatever. Am I right?”

Tyler let out a breath and closed his eyes. “It’s kind of fuzzy. Iwason a lot of drugs.”

“I’m right,” Jamie muttered.

“She says Sorcha’s in love with me.”

“Everyone can see that, dickhead.”

“She said she wants me to be happy.”

Jamie was silent for so long, Tyler opened his eyes to peer at him.

“Wow,” Jamie said. “You sure that concussion didn’t cause brain damage?”

Tyler scowled.

“I never thought you were slow,” Jamie said. “You told her to fuck off, and what she said was she wants you to be happy. Even if it’s with another woman. Don’t you get it?”

A tightness spread through Tyler’s chest, and he rubbed his hand over it. “Uh…you’re saying she really loves me?”

“Yes, she loves you!” Jamie pulled in a breath and lowered his voice. “She was worried about you, terrified you were going to die. She screwed up and she came to tell you that. And you fucking let her down. And here I thought you imagined yourself to be some kind of hero.”

Heat swept up into Tyler’s face in a hot flush.

Jamie set down his empty glass on the coffee table. “Well. I better go.” He stood.

Fuck. Jamie was pissed at him.

Not as pissed as he was at himself. Jesus, he’d had another chance with Arden, and he’d fucked that up too. A sharp stabbing in his heart made him wince.

But…if she really loved him…maybe he could still fix things. Not by taking over her life. He wanted to spend the rest of his life showing her that he believed in her and believed she could do anything she set her mind to. He wanted to be her partner. Her lover. Her support when she needed it.

Could he have the chance to do that?

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