Page 101 of Just Say Yes

Could I change that for her?

My mouth opened, but I closed it again. I wasn’t sure how to explain it to him without sounding like a total dick. “We’ve talked about my schedule. After the exhibition season, I plan to rejoin my team on the professional circuit.”

He harrumphed, and I wasn’t sure if he was simply acknowledging me or trying to decide the best way to strangle me without the women noticing.

I didn’t like feeling as though I was somehow letting him down with my answer. We spent the rest of the time cleaning in silence. Something was gnawing at me ... an emotion I couldn’t quite name.

When the tension in the room became too much, I slapped the towel on the counter and leaned against it. “Here’s the thing,” I said. “I didn’t expect to meet anyone here.”

I laughed to myself. Who would have ever expected to meet a woman as surprising and special as MJ?

“Right now, things are new and we’re enjoying each other’s company. The last thing I want to do is hurt her.” I looked at Duke, hoping he’d have some nugget of brotherly wisdom he could bestow upon me.

His dark eyes narrowed. “You need to stop lying to yourself.”

Now it was my turn to frown.I’m not lying to myself about anything.

“When it comes down to it, you can’t be half in with anything.” His eyes flicked beyond the doorway toward the living room, where Sylvie and MJ were talking. “If my gut is right, you’ll come to a point where you’re going to have to make a pretty difficult choice.”

My own gut turned to lead. I could barely look him in the eye. “And what would you do if you didn’t want anyone to get hurt?”

Duke shook his head. “My advice to you is ... don’t let her get attached. It’ll hurt her less if you walk away.”

Duke snagged a bottle of wine from the countertop and sailed past me. I stayed, rooted to the ground, staring at his back as he left me alone in the kitchen.

The absolute last thing I wanted to do was hurt MJ, but something about Duke’s words had me wondering if it wasn’therI had to worry about getting attached.

When I joined them on the porch, Duke had started a small fire in a portable fire stove. The wood crackled, and embers slowly rose above the flames.

As the fire crackled in front of us, I looked at MJ and felt the pull again—stronger this time, like gravity itself was conspiring to keep me near her. But gravity didn’t care about broken hearts, and it was clear she was the only one with the power to break mine.

“Logan?” MJ’s voice was soft, and when I turned, her brows were drawn down like she could sense the storm brewing inside me.

I forced a smile that didn’t feel like mine.

“You feeling okay?” she asked, tilting her head.

For half a second, I considered telling her everything. Telling her that she’d completely upended my life in the best way possible. Telling her about the impossible choices ahead of me and how I didn’t know how to stop the train before it crashed.

But I couldn’t––not until I had it all figured out.

I shook my head. “Yeah, Julep. I’m good.”

TWENTY-SEVEN

MJ

The four ofus were gathered on the farmhouse porch, cocooned in soft blankets as the firepit crackled and threw a warm, golden glow across the worn floorboards. The air smelled like woodsmoke and autumn, the kind of night that could trick you into believing everything was simple and safe.

Sylvie sat curled up next to Duke on the swing, a glass of red wine cradled between her hands, her head resting lightly on his shoulder. Logan and I were nestled into the wicker love seat, a shared blanket draped across us like it belonged there.

The silence was easy, save for the occasional pop from the fire and Three-Legged Ed snuffling around nearby. I should’ve been able to relax—cozy porch, good company, and wine strong enough to take the edge off—but my mind wouldn’t stop spinning.

“MJ.” Sylvie’s voice broke through, gentle but pointed. “Are you finally going to tell me what happened, or are we going to sit here pretending you’re fine?”

I shot her a look over my wineglass. “We are sitting here perfectly fine, thank you very much.”

“Mm-hmm,” she replied, unimpressed.

---