Page 62 of Just Say Yes

I shrugged, overwhelmed by sadness for my siblings. They’d experienced the brunt of my father’s manipulations.

I was simply ... forgotten.

Not worth investing time in.

“It’s the right thing to do,” I said.

Royal had always been the one to shield me from the worst of Dad’s bullshit. Royal had never said it, but I knew he saw me as something fragile, something to protect. And maybe that was why I couldn’t bring myself to tell him just how much meeting Dad’s other family meant to me.

Royal pulled me in for a hug. “It’s still hard to believe we didn’t see this coming.”

I wrapped my arms around his middle and squeezed. When I stepped back, I lifted a shoulder. “I guess we would have found out eventually. His will was pretty explicit with who gets what.”

He shook his head. “Still, people can be weird when it comes to money. Maybe keep your guard up a little.”

I shook my head in return. Royal was just being overprotective. “I can’t imagine they’ll feel bad about getting half when it was so much money. I’m sure they’ll feel the same way we all do.” I looked at my watch and bit back a curse. “Yikes. I have to get on the road before traffic gets bad.”

And Logan is waiting for me.

Just the thought of seeing him again sent a thrill through me, even as my brain screamed for caution. He was dangerous—not because he’d hurt me, but because he made me want things I had convinced myself I didn’t need. Things like hope and happiness.

Things likehim.

I gave Royal a playful salute. “Later, alligator.”

Royal looked like he was going to say something more, but held back. He didn’t say it, but I could see the worry in his eyes. My brothers had spent years sheltering me, and now I could feel the weight of their unspoken fears pressing down on me. They still thought of me as the baby sister who needed protecting. And maybe they weren’t entirely wrong.

“Just ... be careful,” he said.

I was so sick of everyone treating me like I couldn’t take care of myself. “I’ll be fine.” I jerked my chin toward his shop. “Get outta here and go tattoo a crucifix on someone’s ass or something.”

Royal chuckled and shook his head. “So judgy.”

He winked and turned toward his shop. I turned in the opposite direction, heading toward the Sugar Bowl to load up on coffee and road trip doughnuts before I headed out of town.

As the Sugar Bowl’s bell jingled behind me, I couldn’t shake the mix of dread and anticipation coiling in my stomach. By the end of the day, I’d meet the people my father had chosen over us.

And, somehow, that felt like facing a ghost.

SEVENTEEN

LOGAN

By 8:00 a.m.,I was rolling down the long driveway to the King estate and buzzing with energy. MJ had refused my offer of support to go with her to meet her father’sotherchildren.

I knew she didn’t need me there. MJ was strong, capable, and perfectly fine handling this on her own. But damn if it didn’t sit right in my gut. Something about the idea of her facing that family alone made me itch to be there—for her, if nothing else. And maybe for me, too, just to make sure she came out of it unscathed.

But MJ couldn’t argue with the simple logic that we were both driving to the same place around the same time.

The day before a match was reserved for the Captain’s Run—an hour-long practice run by the team captain instead of the coaches. I could do it in my sleep—a twenty-minute team meeting where I try to inspire my teammates, followed by a field workout. The team would do a warm-up, defense skill drills, plan attacks, passing and kicking, and lineouts. All in all, we were on the field for only about an hour ... just long enough to get our heads in the game but not long enough to get tired or injured.

The remainder of the day would be for rest, which I could happily spend tangled up inher.

When my truck came to a stop, MJ walked out of the front door with two to-go cups and a white bakery bag piled on a drink carrier. A small overnight bag hung from her shoulder.

She was bundled in a light olive-colored jacket and had on a knit hat. Her brown hair flowed in waves out of the bottom and tumbled across her shoulders. I could see her cream sweater peeking out from her coat, and the jeans and boots made her look casually chic, yet sophisticated.

I absently rubbed a tight spot in my chest.

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