Page 62 of As Long As You Kiss Me

“I didn’t realize it was an art form,” Sully said.

Her dad tucked his phone in his pocket.

“You know, you could have watched the movie out here instead of staring at that small screen,” her mom said.

“I was multitasking,” he said.

“I know this is funny and all, but we have something serious to talk to you guys about,” Sully said.

Her mom grabbed the remote and turned off the big screen TV.

She sat on the love seat, and Jackson settled in the spot next to her. Her dad sat next to the piles of laundry on the couch next to her mom.

“What’s going on?” Her dad’s voice was much more serious now.

“There’s something I haven’t told you about Tyson’s death,” Jackson said.

Sully reached out and squeezed his hand. His voice sounded tense, and it was obvious that this was challenging for him.

Her mom froze. “What is it?”

Her dad sat silently, but his expression was hard, like he was struggling to hold it together inside.

“I’m to blame for Tyson’s death.”

“What?” Her mom’s face went pale.

Sully spoke up then. “That’s not true, Jackson. It wasn’t your fault. It’s not like you set off that explosive.”

“Let him tell the rest of the story, Sully,” her dad said.

Jackson swallowed. He recited everything to them that he’d told Sully. By the end of the story, her mom was wiping away tears, and her dad was sitting with his back rigid, the hardened expression still there.

“I agree with Sully,” her mom said. “You didn’t cause him to die. You made one simple mistake, and you were in a war zone. Anything could have happened. Tyson knew what he was getting himself into.” She wiped away another tear. “Thank you for telling us. I can tell it was a hard thing for you to do.”

Guilt stabbed into Sully’s chest, and shame heated her cheeks. She hadn’t reacted that well to Jackson when he’d told her the truth. She couldn’t imagine how tough it must have been to share his secret with her.

Maybe she shouldn’t have been so hard on him.

Because she loved him too. Couldn’t she forgive him for hiding it from her for years? Her parents hadn’t even seemed upset by the fact that he hadn’t said anything for so long.

Jackson’s face held emotions that warred with each other. What must he be feeling right now? Did he believe her mom that it wasn’t his fault? It would be so good for him to finally let go of that awful burden he’d been carrying around for the past several years.

Maybe it hadn’t hit her parents fully yet. Like it hadn’t sunk in all the way. It had been quite the shock to Sully. But that didn’t change the fact that Jackson was trying to do what was right now. Yes, he’d been wrong to keep it from her, but he couldn’t go back and undo his past actions now. He deserved a second chance to make it right.

“Would you like to have some of the snickerdoodle cookies I made tonight?” her mom asked them. “I just took them out of the oven about five minutes before you showed up.”

“I noticed,” Sully said. Her stomach growled in response, which was completely irrational of it since she’d been feeding it steadily all night. But cookies were cookies, and she never turned them down. Especially not a fresh-baked one. Make that several.

“I’d love a cookie,” Jackson said.

He was just as bad as she was.

They went in the kitchen like they hadn’t just heard their son’s best friend say he’d been at his death. How did her parents do it? Weren’t they torn up inside? Maybe they were but didn’t want to show that in front of Jackson or maybe even her.

That would make sense. Her parents were pretty private about their emotions. But that didn’t change the fact that Sully had been too hard on Jackson. It meant a lot that he was willing to be man enough to tell her parents himself.

She took a cookie, barely refraining from moaning in front of them. Her mom’s cookies were way better than the grocery store bakery’s.

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