Page 59 of When the Stars Fall
“Yeah. We know,” Reese said, rolling his eyes.
“I love Lila Turner!”
“Shut up, McCallister,” someone shouted.
Jude hopped to the ground and stumbled, laughing as he righted himself. “Shit. The ground was closer than I thought.”
That made us all laugh.
“Is that any way to treat your QB? He’s our man. Our MVP, yo,” Austin said, thumping Jude’s back.
“Couldn’t have done it without you. You’re the man,” Jude said, looping his arm around Austin’s neck and rubbing his knuckles over the top of Austin’s head. “Who caught that ball? You. You. You. Shit. I love you, man.”
I laughed as they held on to each other, swaying, and I suspected if they weren’t holding each other up they’d both go down.
“So does this mean I’m forgiven for kissing your girl?” Austin asked when they let go of each other and clinked their beer bottles in a toast.
Jude snarled. “Why’d you have to bring that up? Now I’ll have to punch you.”
“No, you don’t.” I jumped off the back of the truck and tugged on the hood of Jude’s sweatshirt, dragging him toward me. He spun around and pulled me into his arms, his fight forgotten in his drunken haze.
“Love you, baby.” He rubbed his nose along the side of mine, the scent of beer and whiskey on his breath. “Love you soooo much.”
This would have all been really great if not for the fact that the first time he’d told me he loved me was at a bonfire party after a football game when he was drunk off his ass.
Dipping his head, he kissed me on the mouth then dragged his lips across my jaw. “Do you love me, Rebel?”
I nodded.
He pulled back and studied my face intently, his eyes glassy from the alcohol but laser focused. “Tell me. I need to hear it.”
“I love you,” I whispered. Although I’d said the words in my head a hundred times, this was the first time I’d said them aloud.
His arms tightened around me. “Say it again.”
“I love you.”
“And you’re gonna stay with me, no matter what happens. You’re not going to fall for some college guy and send me a Dear John letter, are you?”
This was the first time I’d ever seen Jude look worried and while I could chalk it up to being drunk, I didn’t think that was the case. “No. I won’t do that. I would never,” I assured him, my arms looping around his neck. “You’re the only guy for me.”
“Am I?” He was watching my face again, like he really needed the reassurance, and I sensed that this wasn’t the time to tease him so I gave him what he asked for. Why lie when it was the truth?
“Yeah, you are.” He lifted me off my feet and I wrapped my legs around his waist, locking my ankles together as he strode to the side of the truck and pushed me against it, my back against the passenger window.
“Even when I’m far away... you’ll still love me?” he asked, kissing the corner of my mouth.
“Even then.”
“Always? Forever?”
“Always and forever.”
“Don’t leave me again. Don’t ever push me away again. If you do, my heart will break. For real, for real. Do you wanna break my heart, Rebel? Are you going to?” Vulnerability bled into his every word.
I shook my head. “No,” I whispered, framing his beautiful face in my hands and searching his eyes for the truth. “Are you going to break mine?”
“Never. Promise. I swear on my life that I’ll always love you. You’re mine and I’m yours and that’s just how it is. Just how it’s always been.” His words were laced with so much sincerity, it made my heart stutter and put a lump in my throat.
