Page 122 of Rules, Roses, and Rivals
Jake cleared his throat, his voice tight. "I agree. We need to lay everything on the table. No secrets, no hidden agendas. If we're going to do this, we do it right."
Bubba nodded, his expression serious. "And we need to respect each other. Frankie, you need to know that you're in control here. If at any point you want to stop, we stop. No questions asked."
Coop grinned, but there was a hint of nervousness in his eyes. "I'm in. Let's make this work. But Frankie, you need to be sure. This isn't something we can take lightly."
Frankie took a deep breath, her eyes scanning each of our faces. "I'm sure. I want this. I want to go to Homecoming with all of you. But I also want to make sure we're all on the same page. No one gets hurt, and no one feels like they're being left out."
I reached across the table and took her hand, gave it a gentle squeeze. "We're all in this together. We'll figure it out, Frankie. But we need to be patient and open with each other. This isn't going to be easy, but nothing worth having ever is."
Jake shifted in his seat, his jaw tight. "You sure about this, Frankie? Because once we start down this path, there's no turning back."
Frankie met his gaze, her expression steady. "I'm sure, Jake. But I need to know that you're sure too. This isn't just about me; it's about all of us."
I bit back the advice to tell Jake to shut up and take the offer. She was letting him back in, he’d be an idiot to turn it down. Still, I kept that to myself. If he cut himself out, one less person to worry about.
At the same time, I didn’t want Frankie hurt by that rejection.
Jake held her gaze for a long moment before nodding, but the tension in his shoulders kept them rigid. He wasn’t fully on board, and that was going to be a problem.
Bubba spoke up, his voice calm but firm. "We'll make it work, Jake. We just need to communicate and be honest with each other. No one said this would be easy, but we can do it."
Coop chimed in, his grin widening. "Hey, think of all the fun we'll have planning this thing. It's going to be epic!"
Frankie smiled, a small, tentative curve of her lips, and it was like the sun coming out after a storm. "Thank you. All of you. I know this is a lot to ask, but I couldn't imagine doing it with anyone else."
And there it was—the trust, the hope, and the promise of something new and exciting. We're standing on the edge of something unknown, and it was both thrilling and terrifying. But as I looked around the table at my friends and the girl who has captured all our hearts, I understood the reality that wehadto be ready to take this leap.
"Let's do this," I said, my voice filled with determination. "Together."
Jake leaned forward, his elbows on the table, and fixed Frankie with a serious look. "Frankie, what about Frenchy? Does this mean you're done with him?"
Frankie's eyebrows shot up, and she looked taken aback. "Mathieu? Why are you bringing him up now?"
Jake's expression is tight, almost defensive. "I just want to know where I stand. If we're all in this together, does that mean we're all exclusive now? Or are we still seeing other people?"
The room went quiet again, the tension ratcheting up another notch. Valid question or not, I wanted to slug Jake. Uncertainty crept back into Frankie’s eyes as she considered her response. That it took her time to answer was an answer.
"I... I don't know, Jake," she admitted, her voice soft. "I haven't really thought that far ahead. I just know that I want to go to Homecoming with all of you, and I want us to figure out how to make that work."
"Maybe we should take this one step at a time.” Bubba took the reasonable route. “We can figure out the Homecoming thing first, and then see where we all stand after that."
Coop nodded in agreement. "Yeah, let's not get ahead of ourselves. We've got enough on our plates with Homecoming. We can cross that bridge when we come to it."
"Fine. But I want to know where I stand. If I'm in or out." Jake wasn’t convinced but he didn’t push the issue.
Frankie reached across the table and took Jake's hand, giving it a squeeze. "You're in, Jake. We're all in this together. But we need to be patient and work through this as a group. Okay?"
He nodded but the hesitation was still there in his eyes. This wasn’t going to be easy, and Jake's reluctance was just the first of many hurdles we’d have to overcome. But for now, we were all in, and that was what mattered.
If Jake kicked himself out the door later?
Well, his loss.
Archie:Alright, let's hash this out. Frankie wants to go to Homecoming with all of us. Thoughts?
Jake:I don't know, man. It's a lot to take in. And what about Frenchy? Is Frankie done with him?
Coop: She answered that. We need to trust her.
