Page 89 of Kissing for Keeps
“He would, and he did. I actually had to kiss him.” I cringe at the memory. “After the game ended, I decided to leave, but Jack came to say bye and…”
Madi nods, not needing me to finish. Notwantingme to finish. Her brow furrows again. “He came over the next morning, didn’t he?” I can see the cogs turning in her head as she puts things together. “He was holding that extension of yours when I opened the door.” She meets my gaze. “He came for you, then realized I was your roommate.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t understand then why he wasn’t acknowledging we had met the night before. You introduced us.He chews up my friends and spits them out like gum. That’s what you said.” I pinch my eyes shut, remembering. “I was so mad at him—and even madder at myself—and so humiliated for thinking there had been something there.” I shrug. “So, I went along with it and resolved to pretend it never happened, just like he was doing. It was only as I got to know you more that I understood the reasoning behind how things happened—the history with your friends and him.”
She sighs, and it’s quiet for ten seconds. “But that wasn’t the end of it.”
“It was,” I say. “Until we came here. I knew what Jack was, though, so I didn’t plan for a repeat. I just…” I sigh. How do I explain to her what happened? How I’m feeling?
Madi grimaces sympathetically. “Look, Siena, I get it. Jack knows how to appeal to women. He’s made that very clear over the years.”
Ouch. Sucker punch. To Madi, I’m still being played for a fool by her brother. Maybe she’s right. Maybe this is how Jack does things—makes girls feel like a million bucks, like they’re different, and then… he’s done. Maybe it feels real to me, but to him, this is just par for the course. I don’t have the best track record for gauging how guys feel about me.
Madi shakes her head. “I really thought he had changed. But I guess he hasn’t. He’s not taking things seriously, even at my wedding.”
My heart is in smithereens hearing my worst fears confirmed about Jack, but I also can’t let her think worse of him than he deserves. “The band thing wasn’t his fault, Madi.”
She glances over at me.
“It wasmyfault. I got mixed up when I first booked them. I told them yesterday’s date. I don’t know what I was thinking. So royally stupid.” I rub my face with my hands.
“I’m confused. Why did Jack say it was his fault, then?”
I lift my shoulders. “To help me save face?” I had hoped it meant something about how he felt for me, but I don’t know why he did it anymore.
“Jack doesn’t do stuff like that,” Madi says.
I lean forward, elbows on my knees. “Yeah, I don’t know, Madi. I don’t know why he did it.”
Madi is quiet, but I can feel her eyes on me. “I should’ve asked this before, but do you really like him?”
I swallow, and that dang burning behind the eyes hits me again. I want to lie to her because I’m embarrassed about the hopes I’ve been harboring about Jack and what exactly has been happening between us.
But I can’t lie to Madi. Not now. Not ever again.
The incoming rush of tears commandeers my laugh, making me sound like a pathetic warbling bird. Probably because Iampathetic. “I do, stupid as it is.” The spectacular waterworks begin. “Ireallylike him.”
Madi stands, grabs my hands, and pulls me to a stand and then into her arms. “If he doesn’t feel the same way,” she says with her arms around me and a catch in her voice, “then he’s even stupider than I thought.”
“Or maybe I’m the stupid one,” I say, holding her tightly.
“No,” she replies. “You’re my best friend, Siena. I hope you always will be. I just…” Her voice gets weak, and I can hear her swallow. “I don’t want to lose you if things don’t work out with Jack.”
I shake my head against hers, holding her tighter than ever. “That would never happen. You’re stuck with me no matter what.” I pause. “If you still want me?”
She squeezes me, giving me my answer.
There’s a knock on the door, and we pull apart, wiping at our eyes and laughing at ourselves.
“You ready to get married?” I ask. “Again?”
“Only if you’re here with me,” she says.
I pull her into another hug, but there’s a repeat knock. Blinking away the second wave of incoming tears, I hurry to open the door for the others.
33
JACK
