The Third Best Thing (Fulton U, #3)

by Maya Hughes

This was my freaking body and I loved the shit out of it. And if I kept telling myself that, maybe one day I’d believe it.

“Your sister is—” “Beautiful. Stunning. So amazing. And yes, we really are related.” His eyebrows dipped and he shook his head. “I was going to say kind of pushy.” Relief crashed over me like a wave.

“And now that the bus is moving and you have no escape, I thought I’d let you know that some people on this trip…” I craned my neck looking out over the seats around us. “Might be under the impression that we’re together, like together together.” He shrugged. “Boyfriend from the wrong side of the tracks to piss off the parents. Got it.” I waved my hand dismissively. “Nothing like that. Just be yourself. I didn’t want to blindside you in case anyone asked.” “Which is why you waited for wheels up on this trip before you spilled the beans?” My cheeks burned. “It was a joke. Don’t worry about it. I can keep it together.”

“Hey, Jules. I’ve got your drink.” Berk broke the uncomfortable staring match I’d been roped into. He expertly handled the two champagne glasses even with one hand taken by the garment bag, and handed me my drink. “I’m Berk.” He shoved his hand right in front of Chet’s face. Chet turned to my rescuer and his eyes widened. “Can I help you?” “Sure, you can let go of Jules. My date.” “Jules?! Her name is Julia,” Chet snapped. “My mistake, I just go with what I call her in bed at night.” The bubbles from my glass of bubbly shot straight out my nose. I’m talking full on spray tan coverage of Chet. All heads swung in our direction.

My very own knight in shining armor even if it was only for two days and even if he was just pretending to be with me. I could pretend with the best of them.

“I’m only clarifying the nickname rules. So far we have ‘not Snowglobes’ and something that can be said in front of a classroom of second graders and their nannies from the Mainline. Any other requirements?” “Something you could say in front of your mom.” She took another drink from her glass. I dropped my gaze to my hands and squeezed the stem of the glass. With Jules, I never felt like I had to hide who I was, but I didn’t want to be a pity case, a sob story where she’d look at me and squeeze my hand and smile at me because she was that kind of person. But she didn’t know everything about me. What would she think if she knew? My throat tightened and I closed my eyes for a second. Enough time to breathe through that dart to my heart and keep those walls I’d built so high and wide around my heart intact. With a gentle shake of my head, I was back to being Berk. Not Orphan Berkley Vaughn.

I hurt for that little girl who had wanted to do something that made her feel closer to her dad and had had it taken away by the one person who should’ve done anything to help her during that time. But having a kid didn’t make someone a good parent.

“Of course she’d end up with a guy that huge. It’s the only way she’d find someone she wouldn’t crush in bed.” Chet and his friends laughed at the end of the short hallway outside of the bathrooms, right by the bar. “Those kinds of girls always put in the extra effort. She’d probably have been a good lay.” “With the lights off.” Someone else chimed in with that charming little comment. Ducking back inside the bathroom, I pushed my palm against the door, so it closed slowly, without a sound. That’s the last thing I needed—them knowing I’d heard them. It would only make it worse, and I didn’t need to hear the fake words of apology or how I’d misheard the comments. Stop being so sensitive. You’re overreacting. Don’t make a scene.

Wishing and praying it had all been a mistake and he was sitting in some hospital somewhere, maybe with amnesia, and one day he’d come back and whisk me away from all this. Somehow it hurt more that they were my own mom and sister, not some evil steps who wanted me out of the way. It made that pain even worse. I was part of my mom and all she wanted to do was cut that part of herself out and throw the rest of me away. Throw my dad away. But I wanted the books first. I wanted the Peter Rabbit books she’d promised me. I needed them to remember those rainy days with my dad, curled up in his favorite window seat while he read them and did all the voices. I could go buy other copies from a store for the stories themselves, but these books were the ones he’d touched and drawn in. That mattered. Pushing my glasses up, I wiped at my eyes with the back of my hand. So many tears spilled over their words and digs at me. I longed for those books. Those were happy family memories I couldn’t let go.

Maybe things would be okay. He wasn’t freaking out and I wasn’t freaking out, so far so good. I could wear this outside of the room. “Might as well start now.” I turned to him and our gazes collided. He coughed into the glass he had up to his mouth. Wheezing and spraying his drink all over the place, his eyes got anime character wide before he barked out a, “Holy shit.”

Holy shit! The soda water burned my lungs and I coughed, bent over at the waist. There was no saving this and playing it off cool. Water dribbled down onto my pristine white and insanely expensive shirt. At least I hadn’t opened one of the bottles of wine sitting on the mini-bar. Jules stared at me, frozen in her crouch with some of her clothes bunched up in her hands like a deer in the middle of the road with a Mack truck barreling toward her. I liked Jules. I’d always liked Jules. She’s funny and sometimes she lets a little bit of her potty mouth slip out between her unique personality of the next Martha Stewart and a cute anime character. She’s not flashy, except when it comes to everything that comes out of her oven. I’d looked at her so many times and liked exactly what I saw. But I didn’t let my thoughts stray to her in any way other than as a friend too often, mainly because she’s Elle’s best friend and if I went near her with anything other than my friendzone lanyard hanging around my neck, Nix

would’ve mailed my balls back to me and made me pay for the shipping. She was wiped off the radar before I met her with a glare from Nix and a promise of retribution if I screwed up what he had with Elle in any way, shape, or form, but that’s not to say I didn’t appreciate Jules’ quiet beauty. The kind you found yourself sneaking a glance of when she smiled because it was so completely pure and unworried about being anything other than real. Or the times I’d sit at her kitchen table and talk for hours about our favorite comic book movie. I’d chalked it up to the fact that I hadn’t spent much time around many women who didn’t want anything from me. Not status, or a false idea that I had cash to splash around, or any number of reasons. With Jules, I could just be and so could she. It gave me that warm feeling that drew me to her time and time again, but I knew going in it couldn’t go further. I’d never really been just friends with a girl before, and I liked it. She was kind and I’d never heard her talk shit about anyone or be anything other than awesome, which is why the fucking rack on her showcased with a plummeting, glittering ‘look at me sign’ that was that dress made me want to bite my knuckle and run around the room like a damn animal. Who in the hell knew she was hiding all that under those clothes? I was five seconds away from going full wolf-whistle-in-a-nightclub cartoon parody over here. There were those movies where the girl with the glasses gets the makeover an...

star because she was real and two strides away from me. “Jesus, Jules.” I leaned in, trying to keep the need to lick her out of my voice. This was straight up not fair. She was sweet as hell and now I wanted a taste. Her face paled. “I know,” she whispered and tried to tug the edges of her dress’s neckline together. She might as well have been trying to fill the Grand Canyon with a bucket. “It’s too small. I need to find Laura and tell her it’s not going to work.” Ducking her head, she tried to run away. “It looks terrible.” I rushed after her and caught her elbow. My fingers wrapping around the soft fabric protecting her smooth skin from my touch, an electric spark licking its way up my arm. “You don’t need to change.” I squeezed my lips together, so I didn’t bite my bottom one. “You caught me off guard. The dress looks great on you. I just never realized you were hiding those.” I nodded toward the cleavage Valhalla peeking out from under her hands. She punched my arm. “You’re not exactly helping on the keep-Jules-from-feeling-self-conscious-and-wanting-to-run-away front.” “If there’s anyone who should feel self-conscious, it’s all those other chick...

“You carry a sweater in your bag?” Half statement, half question. “You never know when you might need one.” She took it from my hands with a grateful nod and slipped it on. A little warmth glowed in my chest. I liked having that for her and I sure as hell liked seeing her in it, even though she was hiding the best rack in three counties under it right now. I’d have to commit it to memory. “You’re saving me from wearing a bathrobe over this getup.” Her smile flicked a different switch inside me. One that sent the blood rushing to another part of my anatomy it had no business rushing to as I imagined her in nothing but a robe. The fluffy fabric against her skin. A switch had been flicked and I didn’t know how to unflick it. Then came the guilt. I hadn’t really checked anyone out since TLG and I started writing. Once the letters kept coming and I let her in on some of the fears and insecurities I was dealing with when it came to going pro, it had kind of felt like cheating, just like it did when I couldn’t keep my eyes off Jules. What was I thinking? TLG didn’t want to talk to me anymore. She was done with me, whatever it was I’d thought we were building was an illusion. After all this time, I should be better prepared for people dipping out of my life like it’s nothing. Mom. Gone. Dad. Locked up for a long time. Foster families who’d pushed me aside. At this point there was only one person in my life who’d always been there and she was flaky at best. No, I didn’t need to add...

Let’s Stay Far, Far Away Club. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t admire the view.

“And you must be Berkley. Laura was telling me all about you.” Pretty hard to do when Laura had molested me with her eyes for all of twenty seconds and barely spoken to me during the process. Maybe she’d just been sizing me up trying to figure out if I was an okay dude to be dating her sister, even if it was all pretend. “It’s nice to meet you.” I wiped my hand on my pants, not wanting to shove my sweaty palm into her delicate hand. Damn, I felt like I was going to snap every bone in her fingers. I was also slightly concerned about Jules’ statue impersonation. “Evelyn,” she offered her name. “Laura wasn’t exaggerating when she said you were handsome.” Her mom propped one of her hands under her chin. “And how long have you two been together?” Jules opened her mouth to set her mom straight, but I butted in. “It’s new.” I slipped my arm around Jules’ shoulder. “But if she keeps baking for me the way she has been, I’ll never let her go.” I looked at Jules with a distinct roll-with-this-look. She patted her hand on mine. “Yes, very new.” “Of course you’d know your way into a man’s stomach.” Her mom’s wavy blonde hair bounced as she laughed. Jules shrank under my hold. “She’s a fantastic baker. One of the best bakeries in the city is bringing her on for a special project.”

“Julia has always loved the kitchen. And food. Good thing he looks strong.” Her mom spoke to Jules while patting me on the chest. Jules sucked in a sharp breath. “She keeps me well fed.” “I’m sure she does. I’m glad she’s making enough for you both. Have a lovely time this weekend.” That was one of the weirdest conversations I’d had in a long time, but rich people do what rich people do. It was like she was speaking in code and I didn’t have the translation key. Someone interrupted, pulling her away, and she went on hugging and kissing other attendees. Jules spun around out from under my arm and rushed out to the patio, disappearing into the inky night beyond the doors.

The heavy footfalls that could only be Berk’s followed after me. No one else had probably even noticed I was gone. “Jules.” I wiped at my eyes. Not a-freaking-gain. This weekend wasn’t going to be the Comforting Jules Weekend Extravaganza. I scurried down the steps leading to the garden. “Jules.”

Out in the dark with only the stars lighting the way, I felt safe with him at my side. The way you got when you felt like someone could haul you into their arms and run away with you. I didn’t get that feeling around many guys, but with Berk, I thought maybe, just maybe. Then I pushed those thoughts aside. He’s being a friend. Just like he’s been a friend for nearly a year now. Stopping into the house to make sure I’m okay and steal treats. But there’s never been more than a hint of interest—other than the way his gaze kept dipping to my chest, but that was probably his overprotective streak—I’d seen it come out more than once. Not that I minded, but I needed to keep things straight in my head.

Don’t slip up and don’t get any ideas about what this might be.

“I’m sorry you had to see that.” I couldn’t breathe. Her words still rang in my ear, erasing so much of the progress I’d made. I wrapped my arms tightly around my waist, wanting to sink into the floor. “What happened? One second you were there and the next you were gone.” And now he thought I was crazy. “It’s nothing.” Was I overreacting? He’d been less than a foot from me and he couldn’t see anything wrong with what she’d said. “You’re upset. Like before. Tell me what happened.” The earnest concern in his eyes made me feel even worse. We’d been having a great time and then I went and lost it again because of my mom. You’d think after so many years I’d have a healthy callous built up to her words, but every time she spoke to me it was like someone poking at a throbbing wound only barely starting its healing journey. I held his gaze. His eyebrows were furrowed, and he looked ready to take on whatever had upset me. If I hadn’t already been falling for him, I was a half-step away. No one had ever looked at me like that before.

“It’s nothing you can help with.” “Maybe I can.” His thumb made tiny brushes against the side of my face and I tried to breathe. Keep breathing, Jules. He leaned in closer and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. His bow tie and tux fit him like they’d gotten his measurements ahead of time. That was what happened when you worked out so much tailors made their clothes to fit someone like you. Someone with a perfect body. The tendrils of desire fought against the drum of fear trying to overtake my stomach. He was here with me. Not that he had much of a choice since he was pretty much stranded out here, and if it came down to hanging with me outside versus staying inside with my family and their friends, I got it. But his face did seem to be getting closer to mine… or was I the one leaning in? Were we both leaning in? “Jules…” He lifted his hand and placed it right at the side of my neck. The rough pads of his fingers caressed the hairs at the nape. “Yeah, Berk.” I wanted to shoot up on my tippy toes and finally know what his lips felt like on mine. The same ones I’d dreamed about and he’d written about using to taste every inch of me. He ducked his head, totally Berk incoming in three. Two. One.

“Oh yeah. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d had them flown in from New York or Fiji or something. If there’s ever a chance to one-up someone,

my mom will grab onto that chance with both hands and never let go.” “Must have been hard growing up like that.” Here I was complaining about my sister and Berk’s situation was way more complicated. I shrugged. “It wasn’t that bad.” The hours I’d stayed locked alone in my bathroom crying on the floor were trivial in comparison to what other people had been through. “Don’t do that.” “Do what?” “Minimize what you went through because of what I told you about me.” My cheeks burned. “I’m not—” He tilted his head and lifted an eyebrow. I pinched my lips together. “Are you inside my head or something?” “No, but I see the way you always want to take care of the people around you, even if it’s at your expense.” “I don—” He cut me off again at the pass. “Don’t ever let anyone else make you feel like you’re not awesome.” He swung his jacket and settled it around me. The weight of the damp fabric settled around my shoulders. I tugged the front of it closed. Even for me it was roomy and dwarfed me. It wasn’t like I didn’t know Berk was a huge guy. He handled other football players out on the field with no problem, but standing beside him in his jacket, staring up into his eyes lit only by the streaking lightning across the sky, I felt small.

Rain hammered on the glass panes all around us like our own soundtrack to go along with my

heartbeat, racing not only from the sprint but from the proximity to him.

“I’m kicking myself for giving you my jacket now.” His gaze darted down the dark gap between my body and his jacket. “In case I didn’t tell you already. That dress looks killer on you.” “Thank you.” Our lips were a hairsbreadth away. My body tingled in anticipation of everything he was ready to serve up. All those nights I read and reread his words. The way my fingers tingled when I slipped another note into his mailbox and grabbed one of his. But this wasn’t pen and paper anymore. This was everything we’d written about in our letters. All the promises he made and the months of fantasy-making. I’d figured that was where they’d always live, but miracle of miracles, he was here with me now—leaning in closer for a kiss. He was here with me. He wanted me. He smiled with a glitter in his eyes and then they closed. With one swift motion the distance between our lips evaporated. There was the slightest brush of his against mine. Needing more, I rocked onto my tiptoes. The entire room exploded in bright, brilliant light. A lightning strike shook the windows and thunderclap roared so loudly my ears rang. We

shot apart. He stared back at me with wide eyes and a face painted with shock. We turned and looked outside at the smoking, charred remains of a stone bench on the other side of the glass, only illuminated by the intense lightning streaking across the sky, throwing the landscape around us from night to day in split second chunks. With wide eyes, we both looked up at the glass and metal structure currently protecting us, and I don’t think either of us wanted to test whether the floor would insulate us from a direct hit or the adage about lightning never striking twice. Bolting toward the main house, we ran all the way back to the room. Our room. As in the room I’d be sharing with him for the next two nights. Sleeping feet away from him with that almost-kiss lingering and leaving me rattled like a ghost with his chains.

Walking over, I nudged his shoulder. “Berk, the bathroom’s free.” He mumbled. I reached out and shook both shoulders. “You’re going to hate me in the morning, if I let you sleep like this.” I brought my hands up to his neck and rotated them. His head shot up and his arms whipped out around me, tugging me onto his lap. His fingers tightened painfully on my hips and I braced my hands on his chest. I yelped and his gaze focused on me. The alarm in his eyes melted away as he took in our surroundings and embarrassment took its place, turning his cheeks ruddy under his five o’clock shadow. His grip loosened immediately. I had no idea what the hell had just happened, but he’d looked so scared for a second, like someone shaking him awake was a nightmare come to life. “Sorry, Jules. I forgot where I was.” He shook his head and released me completely, which still left me on his lap. “You passed out while I was in the bathroom.” He yawned into his shoulder. “Someone was taking an incredibly long time to just duck in and change.” “Sorry.” He smiled. “No need to be sorry. Thanks for waking me up.”

My cheeks burned and I was lucky the only light in the room was the one behind me from the bathroom. “No problem.” And then it sunk in that I was still sitting on his lap. All of me, without any bracing or keeping my feet on the ground and I shot up.

It’s a big bed. After the day you’ve had, I can take the couch if you don’t want to share. You came right from practice.” I pushed the covers down and swung my legs off the edge. “Don’t. That would make me feel like shit if you did. You sure you’re okay with sharing a bed with me?” There was an uneasiness to his stance. Like the confident goofball had given way to someone less self-assured. Someone like me. “I’m good.” I got back under the blankets and locked my arms in at my sides. He went around the bed and sat on the edge. “About the greenhouse…” I jumped in front of whatever he was going to say, throwing myself in front of the Mack truck of him letting me down gently. “Don’t worry about that. I don’t want you to feel awkward or anything. You were trying to make me feel better. We were caught up in the moment, no big deal.” It came out in a rush, all in one breath. I turned my head to the side.

He swung his legs up onto the bed and settled on his back, staring straight up at the ceiling. And now I’d officially decided that inviting Berk wasn’t a bad idea at all. It was the worst idea. Because I couldn’t stop thinking about that almost-kiss. We’d almost kissed. The way his strong hands had cupped my face so gently as he was a hairsbreadth away from my lips. It was like the lead up to one of the kisses he’d promised me. Like one that had been scrawled across every single one of his letters.

He was the perfect gentleman, taking me for walks and sharing his contraband ear buds with me that night as we lay side by side in the bed. Then, once the song he’d wanted to share with me was finished, he’d rolled onto the floor, even though I’d told him the bed was big enough for the two of us. Maybe the almost-kiss had only been to lift my spirits. Snap me out of my teary state he’d already seen once today. With lips like those, I was sure he’d found they were the perfect distraction to nearly any woman. A small streak of jealousy shot through me at all the women he’d probably kissed because he wanted to, not because he’d felt like it was the nice thing to do. My fingers itched to write him a new note, but I couldn’t. I’d closed the door on The Letter Girl. But those letters were the closest I was going to get to having him. Berkley Vaughn wasn’t interested.

But listening to Ed Sheeran with Jules, memorizing every freckle on her face and the way her full lips mouthed the words to the chorus by the end of it had my dick throbbing. As she peered down at me over the edge of the bed, a curtain of her hair swung down. She tucked it behind her ears. “Crap, are you okay?” “Yup, I’m fine.” I grimaced, clutching the pillow to my slowly, but not slowly enough deflating cock. “The bed’s too soft, so I think I’ll hang out down here for the night.” Jules’ eyes widened and she let the hair fall back over her face. “Oh.” She snapped back from the edge of the bed and I flatted onto the floor in relief. “Are you sure? I can take the floor. I don’t mind.” She was too much of a temptation. And I wanted to taste her lips so badly I’d almost rolled on top of her and taken that kiss Mother Nature had stolen from us by trying to murder us in the greenhouse.

I knew she’d taste the exact same way. So I’d banished myself to the floor before I lost my cool and did something I couldn’t take back. Namely, wrap her bed head curls around my fist, hold her chin between my thumb and forefinger, and see if those lips were everything I’d been thinking about for the past few days.

“Zip it, Julienne Fries. I’m running with you, even if I have to toss you over my shoulders and do the run that way. So let’s run this thing.” I lifted my hand and froze inches from her ass. No, don’t go anywhere near that. I’d only seen it silhouetted in clothes, but I knew with one touch I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from dragging her off somewhere and claiming that kiss that had been stolen from us last night. Her glare was adorable as she stepped outside. “Fine.” We set out on our run—more of a jog, but I wasn’t complaining. I hated running. My number one punishment after a fuck up during practice was laps. My job was to keep my QB from getting demolished. Not sprinting down the field for fifty-yard passes. My position lived in a twenty-yard zone of comfort, and running sucked. But if I got to spend a little time with a certain baker, I’d suck it up and do some of the conditioning work I’d been avoiding.

“Only if you protect me and promise not to abandon me this time.” She wrapped her arms around her legs. “I promise.” Those words reached deep down inside, like my joking had revealed something about myself that only she could see. And her promise to do something that other people would laugh off was as strong as any. We walked back to the house, both a little soggy, muddy, and sweaty, but with something new between us that even the almost-kiss hadn’t created.

“Where’s the real food?” I had my emergency stash in my backpack like always, but I was sure I could sweet talk someone into bringing me some scrambled eggs with cheese and bacon. Jules grabbed a plate and filled it with pineapple, kiwi, and a croissant. “They’ll do a sit-down breakfast at nine. Don’t worry. They have your cheesy scrambled eggs and bacon.” I stopped midway through a bite of my blueberry muffin with real blueberries. “How’d you know that’s what I wanted?” She shoved half a cornucopia of food into her mouth and covered it with her hand, shrugging her shoulders. “Seemed like something a hungry football player would eat.”

It didn’t make sense why Jules hadn’t wanted to come this weekend. Her sister’s friends were asshole-ish. Her sister and mom were… interesting, but nothing I couldn’t handle. Maybe Jules was one of those people who didn’t know how lucky they were to have a parent around. But Jules had never been a diva or ever talked badly about anyone, not even her asshole landlord who’d nearly turned her house into a deathtrap. If I was missing something, I couldn’t see it.

“Your sister wanted you as a bridesmaid, but we may have to take you out of the pictures if you don’t lose some weight before then.” “You’re lucky he’s even here with you. Why would you try to outrun him? Don’t you know men like to feel powerful. Not have a woman try to show them up.” “Please go take a shower before everyone assumes you’re sweating because of the heat.” “Where did you get those clothes, Julia? It’s a wonder he saw anything in you at all.” I’d been seconds from screaming the truth right in her face, but that would’ve been worse. That I’d lied about being with Berk—oh, sorry, Berkley—would only be another example of how I suck and no one like him would ever want to be with someone like me. At least once we left, I’d have no trouble floating the lie that he’d broken up with me. I zipped up my bag in our room, but Berk wouldn’t let me haul it out to the bus. He grabbed it, picking it up like it was nothing.

The storm clouds were back, rain drumming on the window I rested my head on. The hoodie Berk had let me borrow smelled like him and swam on me, which made it perfect for sinking into. “What do you have planned before classes start?” “Stress baking as I try to get everything ready.” “Let me get in on some of that.” He unravelled his headphones from around his phone and stuck a twizzler into his mouth. He had a Mary Poppins-sized portion stashed somewhere. I shoved at his shoulder and he barely moved; it was like jamming my hand into a brick wall. “You’re not supposed to bask in my stress.” “How can I not when your delicious treats are what I get because of it? I’m tempted to stand outside your bedroom banging pots and pans to keep you bleary-eyed and baking.” “Then I’ll sick Elle on you and you know Nix’ll back her up.” “Playing hardball, I see. He invited us all over to watch Reece’s game this week. I think he’s just happy he’s not doing two-a-day practices and about to head out on the road for the season. Can’t believe he passed on the paycheck, though.”

“Some things are more important than money.” “Says the person who always had it.” He looked at me with a small grin. The butterflies in my stomach were like a herd. A flock? Whatever the hell a group of butterflies was called, and that was bad, bad news. Berk was so many things, but my new boyfriend wasn’t at the top of that list. He had my new heartbreak written all over him, and I’d been there already. Standing inside my front door as he ordered a cake for Alexis. I still didn’t know the deal with her and I wasn’t going to put my heart on the line to find out. “Touché.”

My fingers itched to grab it and let my skin brush against his, accidentally-on-purpose, but this was the time to put that friend barrier firmly back in place. He’s not thinking about you like that. Don’t mistake his kindness, or even a semi-drunk almost-kiss, for anything more than it is.

Concern wrinkled his brow and he ran his hand quickly over my thigh. It was like a Pavlovian response. I’d need to change my underwear as soon as we got back to the house.

A weak smile was all I could muster before I leaned back against my seat, wedging my head against the window. All the touches and quiet moments almost made it feel like we were a couple, but I’d learned never to read too far into things. Guys don’t see me that way. The one time I thought a guy did, I’d wound up wanting to bury myself under my high school until graduation.

We’d roll back onto campus and things would be back as they should be. No more laying in bed beside Berk. And no more almost-kisses. No more pretending.

It was nothing. I’ve completely forgotten about it. Jules’ words were ringing in my ears days after I’d stood at the bottom of the steps to her place, seconds away from making that almost-kiss a distant memory wiped away by my growing hunger for her. But then she’d put me in my place. She was a rich girl who could do whatever the hell she wanted. Just because I was a starting Trojan at Fulton U didn’t mean she gave a crap about all that. And while almost everyone over the weekend had been assholes, there were probably guys on her level who weren’t like her sister’s friends wanting to take Jules out on fancy dates. Places I wouldn’t be allowed without showing them my bank account—well, maybe in a year. Walking backward across the street, I looked at her house. Why did she live in such a craptastic house? With the money her family had, she could’ve stayed in one of the swanky houses right across the street from campus. Tomorrow, we had class together. Excitement coursed through my veins. The same kind I got before one of my games. Tomorrow, I wouldn’t be the dude who “happened” to be outside at the exact same time she was coming home, or used

cookies as an excuse to hang out. Who does that? Me, apparently, I can’t help myself. In a matter of days, Jules had gone from someone I looked forward to seeing every day, to someone I needed to see. I needed to make her laugh and make sure she was okay. And I wanted her to want that of me too.

Records inquiry complete. No known address. No known addressee. No forwarding address provided. Every entry for Elizabeth Vaughn came up as another dead end. I sat on the edge of my bed and stared at the folded sheets of paper on the floor. There was no way I could track her down on my own. I’d tried. Researching each state’s records processes, paying for them. I’d need help, but I didn’t have the money to hire someone to get it done. That little kid who had stared at the retreating figure of his mom couldn’t let this lie. The same kid who had stared up at the ceiling every night hoping she’d show up at the door telling everyone it had been a terrible mistake—he rattled around in my head, unable to let it go. Moving on was impossible when that scared seven-year-old version of me needed his mom. My phone sat on the bed beside me. The present my mom had carefully wrapped and tucked into my backpack when she’d left me on the screened-in porch of my dad’s house sat in the middle of my bedroom floor. The white paper with blue and red balloons had faded over the years and there were a few rips, including an especially long one where one of the kids in the group home had found it and tried to open it. I’d carefully taped it back together with his blood still covering my knuckles. If I opened the box, it would be the last gift I ever got from my mom. She never even got to see me open it. Every birthday, she’d worked hard to buy me one gift and wrap it. Sometimes it was only in new...

The card stock thwipped against my palm. Before my rational brain took over, I snatched my phone up off the bed and made the call. In less than an hour, I had an agent. A business meeting. Five figures sitting in my bank account. And a private investigator on the case with the full run down of everything I could remember about Elizabeth Vaughn. I’d accepted money from an agent and if anyone found out I was toast and so was the FU season. Everything I’d worked for to set myself up and make sure Alexis never had to worry about a thing could be destroyed in the blink of an eye to track down someone who might not even want to see me. Maybe she’d never bothered looking, or maybe she couldn’t find me, but Mom hadn’t tracked me down so far, and I needed to know this. I needed to find out why she’d given me up. Maybe that would help make putting down roots easier. Finally, having the stability I’d longed for. It was monumentally stupid, but there was no going back now. It was done. I sat against my headboard, banging my head against the wall. Jules’ shadow moved across her bedroom window. The shades were always drawn, but her silhouette was backlit like the perfect torture device. Her arm whipped around almost like she was spinning in a circle, but was cut off by the edge of the window. I could almost see her dancing in her room, folding laundry, a dryer sheet tucked inside so it always smelled freshly washed, or pacing back and forth with flashcards to study. She was definitely t...