You can’t wipethe smile off my face, not after I’ve confirmed that Aubree is staying. The past few days have been filled with happiness like I’ve never had before. We still have to discuss where she’s going to live and sleep, but that’s a conversation for another day. We’ll worry about that when the time comes.
“So she’s staying?” Truett asks as I sit in his room, eating lunch with him.
“She is.” I smile.
“I know she’s staying because of you,” Truett says as he struggles to sit up. “Can’t say I’m surprised or disappointed, I just want her to be here.”
“I do too, but if she’s going to be here, we’ve got to make it a point to put a stop to almost everything illegal going on over here. There are still things she doesn’t know about.” I think of what Devlin and Carson have their hands in, but that’s not my secret to tell. “She’ll only know about it if she has to.”
He nods, agreeing with me. “You better make her happy, Jesse. That’s your one goal in life now.”
“I know it is. I just want to make sure you’re okay with this.”
Truett’s expression grows serious, and he studies my face for a long moment. The afternoon light streaming through his window catches the worry lines that have deepened since his accident, making him look older than his years. He shifts against his pillows, wincing slightly at the movement.
“Jesse,” he starts, his voice carrying a weight I haven’t heard before. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot. About you and Aubree.”
My stomach tightens. “And?”
“It’s not easy, you know? Watching my little sister fall in love.” He runs a hand through his hair, a gesture so similar to Aubree’s that it makes my chest ache. “She’s always been independent, always thought she could handle everything on her own. Seeing her open up to someone, seeing her vulnerable…it scares the hell out of me.”
I lean forward in my chair, setting my plate aside. “Truett…”
He holds up a hand to stop me. “Let me finish. It scares me because I know what love can do to a person. I’ve seen how it can build you up and tear you down. I don’t want Aubree to go through that kind of pain again.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. “I would never hurt her. You have to know that.”
“I do know that,” he says quietly. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. If it had to be anyone, Jesse, I’m glad it’s you. You’ve been my best friend since we were kids. You’ve stuck by this family through everything. You’ve proven your loyalty over and over again.”
Relief floods through me, but I can see there’s more he wants to say.
“You know her better than most people do,” he continues. “You’ve seen her at her worst and her best. You know how stubborn she can be, how fierce she is when she loves someone. You know what she’s been through.
“She deserves someone who sees all of that and loves her anyway. Someone who won’t try to change her or dim her light. Someone who’ll stand beside her, not in front of her or behind her, but right there with her through whatever comes next.”
“That’s all I want to do,” I tell him honestly. “I want to be her partner in everything.”
Truett’s eyes meet mine, and I see a mixture of trust and warning there. “She’s going to fight you sometimes. She’s going to try to handle things on her own because that’s what she’s always done. She’s going to push you away when things get tough because she’s afraid of being a burden.”
“I know.”
“And you’re going to have to be patient with her. You’re going to have to prove over and over again that you’re not going anywhere, that you’re in this for the long haul.”
“I am,” I say firmly. “I’m not going anywhere, Truett. Not ever.”
He studies my face for another long moment, then nods slowly. “I trust you, Jesse. I trust you with the most important thing in my life. That’s not something I say lightly.”
The weight of his words settles over me like a mantle. “Thank you. I know what she means to you, and I promise you, I’ll spend every day making sure she knows what she means to me.”
“I’ve been taking care of her for most of her life, but she needs something different now,” Truett says softly. “It’s time she feels that love from someone else. She needs someone to take care of her. Really take care of her, not just the surface stuff. The deep stuff. The parts of herself she keeps hidden because she thinks they’re too much or not enough.”
I think about the way Aubree smiled this morning when she thought no one was looking, the way she hummed softly while making coffee, how she’d unconsciously reached for my hand when we were sitting on the porch last night. Those small,unguarded moments that showed me glimpses of who she was when she wasn’t trying to be strong for everyone else.
“I see those parts of her,” I tell him. “And I love every single one.”
Truett’s smile is genuine now, reaching his eyes for the first time in this conversation. “I know you do. That’s why I can let go of the worry, at least about this. About you two.”
“What do you mean?”
