He’s calm and controlled as ever. A natural leader wherever he goes, whether he signed up for it or not.
But now I see something more. And I feel it too.
Relief.
I trust him, but can I trust this?
I really want to.
“I’m even more sorry now,” I whisper.
He kisses me with a couple more pecks, his smile playing against my lips.
“Oh, crap! Sam! Did they drive in the storm?”
Unfazed by my abrupt interjection, he pulls his phone from his pocket and shows me the family locator app. “He would’ve waited or pulled over.” A tiny picture of Sam hovers over a dotlabeled Waffle House not far from us. “See? They’re fine. He’s probably on his second plate smothered and covered.”
There’s that calm problem-solving.
So. Hot.
He could’ve been mad, right? Annoyed that I’m worried about Sam when I’m with him? But he’s not. He loves that I care about Sam making it home safely. I can see it all over his perfect face.
“Would that ever bother you?”
Why did I ask that?
“What? Worrying about Sam? Are you asking if I’m jealous?” He’s amused at first until he remembers what I’m used to. He knows. “Lu, I’ve been jealous out of my mind for a year, but I know you. I trust you, Annie, and those two idiots more than anyone else on the planet. And when you’re with Sam, I know you’re both safe.” He softens. “I turned on your location Monday night during the storm, when you fell asleep. I was worried about your car. And aboutyou. I thought you’d get an alert and think it was funny, but you didn’t seem to notice. I should apologize, but I’m not actually sorry.” He smirks.
“It’s okay. No one’s ever cared that much.”
“To stalk you? I hope not. I was afraid you would think it was the kind of thing Nathan would do.”
“He likes control, not responsibility.”
Jude visibly flinches at that statement.
“I was crawling out of my skin when I saw you were at his house yesterday.” He takes a breath, and the worry I caused flashes in his eyes. “That night you stayed in my room after I found you crying almost broke me. Leaving it alone—not going after him—it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I couldn’t leave you. We’re still going to talk about what happened. Soon.”
I nod. “I’m sorry. I should’ve thought about how it affected you.”
“Doesn’t matter. Always come to me.”
He’s quiet for a minute, undoubtedly beating himself up for not acting on his feelings—possibly keeping me from dating Nathan in the first place—but maybe we weren’t ready.
“I said ‘I’m sorry’ again. Do you need to shut me up?”
His features relax with a soft, Southern “Yes, ma’am.”
I lift my face, and he kisses me gently.
I took Jude’s friendship as rejection. I thought it was the opposite of romantic interest, but I get it now.
Friendship isn’t the opposite of romance. It’s the foundation.
It’s everything.
Jude tried to build a solid foundation. I was impatient. I went for instant gratification—all or nothing. That’s how I got sucked into Nathan’s lies.
