“Yeah,” I say, voice sharp.
“You good?”
“No. I’m not good.”
Because it should’ve been me. I should’ve been the one to take her, to show up beside her looking like we run this school together. But I hesitated. I tried to keep her safe—stay away so the flames wouldn’t touch her. And now Kannon's there like some bargain-bin Prince Charming.
And she said yes.
What the hell does that mean?
I shove a hand through my hair and lean back, jaw still locked.
“Winter Ball’s gonna be wild,” Tristan says with a low whistle. “You going with what’s-her-face? The transfer?”
I nod, even though I don’t want to. Even though I barely remember her name. She’s just... safe. Easy. Expected.
But Jade? Jade waseverything.
And now she’s not mine.
Not yet.
But I don’t plan on losing her twice.
I toss my duffel near the stairs and head straight for the study. My phone’s been blowing up since we got off the bus from Connecticut. DMs, texts, notifs. Everyone’s asking the same thing:
Jade and mymother? Shopping? Together?
The group chat was the first to blow. Xavier sent the story with the caption:Yo, wtf?Kannon added a smug little sunglasses emoji, and Tristan just said,Y’all back on or nah?
Even the Brown coach mentioned it after the game, like it was some kind of recruitment tactic. Yale texted too. Apparentlydropping 32 points and 9 rebounds gets you attention when your last name’s Holt.
But none of that compares to the slow burn in my chest when I seeJade’s nameon screen next tomy mother’s.
I find her in the sitting room, perched like a magazine spread, drink in hand, Christmas jazz playing like we live in a Nancy Meyers movie. She doesn’t even flinch when I step in.
“I crushed it tonight,” I say, testing her.
She glances up, smiling faintly. “So I heard. Ivy League coaches usually don’t personally recruit during their own season.”
“Then you’ve heard everything,” I mutter. “Except maybe why you were out Christmas shopping withJade Bryan.”
That gets her attention. A single brow lifts. “Oh? Word travels fast.”
“Mom.” I step closer. “What are you doing?”
She sips her brandy slowly, eyes never leaving mine. “Just running errands. Picking up a few things. Jade has exquisite taste, by the way.”
My stomach tightens. “You hate Jade.”
“I did,” she admits. “But that was before I got to know her properly. People can change, Leo.”
“Uh-huh. And you just decided to bond with her over sushi?”
She shrugs. “She was nearby. We had a chat.”
“Aboutwhat?”
