“I know that too.”
Silence settles again.
Then he sighs.
“I was wrong,” he admits.
I blink. “About what?”
“About you. About the entire situation.”
My chest tightens.
“I thought you were going to treat her like every other girl,” he says. “I thought this was another notch on your bedpost.” He shakes his head slowly. “But that wasn’t the look on your face when you kissed her in the stands.”
He steps closer.
“And it sure as hell isn’t the look on your face right now.”
Emotion builds thick in my throat.
“You love my sister,” he says.
“Yes.”
“Then why the hell are you sitting here?”
I stare at him.
“What?”
“Fuck the consequences,” he says bluntly. “Fuck the league. Fuck the optics.”
He steps right in front of me.
“If you love her, go fight for her.”
My heart pounds.
“You were willing to leave the team for her,” he continues. “You were willing to take my punch. You were willing to be the villain.”
He grips my shoulder.
“So be the damn hero instead.”
I feel something shift inside me.
Resolve.
“You sure?” I ask quietly.
He nods once.
“If you ever hurt her like that again,” he says, eyes hard, “I’ll break your jaw.”
A small, broken smile pulls at my mouth.
“Fair.”
