night just to hang
out?”
“ Yes ,” she huffed. “I need to make some local
friends before the move next summer, okay?” She pushed past me. “Good night,
Logan.”
“Julia!” I called after her.
She disregarded me, but I followed her.
“Let’s go,” she said to the girls and they started
walking away, staring back at me like I was some crazy stalker instead of a
concerned older brother.
I couldn’t hear their conversation as I lagged behind for
a few moments, considering my options, but one girl’s enthusiasm over “Josh’s
place!” rang loud and clear through the mumbles and hung over me. There was no
way my little sister was going there.
A car pulled up to the sidewalk and I hunched over to see
another girl was driving. No boys inside; that was a good sign, but didn’t mean
much. Right away, my sister’s group started to climb in.
“We have to find—” Julia started, but I grabbed her back
before she could finish or duck inside.
“Don’t even think about it,” I threatened.
A growl rumbled from within her and she held up a finger
for her friends to wait. I followed her a few feet away.
Her voice was soft but stern. “Logan, I love you, and you
have been an amazing brother, but you have to understand that I’m not a kid
anymore. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“Yes, I do,” I said quickly. It was true. It was all I
knew. All I’d done over the past two and a half years was care for those I
loved. What else was I supposed to do? What else was there?
“Where are you girls going?” I asked, aware of the eyes
on us.
“I’m not telling you, because I don’t have to. I’m not
Jax. I know what I’m doing.”
I opened my mouth to tell her I knew she wasn’t as
careless as Jax, but she continued before I could speak.
“I have to make my own decisions and my own mistakes. You
know that.” Her big, round eyes searched mine.
I wasn’t sure what to say. I did trust her—it was
everyone else that worried me. I sighed deeply, running my hands through my
hair and down my face.
“All right. Go. Have fun.” It took all the restraint I
could bear to say those words.
Her face lit up, eyes growing wide. “Really?”
“You better hurry before I change my mind, throw you over
my shoulder, and bring you home in my trunk.”
She gave me a quick hug and whispered, “Thank you.”
I smiled, basking in her happiness, but I knew it
wouldn’t last. We had a bigger issue to settle, and one we’d both held tough
against. But I wasn’t her keeper, or her father—just a brother with nothing
better to do than look out for her, and I wouldn’t leave her in the middle of
nowhere alone. She may not have needed me yet, but I wanted to be close if she
did.
When she pulled away, I held onto her arm. When she
whirled back around to complain again, I let go of my objections and thought
only of her happiness.
“I’ll take care of your schooling.” My gaze flickered around
us, taking in the town. “If this is where you want to go, then okay.”
Her grin grew wide, eyes twinkling. “You’re the best
brother. You know that right?”
A weight lifted. “Yeah, yeah. Better hurry before they
leave you.”
She jogged back to the car full of girls and I called out,
“Stay the hell away from Josh’s place! Got it?”
She gave a thumbs-up and climbed in. Within moments, the
car was disappearing into the mass of student traffic.
That was that. She was moving to Harmony, and Caleb was
going to try his hand at running the diner there.
I hated change.
Chapter 8
Fate
I was continuing into the night, unsure how my
life was going to change without Caleb and Julia around as often, when I
crashed into someone. I straightened and winced when I saw it was the older
woman the blonde, Cassandra, had helped earlier. The box in her hands hit the
ground, papers scattering around us. It was then I noticed she’d been crying.
She wiped her eyes, apologizing for her haste.
“It’s my
out?”
“ Yes ,” she huffed. “I need to make some local
friends before the move next summer, okay?” She pushed past me. “Good night,
Logan.”
“Julia!” I called after her.
She disregarded me, but I followed her.
“Let’s go,” she said to the girls and they started
walking away, staring back at me like I was some crazy stalker instead of a
concerned older brother.
I couldn’t hear their conversation as I lagged behind for
a few moments, considering my options, but one girl’s enthusiasm over “Josh’s
place!” rang loud and clear through the mumbles and hung over me. There was no
way my little sister was going there.
A car pulled up to the sidewalk and I hunched over to see
another girl was driving. No boys inside; that was a good sign, but didn’t mean
much. Right away, my sister’s group started to climb in.
“We have to find—” Julia started, but I grabbed her back
before she could finish or duck inside.
“Don’t even think about it,” I threatened.
A growl rumbled from within her and she held up a finger
for her friends to wait. I followed her a few feet away.
Her voice was soft but stern. “Logan, I love you, and you
have been an amazing brother, but you have to understand that I’m not a kid
anymore. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“Yes, I do,” I said quickly. It was true. It was all I
knew. All I’d done over the past two and a half years was care for those I
loved. What else was I supposed to do? What else was there?
“Where are you girls going?” I asked, aware of the eyes
on us.
“I’m not telling you, because I don’t have to. I’m not
Jax. I know what I’m doing.”
I opened my mouth to tell her I knew she wasn’t as
careless as Jax, but she continued before I could speak.
“I have to make my own decisions and my own mistakes. You
know that.” Her big, round eyes searched mine.
I wasn’t sure what to say. I did trust her—it was
everyone else that worried me. I sighed deeply, running my hands through my
hair and down my face.
“All right. Go. Have fun.” It took all the restraint I
could bear to say those words.
Her face lit up, eyes growing wide. “Really?”
“You better hurry before I change my mind, throw you over
my shoulder, and bring you home in my trunk.”
She gave me a quick hug and whispered, “Thank you.”
I smiled, basking in her happiness, but I knew it
wouldn’t last. We had a bigger issue to settle, and one we’d both held tough
against. But I wasn’t her keeper, or her father—just a brother with nothing
better to do than look out for her, and I wouldn’t leave her in the middle of
nowhere alone. She may not have needed me yet, but I wanted to be close if she
did.
When she pulled away, I held onto her arm. When she
whirled back around to complain again, I let go of my objections and thought
only of her happiness.
“I’ll take care of your schooling.” My gaze flickered around
us, taking in the town. “If this is where you want to go, then okay.”
Her grin grew wide, eyes twinkling. “You’re the best
brother. You know that right?”
A weight lifted. “Yeah, yeah. Better hurry before they
leave you.”
She jogged back to the car full of girls and I called out,
“Stay the hell away from Josh’s place! Got it?”
She gave a thumbs-up and climbed in. Within moments, the
car was disappearing into the mass of student traffic.
That was that. She was moving to Harmony, and Caleb was
going to try his hand at running the diner there.
I hated change.
Chapter 8
Fate
I was continuing into the night, unsure how my
life was going to change without Caleb and Julia around as often, when I
crashed into someone. I straightened and winced when I saw it was the older
woman the blonde, Cassandra, had helped earlier. The box in her hands hit the
ground, papers scattering around us. It was then I noticed she’d been crying.
She wiped her eyes, apologizing for her haste.
“It’s my
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