“No. It isn’t.”
He ran his hand through his hair and streaked blood through it when he did.
“Your hand is bleeding.”
He looked at his knuckles. “It’s nothing. It’s fine.”
When Blythe reached her hand out to him, he walked over to her.
“How can you keep doing this?”
“What?” she asked.
“Reaching your hand out to me.”
“I’ll never stop.”
“Why not?”
“Tucker, how can you not know?”
He knew, but he needed to hear her say the words. “Tell me,” he said.
She pulled him closer. “Tucker, the reason I won’t ever stop is because I love you. When you love someone, you never stop reaching out to them.”
Jace never felt so lost. All these years, he’d hoped Tucker would move on from that night, find a way to get over it. He should have known he wouldn’t. At first, Jace had waited to tell him until he was out of the hospital. He told himself it would be easier after some time passed.
Each time he decided to tell him the trut
h, he found another excuse to put it off. He put it off so many times that it got to the point where he couldn’t explain to Tucker why.
He should have a doctor check out his broken nose, but he didn’t know where to go. There was only one person he could think of to call who he figured wouldn’t make him answer any questions. He’d seen her car in the driveway when he left the house in the glen an hour ago.
“Hey, it’s Jace,” he said when Lyric answered. “Sorry to call so early.”
“It’s okay, I’m up. You don’t sound too good.”
“That’s why I’m calling. I think my nose is broken.”
“Oh my ’lanta! What happened? You practicin’ at six in the morning or somethin’?”
“Nah. This had nothin’ to do with a horse.”
“That doesn’t sound good either. Where you at?”
“It might be better if I came to you. Are you still at the house?”
“Yep, but how did you know that?”
“I saw your car when I left.”
“When you left where? Here? I gotta hear this story. You and Bree? I coulda predicted that one. Damn, did I ever hook up with the right folks. Followin’ along with all your drama makes my life look like a walk in the park.”
“Lyric?”
“Yeah?
“My nose…”