The Game Changer (The Perfect Game 2)

I wiped at the tears rolling down my cheeks, their words striking a chord inside my soul. How could I ever think I’d be OK without Jack in my life? I might be able to distract myself for a little while, but eventually I would realize that my heart lay vacant and cold. “No. I’d be miserable without him. ”

“Then you have to figure out a way to let all the other stuff go. You have to let Jack carry some of the load for you. If you keep things from him, he can’t help. ”

Gramps raised his hand before quickly adding, “I know you ladies like to think that we can read your minds, but we can’t. We don’t know anything that’s going on in those heads of yours unless you tell us. ”

I nodded. “I know you’re right. It’s just easier said than done right now. ”

Gran didn’t miss a beat. “If you quit on Jack, you’re giving everyone what they want. Chrystle wins. And I would hate to see her win at anything. ” Her eyes narrowed. “But you and Jack would be the real losers because you’d lose each other. People spend their whole lives searching for the kind of love that the two of you share. That’s what life is all about. ”

Gramps chimed in, “Love is life. If you miss out on love, you miss out on life. ”

Melissa and Dean shuffled into the kitchen, goofy smiles on both their faces. “Gran, Gramps, this is Cassie’s best friend, Melissa. ” Dean beamed with pride as he introduced her to his family.

Gramps grinned. “Hi, Melissa. You’re just as pretty as the kitten,” he said with a wink, and Melissa couldn’t help but smile even wider.

“It’s nice to meet you. ” Gran extended her hand before glancing in my direction and whispering, “This one’s going to need a little work on the Dean front, isn’t she?” I nodded, wondering how the hell Gran seemed to instinctively know everything.

After a couple hours of polite conversation and Gran force-feeding us sandwiches, Melissa and I said good-bye. Dean stood on the porch with a pout on his face as he watched us leave. She begged him for some time alone with me, but he claimed he wanted to spend time with me too. They compromised on girl time tonight and Dean time tomorrow. I laughed at their conversation.

“You like them, don’t you?” I asked Melissa as she lowered the car radio.

“They are pretty great. How was your alone time with them? Dean insisted we let you guys talk by yourselves. ” She sounded slightly annoyed by Dean’s suggestion.

“I appreciated it,” I admitted, hoping to relieve her irritation. “They’re so awesome. They always seem to know just what to say and how to say it. ”

“What did they say this time?” she asked, her eyes focused directly in front of her.

“They talked about the importance of love. And how in the end, it’s all that really matters, and it’s all you have left when everything else is gone. ”

“They sound almost as smart as I am,” she said, and I smacked her shoulder with the back of my hand. “Hey!”

I watched as we passed the restaurant where Jack and I had our first date, the quick jolts of pain to my heart reminding me how much I missed him.

“So, did they fix you?”

“I st

ill need to figure out how to find some balance, but all of you are right. Breaking up with Jack won’t solve anything in the long run. I’d regret it eventually, and I’d probably never get over it. ”

“You know, Cass, Jack isn’t the only one who changed. I mean, you changed him. But he changed you too. Whether you realize it or not, it’s the truth. ”

Hearing Melissa say those words solidified what I’d known for some time. She’d told me the same thing back in college, but it seemed to carry more weight now. I felt like I’d grown up twenty years in the span of the last two.

“You’re right. I honestly can’t imagine my life without him. And I don’t want to. ”

“Then you need to stop running away from him when things get rough. You do that a lot, and eventually he’s going to get pissed. ”

“I don’t run away,” I sniped defensively.

“Really? You left the state! You’re either running away or shutting him out completely. And both of those things suck. ”

I watched the palm trees blur into green streaks across the sky blue backdrop. Melissa was right. “I’ll work on it. ” I’d bottled so many of my emotions inside because I didn’t want to burden Jack with them. And I needed to learn how to clear my head with Jack in the picture instead of pushing him out of it.

Melissa’s phone started to ring. “Can you see who it is?”

I grabbed for the phone and noticed Jack’s name flashing across the screen. “It’s Jack. ”

“Speak of the devil. Answer it. ”