“So we’re not hanging out because you don’t want to,” he snaps. “Got it—”

“It’s not like that,” I tell him. “It’s just…complicated.”

They’re my family and I hate hurting them.

And as much as I care about Stone, seeing him without their approval feels like I’m committing treachery.

“I know how important they are to you, Bianca. Trust me, I get it. I guess I’m just hoping I’m important to you too.”

My heart twists. “You are.”

“Then come here for Christmas so I can see my girlfriend outside of school. We’re having a late-night dinner after my mom gets off work.” He snorts. “I’m in charge of cooking, but I promise I’ll try my best to make it edible.”

“Okay.” I highly doubt everything will be fine in two days, but I really want to see my boyfriend for the holidays. “I’ll be there.”

I just have to talk to my brothers, first.

I approach Cole first because he’s…well, the more approachable of the two.

“Sorry, I don’t deal with traitors,” he greets me after I knock on his door.

I stifle my annoyance. “Can we talk? Please.”

Sulking, he gestures for me to come in. “I guess.”

I look around his bedroom. Sawyer isn’t here, but fortunately, her things still are. “Where Sawyer?”

His sulk deepens. “Work.”

There’s a slight edge to his tone.

“Cole.” I give him a look. “Sawyer didn’t lie to you because she wanted to. She lied because I begged her to. Hell, I pretty much guilted her into it.”

Pouting, he crosses his arms. “I know.”

“Then wh—”

“Because you didn’t tell me,” he barks. “I know I’m not the best brother and Liam was your favorite and you pretty much consider Jace your dad. I just wish…” His sentence trails off.

“You wish what?”

“I wish you felt comfortable enough to confide in me. Although that’s stupid, because it’s not like we were tight before your accident—probably because you were still harboring anger for the shitty way I treated Liam when he was alive.” He grips the back of his neck. “I don’t know. I guess I was hoping since you have amnesia we could press the reset button on our relationship and start over.”

His confession makes my heart squeeze. No matter how close I was to Liam or how close I am to Jace, Cole’s still my brother.

I give him a hopeful smile. “I see no reason we can’t still do that.”

He lifts his head a fraction. “Yeah?”

Nodding, I give him a smile. “Yeah.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Do we do the awkward hug thing now, or can we skip that?”

I feign disappointment. “Damn. I was kind of looking forward to it.”

Opening his arms wide, he sighs dramatically. “All right, fine. Bring it here.”

Laughing, I wrap my arms around him. “I might not remember much about our relationship before my accident. But, for what it’s worth, you’ve been a pretty great brother after.” I make a face. “A little overprotective—”

“A little?” he grunts. “I’m gonna have to up my game then. Call that punk over—”

“Cole,” I utter as we break apart. “Please don’t beat up my boyfriend.”

“Christ.” Scoffing, he pinches the bridge of his nose. “I still can’t believe you’re dating Stone DaSilva.”

“He makes me happy,” I whisper. “Really happy.”

Another scoff. “Yeah, well he better if he knows what’s good for him.”

My heart does a hopeful little dance. “Does this mean you approve?”

Cole scowls. “Approve? No.” Shrugging, he adds, “But fuck knows I’ve done my fair share of dumb shit, so I guess you’re entitled to do some dumb shit, too.”

Gee, thanks.

Given that’s the best I’m going to get out of him for now, I drop it.

However, there’s still one thing I want to fix.

“What about you and Sawyer? You guys aren’t going to break up over this, right?”

He looks horrified. “Break up? Fuck no. That’s not an option. I’m still mad that she kept it from me, but I know her heart was in the right place. It always is.” His gaze turns inward. “It’s just one of the many reasons I’m in love with her.”

That’s a relief.

Shooting him another smile, I close the door to his bedroom.

However, my relief is short-lived when I spot Dylan. “On a scale of one to ten how bad is his mood today?”

“About an eight.” She gives my shoulder a squeeze. “I keep reminding him that he’s being a stubborn ass though, so I’m sure he’ll come around…sooner or later.”

Yeah, but when? Jace hasn’t said a single word to me since the driveway incident.

“Right.”

“Just give him time.” Her nose crinkles. “Eventually he’ll thaw and talk to you.”

Unfortunately, I’m running out of time. Christmas is in two days.

Taking my chances, I knock on his bedroom door.

“What?” Jace barks from the other side.

“Can I come in?”

Silence.

“You can’t ignore me forever, you know.”

Nothing.

Chapter 31

“Stop being a dick to her, Jace,” I hear Dylan hiss from the hallway. “It’s Christmas for fuck’s sake and you just made her cry.”

“It’s not my fault,” Jace argues. “All I did was ask if she was lying when she complimented you on the ham you made. Given her stellar track record, it was a legitimate question.”

I wipe my tears away with a tissue. I’m not sure how much longer he’s planning on staying mad at me or making jabs at my expense, but I can’t take much more of this.

Dylan growls. “I swear to God, if you don’t man up and apologize right now, I’ll—”

“You’ll what?” Jace sneers.

“You know that thing I let you try last week—the thing you really liked? Well, it will be a cold day in hell before I ever let you try it again.”

Yeah, I definitely don’t want to know what thing she’s referring to.

Jace sighs. “Fine, I’ll apologize but it won’t change anything. I’m still pissed that she lied.”

“Jesus,” Dylan exclaims. “Get a grip. With everything she’s been through the last thing she needs is for you to turn your back on her because she made a mistake. Plus, you and I both know she only lied because regardless of her amnesia, she still adores the hell out of her big brother and didn’t want you to be upset with her.”

“Whatever,” he grumbles.

“Stop being so pigheaded and fix this,” Dylan urges. “Because the Jace I know and love would do anything for his family and admits when he fucked up.”

A moment later I hear footsteps trek down the stairs followed by a sharp knock on my door.