What Friends Are For(16)
Jack laughed.
“What?”
“You say that like you’re surprised,” he said. “Jacey you’re an incredibly sexy woman. Hell you’re almost as gorgeous as me.”
She shook her head and laughed.
“Besides, honey, Jonas has been in love with you for a long time. Remember the summer we went to the beach?”
She nodded. Jonas had brought that time up too.
“He could barely take his eyes off you. I had to remind him that you were sixteen and my sister several times. He started calling you princess that summer. Did you ever wonder why?”
“I…” She shook her head.
“He said you reminded him of royalty, a princess. So confident and sure on the outside with all your emotions locked away, just waiting for the right prince to come along and awaken you.”
“He said that?”
“Yeah, and I laughed my ass off and told him he was a douche bag.”
Jacey couldn’t help but giggle.
Jack stood back up and walked over to take her hands. “Jonas is my best friend, Jacey. He has been for a long time. But you’re my sister and I love you. If he hurt you, I’ll kick his ass.”
“You’d kick your best friend’s ass for me?”
“Hell yeah,” he grunted. “Buy him a beer afterward but it’s the point. No one gets to hurt my sister.”
“I love you, Jack,” she whispered, hugging him close.
“So what’s it to be?” He sighed, releasing her and stepping back. “Ass kicking?”
“No.” She shook her head. “Honestly I called because of Dee.”
There was panic in her brother’s eyes and Jacey had to bite her lip to prevent the burst of laughter from escaping.
“Did she say something was wrong? Is she not happy? Fuck!”
He was pacing now and Jacey realized that it was the first time she’d seen him that way over a girl.
“No, she’s happy,” Jacey assured him and he stopped pacing to turn and face her.
“What then?”
“She was giggly and happy and bouncing off the walls.”
“That’s a good thing. Right?”
“It’s a great thing. Want to know why?”
“Do I?”
She laughed. “Because you said the words, Jack.” When he just looked confused, she told him. “You told her that you love her. You said the words.”
“But she’s known I love her for a long time. How could she not?”
“The words were important to her.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“So you called me over to tell me that the words were important to her? No offense, Jacey, but you could have told me that in a phone call or a text for that matter.”
“I called you over because Jonas said he loves me and it terrified me.” She was pacing again, her hand rubbing at her chest. “I don’t know about love. I don’t know if I can love.”
“Jacey.” Jack sat back down on her couch and patted the cushion beside him until she came over and sat down. “You love me. Mom. Dee. Mischa. You can love.”
“That’s different. You and mom are family, blood. And Dee and Mischa, they’re like sisters to me.”
“And Jonas? Tell me what you think of him.”
“Jonas is….well, Jonas is Jonas. He’s always there for me. No matter what time, I know that I can count on him. He listens, really listens. He’s smart and funny and reliable and not afraid to tell me what he thinks. And sexy, so sexy.”
“What would you do if something happened to him? How would you feel?”
“I’d kill anyone who hurt him,” she vowed, her eyes hard.
“I think you know how you feel then, Jacey,” Jack murmured. “And you know that you’re capable of feeling it.”
“But how do I know for sure?” she asked. “How do I know it’s changed from what I’ve always felt for him before?”
“Let me ask you this,” Jack said. “How do you feel when he walks in the room? Do your eyes go immediately to him and only him? Do you get that tingle or tug inside and a smile instantly on your lips? Would you kill to protect him? Die to save him? Do you just want to be with him? You and Jonas have been friends for a long time, Jacey. That makes you lucky, in my opinion. You already know the little things about each other. Each other’s likes and dislikes.”
She nodded her head.
“So you have to decide if that friendship is all you want or if you want what comes next.”
“I don’t know.” She shook her head, eyes wide as she looked at her brother.
“I think you do.” He tapped his fingers over her heart. “In here. You just have to catch up.” He tapped her temple. “In here. Stop overthinking, Jacey. Sometimes you just need to feel.”