Page 41 of Kiss the Girl

He didn’t have much time, but it was definitely longer than his brothers.

“What good is all this doing?” he heard himself quietly ask, and when no one seemed to hear him, he repeated himself louder until the room went quiet. Looking up at his brothers, he shrugged. “Honestly, we can’t go back in time and change the decision that was made. In that moment, in a truly shitty situation, he did what he thought was best. None of us has the right to tell him what he should or shouldn’t have done because we weren’t there. We weren’t in the thick of it the way he was.”

They both stared at him like he’d lost his mind, and maybe he had.

“All I’m saying is that it’s easy to pass judgement because we’re pissed and we’re hurt. We didn’t get our way. But if you were in a no-win situation…” He looked up at Austin. “If you had to make a life-or-death decision between, say…me and Mia, who do you choose?”

“That’s not fair,” Austin argued. “It’s not the same!”

But rather than responding, he looked at Garrett. “Same question. Life or death, me and Emmaline. Who do you choose?”

“Austin’s right. It wasn’t like that. It wasn’t life or death.”

“No, it was who would survive without him,” Jackson said as he came to his feet. “We’re used to him leaving. Hell, that’s all he’s done. I wasn’t even here for the whole damn drama and I can tell you I was waiting for the call from one of you to tell me he’d taken off again. It’s just a given.”

Glancing over at Cash, he wanted to feel bad, but…it was a sad reality.

To his brothers, though, he continued. “We have each other, and in the end, you still got your clinic and Austin still built his house. And me?Pfft…nothing gained, nothing lost. We all went on with our lives because we were doing just fine without him. But Savannah? I mean…did you listen to all she’s been through? Are you saying that you would have been okay knowing he left her alone to bury her father just so you could cash a check?”

His anger built and he couldn’t fully distinguish who he was most angry with—his brothers, his father, or himself. It was all blurred together at this point.

“The damage is done. The horse is out of the barn. The train has left the station,” he said wearily before sitting back down. “Arguing about it isn’t going to change a damn thing.” Raking a hand through his hair, he sighed. “The reality is that…he’s dying. Is this how we want to spend the time we have left? Are we the kind of people who would rather be spiteful and petty? Is that what Mom taught us? Or Pops?”

Muttering a curse, Austin collapsed on the sofa beside him. “Damn, Jack. When the hell did you get to be the logical one in the family?”

Good question.

Garrett joined them and the room was utterly silent.

Until Savannah walked in.

Her eyes went wide for a moment before she murmured an apology. “I’m sorry. I really meant to stay out longer, but I forgot my phone so…don’t mind me. I’ll just go grab it and be on my way again.”

“You don’t have to leave, Savannah,” Cash said. “I’d like you to meet my sons.”

Her eyes immediately met Jackson’s and he thought it was sweet how she blushed.

“Savannah James, these are my sons—Austin and Garrett.”

His brothers stood and politely shook her hand.

“And, of course, you’ve already met Jackson.”

They both just nodded, but he stayed where he was on the sofa. If he got up and touched her—even to shake her hand—he knew he’d be tempted to linger.

“I know you all have a lot to talk about, so…”

“It seems like you’re part of the equation,” Austin said, his tone only mildly hostile. “Seems to me that you should be part of this too.”

“Um…”

“Not tonight,” Cash said before anyone else could comment. “Tonight is for the four of us to spend some time together and figure some things out. The next time we get together—if there’s a next time—then it would be nice for her to be included.” He looked up at her. “Is that okay with you, Savi?”

With a patient smile, she nodded. “Of course it is.” Then she smiled at them. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll just grab my phone and go.” Two minutes later, she was walking toward the front door. “It was nice to finally meet all of you. Have a good night.” Her gaze lingered on Jackson for an extra moment before she walked out the door.

“Oh no…” Austin mumbled beside him.

“What? What’s the matter?”