His face lost all traces of the flippancy he’d shown before. “I know,” he said.
“How long did the doctor say you have stay?”
“Only a couple days,” he said. “They wanted to keep me in case I have a concussion. Did a scan and said one of the bones in my arm is broken and that the muscles in my shoulder were bruised. It’s a clean break. They told me I should be glad it wasn’t worse.”
I cursed underneath my breath. “When does the cast come off?”
“A couple weeks,” he said. “They’ll scan it again then. If the bone heals right, I should start physical therapy a few weeks after that.”
“And baseball?” I asked, voicing the thing I feared. “When will you be able to play again?”
“They said—” Chase cleared his throat and tried again. “They said, if I’m really lucky, and if I’m diligent about the PT, I should be able to get back out there in four to six months. If everything goes well.”
I swallowed.
Chase was trying to hide it, but his lips were trembling.
“And if it doesn’t?” I whispered.
He just shook his head as I pulled him to me, careful of his damaged arm. Maybe it was the pitcher-catcher relationship, but I’d always felt a deep connection to Chase, could read him better than any of my other siblings. And right now, he was hurting, not just physically but in his soul. This was all my fault, I thought. I’d gone from having the best night of my life to watching my brother suffer what was possibly one of the biggest blows of his life. It was so unfair. This was the result of my selfishness. Chase was strong, but he’d needed me.
And I wasn’t there.
The weight of that truth crushed me.
When everyone had returned, I excused myself into the hall and sent Honor a quick message saying I was sorry, but I’d have to cancel our date. She responded with, “That’s cool. :) You want to reschedule?”
I didn’t send my response until later that night, but I knew it was the right one.
Archer: Sorry. I don’t want to hurt you, Honor, but my family needs me right now. I think we should take a break.
Honor: Got it, no problem. I hope everything’s okay. I’ll miss you.
I read her message over and over, holding onto those three last words, even as I knew I had to let her go.
Could a person literally die from a broken heart?
I didn’t think so.
Otherwise, I would’ve been DOA a thousand times over.
It had been three weeks, and I still hadn’t recovered from Archer’s rejection. Forget broken. My heart was absolutely wrecked, the bits of it left in pieces on the floor nothing but dust now. It had hurt when I’d received his text weeks ago.
But it took a few days for the news to completely break me.
Weak and humiliating, the truth was it had taken that long for me to really get it. Though I’d never been stupid enough to put my faith in a man before, I’d given it to Archer easily enough. He’d taken more than just my virginity that night. I’d given him everything, my body, my love and my trust, too. Offered all of myself up on a silver platter…
…and he hadn’t wanted me.
It probably would’ve been easier for me to take if I could hate him for it.
But the jerk hadn’t even left me with that.
Charlie, Rose and Emmy had filled me in on all the details of what’d happened that night after we left the bar. How bad the fight had really been—which I knew because the whole thing ended up on the local news—how Chase was hurt and had to stay in the hospital, how no one had been able to reach Archer to tell him the news.
Because he’d been with me.
And now, here I was.
Alone, lying on my bed, still thinking about Archer O’Brien, wishing I could hate him.
But I really just hated myself for not being able to shake this off. I’d known better. I’d gone into this knowing full well that he’d never truly be mine. Archer was always meant for bigger, better things. It was my stupid fault for thinking, even for a minute, that I could have him for more than a night.
At my lowest, I’d even called my mom.
This was how that conversation went.
“Oh Honor,” she said after I’d told her everything, spilled my guts in hopes that she’d actually be a real mother to me again. “I’m so sorry this happened.”
“Thanks, Mom. I—”
“But you’d only known this Archer a few weeks. How could you possibly have fallen in love that quickly?”
I held the phone away from my ear a moment to check…and yep, it was still her.
“I mean, come on,” she added. “What did you expect? From what you said, he’s a superstar college athlete. Guys like that never settle down until much later in life. Take it from me. I know how it is.”
“I know you do,” I said grimly. That was why I had called in the first place, thinking we might be able to bond over shared heartache. How stupid of me.
“Well, at least, you’re young,” she said. “There will be other men. Speaking of, I have to go now. Dave’s calling. Talk later.”
“Bye, Mom.”
And that was it.
Again, it was my bad for expecting anything different, but the way she’d brushed off my feelings still hurt. The sad part was that I didn’t believe her words. Not for a second.
There will be other men?
Maybe for her, I thought. But definitely not for me.
Archer had ruined me just like I knew he would.
A knock on my door broke me out of my thoughts, but I didn’t get up. Or say anything. It was probably Emmy with soup again…or Charlie with cake…or Rose with Chinese. My roommates seemed to think food could make me better. But like I’d told them before, I just wasn’t hungry—or sick. Unless being heartsick was a real thing.
A second later, the door opened…revealing the last person on Earth I expected to see.
“Baylor?” My brow furrowed, and I sat up slowly. “What are you doing here?”
“Good question.” He glanced around the room before his eyes settled on me. I must’ve looked pretty bad because the playboy winced. “Just here to help. Emmy said you guys were painting today.”
I closed my eyes. “Oh yeah…I forgot about that.”
“Did you forget to shower and eat, too?”
My eyes snapped open. “What?”
“That came out wrong. I was just thinking maybe you and my brother are coming down with the same thing.” Baylor walked farther into the room and took a seat at my desk. His eyes pierced me. “Just so you know, Archer doesn’t look any better than you do.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” I asked.
Because it didn’t.
It really didn’t.
He groaned. “Listen, I’m bad at this. But the good twin is currently out of commission, and Archer’s still swimming in guilt. So, I guess you’re stuck with me.”
Crossing my arms, I gave him my best glare. “I agree. You are bad at this.” I sniffed, then added, “And what does Archer have to feel guilty about, anyway?”
“Well,” Baylor said, “for one, he feels awful about how things ended with you—not that he told any of us the details. Archer keeps his pain all locked up, thinks he’s fooling people. But I can see it. We all can.”
I swallowed.
“And he feels guilty about Chase, too.”
That made me sit up straighter. “But why? Even if he’d been there that night, things escalated so quickly.”
“I know.”
“The girls told me about it,” I added. “They said those guys seemed like they were on something. The news said a gun was found in their car. If Chase hadn’t stepped in, they might’ve killed someone. Why would Archer feel responsible for that? There was nothing he or any of you could do.”
Baylor ran a hand through his hair. “I may have had something to do with that.”
“How?”
He sighed. “I talked it over
with Emmy, and she says I projected my own guilt onto Archer when he came to the hospital.” Baylor cleared his throat. “She’s usually right about these things. So, I admit it. I messed up, and I’m sorry about that.”
“Archer makes his own decisions,” I said. “You can’t blame yourself.”
“Actually, I can,” he said. “Which is why I’m here now, asking you to give him another shot.”
Tears filled my eyes, but I wouldn’t let them fall. “I wasn’t the one who broke it off in the first place.”
Baylor nodded. “I know, Honor. But he’s in love with you.”
The wet drops fell fast against my cheeks.
“When he comes to you,” he said, “I just wanted to make sure you’ll hear him out. Don’t worry. Archer’s not like me. He’s one of the good ones.”
Getting myself under control, I took a deep breath then pushed away my tears and looked at him, really looked at him. Not the playboy, not the cocky athlete, but the guy underneath all that. “You’re one of the good ones, too, Baylor O’Brien. Though you may not want anyone to know it.”
His playful grin was back in an instant. “Oh? How so?”
“Well, you’re here, singing your brother’s praises, asking me to give him another go. There’s just one problem,” I said.
Baylor cocked his head and waited.
“Archer doesn’t love me,” I said with a shrug. “He’s not coming back.”
“We’ll see about that.”
The wink he sent me was full of confidence as he stood, but I only felt more tired. It was nice of Baylor to talk to me. But I couldn’t allow it to give me hope. I’d already accepted the fact that Archer was an impossibility.
Now, I just had to work on the empty hole he’d left inside my chest.
“You look terrible,” Chase said.
I shrugged. “Says the guy in the cast.”
“Hey, don’t use my injury against me, Archer. I’m just trying to understand why my once strong and stubborn brother is now moping around the house, looking like a kicked puppy, acting like he has nothing better to do than babysit me.”
“Shut up,” I mumbled half-heartedly.
Baylor and Dex walked through the door a moment later. Their shirts were covered in white and blue splatters, but I barely noticed.
“Where have you guys been?” Chase asked.
“At Emmy’s,” Baylor said, and my heart jumped, waiting to hear if he’d say more. “The girls were painting some shelves, so we decided to crash.”
“Well, next time take this sad sack with you, so I can read in peace.”
I shook my head. “Why would I want to go over there?”
“Why do girls like unicorns and guys like dragons?” Dex lifted his brows as we all looked to him. “What? I thought we were playing a game to see who could come up with dumbest question.”
With an eyeroll, Chase said what I’d been dying to ask. “How was everyone?”
“Good,” Baylor said as he got a glass from the kitchen and filled it with water. Dex followed behind him, grabbing a coke. “Well, except for that Honor chick.”
I cut my eyes to him quickly. “What’s wrong with her?”
“Why do you care?” Dex said. “I thought you said you didn’t want to go over there.”
“Can one of you idiots just answer the question?” I said.
It seemed like my heart was beating for the first time in three weeks. I hadn’t gotten much sleep in nearly that amount of time. I’d just been coasting through the days, waking up, going to school, going to practice, coming home to see how Chase was doing and repeat. This was the first news I’d heard of Honor. She hadn’t texted again, and Emmy was being so tight-lipped I couldn’t get anything out of her. Not that I’d tried too hard. This was a bed of my own making, and I was currently drowning in it.
My frown only grew as Baylor bit back a grin. “Truth is she looks like she got hit by a truck.”
“Or a train,” Dex added.
“Yeah, or got ran over by a stampede of wild horses—which is basically the look you’ve been sporting these past couple weeks, Arch.”
“Now, I wonder why that could be,” Chase said.
“Guys,” I said, “we’ve been over this. Yeah, I…feel a lot of things for Honor.” Baylor snorted at this, but I kept going. “I’d probably lay down my life for that girl. But it doesn’t matter. My family needs me more.”
“My arm is healing,” Chase said, “and there’s nothing you can do to speed up the process. Why don’t you just admit it? You miss her.”
“I do miss her.” My voice was losing its strength, but that seemed to be happening a lot recently. “All the time.”
Baylor sat in the recliner across from me and Chase. “Then why don’t you go and get her back?”
“What?”
“Why don’t you get her back?” he repeated slowly. “It’s the most obvious solution. So, you sent her a text telling her you guys needed to take a break. Well, guess what, Arch? Breaks end. You just need to stop your pity party and tell her how you feel.”
That made my blood rise. “Pity party? I left you for one night, and now Chase’s arm is broken. I could’ve prevented it from happening.”
“Really?” Dex said, leaned forward, putting his elbows on the counter of the kitchen. “Because Bay and I were there, and we couldn’t stop it. Everything went from zero to sixty in the blink of an eye. I don’t get your logic.”
“Of course, you don’t,” I said. “I’ve been looking out for you guys all your lives.”
“I know,” Dex said.
I shook my head. “I don’t think you do. Worrying about you guys is a full-time job. Chase was the one I didn’t think I had to worry about and look what happened to him.”
For once, Baylor wasn’t smiling. His face only held concern. “You don’t have to worry anymore, Arch. We’re grown-up now.”
“Yes, I do have to worry,” I said, the words nearly a shout. I was trying to stay calm, but they just kept pushing. These past weeks without Honor had been a torment. I couldn’t stop what came out of my mouth next if I wanted to. “None of you get it. You’re my younger brothers. Emmy’s my baby sister. It’s my responsibility, my duty and privilege, to protect all of you and Mom. If Dad was here, he’d understand.”
“But he’s not here,” Baylor said quietly. “And you’re not him.”
“I know that.” I sighed.
Dex cocked his head. “And Dad wouldn’t have blamed you for what happened. Or any of us. He would’ve blamed those idiots at the bar.”
“You want to know what I think?” Chase said then kept going, not waiting for a response. “You’re just mad at yourself because you forgot to be sad for once.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but he cut me off with a look.
“No, Arch. It’s true,” he said. “Do you think Dad would want you to be miserable all the time? No. He wouldn’t. He’d want you to find your happiness and live in it.”
Dad always had a way with words, and Chase had inherited the quality from him.
“I just don’t want to let any of you down,” I said softly. “I don’t want to let her down again.”
“Well, why can’t you save her, too?”
“What do you mean?”
“Honor,” he said. “Why can’t you save her? Like you said, you already do it for the rest of us—this one tiny incident excluded. You’re there for Baylor when he’s being an idiot, rescuing him from the girls and most of all himself.”
Baylor scoffed. “I would argue that—if it wasn’t so true.”
“And what about Dex.” Chase held out a hand. “Every time he gets into a fight, who’s there to bail him out? He would’ve probably already ended up in the hospital or prison if it wasn’t for you.”
“Accurate,” Dex said.
“And you look out for me, Emmy, Finn, Mom and all the guys on the team the same way.” Chase put his good hand on my shoulder. “What’s one more person, Archer? One
girl who made you the happiest we’ve all seen you be in years.”
My mind was reeling with everything Chase had just said.
“A fine girl with a lickable little body,” Baylor put in, and I scowled at him hard.
“Don’t talk about her like that,” I warned.
“Why not?” he said. “I thought you two were done.”
My jaw clenched. “It’s just a break.”
“Well, maybe you should go get her back then, before someone else beats you to it.”
“Maybe I will,” I said.
“Ah, there he is.” Baylor stood and cracked his back like he’d done some heavy lifting. “My work here is done.”
Dex rolled his eyes at that. “Oh yeah, it was all you.”
As the three of them kept ribbing each other, I was still thinking of all that was said—and what I was going to do about it.
The epiphany moment should’ve never taken this long to get here, but at least it had come.
It was time to get my girl.
I just hoped she’d take me back.
Charlie knocked and then entered my room without me saying a word.
“Honor.” She sighed. “Your eyes are all splotchy again, and you’re still wearing your paint clothes.”
“Sorry,” I said, sitting up.
“Don’t apologize. It’s Archer who owes us all an apology. I just wish you’d get angry already, so we can go key the guy’s car or something.”
Standing up and walking to the door, I met her there and forced a smile. “He’s Emmy’s brother, remember?”
“Whose idea do you think that was?” she said and threw her arms around me, pulling me in for an impromptu hug. “She thinks he’s being a complete idiot about this. I happen to agree. We’re all on your side.”
“But Chase—”
Charlie pulled away with an eyeroll. “That guy will probably be as good as new in a few months. I’ve seen people with worse injuries recover in my physical therapy classes. I don’t know why everyone’s acting like this is so dire.”
I nodded. “I hope you’re right. He really loves baseball.”
The Best Mistake Page 21
