Page 15 of Checking It Twice
“Why terrible?”
His hands tighten on the steering wheel. “Because they’re going to want to keep you.”
I study him, trying to unpack that whopper of a statement. There’s tension in his jaw, a tightness around his eyes that suggests this trip home isn’t as simple as he’s pretending.
“Mitch—”
“My dad will pretend to grill you about your intentions but he’s a softy,” he continues, deflecting whatever question I was about to ask. “And my brother will probably try to embarrass me with stories from when we were kids.”
“Sounds like a normal family.”
“Define normal.”
I laugh, but I’m watching him carefully. The closer we get to Maple Grove, the more tension seems to settle in his shoulders.
“What about your ex?” I ask quietly. “You mentioned some stuff was complicated.”
His jaw tics. “Hannah. My ex-fiancée.” The words come out clipped, careful. “She might be around. Small town and all that.”
“Fiancée?” The word hits harder than it should. I never knew Mitch was engaged. I think about all those times I’d seen him out with the guys after games, nursing a beer and deflecting theirattempts to set him up with whoever caught their eye that night. He’d be charming, friendly, but never too wild. Sometimes he’d disappear with someone—a brunette with kind eyes, a blonde who laughed at all his jokes—but it was always casual. Surface level.
Now I understand why. He wasn’t playing the field. He was grieving.
“Recent?”
“Six months ago. She left me for my best friend.” His voice goes flat, matter-of-fact, like he’s discussing the weather instead of his life imploding. “Luke.”
The raw honesty in those few words makes my chest ache. No wonder he needs armor for this trip home.
“Will that be a problem?” he asks. “Seeing them?”
“For the fake girlfriend? No.” I study his profile, the tension carved into every line of his face. “For you?”
He’s quiet for so long I think he’s not going to answer. “I guess we’ll find out.”
The vulnerability in those five words hits me harder than it should. This isn’t just about avoiding his family’s pity. This is about facing the people who watched his life fall apart, who know exactly how much Hannah and Luke’s betrayal cost him.
And he’s trusting me to help him through it.
I reach over without thinking, covering his hand on the steering wheel with mine. His skin is warm, and when his fingers turn to interlace with mine, something slots into place that I wasn’t expecting.
“It’s going to be okay,” I say.
He glances at me, something soft and grateful flickering across his face. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. We’ve got this.”
Outside, the snow keeps falling, and I realize with growing certainty that I’m in much deeper trouble than I thought.
Chapter Seven
Welcome Home
Mitchell
The Drake family home looks exactly like a Christmas card threw up all over it. Lights wrapped around every possible surface, a wreath the size of a small car on the front door, and enough inflatable lawn decorations to power a small theme park. It’s aggressively festive and completely over the top.
It’s perfect, and it’s home.
