Page 108 of Good For Me

“I’ve never been really good at that, Will.”

He snorts dismissively. “Bullshit.”

“What have I ever had to fight for?”

He’s quiet for a moment and my stomach clenches painfully. He doesn’t have an answer—because there isn’t one.

“You would fight for any of us, if we needed you,” he finally says. “There’s not a doubt in my mind about that, River. You would fight for your family.” He takes a long pull of his beer. “They’re your family now, too. So you fight for them. Fight for them and don’t ever give up.”

I nod, letting his advice settle down on my shoulders, into a place deep in my chest. I can’t imagine not fighting for Jasmine, not now.

It’s like I told her the other day. She has doubts because she can’t see it yet. But me? I can see that shit clear as day. The life we’re going to have together. And I’m going to hold onto that promise as hard as I can until she can see it too.

I don’t have any other choice.

My phone dings and I look down to see a new message from her.

Jas:I get off in a few minutes, actually. It’s pretty slow tonight.

There’s a pause and I can see the dots bouncing on the screen, telling me she’s still writing. Or, more likely, she’s sitting there at the diner trying to decide what to say.

Just let me in, babe,I think.Just a little.

Jas:Any chance you can come get me? Your place is in the opposite direction of Brie’s house, so she’d need to go out of her way to drop me off.

A grin stretches across my face. She’s coming over after work. She wants me to be the one to pick her up. It might not seem like much, but it’s progress. And I can work with that.

I stand, slipping my phone into my pocket and clapping Will on the shoulder. “Thanks for dinner, man. I’m heading out.”

He nods at me, looking satisfied. “I guess you have somewhere more important to be.”

I clap a hand on his shoulder. “I sure as hell do,” I tell my cousin. And then I leave his house and go to get my girl.