I snapped out of it. Happiness bubbled up like champagne inside me. In my haste, I almost toppled over as I awkwardly maintained my grip on the crutches and got one arm around him. “Oh my God!” I squealed. “Cam, you’re going to get married!”
“Well, hopefully.” He hugged me back, and when he drew away, he was smiling broadly. “If she says yes.”
“Of course she’s going to say yes.” I was grinning so hard my face hurt. “Oh, I’m so happy for you two! She’s such a sweet girl and I love her and I love you!”
Cam laughed deeply and hugged me again. “She’s . . . she’s perfect.”
I nodded. “When are you doing it? Saturday?” When he nodded, I was exceptionally glad I hadn’t said anything to him about Jase. Not when he was about to do this. He needed to be completely focused on Avery and his plans. “Call me or text me when she says yes. You have to promise me.”
“I promise.”
I squealed again, earning a few strange looks from people passing on the sidewalk. I gave him one more epically awkward hug, and then I saw Jase exiting the double doors, carrying my bag.
“Here comes your little helper.” Cam smirked as he kissed my cheek. “I’m gonna get back to Avery.”
“Good luck, but you don’t need it.”
The usual cockiness was gone when he glanced back at me. “You really don’t think so?”
I blinked back tears—happy tears. “No. Not at all.”
“Thank you,” he replied. “Love ya, sis.”
“Love you.”
Watching Cam pass Jase and sock him in the arm, I took several deep breaths. My eyes were all watery, and there was a good chance I’d start hugging random people. Even the townies.
“So I’m thinking the big-ass grin on your face doesn’t mean that Cam questioned you about us.” Jase slung my bright pink bag over his shoulder. “Have I told you how much I like your smiles?”
My smile grew to epic proportions and I couldn’t contain it. “Cam’s proposing to Avery!”
“He’s done lost his damn mind.”
“What!” Holding on to my crutches, I smacked him on the chest. “He hasn’t lost his mind. He’s found it.”
Jase laughed. “I’m kidding. And I already knew.”
“What?” I shrieked and slapped his chest again. “What do you mean you already knew?”
“Ouch.” He rubbed the spot. “Does it disturb you that I’m kind of getting turned on right now?”
I shook my head. “Seriously?”
“Maybe?” he murmured, dipping his head and causing the ends sticking out from under the skullcap to sway. “I’m pretty erect right now to be honest.”
“Oh my God . . .” I rubbed my hand over my hot cheek. “Okay. Back to the proposal. When did he tell you?”
“About a month ago. Want to smack me again? You could try my ass. I’ll probably like that.”
I stared at him.
He chuckled. “I went with him to pick out the ring. I’m pretty sure the jeweler thought we were getting married.”
“You could’ve told me.” I huffed.
“Hey, he asked me to keep it a secret. He doesn’t want Avery to find out.” When I opened my mouth to argue, he folded his arms. “It’s like when I took you to the doc, Tess. You didn’t want him to know . . .”
I nodded. “You got me.”
“I know.”
Too happy over the recent development to be any bit irritated, I broke out in a huge grin. “I’m so thrilled for them. They really are perfect for each other. You know, like once-in-a-life kind of thing. I know you think that’s pretty stupid, but I believe it.”
“I don’t think it’s stupid at all. I know . . . exactly what you mean.” He unfolded his arms.
His words were laced with a heavy meaning, but my attention was snagged by something else. Since his hands had been mostly occupied during lunch, I hadn’t noticed them until then. The flesh around his knuckles was an angry red, the skin roughed up and swollen. I frowned as I took his hand carefully in one of mine. “What happened to your knuckles?”
He pulled his hand free, glancing down at them with a frown. “I don’t know. Must’ve scraped them on something at the farm.”
“You don’t know?”
Jase shook his head. “Let’s get your pretty butt to class. Come on, hopalong.”
Though a teasing grin had appeared, a dark look had crossed his face. I glanced at his knuckles again, and for some reason, I thought of Cam’s hands after he’d confronted Jeremy. I pushed that thought away because that was . . . that was too weird. Jase said he scraped them at the farm and that’s what had to have happened because there was no other reason to how it could have happened.
None whatsoever.
Eighteen
Late morning on the first day of fall break, I stood in front of Lightning, gripping my crutches until my knuckles ached. “No.”
“You promised,” Jase reminded me gently, as if he was speaking to Jack.
“I don’t care.”
“That’s wrong.”
I glared at Jase, and he grinned. “I can’t get up there with my knee.”