Chapter 6 #2
Jake nodded but kept his mouth shut. He knew all about her dreams of leaving town and going across the country.
She wanted to be a supermodel, like in all the magazines she was obsessed with collecting, but most of all, she wanted to be an actress.
Selfishly he wished she would stay close to home, so he’d never have to worry about her, but he knew there was no stopping her once she set her mind on something.
“Can I ask you something? Brother to brother.”
At Thao’s serious tone, Jake sat up and wrapped an arm around his knee, hugging it to his chest.
“Yeah, of course.”
Thao swallowed and seemed to struggle to say whatever was on his mind. After a beat, Thao’s concerned gaze turned on Jake.
“Promise me you’ll always look after Gia.”
Taken aback by Thao’s request, Jake didn’t respond right away, but judging by the frown on his face, Thao wasn’t joking around.
“Of course, man. You know I would. She’s family.
” Though the words were true, Thao didn’t need to know Jake thought of Gia as more than a sister.
Nothing could ever happen between them. The risk was too great if things went sour between him and Gia.
The last thing Jake wanted was to lose the only people in his life who actually cared about him.
“I worry about her sometimes.” Thao tilted his chin toward Gia, who was emerging from the lake like a siren.
Jake watched as the sea slowly revealed her lithe body.
The waves gently caressed her, as if the sea itself didn’t want her to leave its embrace.
He watched with fascination as the water dripped from her skin.
Gia was every teenage boy’s wet dream, and he had to fight for his life to prevent an embarrassing hard-on from showing in his too-thin swim trunks.
Think of your mother.
And, as he knew it would, his erection died swiftly. Just in time, as Gia strode up to them and plopped herself in the sand between Jake and Thao. She shoved playfully at them to make room for her on the towel.
“What are you losers talking about?” She reached over and playfully flicked Thao’s forehead, who retaliated in kind.
Her peals of laughter were contagious. A smile spread across Jake’s face, though he rolled his eyes.
Warmth spread through his chest at the twins’ antics.
He would be lying if he said he wasn’t envious of their close relationship.
He would kill to have someone who loved him unconditionally.
What would it feel like to know no matter how much you fucked up, someone still loved you?
“Our boy Jake here has some big news he forgot to share with us.” Thao redirected Gia’s wrath to Jake with a sly smile.
Gia whirled to face him, her dark hair whipping across his skin and sending her sea-drenched scent toward him.
“What news?” Gia’s brown eyes widened with curiosity as they roamed over his face.
Jake rubbed the back of his neck as he averted his gaze. “Oh, um, it’s really not that big of a deal—”
“Jake got into Harvard,” Thao finished for him, and shrugged when Jake shot him a glare.
A shocked gasp escaped Gia’s pink lips. He hesitantly met her gaze. He expected to see surprise in her expressive eyes, but what he saw was hurt and confusion instead.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Jake watched in horror as her lower lip trembled.
“Because I’m not going to go—” he rushed to say, reaching a hand to touch her gently on the shoulder but quickly withdrawing when she flinched away from his touch.
“Why not?” she spat angrily at him.
It was Jake’s turn to be confused. His brows furrowed as he tried to make sense of her change of emotion.
“What do you mean, why not?”
“Well, why wouldn’t you go to Harvard? Isn’t it your dream?”
“Well, yeah, but—”
“But what?”
“Gia, come on. You know I can’t go.”
“Is it money?”
“I mean, yeah, I can’t exactly afford an Ivy League school or anything.”
“That’s a stupid reason not to go.”
“What?”
“I’m saying there are probably tons of financial aid or student loan options for you if you wanted to go.” Gia paused as she turned her face to the horizon. A look of longing passed over her features. “At least one of us should go after their dreams.”
The urge to wrap an arm around her, to offer Gia comfort from her melancholy thoughts, was strong—but instead of acting on his impulse, Jake balled his hands into fists.
As if shaking herself out of her thoughts, Gia turned to him and beamed a smile his way. He ignored the way his heart raced at being the center of her attention.
“Besides, don’t you want to get out of this small town and see what’s out there?” She nudged him with her shoulder, sending goosebumps with the contact. A very different reaction from when Thao had made a similar gesture not too long ago.
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Oh, I have an idea! We should make a pact!” Gia practically vibrated with excitement.
“A pact?” he echoed incredulously, eyebrows furrowed at the prospect.
“Yeah, a pact. Like one of those binding agreements we have to follow through with no matter what.”
“I don’t know, Gia—”
“What kind of pact?” Thao interrupted.
“We promise each other we’ll go after our dreams. Even if it might take years to do it, eventually you have to try.” Gia looked earnestly between the two males beside her. “Come on, guys. We have to try or we’ll never know.”
Thao rolled his eyes, but his lopsided grin told Jake what Thao’s answer would be.
“Okay, fine. Let’s do it.”
Gia turned her attention to Jake and waited expectantly for his answer.
Not for the first time, he admired her effortless beauty.
The way the light reflected off her dark hair and tanned skin made her seem like she was glowing.
But he knew her warm brown eyes were his biggest weakness.
He could never say no to anything she asked of him.
Blowing out a breath in mock exasperation, he nodded reluctantly. His answering grin was the response Gia wanted, and her lips stretched into a triumphant smile.
“Okay, hands in.” Gia placed her hand in front of her. Thao leaned over and placed his large paw on his twin. Rolling his eyes, Jake joined with his hand on top. When Gia’s other hand landed on top of his to complete the pact, he looked on in awe at how small her hand was on top of his.
“All right, this is a pact, meaning it’s unbreakable. We all will pursue our dreams. No matter how long it takes.” Gia looked into her brother’s eyes, who nodded solemnly, before turning her attention to Jake. Her hand squeezed his tightly before pulling away.
That summer had been one of his favorites. Though things had changed since then, one thing had not—he always kept his promises. The promise he’d made to Thao rang loudly, like an incessant reminder of his failure.
He wouldn’t fail Thao again. Wouldn’t fail Gia again.
In the years since, no woman had ever compared to Gia. She occupied space in both his mind and his heart, whether or not he wanted her to. Now, he had a chance to fulfill his promises and get the woman of his dreams.
He needed to figure out a game plan.