I’m so nervous I’m not sure I’ll be able to remember any of my arguments, but I’m determined to try.
And to make sure Jake doesn’t make a mistake we’ll all live to regret.
Jake opens the door a few moments later, a pleasantly surprised expression on his face. “Hey, Maddie, what’s up? If you’re looking for Naomi, she’s—”
“I’m looking for you, actually. I came to talk some sense into you.” The words burst from my lips even though I intended to start things off a little more gently. But hell, I don’t have much time. Might as well get right down to business. “You can’t kick Jamison out of the wedding. It’s not right.”
He shifts back and opens the door a little wider. “Why don’t you come in?”
I shake my head, suddenly not wanting to go into his house. Seeing him up close—seeing how smug and happy he looks, while Jamison is probably out there beating himself up and nursing his wounds all alone—makes me even angrier than I was before.
“No, thank you,” I say, lifting my chin. “I’ll say my piece out here. It won’t take long. I just want you to know that I’m disappointed in you. I’m all for having high moral standards—I have high moral standards myself—but there’s a difference between high standards and being an unforgiving jerk.”
His brows lift, but he still looks more amused than repentant, which only makes the fire burning within me flare hotter.
“Remember the whole ‘judge not lest ye be judged’ thing?” I ask, my tone sharpening. “I know you might think you’re above reproach, but we all fall short of being the best person we can be sometimes. All of us. Even you. And Jamison may not be perfect, but he’s your brother, and he loves you. He’s flawed and he makes mistakes, but at his core he’s a wonderful, loyal person who would lay down his life for you in a heartbeat.”
The amusement fades from Jake’s eyes, replaced by a look of recognition, but that hint of a smile still curves his lips, making my frown deepen.
This is not a moment to be smiling.
Not until Jake welcomes Jamison back into the wedding party.
“Forgiveness is an act of strength, not weakness,” I continue, conviction ringing in my voice. “And so is the ability to admit when you’ve been wrong. Jamison has always been able to say he was sorry and mean it with everything in him. And I think that’s a brave, strong thing. And a rare one, and it’s just one of the many things I love about him.”
I swallow hard.
I’ve reached the scariest part of my Speech on Jake’s Porch, but there’s no turning back now.
“And when I say I love him, I don’t mean in the way a person loves an old friend. I mean that I love him. I’m in love with him, and if he isn’t in the wedding party, I won’t be attending the wedding, either. And then your wife will be so angry with you that your honeymoon will be ruined, but I won’t feel bad about it because it will be all your fault.”
Jake’s quiet for a long moment, his lips pressed together as if he’s fighting a smile. “Are you finished?”
I stand up straighter, flustered but feeling better now that I’ve gotten all that off my chest. “I don’t know. Is Jamison back in the wedding?”
“He is.” Jake leans against the doorframe. “He has been since this morning. I realized Naomi and my dad were right and called him to apologize for being an asshole.”
“You did?” My smile has scarcely stretched my face before it vanishes in a breath and my stomach fills with a terrible sinking feeling. “That means I didn’t need to say any of the things I said…did I?” I wince. “Shit. I’m sorry. Now I feel awful.”
“Don’t. It was good for me to hear it again from someone whose opinion I trust as much as yours,” he says. “That brother of mine is a lucky guy.”
“I am. Very lucky,” comes a voice from deeper in the house, a voice that makes my heart lift and my cheeks heat.
It’s Jamison.
He’s right there, on the other side of the door, and chances are he heard every word I just said.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Maddie
Jamison appears next to Jake, looking amazing in a pair of battered jeans, a white undershirt, slightly damp hair, and an expression that makes it clear how happy he is to see me. “Sorry, I showed up somewhere in the middle of the shake down and couldn’t bring myself to interrupt.”
I bite my lip. “Did I sound like a crazy person?”
He shakes his head. “You sounded great. I like hearing you all fierce and protective.” He drags a hand through his damp hair before adding in a softer voice, “And the saying how much you loved me part was nice, too.”