What Friends Are For by Lacey Thorn Read Free Book Online Page B

douche
bag.”
    Jacey couldn’t help but giggle.
    Jack stood back up and walked over to take her hands. “Jonas
is my best friend, Jacey. He has been for a long time. But you’re my sister and
I love you. If he hurt you, I’ll kick his ass.”
    “You’d kick your best friend’s ass for me?”
    “Hell yeah,” he grunted. “Buy him a beer afterward but it’s
the point. No one gets to hurt my sister.”
    “I love you, Jack,” she whispered, hugging him close.
    “So what’s it to be?” He sighed, releasing her and stepping
back. “Ass kicking?”
    “No.” She shook her head. “Honestly I called because of Dee.”
    There was panic in her brother’s eyes and Jacey had to bite
her lip to prevent the burst of laughter from escaping.
    “Did she say something was wrong? Is she not happy? Fuck!”
    He was pacing now and Jacey realized that it was the first
time she’d seen him that way over a girl.
    “No, she’s happy,” Jacey assured him and he stopped pacing
to turn and face her.
    “What then?”
    “She was giggly and happy and bouncing off the walls.”
    “That’s a good thing. Right?”
    “It’s a great thing. Want to know why?”
    “Do I?”
    She laughed. “Because you said the words, Jack.” When he
just looked confused, she told him. “You told her that you love her. You said
the words.”
    “But she’s known I love her for a long time. How could she
not?”
    “The words were important to her.”
    “Yeah?”
    “Yeah.”
    “So you called me over to tell me that the words were
important to her? No offense, Jacey, but you could have told me that in a phone
call or a text for that matter.”
    “I called you over because Jonas said he loves me and it
terrified me.” She was pacing again, her hand rubbing at her chest. “I don’t
know about love. I don’t know if I can love.”
    “Jacey.” Jack sat back down on her couch and patted the
cushion beside him until she came over and sat down. “You love me. Mom. Dee.
Mischa. You can love.”
    “That’s different. You and mom are family, blood. And Dee
and Mischa, they’re like sisters to me.”
    “And Jonas? Tell me what you think of him.”
    “Jonas is….well, Jonas is Jonas. He’s always there for me.
No matter what time, I know that I can count on him. He listens, really
listens. He’s smart and funny and reliable and not afraid to tell me what he
thinks. And sexy, so sexy.”
    “What would you do if something happened to him? How would
you feel?”
    “I’d kill anyone who hurt him,” she vowed, her eyes hard.
    “I think you know how you feel then, Jacey,” Jack murmured.
“And you know that you’re capable of feeling it.”
    “But how do I know for sure?” she asked. “How do I know it’s
changed from what I’ve always felt for him before?”
    “Let me ask you this,” Jack said. “How do you feel when he
walks in the room? Do your eyes go immediately to him and only him? Do you get
that tingle or tug inside and a smile instantly on your lips? Would you kill to
protect him? Die to save him? Do you just want to be with him? You and Jonas
have been friends for a long time, Jacey. That makes you lucky, in my opinion.
You already know the little things about each other. Each other’s likes and
dislikes.”
    She nodded her head.
    “So you have to decide if that friendship is all you want or
if you want what comes next.”
    “I don’t know.” She shook her head, eyes wide as she looked
at her brother.
    “I think you do.” He tapped his fingers over her heart. “In
here. You just have to catch up.” He tapped her temple. “In here. Stop
overthinking, Jacey. Sometimes you just need to feel.”
    He kissed her on the top of her head and stood up. “I love
you, Jacey.”
    “Love you.”
    “Call me if you need to talk again.”
    Jacey nodded but sat and watched as her brother walked out
the door. Her brain was thinking so hard that she was surprised the fire alarm
wasn’t going off. He told her not to overthink