“Whatever,” he muttered, but I swore I saw a red stain rise to his cheeks.
Mitch studied me as if I were a bug. “How the hell did you do that?”
“You should’ve taken gymnastics with me in elementary school like your mom wanted.”
Jase snorted but pulled me in closer to his side.
“Oh my God, Laik. Did you just flip off that rope swing?” Marisa’s voice cut through the night as she stepped out of the trees, readjusting her clothes.
Scott wrapped an arm around his girlfriend and shot me a grin. “Of course, she did. She’s a badass.”
“And I have video proof, so that fact will live on in infamy,” Lisbeth said, holding up her cell.
Scott mirrored the move with his phone. “Jax just texted. There’s a party at the farmhouse. We should go.”
Jase frowned at Scott. “My brother’s throwing a party?”
“Said your aunt was looking the other way for the evening.”
Jase’s aunt, Gillian, was always left to look in on Jase and Jax when their parents went out of town for their sister Serena’s cheer competitions. Even though Jax was twenty, and Jase was eighteen, their parents didn’t trust them not to wreck the place. They could’ve trusted Jase, but Jax was a whole other story.
“He’s such an idiot,” Jase grumbled. “I’m not covering for him this time. Can I stay at your place tonight? Your mom won’t mind if I crash on the couch.”
She wouldn’t. She was so wrapped up in her world; she probably wouldn’t notice if I didn’t come home for days. The Grangers weren’t like that. Jase’s parents, Kay and Chip, cared. Even if their family wasn’t perfect, their love for each other was clear as day.
Only lately, that love seemed to be fraying around the edges in a way that gave me a stomachache. There were more raised voices and storming out of rooms. And it almost always revolved around something Jax had done. I nibbled on the corner of my lip. “Maybe we should go. We can make sure nothing gets too out of control.”
A muscle in Jase’s cheek fluttered. “There’s no way it won’t get out of hand. I should just call the cops now and get it over with.”
Scott flipped Jase off. “Don’t cockblock. Some of us want to have fun tonight.”
I glared at him.
Isaac smirked. “I’m pretty sure your cock has gotten all it’s up to tonight.”
“Hey!” Marisa screeched at him, her pale complexion pinking around her cheeks.
“Enough,” Jase clipped. “The last thing I want to do is try to corral my brother and his friends.”
The hint of true anger in Jase’s expression had my stomach cramping. I had always played referee between the brothers, but it was getting out of hand lately, and I worried there would be a break they couldn’t get past. There had been tension between them ever since Jase had taken the fall for a party Jax threw over spring break. But this was more. The idea of the family I’d been lucky enough to be all but adopted into falling apart like mine had anxiety pulsing through me.
I wrapped my arms around Jase’s waist and kissed the underside of his chin. “The last thing I want to do is play hall monitor tonight. But maybe we can wrap it up early and go back to our plans. A drive into the mountains in the Jeep. Some alone time.” I waggled my eyebrows.
Jase’s lips twitched. “I like the second part of that plan.”
“I’ll be your backup and play bad cop. Promise. I’m not afraid to use buckets of ice water if necessary.”
Mitch’s brows rose. “Harsh.”
I shrugged. “Jax has earned a little bad cop.”
“That’s the freaking truth,” Jase said.
I turned into him and pressed my lips to his. “I’m sorry things are so hard right now.”
His jaw worked back and forth. “We used to be on the same team. Now, it feels like I don’t even know him anymore.”
Hearing him utter those words aloud broke my heart. “Maybe you two need some time. Just the two of you. Go on one of your camping trips.”