Boone’s arms tightened around me before he finally pulled back, his jaw set hard now, eyes dark with something sharper than emotion.
“But Ellie,” he said, voice low and firm, “I need you to hear me on this. If anyone—anyone—ever puts you in that kind of situation again, they’ll answer to me first. I don’t care who they are. I don’t care what it costs me. I won’t stand by and watch my little sister get torn apart.”
The fire in his tone stole my breath.
I blinked up at him, stunned by the shift, the sheer conviction radiating off him. His protective streak had always been there, but this was different—an oath sealed in stone.
“Boone—”
“No,” he cut me off, shaking his head. His hands came down to grip my shoulders, grounding me. “You’ve already lost enough. You don’t get to carry that weight alone, and you damn sure don’t get to think I’d ever let it happen again.” His voice cracked with restrained rage before softening just enough to remind me this was love, not anger.
Tears pooled in my eyes as I watched the way he stood there, unflinching, my anchor and shield all at once.
“I know Logan would fight for you,” Boone went on, his mouth twitching like he wanted to sneer but couldn’t because of the familiarity crowding his words. “Hell, I can see it in his eyes every time he looks at you. But I want you to remember, he isn’t the only one.”
I knew he wasn’t. I had a lot of people backing me up, which was a beautiful feeling.
A shaky laugh escaped me, half-sob, half-relief. “You sound like Dad when you say it like that.”
Boone’s mouth tilted in the faintest smile, though the fire in his eyes didn’t dim. “Good. Means I’m doing something right.”
“Just being here… It’s enough.”
He nodded, finally letting out a breath like he’d been holding it for years. Then, softer, his thumb brushing against my cheek: “You’re my baby sister. That’ll never change. I’ll even fight Logan if I have to.”
I let out a dry laugh, shaking my head as Boone shot me a wink.
“Mom also sent me up here to tell you dessert is downstairs and it’s your favorite.”
“Mint chocolate chip ice cream with hot fudge and gummy bears?”
Boone cringed.
“Yeah. I still don’t know how you like that combination.”
I stood, and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
“Don’t knock it until you try it.”
48
LOGAN
Ihad the windows rolled down, a soft summer breeze sneaking through the cab while the drive-in speakers hummed with faint static. The screen lit up with the first set of previews, but truth be told, the only thing I could focus on was Ellie.
She had one hand in the popcorn bucket balanced between us, the other holding a Coke, straw bent just so. Her bare feet were propped on my dash, and I should’ve cared about the little smudge her toes were leaving on the glass, but instead I just sat back, memorizing the picture.
“You keep staring at me, Logan, and I’m gonna start charging you,” she teased, tossing a kernel of popcorn at me. It bounced off my chest and landed in my lap.
I picked it up, popped it in my mouth, and smirked. “Worth every penny, Ace.”
Her laugh filled the truck, that soft, belly-deep sound that always managed to curl under my ribs and stay there. She shook her head, pretending to focus on the screen, but I saw the way her cheeks pinked.
A minute passed. Two. Then she shifted, pulling her feet off the dash and tucking them underneath her. She leaned towardme, shoulders brushing, her warmth soaking through my shirt. Her fingers toyed with the edge of the popcorn bucket like she was working up courage.
“Logan?”
“Yeah, Ace?” I said it gently, already sensing something in the way her voice dropped.