“Maddie.” Holden’s voice chases me outside.

I cringe and contemplate walking home, but how the hell would I explain that to my parents?

“Maddie, wait.”

With a huff, I stop and lean against the brick wall of the restaurant. It’s kind of chilly out tonight, but I’m not about to let it show. Clenching my teeth, I try to stop them chattering as I face away from Holden.

“Hey.” He stops beside me, shrugging out of his jacket and attempting to wrap it around my shoulders.

“I’m fine.” I gently push him away, hating the burn in my chest. “Why did you follow me? You’ll only make it worse.”

“I can’t stand this. I hate that you’re mad at me. We need to talk.” His voice is soft yet commanding, spinning my body around before I can stop it.

I drink him in, loving how the outside lights highlight his gorgeous face. Biting my lips together, I muster my waning strength and manage to whisper, “I’m not mad at you. And talking won’t change anything. We need to stay away from each other. It’s too hard…you’re too tempting. I can’t be around you.”

“How is that fair?” He steps into my space. “We like each other.”

“It’s not about fair, Holden,” I snap, rubbing my arms to ward off the chill. “You shouldn’t have asked Chloe to the dance. But you did. And now we’re here, and the only way to move forward is to pretend that we mean nothing to each other.”

His look is so pained…and beautiful.

He likes me.

I mean something to him.

My chest constricts into a tight knot as he gently brushes his fingertips down my face. “I’m sorry I screwed up. If I’d known how awesome you were, I wouldn’t have been such a dick.”

I can’t help a soft snicker as I lean away from his touch.

“Truth is, I liked you from the start. It just took me a while to figure out what the feeling was.”

“We can’t.” I shake my head, trying not to be softened by his sweet words. “We just…we can’t.”

“Please, I—”

“No!” I push him away again. It hurts, but I have to. “Come on, Holden, you’re good at pretending. Just forget that you like me. Move on. There are so many girls at school who want to be with you. Chloe, for one.”

“No offense, your sister is sweet and gorgeous, but I don’t want her. You’ve ruined every female at Armitage High for me. I can’t move on and just forget.”

I fight a grin, tipping my head and flashing him a little of what I’m really feeling.

He smiles at my expression. It’s heart-melting.

Which is why staying out here talking to him is so dangerous.

Especially when he gets in my space, leaning his forehead against mine and whispering, “I want to be with you.”

“Sisters before misters,” I croak, softly pushing him back. “It’s the way it’s gotta be.”

His expression tightens as he shoves his hands in his pockets. “My brothers would never do that for me—give up something they wanted just to make me happy. Our family doesn’t work that way.”

I wince at the sadness in his voice and have to cross my arms to stop myself for reaching out to touch him. “Look, I know this sucks, but I love Chloe, and my relationship with her has to come before you. I screwed up, but I’m never going to stop trying to fix things with her. Even if it means turning my back on…on you.” My voice breaks and tears scorch my eyes. I clench my jaw, sniffing sharply to stop them from falling. “We better go back in.”

I pull my shoulders back and walk away from him before he can say anything else.

Speeding around the corner, I nearly take Chloe right off her feet.

“Whoa.” I snatch her shoulders before she can fall. She steadies herself by grabbing my elbows.

I don’t know what she’s just heard, but the fact that she’s looking at my face and not running away has to be a good sign, right?

Her sad gaze flickers with a smile that drops away as Holden appears behind me.

He jerks to a stop and looks between us.

“I don’t want to go to the dance with you anymore.” Chloe loops her arm through mine. “I’d rather go with my sisters.”

After a beat, Holden gives her an apologetic smile. “I think that’s a really great idea. Sorry for messing with you, Chloe. I was in the wrong.”

“Yeah. You were an asshole.”

I cringe while he nods.

“Stay away from me and my sisters, heartbreaker. We don’t need you.” Chloe’s voice is soft yet brutal.

I try not to let it show how much those words hurt me too.

Smiling down at her, I squeeze her arm and murmur, “Let’s go, sis.”

She nods and we leave Holden standing by himself.

When we reach the table, Dad is going on about Max and her baseball brilliance. My sister’s face flashes with relief when she sees me. Bulging her eyes, she quietly orders me to sit the hell back down.

“You okay?” I whisper, grabbing my napkin off the table and spreading it across my lap while Max nods. It’s a stiff, tight gesture that I don’t believe.

“She’s going to win the season for your Pitbulls, just you wait and see.” Dad grins down the table at us, his chest puffing with pride while Mayor Carter launches into a spiel about his amazing son’s pitching ability.

Holden’s cheeks flare red as he sits back down. He’s nice enough to avoid eye contact. Chloe’s words obviously got to him.

I try to do the same and be strong the way my sister needs me to be, but I can’t help stealing glances in his direction, especially when his mother manages to knock over her glass of wine. Before even mopping up the mess, she’s calling the waiter over to order a refill. Mayor Carter acts like it’s normal, laughing and patting his wife’s knee while my mother cleans up the table.

Holden looks like he wants to be sucked into a black hole as he rises from his chair and goes to help. I notice him having a quick chat with the waiter. He gives his classic wink and I spot how different it is to the one he gave me at Cresthill. That one was soft and playful. This one is accompanied by a barely there smile that’s hiding the strain of what he’s feeling.

Gripping my napkin beneath the table, I resist the urge to stand up and join him. I want to wrap my arm around him, offer to help take his mother home before she embarrasses herself.

But I can’t do that.

Because I have a younger sister who I adore.

And she has to come first.