Finding Dandelion (Dearest #2) by Lex Martin

confidence, his willingness to go out on a limb. But that doesn’t obscure my first order of business, which is to kill Travis.
    “Thanks for being so understanding. I’ve had a bad streak of luck with relationships this year, and I’m feeling a little burned. Trust me when I say this has everything to do with me and not you. Honestly, if you had asked me out this summer when I got my ink, I’d have been all over you.”
    He smirks, and I laugh at how forward I sound. A second later he groans and runs his hands through his dark hair. “I’m kicking myself for not asking you out when we met. I thought about it.”
    I would have said yes, and I wonder if dating him before I met Jax would have made a difference.
    By the end of our date, I have to admit Brady is great. Maybe we could be more than friends down the road. We decide to hang out next week and maybe grab a movie, and I’m beginning to feel a little more optimistic about life when he drops me off at my brownstone.
    When I get home, Clem accosts me at the door. “What are you doing tomorrow morning?”
    I take off my jacket and drop my bag by the couch. I shrug. “Some homework. Nothing major. Why?”
    “Would you mind doing me a huge favor?” She almost looks embarrassed, and I wonder if she needs more help with her book. I hooked her up with a friend who did her website, and I created some book covers, but I think she’s pretty married to her old one. But I like Clem, and I want us to be friends, especially now that I know all the shit she’s been through.
    “Sure. Whatever you need.”
    “Would you mind coming with Jenna and me to BC to see my brother’s game?”
    My heart sinks, and the polite smile I had on my face a minute ago freezes. She sees my expression and nods.
    “I know it sounds lame, but Jax is a great player, and I’ll totally spring for lunch. I used to go to all of his games, but I haven’t been to any this fall, and I’ve kind of blown him off since we had that argument last week.”
    She looks away as her mouth twists into a frown, and I feel bad that I’m not being supportive. I guess I can do this for Clem.
    I try to smile again. “Sounds like fun. Count me in.”
     
     

 
     
    CHAPTER FIFTEEN
     
    - Jax -
     
    When I see my sister in the stands, I jog over, but I almost stumble when I realize who she brought. Dani is wearing the letter X across her snug-fitting shirt.
    I turn back to my sister. “Shit. You went all out. You haven’t done the t-shirts since high school.”
    After our “heart-to-heart” last week, I was sure Clem wanted to murder me in my sleep, so I was more than surprised when she called a few days ago and asked for tickets to my game. She told me she wanted to move forward, that she wanted me in her life. I can’t even express what that meant to me.
    Clem reaches over to give me a hug. “It’s my way of making up for missing so many games this season.”
    The girls are wearing the letters that spell my name, but I’m only drawn to one. “X marks the spot.” I don’t intend to say those words out loud, but I do.
    My sister’s eyes follow mine, and I realize she sees me staring at Dani, who is talking quietly with Jenna.
    Clem nudges me. “No, Jax.”
    I get the message. Off limits. I want to tell my sister that I know, that I remember what happened the last time, but I don’t.
    But damn it, Dani looks good. Fresh-faced, wide-eyed, laughing with her friend.
    I half listen to my sister talk about my game, and as I’m about to head back to the field, she punches me lightly. “Go kick some ass, Apple Jacks.”
    I smile and then look up into the stands. I don’t know why I look. Nothing ever changes. My mother never comes. You’d think it wouldn’t bother me anymore, but it does. This is the game I play. I pretend to still be her son, return her calls, see her when she beckons, and the bills get paid. Yeah, there’s a lot of love. Part of me doesn’t understand why my sister couldn’t do