He squeezes my shoulder and then sits in the seat beside me which is also across from Phillip. When Reese is finally seated, Phillip says grace and then we dig in. Nothing is said as we all prepare our plates, but then Jude says, “I love breakfast for dinner. It’s great, Reese.”

She smiles proudly. “It’s Claire’s favorite meal.”

Jude smiles back at her. “Yeah, we eat a lot of Waffle House.”

I grin as I pour syrup all over my waffle before taking a huge bite. Looking up, I see that Phillip hasn’t touched his food; he’s staring across the table at Jude. I look at Jude, but he doesn’t seem to notice. He’s eating, not paying any attention. I kick Phillip under the table, and I glare when his gaze meets mine.

“What?”

“Stop staring,” I mouth and his scowl deepens.

Leaving my gaze, he looks back at Jude and says, “So the draft?”

Jude looks up from his plate and nods. “Yes, I have four teams looking at me now.”

“Must be pretty good then,” Phillip says, cutting his waffle and sausage up before mixing them together and drenching them in syrup.

“I think so,” Jude says.

“He’s really good,” I say. “Reminds me of you – he has a good game. You should come Friday, watch him play. I’m dancing too.”

“Oh, that sounds like fun. Doesn’t it, Phillip?” Reese says brightly.

He gives her a look and then shrugs. “I guess.”

“We will be there,” Reese says with a grin. “Remember we have the wedding rehearsal that morning, though.” Both Phillip and I groan, and she says, “Oh, shut up, I told you it won’t be bad. Take ten minutes, tops.”

“I’ll be there,” I say, and Reese smiles at me before taking a bite of sausage.

“So what are you going to school for?” Phillip asks, looking straight at Jude.

He takes a swig of his orange juice and then says, “Sports medicine.”

“Are you going to keep up with it once you get picked up?”

Jude shrugs. “Not sure yet. My mom wants me to.”

“You should. I did, and I like the security I have in case something happens.”

“Thanks for the advice. I’ll consider it.”

“You should,” Phillip says and then he crosses his arms. “Your family lives here?”

“Yeah, about an hour from here. My brother goes to school with me. He plays too and then also our younger brother. My older sister is going to design school.”

“How long have you played?”

“Since I was old enough to skate. My dad played.”

“That’s good. The NHL is no joke, though. So you need to be ready. Be strong, work hard.”

Jude nods, and I can tell he’s hanging on every word Phillip says. “I plan to.”

Phillip nods and I thank the heavens above that he is actually talking to Jude. Yeah, it’s something so impersonal like hockey, but then again, this is what they are: hockey players. I knew that would be the one thing to bring them together, and I trust that Phillip is giving him a chance. When I glance at Reese, she seems to be just as happy as I am, a grin sitting on her face. Reaching out, she takes his hand in hers, and when he glances at her, she smiles and mouths, “Thank you.”

Phillip shrugs and then glances at me. I do the same, and he smiles before taking my hand in his. I never thought that another man could protect my heart the way Phillip has, but as I look from him to Jude, I know that my heart is safe with him.

After dinner, I figure that we should leave. Not only do I have to work tonight, but I want to leave on a good note, and so far things are good. Let’s just hope they stay like that and hope that Phillip hasn’t been pretending he likes Jude just to make me happy.

“Come back anytime, Jude. This was so much fun,” Reese says, and I don’t miss the look Phillip gives her.

“I’d love that. Thank you for having me. I look forward to the wedding this weekend,” he says, and I smile as he places his hand on the small of my back. Holding his hand out to Phillip, he says, “Thanks for having me.”

I hold my breath as I wait for Phillip to take it, and finally he does, shaking it as he says, “It wasn’t that bad. I still don’t like you, though.”

I want to punch him dead in the throat, but before I can, Jude goes, “I’ll grow on you, ’cause I’m not going anywhere.”

Phillip’s eyes become slits, and it’s almost like he’s challenging Jude. “We will see about that.”

“I swear to God,” Reese mutters and I roll my eyes.

“Yeah, we will,” Jude says, pulling me close to him as Phillip continues to glare.

“And we thought the dinner went well,” I say, pushing him out the door with only a wave to my uncle and aunt. I feel their gazes on us as we mount the bike, and when I glance up, I’m right, they’re watching us. We wave and then we’re off, heading back to campus. I lean my head against Jude’s back as I let out a long breath. I don’t know what Phillip’s problem is, but I hope to God he gets over it and gives Jude a chance. I don’t want to believe that he could break us up, but I think Jude is right. Phillip’s opinion matters, but I know I can’t live in a world without Jude. I know I can’t live in one without Phillip either, so I’m gonna need him to pull his big boy pants on and like my boyfriend.

When we pull up to my dorm, my legs are frozen again but I don’t mind it much. I love riding with Jude; I feel free when I’m on this bike with him. He takes off his helmet and then gets off before helping me. I take my helmet off as he leans against the bike, watching me.

“So that went well?” he asks and I laugh.

“As well as it could, I guess,” I say, letting out a breath. “He’s so damn overprotective, it’s pathetic.”

“It’s nice ’cause you are worth it.”

I smile and step between his legs, wrapping my arms loosely around his neck. “Why do you love me, Jude Sinclair?”

A grin pulls at his lips as he wraps his arms around my waist, resting his chin against my breast as he looks at me. “Because you are the most beautiful person, inside and out, that I’ve ever met.”

My heart warms as I bring my hands up to cup his face. “Sometimes I feel like I’m not worth it.”