It was a miracle Noah made it home in one piece, considering how dazed he was after leaving the hospital. If Kaleb hadn't ordered him home, he probably would have spent the entire night in the waiting room chair.

He managed to get home and flopped onto his bed, still in his jeans. He was staring at the ceiling when his parents woke up. He heard his mom puttering around as she went downstairs to make breakfast.

Somehow, he forced himself to shower and change into sweatpants. He didn't want them to worry about him being out half the night.

"Morning, Noah! Want some pancakes?" his mother asked cheerfully.

Eating something sounded like a good idea. "Sure, Mom."

After pouring batter onto the griddle, she eyed him critically. "You look awful. What happened?"

Hiding anything from the all-seeing Jennica Singleton was impossible. Noah buried his face in his hands and told her the truth. It wasn't like she didn't know about his hopeless, unrequited love; there was nothing to be embarrassed about.

"I told Violet I loved her. All she did was stare at me before a nurse whisked her away in a wheelchair."

She raised an eyebrow. "A wheelchair?"

"Violet got hurt at her show last night, and I took her to the ER, but that's not important," Noah said with an impatient wave of his hand. "I screwed up. I really screwed up. She likes that jerk Jeremy, and now she's probably never going to speak to me again."

Jennica flipped a pancake and leaned leisurely against the counter. "I thought that's what you were going for, since you were avoiding her."

Noah was about to ask how she knew before realizing this was the longest Violet had been away from their house. Of course she had noticed. Nothing got past her.

He had been avoiding her, but that didn't mean he never wanted to speak to her again! He was trying to give himself time to get over her so they could continue their friendship without things hurting so much.

Now he had probably ruined it forever. Things would be too awkward, even if she wanted to talk to him. The easiness between them would be gone.

"I was avoiding her to try and get over her so we could still be friends," Noah mumbled. "You know she's the most important person to me. I could never give her up completely."

Trying to go cold turkey hadn't worked. He had been planning to come backeventually. When Jeremy Ward was out of the picture, or he felt secure enough in his feelings to be around her without hurting.

His mother sighed, then smiled sympathetically.

"My sweet boy. We both know you're never getting over her. You've been in love with her since before you even knew what the word meant. Don't forget, you told me you were going to marry her a million times when you were little."

Noah blushed. Did she have to bring that up now? It was never going to happen.

She had fallen for someone else who didn't like him. Jeremy had already tried to tear them apart, and he'd played right into the man's hands. He was such an idiot.

"Why are you making me feel worse?" he mumbled, resting his head on the counter.

"I'm not. I'm telling you to go for it. You know Violet better than anyone; you know how to win her over," Jennica said, placing a pancake in front of him.

Was his mother crazy? He wasn't going after someone who had a boyfriend!

"Are you encouraging me to be a homewrecker?" Noah asked incredulously.

"I'm encouraging you to be patient. They won't last."

Her confidence surprised him until he remembered his mother knew Violet almost as well as he did. She'd been in and out of their house his whole life. But he didn't want to get his hopes up.

He'd seen how much Violet seemed to like Jeremy. What he didn't understand was why. That guy was a phony! She was usually a better judge of character.

"Are you really sure? I think she really likes him," Noah said glumly.

"She may like him, but she loves you," his mother said cryptically. "Think about it. She's had boyfriends before, but still called you her favorite person. If there's anyone in this world that girl cares about besides her family, it's you."

Noah frowned. She made Violet sound heartless. She wasn't; she just had a hard time connecting with people. That didn't mean she didn't care.

Nobody else seemed to understand that. She cared deeply, though not widely. His best friend had always been misunderstood. She'd always told him how grateful she was that he understood her without her having to try.

Did he really have a chance? He should know where he stood in Violet's life, but her recent actions had shaken his confidence.

"Eat your pancake, sweetie. Food makes everything better," Jennica said with a wink. "You'll think better on a full stomach."

Noah hugged his mom. "Thanks, Mom."

"Anytime. My pep talks and culinary expertise are free."

He felt a little better. But after finishing, he should sleep. There was no way he could plan to woo Violet after being awake for over twenty-four hours.

"Can I have two more pancakes?" Noah asked sheepishly.

His mother laughed and tapped his arm with the spatula. "That's my boy. Sure thing."

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