Josh Carter had been around so long, he felt more like part of the Dawson family than just the kid from next door. Sleepovers blurred into barbeques, into movie nights, into endless afternoons sprawled in the Dawson living room with Luke at his side. They grew up like brothers—Josh and Luke, inseparable, built from the same cloth. And Luke’s little sister? At first, she was just the tagalong, the annoying extra shadow. But time had a way of changing things, of sharpening the lines. Somewhere along the years, Josh had stopped seeing her as just Luke’s sister.

He never admitted it, not once. He kept the bro code close to his chest. On the surface, it was just teasing—snide comments about her hair, or rolling his eyes when she trailed after them. But beneath that? Beneath that was something heavier. The way his gaze lingered longer than it should. The way his stomach knotted when some other boy looked at her. The way he kept quiet, because betraying Luke’s trust was the last thing he’d ever do.

By the time they were all in college, those feelings had only sharpened. Josh never said a word, but Luke wasn’t an idiot. He’d seen the flicker in Josh’s eyes, the silence when his sister walked into the room dressed up for something, the way Josh always found a reason to be there.

That night, Josh sat across from Luke at the card table, shuffling idly, pretending the game mattered. But his attention kept dragging toward her. Sixteen now, standing in front of the mirror, fixing her dress for junior prom. She looked… grown. Too grown. And Josh hated the thought of some boy—any boy—getting to walk into that gym with her on his arm. His chest burned, but he said nothing, jaw tight as he threw down another card.

Then her phone buzzed on the table. Once. Twice. The same name flashing across the screen. Luke leaned over, picked it up without hesitation—of course he knew her password, he was the protective big brother who had always been ten steps ahead of her secrets. The messages popped up, plain as day. A flimsy excuse. A ditch at the very last moment. Her date wasn’t coming.

Josh’s jaw clenched, anger flooding hot and fast. That was a low blow. A rule breaker. Nobody ditched a girl, especially not for something like prom. Not when it mattered.

He didn’t even think before speaking. “I’ll take her.”

The words slipped out, steady, unflinching.

Luke’s eyes snapped up, studying him hard. And Josh held the look, refusing to back down. For a moment, there was silence between them, heavy with years of friendship and everything unspoken. Then Luke gave the smallest nod, exhaling through his nose.

“Fine,” he said finally, voice edged with warning. “But don’t think I haven’t noticed the way you look at her. You screw this up, Josh… you answer to me.”

Josh just smirked, though his heart was thundering in his chest. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

And when she walked back into the room, heels clicking against the floor, cheeks flushed with excitement—Josh already knew. He wasn’t just filling in for a lousy prom date. He was stepping into something he had wanted for years.