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“Have you been smoking?”
He barks out a laugh. “Want me to open a window?”
“You have. Dempsey, you’re—” Too young? Smarter than that?
I glance over at him. He stiffens, waiting for me to finish that statement.
“Why?” I ask with a resigned sigh. “I’ve never seen you do it before or even smelled it on you.”
He reaches over and takes my hand once more. “Up until last night, every day I’ve had with you has been fucking amazing. I’m not stressed around you. This morning, I spent a lot of time on the back porch, smoking and thinking.”
“Thinking about what?”
God, I’m such a glutton for punishment.
His hand squeezes mine. “Us. Our future.”
Why does my heart flutter at those words? So much for putting distance between us. When it comes to Dempsey Park, I’m hooked on him, allowing him to pull me wherever he goes.
“Oh.” Oh? I sure as hell don’t deny his words.
We sit in comfortable silence as I drive across town to my sister’s apartment complex. As we grow nearer and nearer, worry threads its way through my veins. Whatever is going on with Rhiannon isn’t good. My intuition is screaming that at me. Facing it today is going to suck.
I glance over at Dempsey again. He’s watching me with a fierce expression on his face. The intensity of it nearly knocks me over.
“I’m sorry about last night,” I tell him, voice cracking. “I said all the wrong things when you came over. It’s just… This is hard. I don’t know what to do.”
“You don’t have to do anything.”
“Your mom…” I trail off and blink several times to clear the tears. “She thinks you’re obsessed with me and I’m faultless.”
“All truth.”
I scoff at his words. “Not at all. I’m at fault too. You have me so wound up over you.”
He pulls his hand out of mine and fumbles in his jeans pocket. When he retrieves a pack of cigarettes, I gape at him. He then rolls the window down and tosses it out.
“Dempsey!”
His deep chuckle warms my soul. “I needed to hear those words. Now that I’ve heard them, I don’t need those anymore.”
“You littered.”
“You gonna arrest me, Officer Do-Good?”
My core clenches at the taunt. “Don’t do it again.”
He makes a silly show of crossing his heart. “Promise.”
“I’m being serious. And you shouldn’t have to take the heat from your parents. Last night was supposed to be wonderful for you.”
“I got to kiss you,” he reasons. “Pretty goddamn wonderful if you ask me.”
I’m not done discussing this, but we’ve arrived at the apartment complex. After I park, we climb out and I lead the way into her building.
“You don’t have to come with me,” I tell him as we turn down my sister’s hallway. “I can do this alone.”
“Not a chance, babe. You never have to be alone again as long as I have anything to do with it.”
