Ingrid rolls her eyes. “That’s not even a thing.”
“We’ll do separate tents next time,” I jokingly insert myself.
“I’ll bring my ear plugs then,” Cash retorts.
Ingrid laughs.
And the sound makes something tight in my chest ease. Just a little.
There’s a lot on my plate.
Margot’s funeral.
NYU.
Money.
Ingrid.
Now that we’re home, I’m not sure it’s the right choice anymore.
“Oh no,” Ingrid groans.
“What?” I ask, snapping my head up.
Her hands slide around my waist. “I know that look Wilder. You’re having second thoughts.”
“About?” I swallow hard.
“And that’s my cue to leave,” Cash says.
“You’re worried about New York,” Ingrid exhales.
I don’t know how she knows. But she does.
“There’s just a lot going on and I’m… struggling.”
Her eyes soften. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
Ingrid nods slowly. “I’ve been thinking for the past ten hours about us.”
Us?
That doesn’t sound good. Does it?
“What about us?” I ask, my voice high-pitched.
“I was just wondering if leaving—if going to New York—was the right choice. I know we’ve spent the whole trip going back and forth, and I… Elowyn lost her mom. We can’t just leave her, can we?”
I run my fingers through her hair.
Maybe I’ve been second most of my life. But right now? Right now, I know I’m first.
Ingrid always puts me first.
I need to do the same.
