“Well then, let me get you fed,” I state, wanting to hold her hand on the way downstairs. “Is there anything in particular you want to eat?”
She looks down as she tucks her hair behind her ear. “I’m good with whatever.”
I stop at the top of the stairs. “What do you want to eat, Collins?” She is, hands down, the most selfless person I’ve ever met.
“Well, what are the options?”
I shrug. “Not a clue. Let’s go see what my parents brought us.” I slip my hand in hers as we walk down to the kitchen.
“This is the nicest kitchen I’ve ever seen in my life.” She rubs her finger over the counter as she follows me to the fridge. I’m not about to tell her the kitchen I have back in Montgavin puts this one to shame.
I check out what my parents brought. “I have good news and bad news. I have things to make a salad, but there is nothing for the main course.”
“Do you have frozen pizza?”
I pull open the freezer door. “I do, but I don’t know when this is from.” I toss the box in the garbage. “I’m going to order a pizza but make the salad.”
“That sounds good. Can I help?”
I pick up the phone and make the call, then I put my hands on her hips, pick her up as she shrieks, and put her on the counter. “You sit there, and we’ll talk.”
“Okay.” She looks around. “But I can sit on the stool.”
“Yeah. But then I can’t kiss you when I walk by.”
She looks down at me and smiles, but tries to hide it. “Theo, you know you’re too good to be true, right?” She opens her legs, and I step in between them.
“See? I was thinking the exact same thing about you.” I hold her cheek. “I know this is going to sound really, really stupid,” I start nervously, “especially since you’re having our baby and all that.” Her eyes turn a light gray. “But I want to give us a chance.” I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous before. “I don’t know what this thing is between us. But it’s something . . .” I trail off and put my hands on her thighs.
“Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?” She leans back on her hands, her eyes alight.
“Sort of. I guess so.” I let out an awkward chuckle. “I like you and I want to really get to know you. So what do you say, Collins, want to be my girlfriend?”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
COLLINS
“So what do you say, Collins”—he smirks at me, and it’s a smirk that I’ve come to look for every single night—“want to be my girlfriend?”
I can’t help but let the giggle I’ve been holding on to escape the minute the words finally sink in. The giggle fades, then fear rushes through me.
“Hey,” he says right away, one of his hands moving to my neck, the other to my cheek. “Whoa.” His voice is tight. “Do you not . . .” His Adam’s apple bobs up and down. “Do you not want that with me?” His eyes search mine.
“Theo, it’s not that.” I put my hands on my legs. “It’s so not that.” My voice trembles. “It’s just, there is so much going against us.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean”—I look down, and he moves my head back up so I’m looking into his eyes—“it’s more than just me being your girlfriend, or whatever you want to call me.”
“I’m going to need you to explain it to me.” His voice is calm and soft.
“I don’t think you really get the full picture of how horrible my parents are. How many people they’ve robbed. How they’ve lied and cheated their way through their entire lives.” I shake my head. “It’s been like this my whole life. I had one friend in high school. One.” I hold up a finger. “Then their parents found out who I was, and my friends went down to zero. Do you know how lonely high school is having zero friends?” I shake my head. “Of course you don’t, because you were probably super popular and dated the prom queen.”
He chuckles. “For the record,” his thumb rubs my jaw, “I didn’t want to be prom king. But the other guy was dating two girls at the same time, so they didn’t vote for him.”
“Great, not only do you want to date me, the school pariah, but you are the prom king.” I put the back of my hand on my forehead to make sure I don’t have a fever and am not delusional.
I laugh at the irony of it. “The town literally hates me.” I say the words I’ve always thought but never said out loud. “You ask anyone who has been in town long, and they will all say the same thing.” I can’t bend my head the way he’s holding me, but I can avert my eyes, and I do. “That I’m just trash.” A tear escapes, and I quickly wipe it away. “I even thought about leaving town”—I inhale deeply—“but it’s my home, and it’s the only place I know.”
