Page 168 of Knot Their Starlet

He immediately jumps up and off of the couch, much to Cameron’s light exasperation, and throws his arms around Andi.

“Thank you,” he murmurs softly, burying his face in the crook of her neck and breathing her in. “Take care of our big teddy bear, okay?”

“I’m not a teddy bear,” I grumble.

“Hush—.” The two of them say at the same time before turning to each other and bursting out in laughter.

I roll my eyes. I seem to do that a lot around Andi.

Before I close the front door behind me, I catch Jenny’s eyes, which are lit up with a conspiratorial glint.

She’s a smart woman.

I’m sure she can probably connect the dots on why her son’s public girlfriend is the one leaving with me.

“Ready?” I grunt, opening the door of Bryce’s old pickup truck for Andi.

“Such a gentleman, when you’re not being an ass,” Andi teases, climbing into the cab. “And I should be asking you that.”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I sigh, pulling out my phone and sending my mom a quick text.

Eli

I’m heading over. Be there in five.

I ignore the following buzzes of my phone, shoving it into my pocket before climbing into the driver’s seat.

I can do this.

The drive to my childhood home is short. It’s about a mile.

A mile that I’ve run bleeding in the dark after a fight, more times than I can count.

“He can’t do anything to you,” Andi murmurs softly, reaching out and resting a small hand against my arm. “And if he tries? We can get the hell out. You’re not stuck there.”

Her words make something clench in my chest.

“Wish I could say the same to you ‘bout your mom,” I mumble.

The atmosphere in the car changes on a dime. Andi’s warm support pulls back as she stares out of the window, worrying at her bottom lip.

“Sorry,” I sigh. “I keep sayin’ the wrong things.”

“No, you’re right. I am kinda stuck with my mom,” she sighs, running an anxious hand through her hair.

“I don’t hurt women, but I’ve never felt a stronger urge to reach through that phone and throw her out the window than when I heard the bullshit she was saying to you on that phone call.” Apparently, going back home and bringing up my Daddy issues makes me want to bring up her Mommy issues.

Before we started getting along, I would’ve chalked it up to sharing the misery, but now?

I think there’s a part of me that desperately wants to feel seen.

And out of anyone? I think Andi gets it.

“You know, that’s one of the sweetest things you’ve ever said to me,” Andi says, letting out a sharp bark of laughter.

“Threatening to throw your mom out a window?” I let out my own bark of laughter. “You’ve got a couple of screws loose and a fucked definition of romance.”

“You want to know one of the first things I thought about you, when you were acting all mean and broody the day you three came to my hospital room? After... you know, everything that happened with my ex?”