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His expression turns serious. “I’ve never been more certain about anything in my life.”
I stare at him for another few seconds, trying to silence the voice in the back of my head. Finally, I nod.
His whole body seems to exhale, like a weight he’s carried for years has finally been set down. He draws in a steadying breath, then wraps his arms around me and pulls me into his lap, pressing a long kiss to my forehead. “You won’t regret it,” he murmurs against my skin. “I promise, sweet girl.”
God, please let him be telling the truth.
Chapter twenty-one
Simon
Ikeep glancing over at the passenger seat as I drive down the winding backroads toward her parents’ house. I still can’t get used to seeing her there—texting on her phone like no time has passed.
She looks up and catches me staring. “What?”
I raise a brow, smirking. “I like looking at you.”
“You’re being weird,” she says, making a face.
“Hey, I politely pretended not to notice you checking me out while I was changing my shirt earlier. The least you can do is let me stare at your face.”
A flush creeps up her neck instantly, but she rolls her eyes and turns toward the window to hide it. “Stop being weird.”
I let it go, but my right hand slides across the console and settles on her thigh. My heart is a goddamn mess in my chest, and I’m half-convinced my palm is so sweaty she’ll notice.
I feel seventeen again—driving her home after our first date. Except back then I’d been cocky and sure of myself. Now I’m terrified of screwing this up.
She glances down at my hand, then at my face. After a moment, her fingers slide over mine, curling around my thumb the way she used to. A small smile tugs at her lips.
“What are we telling your family?” I ask.
We haven’t really talked about what we are. Not beyond her agreeing to give me another chance.
She takes a slow, deep breath. “I have no idea. I keep going back and forth. Part of me wants to keep it quiet until we figure things out… and part of me…” She trails off.
I squeeze her thigh gently. “Wants what?”
She hesitates, then says, “Wants to just… full send it. Tell everyone we’re back together and figure it out as we go.”
I glance over at her, surprised. Blaire doesn’t do anything without overthinking it first. Even picking Theo’s preschool had taken weeks of visits and spreadsheets.
“Full send?” I repeat.
She laughs. “I learned it from my students.”
“Clearly.” I turn onto her parents’ long driveway. “That what you want to do?”
She nods, though she still looks nervous. “Yeah. I was going to ask my parents to keep Theo for the rest of the weekend anyway. Give us time to talk more.”
“Yeah, that sounds—”
“Fuck. Theo. How are we even going to explain this to him? What’s custody going to look like now? He’s going to be so confused—”
“Blaire. Breathe.” I shift the truck into park behind her brother’s car. “He’ll be fine. He’s young. We’ll go back to that therapist if we need to. Custody can stay the same unless you want to change it.”
She chews on her bottom lip, anxiety written all over her face. “Do you want to change it?”
“I want whatever makes you happy.” I reach over and gently tug her lip free, brushing my thumb across it. “But if I’m being honest… I’d like us to move in together. I’ve already wasted years I could’ve had with you. I don’t want to waste any more time.”
