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"What?" he exclaims, tightening his features further.
"Yeah. messed up, right?"
"How? I thought the foster system didn't give out that information? Isn't it like, super creepy for her to even know where to look for you?"
I groan. "Yeah, Lily’s trying to figure this whole mess out."
Adam rubs my arm soothingly. "I'm sorry, Ava."
I shake my head, forcing away the burn in my eyes before I change the subject. "It's your turn."
His loud groan forces a laugh out of me. "Dad's trying to get me to join the law firm—regardless of my constant protests. It’s never too late for law school." He emphasizes the last sentence, imitating his stuck-up father perfectly.
"Tell him he can shove it. You would be an awful lawyer," I tease with a grin.
"Oh?" He raises his eyebrows.
"You're too much of a joker. You'd end up getting kicked out of the courtroom for making an inappropriate joke or something."
"You know me too well, babe. Now only if you could use your powers to convince my dad."
"I could try," I offer, and my grin returns.
???
Hours later, a raspy voice pulls me out of a patchy sleep.
"Is she asleep?" Oakley?
"Yeah, she passed out a couple of hours ago."
"Thanks for staying with her."
"No problem. Night," Adam says shortly.
I open my eyes and stretch my legs out along the couch as soon as the front door clicks shut. I roll onto my back and watch an exhausted Oakley drop a bag down on the floor. I push myself up and sit cross-legged. He flops down beside me and lets out a gentle sigh.
"Hey, beautiful. Come here." As I move to sit beside him, he lifts me and places me in his lap, resting his chin on the top of my head.
"Thank you for coming. You didn't have to. You must be exhausted." The soothing motion of his hands running up and down my back is starting to make me embarrassingly sleepy.
"It was worth it. Trust me." He presses a kiss on the top of my head. "Do you want to talk about it?" he prods and silently waits for an answer. I shake my head and force myself to stand up and stretch out my tired muscles.
"Not tonight. I just want to sleep," I insist, and he nods his head, standing up. I grab his hand and lead him to my bedroom.
Once inside, I grab a pair of fabric shorts and a baggy shirt. I stop rustling through my drawer when I hear a grumbled cough and dart my eyes towards my door. My face is hot in an instant.
An uncomfortable, red-faced Oakley is leaning against the door frame. He is now shirtless and offers me the shirt he had been wearing just seconds prior. I spend way too long staring at him, attempting to memorize every detail of his beautifully sculpted chest before wrenching my eyes away when I feel the corner of my mouth become wet. Drool? The thought makes my cheeks thump with embarrassment.
"Wear this." I raise an eyebrow at his command. "My pride can't take you wearing Adam's shirt again. So please, take it." He doesn't have to tell me twice.
"Do I sense some jealousy?" I reach out to grab the shirt from his extended hand and head for the bathroom.
"Hell yeah, you do. Is it a bad thing that I only want my girl to wear my clothes?"
My girl. My face flames as I fiddle with the soft material hanging between my fingertips.
"No, it's not a bad thing," I reply, grinning from ear to ear before all but sprinting into the bathroom and shoving the door shut behind me. I quickly change into my shorts and slip Oakley's shirt on, breathing in the smell of his cologne like a total creep.
Opening the door again, I see Oakley sitting on the bed, texting away on his phone. He's slipped off his jeans, leaving him in nothing but a pair of black boxer shorts.
How did I get so lucky?
He looks up at me and grins. His gaze sets my skin on fire as he inspects every inch of my body. His hungry gaze doesn't fail to make me feel way more beautiful than I am.
Fully aware of how red my face must be, I walk to the light switch and quickly flick it off. We both crawl under the covers and Oakley reaches over to immediately tuck me into his side. I lay my head on his chest; his arms wrapped tightly around me.
"Goodnight, Ava." He places a finger under my chin and leans down to give me a quick kiss.
"Goodnight, Oakley," I whisper, letting the sound of his heartbeat lull me to sleep.
