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“And now I’ve got you into this mess,” she says quietly, looking back down at her hands.
“Harlow, we’re both fully grown adults,” Ezra reminds her. “The choices we or anyone else make are not your responsibility.” She clearly doesn’t believe him, but that’s okay—we’ve got time to convince her.
“Let’s get some sleep,” I suggest, and she nods, shuffling back to slide under the comforter. “You want some space?”
The last thing I want is to leave her, but I also know her. She’s going to blame herself for this, and that normally comes with pushing people away. It’s like she thinks she doesn’t deserve them and self-sabotages before they can realize it. Even though that’s bullshit and there’s no way we would let her do it, I can at least offer her some space right now if she’s feeling overwhelmed. We’re going to meet Nico together, and whatever he’s throwing at us, we’ll deal with it as a team. She shakes her head, and I’m relieved.
I use the bathroom before climbing in beside her, while Ezra uses it next. She spins to face me on her side, and I tuck her hair behind her ear before letting my hand trail down her neck, cupping the nape. The skin is still textured where her tattoo is healing, and I love that I can feel it there, even when I can’t see it.
“How you doing?” I check.
“Ask me in the morning,” she replies, and I nod against the pillow.
“Deal.”
Ezra returns and tucks himself into Harlow from behind, his arm around her waist.
“You okay?” he asks again, and her lips twitch as her eyes close. She did say she didn’t want space.
“Ask me in the morning,” she repeats, then exhales deeply, relaxing against us both as she eventually falls asleep.
***
Blinking my eyes open, I wonder what’s woken me so early. The room is still dark, the light behind the curtains not bright enough yet to lighten the room, and the space is quiet. Just as I feel for my girl and come up empty, the smell of burning registers in my brain. Shooting out of bed, I wrench the door open, but as soon as I step out of the room, I relax. Harlow is there at the counter, looking dejected at a dish of... something. It’s too dark and crisp to be able to see what it should be.
Looking up at me, she pulls a face that does not scream success.
“What’s going on?” I ask, amusement replacing my initial worry.
“I tried to cook breakfast.”
“Youdid?”
“Yes.” She rolls her eyes. We both know Harlow isn’t exactly a natural cook, which is why I tend to take over in that aspect. “Baked French toast?” she says, but it comes out more like a question, and I honestly couldn’t tell you what was in that dish if my life depended on it.
“If you say so.” I chuckle, and she begrudgingly smiles. Heading around the counter, I spin her by her hips, pinning her against the edge with mine while I wrap my arms around her. “Why are you up so early cooking instead of keeping me warm in bed?”
She hugs me back, her cheek against my chest and her hands on my back. I feel her speak against my skin.
“I couldn’t sleep. I wanted to keep busy... not that I’ve done a very good job at that.”
I look down at the charred mess on the counter behind her and decide not to acknowledge it at all.
“You wanna get dressed and grab breakfast before we meet Nico?”
She tips her head back, resting her chin against me. “You don’t want some more sleep?”
I won’t be able to sleep knowing she’s up worrying, so it seems pointless to try.
“No. I’m good, Angel. Go and wake Ezra up.”
Her eyes crease as she smiles up at me before stretching on her tiptoes to give me a light kiss. I want to keep her there, pinned against me, and take that kiss much, much further, but she needs to start making progress toward figuring all this shit out, and if leaving the house and getting to the place we’re going to meet Nico helps with that, then my dick will have to wait. Plus, I’m kind of eager to get the answers myself. Am I supposed to be pissed with him for knowing about my dad and not mentioning his affiliation? Am I supposed to be giving him the benefit of the doubt, even as he gives us nothing to work with? I find myself hoping he’s still a decent guy underneath, even if only for Harlow’s sake. When this all settles, if Nico is actually the asshole he presented last night, she’s going to be heartbroken.
It’s forty-five minutes later by the time we’re walking into the diner and I come face to face with one of my biggest mistakes. Harlow is tucked under my arm, so I feel the way she stills when we both remember who works here at the same time. Shame that time comes as she’s walking toward us.
“Hey, Sawyer,” Dana says sweetly, and I have no idea how I’m supposed to handle this situation. I’ve never been in it before. Yes, of course I’ve bumped into girls I’ve slept with—I wasn’t exactly a choir boy while trying to pretend Harlow didn’t own me—and I’ve even bumped into them with Harlow, although I tried to avoid that. But after everything that’s happened—the girl at the gym, and the fact Harlow thought I’d chosen the girl right in front of us now instead of her—bumping into Dana is the last thing I wanted, even if I haven’t slept with her. I should’ve been more prepared.
Dana sweeps her eyes over us all, then gestures to the half-full diner. “Pick wherever you want.”
