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I hear the tears in her voice, and I can’t stand this distance between us. I undo my seatbelt, then undo hers. In the next instant, I pull her closer.
“You’re killing me, Avery.”
“I would apologize, but this is your fault.”
Her words are muffled against my shirt. I smile as I stroke my hand through her hair. “I take full blame.”
She pulls back before I’m ready to let her go. “I can’t deal with all the sadness. And no one wants to see me crying or depressed.”
“I do.” And I realize I am being honest. I usually shy away from big emotions. They overwhelm me, and I can’t deal with that. I need to stay in control. But for some reason, I want that. I want to be there when Avery has worries and big emotions.
She chuckles. “Well, that sort of makes you a jerk.”
“If someone cares about you, they should want everything. Don’t you want that from your friends and family? You want them to tell you when you’re in pain like this.”
She frowns at me. “I hate when you’re logical.”
“I’m always logical.”
She snorts. “Except when you said I stole your house. I mean, how does someone steal a house?”
“Squatters steal houses.”
She gasps, and I smile. I can’t help it. Her overreactions are starting to really amuse me.
Wait. When did that happen? Then I remember my thoughts. I want the whole of her emotions. My first reaction is to freak out. This isn’t something I’ve dealt with before. I allow space for my mother and Nancy. And I guess my grandmother and Trevor to an extent.
“I’m not a squatter.”
“You are, but you’re cute.”
Her frown turns darker. “I am not cute. No woman wants to be called cute. I want to be known as sexy.”
“You can’t doubt I find you sexy. I think I proved that last night.”
“And this morning.”
I chuckle. There’s a meow from the backseat.
“We need to go in. Meredith is irritated.”
I shake my head and slip out of the car. She gets both the cats out—leashed—and walks up to the porch. I follow her, trying to keep my gaze off that cute ass of hers, but it’s hard to do that. She’s wearing jeans that mold to her perfectly heart-shaped ass. Her gasp has me looking up with a smile until I see what shocked her.
The door is slightly ajar. That was closed when we left.
“Stay here,” I tell Avery.
“Jon, let’s just call Josh first.”
“No. Let me check it out.”
I ignore her protests and go in. The door creaks as I push it open. That’s not ominous at all.
“Jon Howard, stay here.”
I glance a look over my shoulder at her. “I got this, Avery.”
Then I slip inside the house. There’s a stillness to it, and I know there isn’t anyone in here. No creaking floorboards, but there is a feeling.
