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“If you need anything, you know I’m always here, right? Even if I’m not actually here.”
He reaches over and scrubs my hair with his knuckles. “Duh.”
I smack his hand away and then roll over. “Now go away, I’m tired.”
He chuckles and leaves the room, but it’s a while before I can fall asleep.
ChapterNineteen
Taylor
“Are you okay?” Atticus reaches over the center console, his broad hand covering mine where my fist is clenched in my lap.
I pull my gaze from where I’ve been staring sightlessly out the window and look over at him. “Yes. No. I don’t know.”
He frowns. “Do you want to talk about it?”
I flip my hand in his, linking our fingers. “No. Distract me.”
The corner of his mouth quirks up and he shoots me a heated glance. “The distraction I have in mind is rather tone-deaf, considering what we’re doing today.”
This is the first time in his presence my mind isn’t flooded with thoughts of sex and my body isn’t heated. He’s right, while I would love to have some truly fun car times, all I can think about is meeting this Jonas person and if he knows where Mom is. What if she lives in this town? What if she doesn’t? Will I meet her? What if she’s dead? What if she doesn’t want to be found?
“Tell me about plants.” I lean my head back against the headrest and stare at his profile.
He tosses me a quick grin, and my heart leaps. He’s so handsome. I could stare at his profile all day, taking in the stubble outlining his strong jaw, the flex of his arms as he navigates the car. Even the grip of his fingers on the wheel is hot.
He clicks on the blinker and glances into his blind spot before changing lanes. “You really want me to tell you things about plants? That will distract you?”
Just sitting next to him, and the deep rumble of his voice, is soothing. “Absolutely.”
“Fine. You asked for it. But if you fall asleep it’s on you.”
We drive in silence for a few seconds before he speaks. “Did you know that plants talk with each other?”
My brows lift. “What? How?”
“Through their roots. They secrete chemicals called root exudates. There are studies that suggest plants can tell if another plant is their sibling—if they’re grown from seeds from the same parent plant.”
My mouth pops open. “No way.”
He glances over at me. “Yep. When they are placed near a strange plant, their root allocation increases—they spread their roots more to fight for access to water and soil nutrients. But when they’re near siblings, they are more accommodating of each other.”
I wrinkle my nose. “Really? Huh. If someone put me in a pot with Jake, it would be likeThe Hunger Games.”
He chuckles.
Our conversation flows as we drive on, and oddly enough, talking about plants is a good distraction. Or maybe it’s just Atticus.
Before I know it, he’s coming to a stop outside of a two-story residence. It’s a Victorian-style home with red siding and white shutters. Flower boxes adorn the windows, spilling over with an effusion of white and blue flowers. I wouldn’t know it was a store if it weren’t for the sign next to the front door that readsBoylesville Antiquesin an old-style font.
Atticus eyeballs it and then me, searching my face. “Are you ready?”
My palms prickle with sweat. “I’m not sure.”
His hand covers mine. “Take your time. We can come back another day. Whatever you need.” He turns back to the window, giving me a moment, keeping the car on and the AC running.
My heart jolts in my chest. How can I leave him behind? Just thinking of our inevitable end has the power to rip me in two. How am I ever going to return, knowing he’s no longer mine to touch, to taste, to have the right to simplybewith, as we are now?
