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“Oh, no! Miranda—Cap likes us to partner up, so we watch out for ourselves and our partner when we’re working. We share a crew and a tent, but that is all, I assure you.”
“Would she say the same thing?”
“I’ll put it this way. When I told her I’d been flirty and charming with you, she laughed at me. Thought it was hilarious that anyone could be charmed by me. Ever.”
He told her about me?“So, she’s more like a sister?”
He nods. “Except my sister, Maya, is far girlier than Miranda could ever be.”
“And she likes the bunker bunnies?”
“Oh yeah. I mean, I get it—some people practically worship the ground we walk on, and it’s hard not to let yourself be treated like you’re God’s gift, but like I said. It gets messy fast. No good can come of it. She dated this one girl—
“She’s gay?”That’s a relief. Wait—why? He’s not mine. No matter how cute he is. And all the rest of it.
“Uh, bi, I think. Or pan or something. According to her, she likes everyone and labels don’t matter.” He shrugs those huge shoulders of his. “She likes guys more, I think. Or that’s just who she ends up with most of the time. I’m not sure. Miranda’s an enigma wrapped in a thick layer of curse words, wisdom, questionable advice, and more curse words.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“She is.” He stares at the TV for a moment. I’m not sure why, because it’s off. His voice is suddenly tense. “Aria—"
“Yes?”
“This has been the best night of my life.”
My heart melts at that. “Then I’m extra glad I let you come in.”
He turns to me, and there’s so much intensity in his brilliant blue eyes that I’m sucked under by them. He takes my hands in his. “Thank you for trusting me. For raising our son. For everything.”
It feels good to hold his hands. They’re huge, and even the bandaged one feels right in mine. Like it’s where it’s supposed to be. Dangerous thoughts.
I smile, trying to hold myself together. “It’s been the greatest honor of my life, Everett.”
His breath catches in his throat as he stares at me. When his eyes flicker to my lips, I’m captivated. He murmurs, “There are so many things I want right now—
“Like what?”
“This.” Everett leans in, and I meet him halfway, dying for this. His lips brush against mine. It’s soft at first. Tentative. But when I don’t pull away, he deepens it, taking his time. It’s a heady feeling to get lost in his kiss. Sparks coast through me, and I’m transported to a night years ago when we were carefree and wild.
And foolish.
Reality brings me back to the present, and I break the kiss and my heart at the same time. “Everett, this is all complicated, and we don’t need to make things more complicated. Okay?”
He takes a stiff, deep breath and lets it out slowly, before gulping. “Uh, okay.”
I don’t want to kick him out. But I also don’t want to make things confusing between us. This can’t happen, no matter how much I want it to. He’s a changed man—I can see it in his eyes. But that doesn’t mean he’s mine. It can’t mean that. I don’t get relationships right, and I cannot afford to screw this up for Owen.
But what if I don’t screw it up?
I shove that thought aside. I don’t have a choice. This is for Owen. “Um, I can’t go to bed without getting the dishes done first, so if you—"
“I’ll help.”
Shit. That was my segue for kicking him out. Not asking for help. But the idea of having help for the dishes is novel enough that I don’t want to say no. “Um, okay.”
He follows me to the kitchen and suggests, “You wash, I dry?”
“Sure.”
