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My mom nudges me. “Let’s go save Dahlia before she reconsiders moving back here.”
A little too late for that after her call about Archer.
“Rosa!” My mom claps her hands together. “Let’s relax. They’re kids. It’s not like we can expect them to know any better.”
“Kids? I had Dahlia when I was her age.”
“And you did such a good job raising her—this little incident with the truck aside.” My mother wraps an arm around her childhood friend and steers her toward her car. I bet she will talk Rosa down from her tirade in two minutes flat.
I loop my arm around Dahlia’s waist and lead her to the sidewalk instead of my mother’s car. “What do you say we walk
Nunca en mi vida:Never in my life.
¡No empieces conmigo!:Don’t start with me.
back to the truck instead?”
Her gaze swings from my mom’s car to me a few times while she gnaws on the inside of her cheek. “Okay.”
Dahlia remains quiet as we walk toward the diner. I only last sixty seconds before breaking the silence. “Did your mom actually believe you were saving yourself for marriage?”
“If she did—which I’m almost positive was the case—it’s safe to say she doesn’t anymore.”
I flinch. “She’s going to hate me.”
“Probably. You are the man who stole her virgin daughter’s ticket to heaven.”
“Pretty sure you earned yourself a one-way trip to hell years ago, but fine, I’ll take the blame for your fall from grace.”
“This is so embarrassing,” she groans. “What will everyone think?”
“That it’s about goddamn time.”
She stops midstride.
“We got caught having sex in a parking lot. It’s not exactly the scandal of the year.” I press my hand against the small of her back and give her a little push.
“No one knows we’re together.”
“They will now.”
“Julian,” she pleads, but for what, I’m not too sure. She wraps her arms around herself. “This isn’t going to work between us.”
“Because of the long distance or your trust issues?” The comment slips out before I have a chance to rein it in.
Her step falters, along with her breathing.
I rub my face with a curse. “We’ll figure it out.”
Neither one of us says anything else for the remainder of the walk, which gives me time to process our situation.
Did I expect Dahlia to push me away when she realized how she felt about me? Yes, I did, yet I’m still disappointed to think she would so easily give up on us because of a few logistical problems.
I’m not the same guy she expects me to be anymore. I’ve changed, and if I have to fight Dahlia every step of the way to prove it to her, then so be it.
By the time we make it to the diner’s parking lot, a plan has already started forming in my head.
“Are you hungry?” I unlock the truck and open the passenger door.
