tender kiss against his lips. He melted against me, but I pulled away before it could turn into something we couldn’t stop. “You are not responsible for her. Her self-destruction is not your fault. Love her where she’s at, but don’t think for a second that her behavior has anything to do with you. Put your air mask on first, Decker.”
My mind immediately went to my father, and I wondered how he was doing. The worry was still there, but I wanted to take my father’s advice to heart. Decker was like oxygen to me. Our plane was crashing, but I just wanted to breathe him in.
Decker’s eyes skated over my skin, and he wrapped his arms around me for a hug. I tucked my head under his chin, feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest as he processed my words. “She sure is taking a while to get dressed,” he finally said after what felt like a tender eternity.
“She probably passed out. I was stalling,” I admitted. “You going to stay here with her or go to dinner?” I asked.
“Dinner,” he bluntly replied.
I smiled against his chest. “Take a deep breath, Decker. You’re doing great.”
“After dinner, meet me in the treehouse,” he said before pulling away. It felt like the promise of more, but before I could ask him why or how or what the fuck we were doing, he was walking to the door and glancing back at me over his shoulder. “You coming with me?” he asked.
“Always,” I whispered.
24
Blakely
The guest room I was staying in was across the hall from my brother. I knew what I was doing was wrong, and there was a foreboding sense of understanding boiling in my gut. Once Decker and I started this, we wouldn’t be able to stop. It was dangerous for us to be alone together. I almost wished that Lance would hear me tiptoe across the wood floors and down the stairs. I wanted Katy Trask to stop me when my hand touched the back door to their home.
But I met no obstacles. It seemed that fate wanted Decker and me to bring this building tension between us to a head.
Chicago was one of those towns where the sun was blistering hot in the summer, but the wind blew with a whispered warning that autumn was coming. It was weird to think about how much time had already passed.
The moon was out now, leaving nothing but a breeze that licked my skin. My bare feet crunched in the dewy grass as I made my way over to the tall tree house hoisted high in an aged redwood in the back of Lance’s backyard. Leaning against the bark with his arms crossed over his chest, Decker stared at me. The moonlight cast shadows along his scruffy face. He wore all black, looking intimidating as I approached him. I took my time and stared at his broad shoulders with fresh eyes. So much rested on them.
“How long have you been waiting?” I asked while running a hand through my wild hair. I was wearing my pajamas, though I debated on dressing up. Being around Decker made me feel giddy and flirtatious. I liked the way his eyes lingered on my body. I loved the way his words embraced my soul. Still, I stayed in the thin tank top and shorts. We’d never even been on a date. Would he be the type to enjoy getting dressed up for a nice dinner? Would he plan a casual night? I feared I’d never know.
“Since dinner,” he replied without shame. I could feel the earth rotate beneath my feet and hear the secrets of the world whispered in static motion against my neck.
I looked around the yard, noting the fireflies dancing in the distance. It looked like twinkling lights casting sparks of hope along the lawn. “Why did you want to see me, Decker?” I asked. I didn’t want to assume anything. Would this be just another conversation where we promised each other this would be nothing? Would this be just another argument about why we were wrong for one another?
Decker’s response surprised me. “I wanted to see you. I wanted to be near you.”
I took another step toward him. Questions were forming on the tip of my tongue. I realized then that I wanted to know everything there was to know about Decker Harris. I tried to find similarities in our upbringing. I wanted to know about the things that hurt