looks that way. Yeah." My hands yearn to comfort, but I maintain my distance, providing her time to process. "The place was empty, save for your room and the pictures in the hallway."
"And you guys packed it? Frey, Owen, Finn … they helped you?"
The agony in her dull eyes wrecks me, and my strength falters. I reach for her. "Jess."
Her hand comes between us. "Tell them thanks for me." She shuffles around my body. "I need a minute. Thank Owen, okay?"
My head drops. "Yeah, sure."
I snag two beers from the fridge and join Owen outside, where he leans against his car. I pull the lock from the shed and we sit in the doorway, drinking and staring out at the yard.
"How will I let her go, O?"
Owen and I unload her things into the shed, and after two hours—I figured she could use more than the minute she asked for—I finally wave my newly minted therapist off and go inside. I find Jess sitting in the middle of my couch. Her hair is damp, and she's dressed for bed in nothing but one of my tee shirts.
"I love this house," she says after I click the bolts on the back door. "The space is so open and clean. Whoever did the remodel has such a good eye."
I rest my forearms on the armchair’s back and let my gaze wander around her. "She’s a friend of my mom's—investors. They hire out crews to flip homes, but she designs all the interiors. They were supposed to sell it, but Chase tagged along with Mom once during the reno, and she mentioned it to me when I decided I couldn't live at home after my recovery. I called Viva and asked if she’d rent with a contingency to buy."
"You should buy it."
I round the chair and sit on the ottoman in front of her. Her legs are crossed and tucked beneath her, and I circle her knee with the pad of my finger. "Would you live here if I did?"
She closes her eyes and breathes a deep exhale. "I have to go finish school, Carter," she says when they open.
I wet my lips. "I know, but until you go?" She reaches for her damp hair and twists it around her fist. "And after you're done."
Twist, twist, twist.
I still her hand with mine and inch in. "I'm just saying you have a home here, Jess. As long as you need one. This can work for us. We can make it work."
Her head and shoulders drop. "He abandoned me, Carter."
"Yeah, baby, he did." I scoot as far forward as my legs allow. "I'm sorry."
Her small fists twist in my shirt, drawing it taut around my chest. "My own parents abandoned me. I don't know what to do." Her chest spasms as the dam retaining her emotions cracks. "I feel so alone now."
I could promise her she's not alone, that I was serious about her moving in with me, but instead of making promises she won't believe considering the track records of those who were supposed to love her unconditionally, I hold her, and I listen, absorbing her tears and making a promise to do my damnedest to never be the cause of more.
Jess
Ten days ago, Dad disappeared. His phone rings directly to voicemail, the mail is no longer delivered. I cancel the utilities because I have the online information since I was paying the bills. The bank account associated with everything is empty—because I no longer transfer my paychecks over. He left on his own. The officers at the police station tell me what I already know, there's nothing they can do.
I've just found sleep when Carter wakes me, his fingers tickling over my ribs as he lifts my shirt and kisses the middle of my spine. He inhales deeply against my skin. "I need you," he says, his voice thick with lust.
My eyes adjust to the dim glow from the bathroom light, and I stretch and roll to my back as he reclines. "How was Houston?"
He reluctantly left Sunday evening to meet up with a former teammate drafted to Houston this spring, and to hook up with a few fabricators and parts distributors for collaborations on future builds. It was three nights, not a big deal, except our time is limited. Today is August second. Classes resume on the twenty-first.
Without answering, Carter straddles my upper thighs, and my lips stretch into a grin. He's as naked as the day he was born. The devilish