Page 141 of What Remains

“Since when do you wear jewelry?” Her tone is inquisitive, not biting. And that’s definitely not what I expected her to start with. But this is Gwen, and when it comes to her, anything is possible as a conversation starter. Hedgehogs or heartbreak and everything in between. God, I love that about her.

I drag a finger down the front column of my throat to catch the white-gold chain and shift it out from beneath my shirt. “My brother-in-law gave it to me. He, uh, pulled me aside on the plane and said some type of Saint Michael prayer over me, then gave me this necklace.”

She steps forward and takes the small medal of that warrior saint between her fingers. The side of her mouth lifts. “You know, I wasn’t that much of a believer before I started working at The Sapphire. Don’t think I was, at least. Never thought much about it, that’s for sure.” She slowly rests it back in place but keeps it out. “But if so much evil exists in this world, then shouldn’t the opposite, too?”

I have no idea how we wound up walking down the road I detoured from with my sister only a few hours ago, but if anyone can make it happen, Gwen can. “I’m inclined to agree with you.”

Her eyes always carry light differently depending on her mood. Reflective when guarded, glass-bright when excited. And as for right now? I would say somewhere in between.

“Well?” That’s my way of opening the door for her to kick things off with whatever will make me uncomfortable. We have about eight and a half minutes left, so we need to make them count.

She takes hold of the open green shirt and gently tugs. “This shirt I picked out looks good on you.”

“You’re procrastinating.”

“I’m scared,” she whispers.

“Well, you always scare me,” I admit. “But if you don’t tell me what’s on your mind before your dad returns, I’ll overthink my way into next Sunday and we’ll have a real problem on our hands.” I wrap my fingers around both her wrists and remove her hands, returning them to her sides. “I’ll have to kick your dad out until you tell me what’s going on in that beautiful head of yours, and that’s gonna piss him all the way off.”

“We wouldn’t want that.”

“No.” I switch my hands from her wrists to her waist. “We wouldn’t.”

Her lips part like an invitation to kiss her. Stress and attraction feel like both the worst and best cocktail.

“Julian,” she says under her breath.

Mood killer, but okay. “I’m listening.”

There’s a softness to her mouth that makes even her silence feel like a confession. Her dark lashes flutter as she blinks her way up to my face. “I’m worried that, after what he said, you’re going to try and give me some dumb list of reasons why I’m better off without you. And you’ll try to leave me again.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” The words come out without hesitation or forethought, because they’re the truth.

She scrunches her nose, and she’s about to question me. To try and push me into doing the very thing she fears we’ll both do: run. She admitted as much this morning after her Dear Easton note.

“Gwyneth.”

Her eyes slant to my lips as if she misheard me. “You’ve never called me that.”

“I never had to before.”

“You about to yell at me?” She raises a brow, eyes shooting back to mine.

“No,” I breathe out. “Just tell you how much I love you.”

Did I just admit . . .?

I did, didn’t I?

Her lips are warm when she presses her mouth to mine in response.

The ghost of my Spearmint is on my tongue as I seek hers, and this room and mission feel farther away than the moon as we kiss.

Her hands work over me. Under my overshirt to push it back, fingernails biting into my shoulder blades as I deepen the kiss. My rough palms land on her soft skin beneath the hoodie. I chase away the tomorrows and anchor us in the present every second our hands roam.

She breaks away and tilts her chin to stretch out her neck, offering it to me. Feels like I’m coming home without a map—muscle memory I shouldn’t have and knowledge of her body I don’t, but somehow my soul seems to.

She jumps up into my arms, wrapping her legs around me, and I pin her against the door without second-guessing it, without second-anything it. My defenses keep folding fast. Heat and harbor in the same breath.