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Once the traffic cleared on the driver’s side, I grabbed a cold bottle of water and ran around the car, getting to her as fast as I could.

I was only a few feet from Andi when she started rambling again.

“I don’t know if I can do this. I can’t go in there. I haven’t seen Logan in years. I miss him, but I hate him at the same time. How can I go in there and play pretend like the past didn’t happen?”

“Hey, shhh. Come here.”

It was becoming clear to me that there was a lot more boiling under the surface, and her brother being locked up was only one of the many things she had buried under her tough exterior.

Gently, I took Andi’s arm in mine, turning her to look up at me.

“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. I’m here for you no matter what you choose to do.”

“But you drove all this way. I … I can’t⁠—”

“Andi, don’t worry about it. We can grab a room, decompress, and try again tomorrow. Or we can say, ‘to hell with it,’ turn around, and get out of here.”

“You can drop me off somewhere, and I can grab a car in the morning. I don’t want to inconvenience you.”

“Andi…” I shot her a get real look.

“I asked you for a day, Hunter. I didn’t ask you to reserve your whole weekend for me.”

“I don’t give a fuck what you asked. Consider me at your mercy this weekend.” I brushed the deep cherry strands of hair falling over her eyes away and pulled her into my arms. “For once in your life, please choose this moment to be the one where you don’t push someone away,” I whispered against her ear. “Just let me be here for you,” I pleaded.

After moments of me holding her on the side of the road, her body relaxed into my embrace, and for a moment, it felt like she was giving up her control, finally allowing me to take the wheel.

“I’m not ready to go in there. Maybe tomorrow?” she admitted in defeat.

“That’s okay, I’m glad you aren’t forcing it.” Offering her the cold bottle of water I had on standby, I added, “We will get back in the car, find the closest hotel, grab a bite to eat, and figure out a game plan, okay?”

Sipping on the water, she nodded, and I instantly saw the relief take over her features. Her shoulders dropped from the tense position they had been in since the moment I picked her up, and it was almost as if she needed someone in her corner to tell her that it was okay to put herself first for a change.

As morbid as it may sound, her brother was going to be in prison for twelve years. Andi had all the time in the world to visit him. But at the end of the day, it needed to be a time that worked out best for her.

When the traffic was clear, I turned around and headed for the next town over. Placing my hand back on her thigh—where it belonged—I ran my thumb over the strong and defined muscle I could only imagine was formed from years of dancing. When I told her to let me be there for her, this was how I saw myself making light of a dark situation … around her, at least.

My experience with emotionally caring for a woman hadn’t existed since I was with my late wife, but the more time I spent around Andi, it was apparent that I was not only getting to know her, but I was getting to know a new version of myself, too.

Selfishly, a part of me was happy that she wasn’t ready to walk into that jailhouse just yet. I was hoping a night together, spent in some small-town hotel, away from the bustling city, would somehow mean that since she couldn’t run off, and we’d have all hours of the night to get lost in the details about one another.

Andi’s relief felt contagious, and part of me actually looked forward to opening up to her about my past, where I’d finally get the feelings that I’d been harboring for years off my chest.

“Well, I guess this will have to do.” The sun had begun to set, and the deep colors of orange and pink burned in the sky. The stunning backdrop was a shocking contrast to the rundown motel we stumbled upon.

In typical Nevada fashion, the motel had bright neon lights—except half the letters appeared to be burned out, leaving the question in the air if they had vacancy or not.

With a practically full dirt parking lot, I was unsure if the rooms were fully booked, or if locals were here for the attached casino offering a fifteen-dollar steak dinner at the restaurant.

“I’ve stayed at much shittier places in my life, but what about you, Hotshot? Are you going to survive in a dump like this?” Andi glanced my way with a little sass laced in her tone, a far cry from the girl on the side of the road.

“I may have a fuck ton of money—most of that being because of my family—but believe it or not, I’m not as materialistic as you’d think.”

Andi sized me up. First, she made eyes at my watch, then the car I drove, and narrowed her eyes, glaring at me as if she were challenging me. “I guess we will see about that then, won’t we?”

Chuckling, I answered, “C’mon, Trouble, let’s go see what this place has available.”

When we entered the hotel lobby, the space was small with not a lot to it. The older woman behind the counter had a cigarette lit, and it didn’t surprise me at all that this old run-down business didn’t do a damn thing electronically.