Across the Vanishing Sky (Starlight Grove, #1)(92)

He looked up at his mom, a little confused at her higher-pitched tone.

“Thanks for dropping him off, Aster,” she went on.

She did a head-to-toe sweep of Brae and tried to fight a knowing smile. “No problem.”

“Mom, why’s that painting on the floor? And, Dex, your shirt’s on inside out,” Owen said as he stepped inside.

Aster choked on a laugh. “You just let me know anytime you need a little afternoon…break.”

“Aster,” I warned.

“Hey,” she shot back. “I’m just looking out for a sister.”

“Get in your rig,” I ordered, shaking my head as I spotted her nephew, Eli, watching us in the doorway. “Or I’ll tell Mav you asked for him to stop by.”

She glared at me. “You do that, make sure to tell him I shoot trespassers.”

“I think he’d risk the bullet,” I called as she walked away.

Brae just shook her head. “You’re a troublemaker.”

I leaned in, dangerously close. “You have no idea.”





37





BRAEDYN





Owen would not stop talking about Dex and his inside-out shirt. He thought it was hilarious. He wanted to know if he’d had it on that way the whole day, why no one had told him, if he was trying to start a new trend.

And every time Owen brought it up, Dex would look at me and wink. The bastard.

Even the next day, Owen didn’t let it drop. “At least you have your shirt on the right way now,” he called to Dex as he got out and headed to camp.

Dex choked on a laugh as he gave my son a thumbs-up and winked at me. Again.

“It’s not funny,” I hissed from my spot in the passenger seat.

Dex navigated my SUV away from the rec center and toward town, a cocky-as-hell grin twisting his lips. “I mean, it’s a little funny. Owen thought there might’ve been an earthquake he missed.”

My lips thinned. Thankfully, Owen’s mind hadn’t gone to the truth of the situation—not that it would at his age, but the paranoia was real. “You’re real freaking lucky the only one who truly knows is Aster.”

A low chuckle left Dex’s lips. “Aster does have friends.”

A curse slipped free, and Dex only laughed more. But anxiety dug its icy claws into my sides, making it harder to breathe.

“Hey,” Dex said softly, reaching over and laying a hand over mine. That steady pressure. That heat.

I wanted to lean into both. I wanted to trust that they’d always be there when I needed them. But I didn’t trust anyone, myself most of all. Because no one I bet on had stayed. God, I felt like the worst kind of human, even thinking that about Nova.

None of it was her fault. Not in the slightest. Yet I still felt the sting of betrayal. The agony of losing her.

Dex swung into one of the parking spots behind the Boot and shut off the engine. But he didn’t move his hand from mine. His fingers didn’t slide through mine. He didn’t push for more. He simply showed me he was there. “Talk to me.”

“What are we doing?” The whisper was a cannon in the SUV, echoing around and bouncing off every surface. “I have a son—one growing incredibly fond of you.”

Owen had started copying everything Dex did, down to asking me to buy him some hacker T-shirts. He was the first man he’d ever really had in his life on a consistent basis. And it scared the hell out of me to think what might happen if this all blew up.

“You think I’ll bail on Owen?” Dex challenged.

“I think if I piss you off or become someone you don’t like very much, it’ll be hard for you not to do that.”

His perfect mouth thinned. “I don’t bail. Your kid is cool as hell. I like teaching him about computers and listening to his endless questions. His mind works different than mine, and I learn just as much from him. He’s amazing and deserves all the people who care about him in his life.”

Crap. Crap. Crap.

My nose stung. “He’s the best.”

Dex squeezed my hand. “He is. But I don’t think this is really about him.”

My heart thudded against my rib cage in that pulsing two-toned beat. “You don’t want a family. I can’t trust a soul. That’s a recipe for disaster.”

A muscle popped in Dex’s cheek. “Maybe.”

I looked up into those shadowy eyes. “How’s it not?”

His gaze held mine for a long moment as if he, too, were looking for answers. “Maybe we figure out how to do both.”

My heart picked up speed. Fear and hope spurred the beats along like a rider pressing their heels into a horse’s flanks. “I don’t want to force you into something you don’t want.”

“Never said I didn’t want it. Said I wasn’t ever going to reach for it.”

That racing heart of mine shattered then for the man who wanted but never let himself take. Living a half-life all this time. “Dex.” His name was more breath than word.

“I think we take it one day at a time. You don’t want Owen to know? I get that. We’ll figure it out. Otherwise, one day at a time.”

I swallowed, trying to clear the fear still clinging to my insides. “One day at a time.”