I can’t breathe. They’re right. He marked it in the stars. And suddenly the orb isn’t just sweet or sentimental. It’s staggering. It’s terrifying. It’s a reminder of every moment I haven’t stopped thinking about, but definitely haven’t been ready to feel.
Until now.
And maybe not even now.
My hands are trembling as I close the box, like shutting it will somehow muffle the roaring in my chest.
This is more than I bargained for. And way more than I know how to handle.
Our stars will never fade.
The phrase drifts through my mind, soft and echoing.
But this time, it’s not Nolan I see, it’s my dad. His arm wrapped around my shoulders, pointing up at the night sky with that quiet certainty only he carried.
“Some stars are stubborn, Rorie-girl,”he used to say.“They hold on. Even when everything else fades.”
Swallowing hard, I blink against the sting. Nolan has no idea what kind of connection this gift touches. No idea what those wordsmeanto me.
He was only trying to be sweet. Romantic. But this cracked something open. And I don’t know if I’m ready for what’s on the other side.
I slide the box aside, careful not to look at it, because if I do, I’ll start spiraling all over again.
My fingers hover over the small business card tucked beneath the lid.Nolan Rhodes, Big Stream Marketing.His number printed beneath in elegant black font.
“You going to text him?” Maya asks.
I shake my head no, and slip the card into my wallet, behind my ID. The place where I keep the things I’m not ready to let go of.
Jeremy watches with interest. “I can’t believe this man gave you a galaxy?”
Hands planted firmly on my hips, I level him with a look.
“So like… what does his cock get you? A personalized comet? A minor planet? The deed to the moon?”
Maya still hasn’t spoken. Which, frankly, is alarming.
Her eyes track the box. She’s still trying to compute what just happened.
So am I.
She shakes her head, disbelieving. “I’m literally a professional at this and even I don’t know what to say.”
My throat is tight. Because I don’t either. Not when part of me wants to rip this connection out by the root before it becomes something more…
…and the other part is already watering it like a lunatic.
Maya tilts her head, studying me. “You’ve got some soul-searching to do, friend.”
Yeah.
No kidding.
And somehow, Nolan Rhodes has become the one thing I didn’t plan for?—
A complication I want.
And that might be the most terrifying part of all.
