“Does that answer your question?” I ask her, still peppering kisses over her cheek and under her ear where her skin is silky soft.
“I can’t even remember what I asked you,” she replies with soft pants, so I kiss her again.
“You’re my girlfriend,” I tell her when I pull back.
Eyes clouded over and body melted into my arms, she barely gets out, “Oh, that. Yes, I’d like that very much. But—”
I play with a strand of her hair, twirling and tugging it between my fingers. “But what?”
“Are we moving too fast, JD? We went from never existing in each other’s space to a relationship in a matter of days. On top of that, my life right now feels like I’m on a runaway train about to cross a bridge with half the tracks missing.”
I get where she’s coming from, but I will not retreat backward when it comes to her. I’ve had a crush on this girl for years. I kept my distance from her because of a promise I made to Cam. For me, it’s been a long, long journey to get to now, and I’ll be damned if I back off after finally getting my one-in-a-million shot at building something amazing with her. Aurora has always beenthat girlfor me. My dream girl. The girl I can see dropping down on a knee for one day. And nothing will make me walk away from her now.
“If you need us to slow things down, we will. But unless, and until, you kick my ass to the curb and want nothing to do with me, I’m all in, Aurora. I’m yours. I want to be yours. I really fucking hope that you want to be mine too. I want to explore this thing between us. It’s real and raw and powerful, and I feel it. Deeply. I think if we give it a shot, it could wind up being something spectacular.”
“Dammit, Jackson,” she gushes, then raises up to brush her lips across mine. “Yes.”
“Yes?”
“Yes. To everything you just said. All of it. Yes. But I’ll need you to be patient with me. Some days I’ll need space. Some days I’ll need you to be the light to guide me home. Other than Cam, I’m not used to people caring about me.” Aurora buries her head against my chest. “I’m not used to having good things in my life. Everybody leaves,” she murmurs against my shirt.
Her words painfully grip my heart. For Aurora, that’s been her life’s truth so far. I’ll prove to her that I’ll be the man who will stand by her and never abandon her.
“Not me,” I promise her with conviction even as her words lodge in my brain.Everybody leaves.
Chapter 15
As soon as first period ends, I’m rushing out of the classroom to meet Aurora at her locker. She has independent studies next, so if I don’t hurry, I’ll miss her before she goes off to the library where she said she likes to study during her free hour. I smile when I spot her in the hallway standing at her locker—that is, until I see Austin standing on the other side of her.
“Hey, babe,” I say when I get close enough, making Aurora jump. I take her bag off her shoulder to carry it for her. “Austin.”
“JD.”
Aurora looks between the two of us, and because I’m feeling a bit territorial, I lean in and give her a quick kiss on the cheek and take her hand in mine. Her hand stiffens and then gradually relaxes. I know she’s still getting used to there being an ‘us’ now.
“You headed for the library, babe?”
“We’regoing to the library,” Austin cuts in.
Aurora hastily adds, “I’ve agreed to tutor Austin. Since we both have independent studies for second period, it works for both of our schedules.”
What the fuck is Austin up to?
“Thought you had that e-commerce class for second period.”
“Got it switched,” he says and looks at Aurora. “Meet you there?”
“Don’t make me regret this,” she warns him, and he smiles at her before walking off.
“You can stop crushing my hand now, JD.”
I relax my grip. “I don’t trust him.”
She laughs and pulls me with her down the hallway. “Neither do I, but I need the money.”
I want to tell her she doesn’t. She’s a Montgomery now, and from what I could glean from her conversations with Fallon and Trevor last night, she’s never going to need for anything ever again.
Aurora is suddenly ripped from my grasp as Prescott picks her up from behind. “Good morning, y’all!” He puts her down and she smacks his arm.
