“What does thatevenmean?”
“That I’m proud of you—for everything, not just that you’re a world famousartist.”
“Stop. You’ll make me blush.” I slugged Pete’s arm and ducked my head, hiding from the intensity in his stare. Hewasproud of me, and I’d always known it. But it still seemed like the weirdest thing to hear himsayit.
Back at the van, we were beat enough to forgo foraging for dinner and settled for sharing a giant bag of chips in our doublesleepingbag.
“We’ll be in Portland this time tomorrow,” I said absently. “It seemed so far away a fewdaysago.”
Pete hummed drowsily. “It does feel like we’ve lived a whole new life ontheroad.”
I thought about how much we’d shared and had to agree. A blood-warming flash of us fucking that morning lit up my tired brain, and I bit my lip. Every sexual milestone we’d passed had been liberating, but this one more than most. For so long, I’d been afraid to even turn my back to Pete—toanyone—that to have him fuck me that way had seemed impossible. That I would like it so much too? Wow.Mind officially blown. And the bonus of feeling more connected to Pete than ever meant theworld.
I kind of wanted to jump him all over again, but I didn’t move. He was halfway to sleep in my arms, and nothing would make medisturbhim.
Pete slid his hand under my clothes and rested it on my belly. “Can I ask yousomething?”
I looked down to find him staring up at me. “Ofcourse.”
“How do you really feel about whatIdid?”
“WithMaggie?”
He nodded. I wove my hand into his soft hair and stared at the dark locks tangled around my fingers. “It hurts that you kept it from me, but I understand why. And… I guess I know that it was what she wanted too. She was so proud of your work, but she told me once that she’d throw herself off a cliff before she let you take careofher.”
“You’re notangry?”
“No.”
“I wish youdidn’tknow.”
“Why?”
Pete sighed. “Because it haunts me, and you don’t need any more fuckingghosts.”
“You carry mine as much as I carry yours. We’re wasting our time,otherwise.”
“Wisefucker.”
“AmI?”
“More than you know, babe. More thanyouknow.”
He fell asleep then, and I watched over him for a long time. Pete had slept like a dead man since the accident, but that didn’t keep me from worrying about his dreams. Mine had often been worse than living, and I didn’t want that for himeither.
ChapterEleven
Pete
“We’re five miles fromAshton.”
“Seriously?” Ash’s gaze flickered to his phone that was clipped to the dashboard. “I can’t make sense of that stupidnavigationapp.”
“Still? We’ve been on the roadfourdays.”
“Screw you,asshole.”
I grinned and retrieved the handwritten directions. “It says here that Jed’s place is just outside the town. Do you want to go straightthere?”
