But when she pulls me onto the bed and uses me for a pillow, I know she wants me the most, and there’s no going back after what we’ve just done.
Zephyr’s running his fingers through her hair.
“You okay?” I ask her quietly.
“Better than okay.”
“Good.”
We lie there for a while. Just existing. Just being.
Then she sits up. “What time is it?”
I check my phone. “Two-thirty.”
“Shit. I have to pick up Zinnia from school at three.”
She’s scrambling for decent clothes. We all are.
“I’ll go with you,” I say.
She looks at me and smiles. “Okay.”
Zephyr and Callum head out, giving us space.
Tiger and I drive to the school. We get there early and end up in the pick-up line with a dozen other cars.
We sit in silence for a moment. Then I ask, “Have you thought about moving?”
She looks at me. “What?”
“The house we live in is fine for now. But with Zinnia... maybe we should find something better. More space. Better schools.”
“Jax, we can’t afford—”
“I know, but maybe Zeff and Cal will want to. Between the four of us, we can afford something nice.”
She’s quiet, staring out the window.
“You don’t have to decide now,” I add. “Just think about it.”
She pauses, then she says, “I’m dropping out of UCLA.”
My head whips toward her. “What? Why?”
“It’s expensive. And I need to work full-time to support Zinnia. I can’t do both.”
“Tiger—”
“I’ve been thinking about starting my own business. Something I can do from home. Something flexible so I can do school pickups like this without having to call off of work.”
“What kind of business?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know yet. Maybe something on social media. I need something I can build on my own schedule.”
“That’s... actually really smart.”
“You think so?”
