“I’m okay,” she whispers.
I nod but keep my hand there and let my palm rest against her back, my thumb rubbing slow circles over her sweater.
I feel the way her shoulders tense. The way her spine goes rigid under my touch.
She doesn’t like being touched.
I remove my hand immediately and glance at Zephyr. He caught it too. I can see it in the way his jaw tightens, the way his eyes narrow slightly.
My teeth ache from how hard I’m grinding them.
Shit.
I signal for the check. The waitress brings it over, still smiling, and I hand her my card without looking at the total.
“Thank you,” Tigerlily says softly when the waitress walks away.
That voice. That gentle, genuine voice.
It does something to me.
I want to protect that. Protect her innocence. The part of her that still says thank you and means it. The part that hasn’t been completely destroyed by her father’s abuse.
I’ll protect it at all costs.
“You’re welcome, Tigerlily,” I say.
Her eyes flutter for a second before she returns to her dessert. She takes a few more bites and then announces she’s done.
We leave the restaurant and head to the car. The morning sun is higher now, warming the air, and Tigerlily tilts her face toward it for just a second like she’s soaking it in.
“You want to go home, Cal?” I ask as we get in the car.
Callum’s in the backseat next to Tigerlily again, sprawled out.
“Depends,” he says. “You kicking me out?”
“Just asking.”
Tigerlily looks at Callum, then at me in the rearview mirror.
Callum catches her looking and grins. “Tiger, what do you think?”
“About what?” she asks, eyeing him.
“Do you want me gone? Say the word, and I’ll go home. But if you want me to stay...” He lets the sentence hang.
“Don’t be weird, Cal,” Zephyr mutters from the passenger seat.
Tigerlily looks at me in the mirror. She holds my gaze for a beat longer than usual. Is she scared about my reaction if she says yes to him? Is she worried I’ll judge for liking Callum’s attention? Callum can get any girl he wants, but I know he’s still hung up on Sienna.
“I don’t mind,” Tigerlily says quietly.
Callum throws an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side. “Knew it.”
She blushes under his arm, and I have to focus on the road before I say something I’ll regret.
The drive back is quiet. Callum’s talking every now and then, but it’s background noise now. Tigerlily responds occasionally, soft one-word answers, but mostly she’s just looking out the window.
