But I wouldn’t have coped with Devin knowing how I felt, and he got that. Which was why he’d kept my secret all this time.
“Okay, so…” Carter began. “Devin still doesn’t know… and you’re planning on spending this trip alone with him?” he asked, looking at Aiden.
I could see what he was getting at. That sounded like exactly the way they’d gotten together.
But they were different.Thiswas different.
I wasn’t exactly surehow, but I was sure itwas.
“You’re screwed,” Aiden said cheerfully, sipping his coffee. “Keep me updated.”
“Devin doesnotwant someone like me. He’s this… incredibly cool outdoorsy daredevil type and my idea of risk-taking behavior is trying a new chip flavor,” I said. “It’s not gonna change anything.”
“Sure.” Carter nodded. “Definitely never changed anything for Aiden and me. Or Kieran and Felix. Totally doesn’t run in the family.”
“Oh yeah,” Aiden agreed. “And Devin probably isn’texpectingit to continue to run in the family. This definitely isn’t him subtly making a move.”
“He’s probably, definitely not hoping the whole proximity thing might be the push you need,” Carter continued.
I swallowed a mouthful of my coffee.
I wasscrewed.
6
Devin
“You really didn’t haveto deep clean the van for me,” I said as Morgan took my bag—alwaysthe gentleman—and set it in the back alongside his own. My kayak was already strapped to the roof, a two-person job we’d accomplished in record time. “I could’ve just taken an antihistamine.”
“They make you sleepy,” he said.
He remembered. He remembered me yawning my head off after dinner and stumbling my way to the front door when he’d dropped me home.
And he’ddonesomething about it.
My heart couldn’t take this. It’d pickedexactlythe right person to have a huge, ridiculous crush on.
Or exactly the wrong person, depending on your point of view.
“And you’d like company on the drive?” I teased, unsure what else to do.
I wasn’t used to this much sincere kindness. Mom was kind to me, my brothers were kind to me, Marta was kind to me when she wasn’t throwing me in the deep end and laughing while I flailed. But none of it was ever quite likethis.
Morgan shrugged. “Sleep on the drive if you want,” he said. “Van needed a deep clean anyway, seemed rude to put you through having a reaction again. This way, it’s clean for the drive back, too.”
“But you do want my company, right?” I asked, suddenly unsure. I could nevertellwith Morgan. I wasn’t sure anyone could. Aiden had to translate for him all the time.
Which was weird, because he just said… exactly what he meant.
I was so used to having to interpret what peoplereallymeant that I never thought to just take what he was saying at face value.
I wanted to learn. Morgan’s blunt sincerity was one of the things I liked most about him. He’d never lie to me, definitely not about anything important. I wasn’t convinced he wascapableof lying.
“Obviously,” Morgan said. “You’re my pretend boyfriend.”
Even withpretendin front of it, I really liked the way that sounded.
Turning that thought over, I got into the passenger side of the van and settled into the surprisingly comfy seat, clutching my day pack just in case the deep cleaning wasn’t quite deepenoughfor my oversensitive immune system and I needed quick access to my antihistamines.
