“You trying to scare me off, cupcake?”
“It’s a warning,” she said over her shoulder as she opened the bathroom door.
“Wills—”
She stopped and glanced at me.
“I don’t scare easily.”
Her fingers tightened around her clothes. “I’m starting to figure that out.”
“And for the record, I didn’t believe in love at first sight until I had to run to the store for contact solution the night before a conference.”
Willow froze, startled at my confession. But she doubted me. Instead of saying what she really wanted to say, she simply replied, “Go to sleep, Ford. You’re delirious.”
11
AUTUMN
PHILOSOPHICAL SHIT
Manhattan, Kansas, was a small city an hour west of Topeka. Sprawling fields welcomed us as we pulled off the highway and hit city roads.
It was amazing what a good night of sleep did for a person.
I felt human again.
After nearly thirty-eight hours, thanks to a few pit stops and our overnight stay in Kansas City, I was home.
Technically, my family and Lisa lived in unincorporated territory outside of Manhattan, but we claimed the city as ours, since it was the closest landmark other than the fields.
Ryan’s hand was wrapped around mine as he pulled onto a tree-lined street. “You ready for this?”
“For more sleep? Yes,” I said as I stared out of the window and watched the passing houses.
Ryan looked comfortable today, in a pair of cloth shorts, slip-on shoes, and a T-shirt that had no business being as tight as it was. He was still wearing his glasses, and his tattoos were on full display.
He looked like an infuriatingly badass nerd. It was annoyingly hot.
“I meant if you’re ready to see everyone,” he said as his thumb stroked across the back of my hand.
Oh.
“Lisa’s at the funeral home this morning to work out the service arrangements,” I said as I swallowed the sand that coated my throat. “I told her I’d catch up with her tonight.”
“What about your family? Do you want to go see them or crash first?”
Honestly, I needed to sleep a little more before I saw my parents and sister. I loved them, but the fact that I hadn’t cut out Shep as easily as they did created a wedge between us.
“I’ll see them after I see Lisa so I can get the funeral details from her. I’m sure they’ll want to go, and that will keep Lisa from having to call them.”
Ryan nodded. “Rest it is.”
The car bumped and bobbed as he pulled onto a cracked cement driveway that led to a quaint yellow house.
“Home sweet home,” I said with a sigh. The little two-bedroom house was a welcome sight after endless hours of highway driving and gas station coffee.
Ryan put the car in park and studied the house. “I thought this was a rental, and that you weren’t going to see your family until later?”
