Please, God.
And if that’s true?
I’ll burn the whole damn world down before I let it slip through my fingers again.
Chapter 19-Esme
“The Big C Quarterly Barbecue is on!”
Chase Baron’s voice carries over the crowd, easy and confident, and the place erupts.
Hats go flying.
Napkins wave.
Laughter rolls across the open space like thunder.
And somehow—I’m laughing too.
Clapping along, caught up in it, in the warmth of it, in the simple, uncomplicated joy of people celebrating something they built together.
For a second?
It feels easy.
The road trip. The miles. The motels. The people.
Like I belong to this kind of life.
Like I could belong with him.
Benji’s hand settles at the back of my neck, big and warm and there, and my breath catches just a little.
God.
That simple touch?
It does things to me.
Grounds me.
Unravels me.
Both at the same time.
I lean into it without thinking, letting myself feel it—him—just for a second.
It’s wonderful.
Terrific.
Dangerous as hell.
Because this?
This feels like a dream.
And not for the first time tonight, I wonder just how badly I’m setting myself up for heartbreak.
