His arm slid around my waist, draping over me. “You never talk about your mom. I know she moved right before you did.”
“Yeah. I was homeless for the last three months of high school.” He started to sit up, but I scolded him by hissing between my teeth. “Don’t ruin the moment. I’m trying to be vulnerable.”
“I didn’t know.”
“No one but the school counselor and principal did. I ended up living in the car I’d bought the summer before. I made it work.”
“Fuck, Nick. Why didn’t the adults help you?”
“I was a problem child. They didn’t want a problem.”
“That’s bullshit.”
“Yeah. Maybe. But my mom just needed to get the fuck out. Didn’t even say good bye. She left a note. And I don’t blame her, you know. This town is so small and everyone remembers who you were, even if it’s not who you are. She didn’t want to be a parent. She didn’t want me. And I can’t blame her. I wasn’t easy.”
“But she left you. She’s your mom?—”
“She was,” I said. “I don’t speak to her anymore. I figured out how much money she spent on me between the ages five to eighteen, sent it back to her after some of my investments paid off, then told her she’d never see me again.”
I couldn’t keep him from sitting up now. He wriggled free from my arms and shot up, scowling down at me. “That’sbullshit.”
I chuckled and reached up, running my fingers through his beard. Three days of scruff looked good on him. “You get so angry for other people, and you don’t reserve a single ounce of that care for yourself.”
He grabbed my wrist and gently turned my hand. His throat bobbed as he studied it. “Which one was it?”
“The other hand,” I mumbled.
He dropped that one and picked up the others, bringing my knuckles to his lips. My heart skipped a beat as he pressed a gentle kiss over them.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t know if I would have behaved differently if I would have known, and I’m sorry. You deserved better. I’m glad you’re here now, though.”
“Are you?” I murmured.
He kissed my knuckles again and a shiver of need curled through me.
“Austin,” I whispered. “Are you really glad I’m here?”
His cheeks reddened. “Yes. I am. I’m happy you’re in Whynot. I’m happy you’re with Matthew and Evie. I’m . . . possibly a little jealous.”
“Me too,” I whispered.
His eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Yeah. Really.”
That lingered between us, but then he pressed his lips together. “I probably smell awful right now.”
“You could smell worse. But also, we could take a shower. And then watch a movie.”
He raised a brow. “Are you trying to seduce me?”
“Is it working?”
“Yeah.” He kissed my hand again then released me, sitting back. “I still think I’m broken.”
“Burnout isn’t quickly fixed,” I said. “We need to figure out how to get stuff off your plate. You’re going to have to do this thing called asking for help. Maybe even, I don’t know, go to therapy.”
He made a face. “I hate that.”
