Page 67 of The Scars We Heal

“So? It’s spontaneous.” I flashed her a wide grin, hoping my smile would be convincing enough. “Just trust me. We won’t go far.”

She huffed out a breath. “Fine. Give me five minutes.”

The minute the window shades closed, I pumped my fist in the air. Instead of waiting for her in the bushes like a creep, I moved to the front porch, sitting in one of the chairs facing the yard.

Crickets in the grass provided the only sounds other than the whish of a gentle breeze moving through the trees.

I was so lost in my own world that I didn’t even hear the front door open, didn’t realize Caitlin had come out onto the front porch until her hand settled on my shoulder, causing me to jump.

“Sorry!” She pulled her hand back like she’d touched hot coals. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Laughing, I reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. “Payback for me tapping on your window like a weirdo.”

“Not gonna lie, I thought I was going to end up on a Dateline episode for a second.” Her shoulders shook with laughter, and she tousled her hair a bit.

“I would have come to save you if you were in trouble.” I winked.

“Okay, Superman.” She rolled her eyes, but then her gaze softened and she whispered, “You would have been the first person I called if I was actually in danger.” A pause, then a murmur, so quiet I could barely hear, “I probably would have said that two years ago, too.”

When neither of us said anything, I cleared my throat to break the silence. “Shall we?”

“Where’s the best stargazing spot around here?” she asked as I led her to my truck.

“Honestly?” I looked around at the property. “Anywhere out here is great. I didn’t know if you’d want to sit on the ground, though, so I brought some blankets and pillows out to the truck. We can go somewhere, but if Whitley wakes up, I want you to be close.”

She offered me an appreciative smile, nodding in agreement to the plan.

After lowering the tailgate and giving it a pat, I offered her a hand to climb up into the bed. She lay on her back, and I followed, lying down on my side in the space beside her.

She stared up at the sky, her hands interlaced and resting on her stomach. A gentle breeze blew a few strands of hair into her face, and I resisted the urge to tuck them away behind her ear.

“Are you cold?” I asked, fully prepared to strip off my sweatshirt and hand it to her.

She tilted her head toward me then turned onto her side so we could make eye contact. “Hmm.” As though sensing my eagerness, she replied, “A little.”

Shucking off my sweatshirt in record timing, I held it out to her. “Here.”

A glint flashed in her eyes. “Aren’t you going to be cold?”

“I’m good. I’m actually warm.” In fact, I was burning up on the inside.

“All right.” Reluctantly, she took the sweatshirt from me, throwing it over her head. The sleeves were too long on her, coming past her knuckles.

It looked fucking adorable.

She caught me staring at her, and as she dipped her chin, her brows raised. “What? Is there something wrong?”

The only thing wrong is how much I want to rip that sweatshirt off you. Along with everything else you’ve got on.

“Nothing’s wrong.”

She kept looking at me as though she didn’t believe me, so I repeated, “Nothing’s wrong. I swear. You just look cute in my clothes.”

Pink streaks formed across her cheeks, and she lay back down completely without saying anything in response. I mimicked the action, staring up into the night sky.

“Do you think there’s anything else out there?” she murmured after a few silent minutes, scrunching her nose.

“What, like aliens?”