Page 24 of First Touch

Thea Wolfe… There’s no way.

I glance at her picture again, hoping that I’ll see it in a new light and it will tell me what I’m thinking is wrong. This isn’t the same Thea Wolfe who would be my best friend’s sister… Right?

He lives less than an hour from here, but that could be a coincidence…

I’ve never seen a photo of her, aside from a childhood picture he kept in his locker for years. Neither of us ever had social media and I only ever met his mom… His mom is blonde…

My brother left and was gone for years. When she said that I assumed she meant her brother took off to sow his wild oats, not that he enlisted and ended up in the same Special Ops unit as me. Fuck.

“I’m ready.” She comes walking out of that back room with her purse over her shoulder, unknowingly into the shit storm I just found myself in.

How do I ask her if she is who I think she is without revealing that I’m a total ass and lying to her about who I am?

Is Nathan going to kill me?

I need time to think. I can’t solve any of my problems right now, not without making things worse. “Do you want me to follow you home? Make sure the coast is clear?”

I’m losing my mind with what I just discovered but I’m not a complete dick. It’s late and it only seems logical to make sure she gets home safe after what happened with Kyle yesterday.

“Do you think that’s necessary?”

I detect a small dose of fear in her voice, making me feel like an asshole. All I do is shrug, not trusting whatever bullshit might spew from my mouth.

“Okay, yeah. I guess I wouldn’t mind if you don’t care.” I follow her out, waiting while she locks both sets of doors as we exit the library into the parking lot. She eyes me once or twice seeming confused at my shift in behavior, but I ignore her glances, trying to keep it together a little longer.

“Oh, let me pay you for the lock. I have cash, now.” She starts digging in her purse as we reach our cars.

“No, don’t worry about it. It’s on me.” It’s the least I can do.

“What? No, here.” She tries to hand me a twenty but I refuse it.

“It’s for your bathroom. Keep it.”

“Yeah, it’s going to be a while before the demo room can be considered a bathroom.” She sighs, rolling her eyes, but stuffs the bill back in her purse.

“I could fix it up for you. I’m not a professional or anything, but I’ve worked in construction, some,” I offer without thinking.

Why the hell did I just do that?

I was forced to help a foster family build a Habitat for Humanity home one time, I’m not some handyman. I can get by, but it’s not really my skill set and I should be staying away from her…

“Oh no. I couldn’t ask you to do that. You’ve already done enough for me. You’re way more generous than most people I’ve encountered in my life.” She laughs, and it’s like a punch to the gut.

Yeah. I’m going to hell.

I’ll make sure she gets home safe. That’s it. Then I’ll fact-check her name and confirm that this is all a big coincidence and she isn’t Nathan’s sister.

It only takes a few minutes to get to her house since she doesn’t live far from the library. I leave my truck idling on the curb but hop out.

“Did you want to come inside?” She asks me curiously once she realizes that I’m following her up her sidewalk.

Yes. Yes. Yes. “No, I was just walking you to your door. I have to go meet up with some people.”

“Oh, yeah. Of course. I forget that some people aren’t in bed by 9 pm every night.” She laughs, shyly, avoiding my gaze.

“Did you want me to come inside, Sunshine?” The words come out and I can’t stop the step that I take toward her.

Her eyes widen in surprise and it only fuels me. She’s so tentative about me coming into her space that I should be ashamed of myself, but I love the way she blushes when I tease her. All of my logic spirals out of control.

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