Page 65 of Catching Feeling

He hands Mom the flowers, and she blinks in surprise and takes the bouquet from him, a small smile flirting to her lips. It’s so rare to see her smile it makes my chest ache.

“Oh goodness, these are so beautiful, Reese. Thank you so much.”

Of course, she’d be just as charmed by him as I am. As everyone is. He’s the most charming guy I’ve ever met, and look how well I resisted him.

Not well. That’s how well.

Every time he does something like this, I feel those walls crack just a bit, creating fissures that make my defenses more unstable by the second.

My gaze meets Mom’s, and she looks like she has so many things to ask but just smiles at Reese again and offers him a seat on the couch.

“You have a beautiful home, Mrs. Brentwood,” he tells her as he sits on the old, worn couch.

He’s lying through his teeth, but the look of pride on Mom’s face when he says it makes me want to kiss him.

And never stop.

He’s thoughtful, and considerate, and kind, and nothing like I believed him to be. He’s shown me that little by little, every single day since I moved into his house, and I feel like a total bitch for treating him the way I did. For assuming he was just some rich, playboy asshole.

“Please, call me Belinda. And thank you. It’s simple, but it’s… ours,” she says.

I join Reese on the couch, sitting close enough that our thighs brush together, but not nearly as close as I want to be. Inhaling, I breathe him in, and the apprehension inside me slowly stutters to a calm.

He casually slings an arm over the back of the couch, right above my shoulders, and I wish that it was around me, hauling me against his side like he would if we were at home.

“What if we watch that new movie you’ve been talking about, Vivienne?” Mama says, breaking through my thoughts.

“Hmm?” I hum.

Reese chuckles next to me. “Let me guess… something horror related?”

I elbow him lightly in the ribs, rolling my eyes. It’s like he knows me or something.

Mom looks between the two of us, something new twinkling in her eyes, and she nods. “You obviously know my Viv very well, then.”

“Yes, ma’am, I think you could say that.” I hear the amusement in his voice, and it makes me laugh.

Honestly, aside from Hallie, it feels like he knows me better than anyone lately. This is the first time I’ve really admitted that even to myself, and I don’t know how to feel about it.

“If it’s okay with Reese and he doesn’t mind staying a couple of hours, it’s fine with me.”

Reese nods. “Yeah, that sounds fun. I don’t have anywhere else to be.”

“Okay, it’s settled, then.” Mom smiles and reaches for the remote, clicking the movie on and settling back in the armchair.

The opening credits begin to play, and Reese’s arm drops along my shoulders, and he gently tugs me into his side. I all but sink into the embrace, letting my eyes fall shut for a brief moment as I savor the moment.

I’m scared of the feelings that are taking root in my heart. Actually, I’m petrified, but I’m also too selfish to walk away. He’s the only place in my life where I feel safe enough to be selfish.

Before I realize it, he’s shaking me awake. I groggily open my eyes and see the end credits of the movie scrolling across the screen.

“God, I’m sorry, Reese. I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” I whisper when I glance over and see Mom asleep on the armchair next to us.

“Don’t apologize, babe. Clearly, you needed it,” he says as we stand from the couch. I stretch my arms over my head, trying to shake off sleep before grabbing the throw blanket and covering my mom with it.

Reese waits by the front door, scrolling through his phone while I grab my overnight bag, laptop, and things from my bedroom. I write Mama a quick note, telling her that I didn’t want to wake her and to text me whenever she wakes up, then set it on the end table next to her phone.

“Ready?” I ask him with a small smile, and he nods, reaching out and taking the bag from my shoulder and transferring it to his.

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