Page 51 of Counting the Stars

“What did you say?” I look down at his sleeping frame. The muscles in his arms flex as he adjusts the pillow under his head, clearly unbothered by the racket outside. I run my hand over his strong jawline that’s covered with a night’s worth of stubble. I’ve always been attracted to the strong, rugged type,and Alex? It’s like he’s stepped straight out of my dreams. But dreams don’t come true…do they?

“It’s just the landscapers.” He yawns.

“The landscapers? It’s like eight a.m. on a Saturday!” I hop out of bed and peek through the window blinds. There are about a half dozen workers weeding and pruning the already meticulous lawn. A man with a leaf blower clears some clippings from a pathway and I realize that’s the sound that startled me.

“Gotta keep up with appearances.” Alex sits up in bed and rubs his eyes. “They’re here all the time. I’m so used to the noise that I just sleep through it now.”

“I don’t think I could ever get used to that.”

A worker with hedge clippers begins to trim a rose bush directly outside our window. Feeling completely exposed, I make sure to close the blinds tight.

“It’s like an invasion of privacy.”

“That’s nothing.” He snorts. “Try having a housekeeper come in to dust your room while you’re just trying to live your life as a teenager.”

“That had to be rough.” Mari and I had our fair share of conflicts while sharing a bedroom, but I can’t imagine complete strangers just walking around your house.

“It was,” Alex confirms. “The only silver lining was that every employee of the Joneses has to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement before they can step foot on our property. If they see you do something embarrassing, at least they can’t tell anyone.”

“I guess that helps a little.” I chew on my lower lip, feeling grateful for the simpler life I lived. I climb back in bed to Alex’s waiting open arms. He pulls me under the soft down comforter. While we haven’t been fully intimate with each other, we’re getting closer with stolen kisses and more cuddling. I lovethat I don’t have to make up excuses to touch him anymore. But just when I think I can fully dive into a relationship with him, anxiety rears its ugly little head and tells me that if I do, I’ll just end up brokenhearted. It’s still mostly fear of losing him in a fire, but the fear of rejection is also nagging at me.

“How’d you sleep?” He places a kiss on my shoulder. His lips linger on my bare skin.

“Great until I thought we were under attack.”

“Sorry about that. I should’ve warned you, but it’s just a regular day at the Joneses’. I didn’t think about it.”

“It’s okay. I—”

“Yoo hoo!” a voice from outside cuts me off.

“Lilli!” Alex leaps out of bed. He pulls on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt in record time and springs for the door before I can even get my bearings. I grab a white bathrobe hanging near the closet and wrap it around me before greeting our company.

“Careful, careful. I have hot coffee in my hands.” Lilli giggles and places a large brown paper bag and a holder with three to-go cups on the kitchen counter. “Now.” She spins around with her arms wide open. “Come here and give me a hug.”

Alex pulls her in for the biggest bear hug. He lifts her up and spins her in a circle before gently placing her feet back on the floor.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get over the fact that my baby brother towers over me.” She pulls back from their embrace while I study her features. She’s certainly shorter than Alex’s six-foot frame, but she’s taller than me. Her wavy honey-colored hair hangs just below her shoulders and when she turns to me, I see she shares the same light blue eye color as her brother.

“Hi, you must be Gabby.” She gives me a wide smile and a quick yet welcoming hug.

“And you are the famous Lilli.” I give her a quick squeeze back. I feel more at ease with her in the two minutes she’s been here than the whole meeting with Alex’s mom last night.

“Uh-oh, how much has Alex told you?” She gazes lovingly at her brother.

“Not much.” I rock on my heels. “While Alex likes to overshare a lot, he’s pretty tight-lipped when it comes to his family. I do know that you are one of his favorite people, though.”

“I think that’s something we both have in common.” She nudges me with her elbow.

“Truer words have never been spoken.” Alex puts his arms around each of us and squeezes our shoulders. “Now show me what you brought because I’m hungry and whatever is in that bag smells delicious.”

“Of course you jump right to the food,” Lilli chides. “I didn’t know what you would like, so I bought a little of everything from a new bakery in town.”

“Oh yeah?” Alex grabs a plate from a cabinet and begins putting an assortment of pastries out on display. “Where is it?”

“About a block away from the TV station. Mom and Dad were guests of honor for the grand opening. They helped the owner cut the ribbon with those big scissor-type things.”

“Of course they did.” Alex rolls his eyes and picks up what looks to be an apple fritter.

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