Page 89 of My Star-Crossed Summer

“What on earth—” I blurt, just as he looks up and says, “Once again, my timing is perfect.”

“I thought you were some wild animal,” I say, still holding the decoy above my head like a weapon.

His brow lifts as he smirks. “And your plan was to bludgeon me with a duck?”

I drop my hand and tuck the decoy against my chest like a football. “What are you doing?”

“I tripped over your chair and dropped my phone,” he says, standing. “It’s pitch black out here.” Dressed in a navy button-down shirt and slim-cut jeans, he looks like a guy on a first date, trying hard to make a good impression. His jaw’s scruffy with stubble, and his hair’s rumpled in that way that begs me to run my fingers through it. And when he smiles, it melts my heart.

“Hi,” he says, pushing his sleeves to his elbows. He’s so close that I can smell that hint of cedar, and my body instinctively moves toward him.

“I meant, what are you doinghere.”

“Hoping you let me come inside and have that long overdue chat.” His eyes are wide, a deep green in the moonlight. His gaze is intense, his smile tender. Will I ever tire of him looking at me this way?

I step to the side, holding the door open. “How did you find me?”

As he slips past me, his arm brushes against mine and sends a zip of electricity down to my toes. He’s been here less than a minute, and my body is already dying to be close to him again.

“I went to your house to return your book. And then Gwen told me you were gone.”

“And she sent you here?” My heart hammers in my chest.

He stares at me through those impossibly long lashes. “I asked her very nicely.”

Flustered, I go to the sink and pour two glasses of water. When I set them on the counter between us, he catches my hand and holds it as if it’s as fragile as a bird.

But it’s my heart that’s fragile, and he has no idea that he’s holding it in his hands, too.

“I needed to explain,” he says. “In person.” His thumb slides over my palm, and my breath hitches. “I wasn’t ignoring you, Vic. I left camp in a hurry because Hannah had an emergency and needed my help. Before that, at the airport, Derrick accidentally took my phone and left me with his. There was this whole thing with Ethan and a half-feral pug—but none of that matters.” He waves his free hand in the space between us and steps closer. “Anyway, the last few days have been crazy, and nothing went the way I’d hoped, and I know I could have gotten your number from Roxy, or had Gwen call you, or found some other way to talk to you sooner, but I didn’t want to say these things over the phone. I needed to see you.” He sighs, lacing his fingers in mine, and it’s like two puzzle pieces locking together. “I needed to see your face, and hold your hand, and be in the same space with you.”

My heart somersaults in my chest. How did I ever think I could walk away from this man and not feel the ache deep in my bones?

“I don’t want to lose you again,” he says. “I want to be with you—wherever that is. I know you said you needed some time, and I’m not here to put the pressure on. I want you to take all the time you need and do whatever you need to do, but I also want you to know that I’m here. I want to figure this out.”

I feel like a dam that’s about to burst. A hundred thoughts race through my brain, but only one of them matters.

“I’m glad you came,” I tell him.

He lets out a breath. “Thank heaven, because I thought there was about an eighty percent chance you’d tell me to get lost. After that last text, I thought I’d ruined everything. That you were pushing me away.”

“You didn’t,” I tell him. “And I wasn’t.” When I slide my hand along his cheek, he leans into my touch, and my whole body hums. “I’m sorry that it felt that way, but I needed to step away for a minute to sort through all of my messy feelings. I’m not always great at that, as you know.”

He takes my hand in his and holds it against his chest. “Maybe we can work on that together.”

“I’d like that.”

“Does that mean you?—”

At the same time, I say, “Roxy offered me the job.”

He smirks. “Well, of course she did. She knows a good thing when she sees it.”

“I told her yes. Because I found my happy.”

He grins that delicious grin that I will never ever get tired of seeing. “That’s my girl.” Then he scoops me into his arms, and I laugh as he spins me around the tiny kitchenette.

When he sets me back down, I tell him, “You were right. But I had to step back to see it. I loved working at the camp, but I needed to know that I wasn’t choosing it because of how I feel about you. I was caught up in this whirlwind, and finally felt like I found where I belonged—but part of me was afraid it wouldn’t last. Or it would fall apart and I’d lose everything like I did before.” I let out a heavy sigh, still reeling from the fact that he’s here, standing in front of me. That despite all of my anxious thoughts, he didn’t give up. “I couldn’t separate my feelings about the camp and my feelings about you, and time was running out, and—you cloud my judgment, Valentine. Whenever you’re around, you’re all I can think about.”

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