Page 73 of Here's to Now

“I’d have given you a heads up but Rae just asked me about it an hour ago.”

“You don’t need to give me a warning, Hales. I missed you anyway.”

Her eyes flutter shut at my words, and I take the opportunity to give her another kiss, this time on her lips. She presses back quickly then pulls away, flitting her eyes down the hall.

“We should probably head back out there. I have to leave in about fifteen minutes anyway.”

“Leave? Why?”

She laughs, pushing me away playfully as I try to nuzzle her neck. “I have a meeting with a new family in half an hour. Some of us have to actually work, you know. We can’t all suck up to our bosses and convince them to let us have a Friday afternoon off.”

“I’ll have you know I haven’t sucked up to Hudson a day in my life. No way I’d give that asshole the satisfaction.”

Laughing, she wiggles out of the space between me and the wall, heading back to our group lunch date. “The love you share with your friends is sweet.”

“Sweet? Baby, you haven’t seen anything yet,” I tease, stalking toward her and grabbing her just before she enters the light filtering into the edge of the dark hallway, thankful our booth is at the back of the restaurant where I’m sure no one can see us.

I gently push her against the wall and crush my mouth to hers, kissing her longer than I know is appropriate in such a public place. Just as she starts to grind against me, I pull back, knowing we can’t let this go any further or we’ll end up in a way too compromising situation.

I tear my mouth from hers, panting hard. “Tonight?”

“Yes please. Ten?”

“Works for me.” Another press of my lips against hers.Why am I kissing her so much?“The usual?”

“No,” she says, kissing me again. “I have something for you.” She reaches between us, her hand going for her pocket and wiggling around a second. With a nervous smile, she holds her hand out to me. Sitting in her palm is a key.

“To your apartment?” I know we’ve always been taught there’s no such thing as a stupid question, but that has to be one of the most obvious things I’ve ever asked.

“I figured you’d get off my case about leaving the door unlocked all the time with this.”

I stare down at the key. This seems like something two people who are dating would do. This is…big. Huge. She’s giving me a key to her place. She’s letting me into her life whenever I want. This is…wow.It backs up what I was freaking out about, the connecting. If she’s trusting me with this, what else is she trusting me with?

Concern slams into me. What if what we’re doing backfires? What if it becomes too much for both of us? Or just one of us? What if we get too attached? What if we get hurt? Am I ready to risk all that? Ready to put myself out there?

For Haley? Yes.

But, that doesn’t answer the question of what the hell it is we’re doing. If I don’t man up and ask her, I’ll never know, but now isn’t the time. I’ll ask her later. Tonight, maybe. Yeah, that sounds like a plan. Tonight.

“Th-thanks,” I mumble, grabbing the key from her and stashing it in my pocket. “You should probably go first.”

She glances down the hall. “Actually, you should go. You’ve been back here for ages. I’m certain they all think you’re pooping at this point.”

I throw my head back in laughter, not expecting that to come out of her mouth. “There’s my girl.”

“Huh?” she says.

“Nothing,” I mutter back. I lean in and press yet another kiss to her lips. “I’ll see ya out there.”

Having to text Haley and let her know I won’t be able to make it over tonight sucked balls. Graham was sent home early from school this afternoon after puking twice during gym, and he’s officially been slapped with the label offlu.Since Mercy doesn’t want to be near him while he’s contagious, I’ve been elected as caretaker.

So, here I am, mopping up puke and ushering fluids into this poor sick boy. Unlike most kids his age who get sick, he doesn’t want to be cuddled. All he wants is to be left alone to sleep. I swear, he is the strangest nine-year-old I’ve ever known.

I check on him for the fourth time in the hour I’ve been here and find him sound asleep in his bed. Good, because after that last round of barfing, even I’m exhausted—and I’m not the one heaving up my school lunch.

“Your phone is vibrating downstairs,” Gunner announces loudly as he passes by me on his way to the upstairs bathroom.

“Shhh. He’s finally asleep,” I tell him gently. “And I’d be careful in there—the kid isn’t good at aiming.”

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