Page 196 of The First Time

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Chapter Thirty-Five

Kit

It's afternoon when I wake. Piper is still in my bed, in my arms.

I push aside my concerns about how fucked this is—if we aren't together, I shouldn't be holding her like this—for long enough to drag myself out of bed, get dressed, and head to the kitchen.

Joel is sitting at the oak dining table, nursing a cup of coffee. The brightness of his grey-green eyes suggests this is his third or fourth cup.

He nods to the coffee maker. "More where this came from." His voice is even.

Unusually even.

Joel's being normal.

That's fucking weird.

I pour myself a cup of coffee and drink it black. Joel turns towards me, his eyes on me.

"You let her sleep in your bed," he says.

"Yeah."

"Why the fuck did you do that?"

"Why'd you tell her to sleep in my bed?"

"Cause you're a fucking idiot."

I arch a brow.

"Everybody knows what's happening now."

"I figured."

"She told me everything on the way up. Probably said more than she wanted to. It was late and we were tired."

I nod. "Figured that too."

"Then you know why I put her in your bed."

"I don't need your help."

"Yeah you do." He takes a sip of his coffee. "You care about her. She cares about you enough to drive with me all night. And we both know how fucking annoying that must have been for her."

I have to chuckle. Joel can be overbearing, but he wears it with pride.

"Pretty embarrassing for me, singing along with all her CDs." He shakes his head. "Fuck knows there's a reason why I don't sing backup."

Again, I chuckle. Talking like this with Joel feels normal.

He looks up at me. "I get that you want to protect her. She's a sweet girl. I want to protect her too. But she loves you, Kit. Or something close. She's not a fucking child. You need to let her make that decision for herself."

I say nothing.

"Unless that was bullshit." He mutters under his breath. "Sounded like bullshit to me." He shakes his head and looks back to me. "If it was bullshit, and you were too fucking cowardly to admit that you didn't want to be with her... then fucking own that."

"It's not."

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