Page 38 of Her Greatest Mistake

Right. Like the one she took and tagged me in during my game. I had to silence my phone after that, but it was Alexander’s idea, and what he says goes. “That works.”

Slowly, she lifts her head from my shoulder and looks away before wiping at her face. A sniffle cuts through the silence just as easily as it does my chest before she’s looking back at me with a timid smile.

“Sorry about that. I’m just going to . . .” She frantically climbs off my lap and drops to the cushion beside me. Her cheeks are flaming red, and while younger Maddox would have teased her about being embarrassed over something so small, the older version does not. “Thank you for . . . that.”

I shrug and pick an invisible lint off my chest. The movement has a burst of her perfume flying from my shirt, and I decide right now that I’m tossing it out as soon as I get home.

“I’ll text you tomorrow, and we can go from there.”

She nods. “Okay.”

An awkward silence falls over us, and I take that as my sign to get the hell out of here. Standing, I push my hands into my pockets and nip at my bottom lip. Do I just say bye? Fuck, I hate awkwardness.

“I’ll walk you out,” she says, sensing my discomfort. I release a breath and follow her back through the small portion of her house she showed me to the front entry.

I slip my shoes on, and she opens the door for me. My muscles are tight and bunched as I walk outside and stiffly turn to face her.

“So . . . I’ll text you, then,” I say.

Her lips twitch. “You said that already.”

“Right.”

“Drive safe.”

I tip my head. “Yeah. Lock up after me.”

And with that, I’m practically jumping down the porch steps and taking off down the sidewalk. After checking that she’s shut the door behind me, I get in my truck, start it up, and then peel onto the street, feeling more rattled than the last time I got my ass thrown into the boards.

* * *

I’ve barely sunkeninto bed and pulled my blanket over my chest later that night when my phone buzzes on my bedside. I debate leaving it, but something has me scrolling through the messages, spotting one I should ignore at this hour but don’t.

Braxton: What about kissing?

Me: Not unless absolutely necessary.

Especially if the annoying pang of excitement that just ricocheted through me is anything to go by.

Braxton: Should we make some sort of agreement?

Me: Like in that stupid movie with Noah Centipede?

Braxton: To All The Boys? That’s rude and so not his name.

Braxton: Wait . . . did Addie make you watch that, or are you into teen romance now?

Me: Addie.

I get roped into every kind of movie when it comes to my sister. I’ve been forced to watch the entireTwilightsaga enough to hit fangirl status.

Braxton: Is that a no to the agreement? I can do one up tonight.

Me: Do you think we really need one? Just don’t kiss me and we’ll be good.

Braxton: That’s it? So, everything else is on the table, then?

Me: Are you planning on doing something I won’t like? What’s with the 20 questions?

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