We sit quietly, each of us lost in thought, the sounds of my brother’s snoring and a train horn blasting off in the distance the soundtrack to our ride home.

We sit like that, and we settle into a kind of comfort that doesn’t feel like mine to claim.

We sit together, and for the first time in a long time, I don’t feel so alone.

We’re still holding hands when we drive past the clock tower a moment later.

17. Dempsey

Chapter 17

Dempsey

“Listen, I really need to get home. I’m supposed to be taking care of my mom tonight, so I have to get back and check on her, and if he needs medical attention—”

“That’s fine,” she interrupts. “I don’t want to be home alone tonight anyway. I’ll stay at yours.”

Um. That’s not what I was offering. Once again, Maddie Wheeler doesn’t wait for permission. She takes and she takes and she takes.

And for some inexplicable reason, the more she takes, the more I want to give her.

I blow out a sigh of frustration and drop her hand, then casually run my fingers through my hair to brush off the dismissal.

What the hell am I supposed to do? I don’t want her at mine. She doesn’t want to be home alone. I can’t not be at home tonight. And my brother clearly won’t be any help. We’re idling at the main intersection of downtown Hampton, which means I have a decision to make.

Straight, and I’ll drive under the train bridge toward the Wheeler house, where I’ll what? Force her out of the car and insist she suck it up and lock the doors once she’s inside?

Right, and I’ll drive out of the town center, down 303, and toward my place. I’ll be forced to let her see the mess that is my life. We’ve got eight guest rooms, any of which I could put her up in, but being under the same roof as Maddie feels like the exact sort of trouble I don’t need tonight. Or ever.

“Hey,” she says quietly, pulling me out of my thoughts and forcing me to look over at her. She’s got her knees tucked under her now, sitting in a way that makes me furious as I recall the panic on her face when she asked to go with us. I hate seeing her like this.

“You don’t have to worry about me. I’m out of fight tonight.”

My jaw ticks of its own volition. This girl has been nothing but spunk and sass since the moment she stepped into The Oak last weekend. Since the moment she led me to believe she was a stranger looking for a one-night stand. What the fuck happened at that party to completely steamroll her spirit?