The pretty blue paper had daisies and butterflies dotted all over it and I hated to rip it open. “This is so pretty!”

  “Please open it. I want you to see what’s inside before school starts.”

  “Okay.” This was already the best day. I carefully eased my nail under the tape and peeled the paper apart without ripping it. I’d cut out a piece and tape it into my diary tonight.

  Inside was a square purple box and I gently pried off the lid. “Oh!” My breath caught. “It’s beautiful!”

  Daisies! He remembered how much I love daisies.

  The dark hunter green matched the leather of my jacket—my favorite color. I ran my finger over the embossed leather, tracing the carved lines of each petal. “It’s beautiful. I love it so much. Thank you.”

  He brushed his knuckles over my cheek. “Nothing’s as beautiful as you and you’re welcome.”

  Tears pricked my eyes. I couldn’t believe how sweet and thoughtful he was.

  “Juliet, is it okay? You look like you’re going to cry.” He sounded so distressed, I forced a smile onto my face.

  “If I am, they’re happy tears. Thank you for thinking of me.”

  “I’m always thinking of you.” His voice held nothing but sincerity. “Every day. All day. All night too.”

  To stop myself from blubbering all over him, I held out the bracelet. “Put it on for me, please?”

  A delightful shiver raced down my spine as he wrapped his fingers around my wrist and pulled me closer. He swept his thumb over my pulse point. Desire quickened my blood. “Roman.”

  “Sorry. You’re just so soft.” His voice lowered to a raspy rumble. “I love touching you.”

  My heart raced so fast, I couldn’t answer. He wrapped the bracelet around my wrist and snapped it secure.

  “I’m never taking it off,” I swore.

  “Well, you might want to when you shower.” He closed his eyes. “Damn,” he whispered. “Now I’m picturing you in the shower in nothing but the bracelet.”

  I burst into giggles and smacked his chest. Instead of the playful smile I expected, he captured my hand and held it over his heart. “I’m not kidding, butterfly.”

  So much heat pulsed between us.

  “Roman? Can I tell you something?”

  “Always. Anything.” His concerned eyes bored into me.

  “I can’t stop thinking about kissing you in that cave.” I lowered my lashes. “And other things.”

  He slid his hands from my hips to my waist. “What other things?”

  Heat flared across my face. Was he going to make me say it?

  But when I peeked up at him, mischief glinted in his eyes. “I can’t stop picturing you in that green bikini. Been going to sleep and dreaming about you in it every night.”

  Pleasure warmed me from the tips of my ears to the tips of my toes. “I’ll wear it for you again.”

  He groaned and closed his eyes.

  I reached up on tiptoes and softly kissed his lips. “One day soon.”

  “I can’t wait.” He cupped my cheek and stroked his thumb over my bottom lip. “You know that’s not all I want to do with you, though, right?”

  “Of course, silly.” I poked his stomach. “You want to eat banana bread at my neighbor’s house in the afternoons, too.”

  He chuckled, his stomach rippling under my finger with the movement. I had the urge to slip my hand under the hem of his shirt.

  The bell rang, startling us apart. “Shoot. We’re going to be late.” He picked up my bag and took my hand. “I doubt birthday girls get a pass.”

  “Nope.”

  Several times throughout the morning, he caught me staring at my bracelet, touching the intricately carved lines.

  For the first time in my life, I didn’t hate my birthday.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Roman

  The happiness on Juliet’s face became an addiction. I loved making her smile more than anything in the world.

  I needed a damn job

  Not just to buy her trinkets. More than that. I was trying to plan ahead. For our future.

  I wanted to slip a ring on her finger, find a place for us to live, and send her to school.

  After that, I wasn’t sure. Maybe I’d consider going to college myself. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t just trying to survive from day to day.

  Juliet gave me hope.

  Every now and then she’d hint about having a family. I knew from the day we met she wanted pretty babies she could give all the things she’d never had.

  How she held onto that dream mystified me. My life had taught me how unpredictable the world could be. Death claimed who it wanted when it wanted. I could have all the best intentions to be there for my children and still let them down. Leaving them at the mercy of the foster care system. It wasn’t like either one of us had any reliable relatives I’d trust to raise my kid. I wasn’t sure I trusted myself.

  My phone buzzed, pulling me away from thoughts of the future. I glanced around the cafeteria before pulling out my phone.

  It was the call I’d been both hoping for and dreading since the morning he showed up at school.

  “I have a lead on a job for you,” Dex said as soon as I answered.

  Perfect timing.

  Even though I’d gotten the okay to accept a job, I hadn’t been able to find anyone willing to offer me one.

  I cautioned myself not to get too excited.

  Somehow, I knew Dex’s help would come with strings attached.

  But I needed some way to earn money so I could take care of Juliet and treat her the way she deserved. So I’d pretty much do whatever he asked of me.

  I answered with a mix of appreciation and restraint. “How about some details?”

  He chuckled as if that was the response he expected.

  “Buddy of mine owns the Jericho Two, you know it?”

  I only knew that it was the drive-in movie theater Juliet was hoping to get a job at over the summer. “I’ve heard of it.”

  “He needs help landscaping and cleaning it up for when they open in a couple weeks. So it’s probably not a long-term job, but if you do well, he might be able to find you something through the season.”

  “Sounds good.” Fuck knew I’d done plenty of manual labor over the years for foster parents who had “foster kid” confused with “slave labor.” It’d be nice to earn some cash in exchange for breaking my back.

  “It’s a little bit of a walk off the bus line,” Dex added. “Nothing you can’t handle.”

  I doubted the home was going to hand over a bus pass and be cool about the job. Things were never that easy for me. But I didn’t want to sound anything less than enthusiastic with Dex. My counselor was right, at some point I needed to start thinking about what the hell to do with myself once I aged out of foster care. I’d convince them to let me accept this arrangement.

  One thing I knew for damn sure, stipend or not, I’d need money. For some reason, Dex seemed determined to help me. I’d be an idiot to piss him off by saying no.

  “Thank you, Dex.”

  He gave me the information and I scribbled it down. Shit, a job would mean a lot less time for sneaking around with Juliet after school. Unless she was able to get hired too. Maybe if I was already working there and the owner liked me, I could give her some sort of edge. Or maybe once I proved myself, I’d ask Dex if he’d put in a good word for Juliet.

  We said goodbye and I hung up feeling more hopeful about the future.

  The “lead” turned out to be a sure thing. The owner of the place, another biker who went by the name of Ulfric, hired me on the spot.

  “Dex’s word is good enough for me,” he’d said.

  I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. If I fucked up, it would make Dex look bad. Then I’d have to deal with not one, but two pissed-off bikers.

  “Set your own hours. Just get this cleaned up by opening day,” Ulfric said in his gruff no-bullshit way. Not that he was rude, he just never seemed to use more words than absolutely necessary.

  We walked the property and he showed me the spots where fallen trees needed to be cut and hauled away. Grass and leaves needed mowing and bagging. The fence surrounding the place needed to be repaired, potholes in the dirt road needed filling in. A lot of labor. But I formulated a plan for how to tackle each task. Every day after school, I hauled my ass out there and worked the solid four hours the home allowed.

  The counselors were so impressed with my work ethic, they even arranged a schedule to pick me up at the end of my shifts. Of all my years in foster care, this was the first time my life didn’t feel like a clusterfuck of chaos and frustration.

  Ulfric worked me hard. But at least he had the right equipment for all the jobs he wanted done. If I needed something he didn’t have, he bought it right away. He taught me how to use a bunch of different tools and how to fix shit when it broke. Anytime I was able to pick up a new skill, I was happy.

  This new, tighter schedule didn’t allow me much time with Juliet. We still met every morning. In the afternoons, I’d walk her home before jumping on the bus.

  “I miss you,” she said as we passed Mrs. Shields’ house one afternoon.

  “Miss you too, butterfly, but—”

  “No, I’m not trying to make you feel bad. I’m really proud of you.” The corners of her mouth curled up. “Maybe a little jealous.”

  “Ulfric’s going to be hiring for the ice cream shop out front in a few weeks. I’ll get you an application.”

  “That would be perfect. We can spend all summer working together.”

  “Juliet!” Mrs. Shields called. “Roman!”

  I smiled and waved as Juliet and I headed up the driveway.

  “How are you, Mrs. Shields?” I asked.

  “Good!” She focused on Juliet. “I wanted to talk to you, dear. I’m going to go visit some friends for a couple weeks and wanted to know if you’d watch the house for me?”

  “Oh.” Juliet glanced at me. “Sure. I can do that.”

  “You can stay here. I’ll make up the guest room for you and you can use my car.”

  “Oh no. I don’t need…You don’t have to do that.”

  “Please, dear? I’d feel much better if someone I trust is here watching the place. And your aunt and uncle aren’t far if you need anything.” An edge crept into her voice, surprising, since Mrs. Shields was generally such a pleasant woman. Maybe she knew how useless Juliet’s guardians were.

  “You have your license, right?” she insisted.

  “Well, yes.”

  “So, there you go!” Mrs. Shields ushered us into the house and pressed a set of keys into Juliet’s hands. “There is some food here, but I’ll leave you grocery money on the counter.”

  “Mrs. Shields—-”

  “No, no. No arguing.” Mrs. Shields pressed a finger against her lips, making Juliet laugh.

  “When are you leaving?”

  “Tomorrow morning.”

  “Oh! Wow. Okay.”

  Mrs. Shields shrugged. “Might as well live a little and be spontaneous, right?”

  Juliet laughed. “I guess so.”

  We left Mrs. Shields to finish packing for her trip. At the end of the driveway, Juliet stopped. A tentative smile trembled over her lips. “I’ll have the place to myself. Think you’ll find time to keep me company?”

  My pulse charged. Dozens of images of all the things we could do alone together flooded my overheated brain. Privacy. No worries about teachers walking in on us or other people around.

  Juliet must have mistaken my silence for a no.

  “I’m sorry.” She dropped her gaze to the pavement. “That was kind of forward. I didn’t mean—”

  “Juliet, of course I want to be alone with you.” I flicked a glance toward the house. “I want it more than anything. You know that.”

  She raised her head, a relieved expression replacing her uncertain one.

  The shitty reality of my impossible situation obliterated the moment. “My schedule is so tight. The job’s given me a small taste of freedom. I’m scared to do anything that jeopardizes it.”

  A guilty blush spread over her cheeks. “That was selfish. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have—”

  “Don’t apologize, butterfly.” I wrapped my arms around her and brushed my lips over her forehead. “I’ll figure out a way.”

  Juliet

  Was it wrong that the first thing I thought about was that house-sitting would give us an opportunity to be alone together? I was dying to have him all to myself. Total privacy. Where no teachers would burst in on us. No angry uncles would show up. Nothing but the two of us.

  That’s the only excuse I had for my selfish question.

  I knew Roman cared about me. He showed me every day. But sometimes I couldn’t help wanting extra reassurance that he was as into our relationship as I was.

  We continued the walk to my house at a snail’s pace. He needed to catch the bus to get to his job. I was about to remind him when he stopped.

  “There’s a chance our curfew will be extended for prom,” he said. “I was going to talk to you about it.”

  A thrill went through me. He was thinking of ways for us to be together.

  Prom would be expensive. For both of us. I knew he’d been working hard and saving money. I hated to have him blow it on one night of frivolous high school stuff. Not when he was trying to save for his future.

  “Let’s skip prom,” I suggested.

  He stared at me, a slight frown crinkling his brow. “You don’t want to skip prom. Vienna said you already have a dress and everything.”

  Sure, before I met Roman, prom seemed like the height of my high school existence. Now, when our time together was so precious and rare, the last thing I wanted to do was waste it on bad food, loud music, and the people I saw every day in school.

  I tugged on his hand, drawing him closer. “Let’s have our own, private prom. You and me.”

  He swallowed hard and searched my face. “Are you sure? I don’t want you to be mad at me later because you missed it.”

  “I think I’ll be more upset if I waste the night with our classmates, when I could be alone with you.”

  A confident smile curved his lips. “I can’t disagree with that.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Roman

  Prom—an event I never thought I’d attend.

  Well, technically, I wasn’t attending prom.

  Juliet and I had formulated our plan. I’d be dropped off with the other four kids from the house who were going, but then I’d slip away and meet Juliet at Mrs. Shields’ where she was still house-sitting.

  The plan cost me a prom ticket and a tuxedo rental. Worth every penny.

  “Slumming it with us tonight, Roman?” Squire sneered as I sat in the first seat in the van.

  “Roman’s been so busy lately,” Janet added. “I’m surprised he can leave the house for some fun.”

  Both of them still blamed me for Evie’s banishment. As usual, I ignored their taunts.

  “You finally gonna smash that hot chick with the big tits?” Squire asked. “She looked hot as fuck in that bikini on the field trip.”

  “Fuck off,” I snarled. The urge to yank out his tongue and tie it around his neck burned hot. I blew out a breath and counted to ten. I had too much to lose if I got into a fight. I’d worked too hard, planned tonight down to the second. I couldn’t afford to get into trouble.

  “She’s not that hot,” Janet simpered. “She’s kinda short and chunky.”

  I stared down at my hands—Juliet’s curves fit in them perfectly. Every inch of her was flawless. That’s why girls like Janet tried to tear her down all the time.

  At the school, Mike stepped out of the van with us and patted me on the shoulder. “Have fun. You deserve it. You’ve been working hard.” He squinted at me. “Just not too much fun.”

  I swallowed a lump of guilt. “Thanks.”

  “Midnight!” he yelled to the others. “You’re late, you’re grounded.”

  Everyone groaned but promised to be waiting out front at midnight. I said hello to a few other kids I knew who were hanging around outside. Once Mike drove off, I edged away from the crowd into the shadows. When I was sure no one noticed my disappearance, I sprinted for the park.

  Enough moonlight filtered through the trees to illuminate the way. Prom sounds from the school followed me into the woods. A few kids had also snuck away for some “alone time.” Soft moaning and other noises came and went as I jogged along the dirt path that would take me to Juliet.

  As I came out on the other side, the glow from one of the upstairs windows of Mrs. Shields’ house caught my attention.

  Low, soft lights. Candles?

  My cock stirred in my too-tight, rented tuxedo trousers. We hadn’t talked about what exactly we planned to do with our night. I couldn’t deny that I was dying to make love to Juliet. I’d even taken a few of the condoms the counselors kept shoving at me and stuffed them in my pocket. Just in case.

  Except, losing our virginity to each other when I couldn’t even spend the whole night with her seemed wrong.

  I pulled out my phone and sent her a text.

  Almost there.

  The lights downstairs winked on and I picked up my pace. By the time I arrived, I’d have sweat rolling down my ass crack, but I was so eager to see her, I didn’t care.

  This house-sitting gig of hers made me nervous. I hated that she was alone and unprotected all night. Not that her aunt and uncle provided much protection, but at least she wasn’t by herself.

  As promised, she didn’t answer the door until I rang the bell and called her name.

  My mind blanked when she appeared in the doorway.

  “Juliet.” My gaze roamed over every inch of her slight frame. From shoulders to just above her knees, she was encased in dark red, shimmering lace. The material hugged her curves and glimpses of skin at her shoulders and legs teased me through the lace. It still covered more than most of the girls’ dresses I’d spotted at prom before slipping away. Maybe that’s why it was so much sexier. “You’re beautiful,” I finally added, realizing I was staring at her like a slack-jawed moron.