I gasp, not because I’m stunned but because I know he means it, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he dropped to his knee and pulled out a ring he’d been carrying around for years. “Now?”

  “Don’t tempt me.”

  I rub his jaw, scratching at the hair there and tugging on it gently like I do when it’s longer than usual. “I know you love me. It’s never been about that.”

  “We’ve been back and forth about really doing this for years. We decided to be together, and I’m not going back on that. Are you?”

  “No.” I shake my head because I’ve wanted to be with him since I was old enough to know what that even meant. “I expressed my concerns about all of this. If you don’t see any issues, then… neither do I.”

  The next day is cloudy and dreary and matches the mood I always have when I’m preparing to leave Wild. Although this time is different because we haven’t had some terrible argument that will lead to us not talking for weeks. The plan is for me to fly to Seattle on Thursday, since I don’t have class on Friday. We’re only going to be apart for four days, which is so easy compared to the months we used to go without seeing or talking to each other. Sebastian is waiting with me at my gate as I’m about to start boarding since his flight doesn’t leave for another hour.

  “Text me when you land,” he murmurs into my hair.

  “Of course,” I respond. “My flight isn’t nearly as long as yours, though. You’ll still be in the air when I get to New York.”

  “I want to know that you made it safely. Actually, text me when you’re back at your apartment too.”

  “I will.”

  He wraps his arms around me. “We’re going to figure this all out, I promise. Do you trust me?”

  “Of course.”

  “Do you trust that I’ll protect you from all of this?”

  “As much as you can, yes.” He pulls me in for a hug and presses a kiss to my lips. “I love you.”

  His face lights up, and I love the grin that flashes across it, carefree and happy. It’s my favorite of all his smiles, and they were always directed at me. “I love you too.”

  After one last kiss, I board the plane, and as soon as I get to my seat, the exhaustion hits me hard.

  I don’t think the plane is even done boarding before I’m asleep.

  Halle: 14 years old

  Sebastian: 15 years old

  Oh. My. God.

  Those are the first words I think when I open my eyes the following morning.

  I kissed Sebastian last night.

  No, I made out with Sebastian last night.

  A lot.

  For multiple hours.

  I rub my fingers over my very chapped lips and spot a full glass of water and one of my lip balms sitting on my nightstand that was not there when I finally went to sleep. Or when Wild snuck out of my room a few hours ago. I take a long gulp of the water as I recall the events of last night.

  I can’t believe that happened.

  What does this mean?

  Well, he did say that he couldn’t stop thinking about me.

  Does that mean… he’s my boyfriend?

  Of all the times I imagined kissing a boy, I had no idea it would be like that. His lips were so soft but firm and guided my timid ones until we found the perfect rhythm. He stroked my face and rubbed my back, all while whispering how long he’d wanted to do this.

  It’s never felt like this before. I remember him whispering against my neck just before he dragged his lips over my cheek back to my lips.

  I’m out of bed and rush into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth, anxious to talk to Wild and figure out what all of this means. I’ve been sleeping with my hair in two braids lately to give it some natural wave and stop me from using my flat iron so much, but Wild spent most of the night with his hands in it, so it’s definitely more messy than usual. I take them out and brush it a few times before pulling it into a low ponytail. I contemplate putting on some makeup because I am suddenly very aware that I live with the boy I kissed last night, and he’s down-freaking-stairs. But I just put on some lip balm because my lips are still very chapped, and I don’t want Sara asking why I have makeup on at nine in the morning.

  I hear voices in the kitchen, meaning that Sara and Wild are both awake. It’s Saturday, so Sara has a morning Pilates class, and then will probably have lunch with Elana. Feelings of excitement move through me like fireworks, knowing that Sebastian and I will be alone today.

  I make my way downstairs, and sure enough, I see Sara dressed for her workout class, filling up her water bottle. Wild sits at the table eating a bowl of cereal, and his eyes immediately find mine when I enter the room. A smirk pulls at his lips just for a moment before he turns back to eating.

  “Morning!” Sara chirps as she tightens the lid on her bottle. “Sleep okay?”

  “Yeah, really good.” I glance over at Wild, and though he’s staring down at his food, I can see the smile still playing on his lips.

  “Oh, good. So I’m headed out for my class. What are you doing today?”

  Visions of what I want to do move across my mind, and for a second, I panic, like Sara could possibly read my thoughts. “I have to study. I have a geometry test on Monday.” I don’t know why I say that. It’s true, I do have a test, but I’m really good at geometry and probably don’t even need to crack my textbook to get an A.

  “Well, I’ll be back in a bit. Sebastian,” she points at him, “rake the leaves, please,” she says before dragging her gaze toward the outside window.

  “I got it,” he says through a mouthful of Cheerios, my favorite cereal that he used to complain about when Sara started buying that over the pure sugar cereal he used to eat. But now, it’s obvious that he secretly loves it too.

  “Alright.” She hesitates for a second, eyeing us curiously before she shakes her head. “Be good, you two,” she adds, and then she’s out the door.

  Years later, I realized that the hesitation stemmed from the fact that this was the first time she had felt wary about leaving us alone.

  I don’t think she realized that’s what she was feeling at the time, either.

  There are faint sounds of Sara locking the front door, then her car starting in the driveway. I stare out the window of the kitchen that faces our driveway and watch as Elana scurries out of the house next door and gets in the car with Sara before they pull off.

  I turn around as soon as they’re fully out of the driveway and look at Wild, who was clearly waiting for me to face him because he’s leaning back in his chair with his arms folded and a smile on his face.

  “Hey,” I say, and I internally roll my eyes because I couldn’t have come up with anything better than that?

  “Hey.” He chuckles, and instantly, my cheeks heat. I rub my lips together, my mind still thinking about how it felt to press them to his. “You, okay?” he asks, and I wonder if he’s taking my nervousness for something else entirely. I nod, not knowing what to say, which is weird because I’ve never been shy around him ever. “Talk to me,” he says. “Are you upset about last night?”

  “No!” I exclaim, the word bursting out of me. “I just…” I look off to the side as my fingers knot together in front of me. “Want to do it again?” I offer weakly.

  He gets out of his chair and moves across the kitchen toward me. He frames my face with his hands, reminiscent of how he did it last night before brushing his lips gently across mine. “Me too.”

  “Does this… make you my boyfriend?” I ask.

  He gives me a side smile and leans against the sink while crossing his arms over his chest. “Do you want me to be?”

  “I don’t know… I guess I’m wondering if… you’re going to kiss other girls?”

  He rubs his thumb over my bottom lip once, and I watch as he lets his hand drop. My lip tingles in his wake, and I wish he’d do that again. “Saint, look at me,” he says softly, and I look up to meet his blue eyes. “You’re the only girl I’ve ever wanted to kiss. I’d kiss you for the rest of my life if I could.”

  My eyes flutter open in response to the wheels hitting the ground, and I blink a few times, trying to shake the last bit of grogginess away. I hadn’t told Wild I was going to sleep, though he probably assumed, as I usually sleep on flights when I’m alone. I pull out my phone, which I never even put on Wi-Fi, and see my texts from the flight.

  Wild: I made a reservation for Friday at this Italian restaurant that just opened. Actually, there are a lot of places I want to take you. Can you move here already?

  Wild: You must already be asleep.

  Wild: Boarding my flight now. I love you

  I start typing to respond to his messages.

  Me: Sounds great. You know I love Italian. And we decided I’m moving there? Officially?

  Wild: There’s Sleeping Beauty. Did you have a nice nap?

  Me: I did. How’s your flight so far?

  Wild: Fine. Wishing it was going the same way the last one went when you came all over my fingers.

  Me: Maybe I’ll come all over mine when I get home and send you a video.

  Wild: Are you trying to make me hard?

  Me: Always *kissy face*

  Wild: To answer your question, no, we didn’t decide that. I’m just ready for us to be living in the same state again.

  Me: I’m not against the idea of moving there if that’s where you want to be.

  Wild: I want to be anywhere you are.

  It has been the worst fucking week.

  Between dealing with this bullshit with Dylan and my board throwing a fit about who I choose to be in a relationship with, I feel like it’s coming at me from every side. All I want to do is crawl into bed with Halle and sleep for a week.

  After a very long and hard fuck.

  She’s getting here tomorrow, and it’s the first time she’s been to Seattle in probably two years. Judging by my apartment, though, one would probably never know that. There are pictures of her everywhere—on my walls, on my desk in my office, and in my bedroom. Even when we weren’t speaking, Halle has always been a very permanent fixture in all of my living spaces.

  The last time she was here, she’d left some lotion and other toiletries, and while I threw those away after this long, I replaced them with new ones, as well as some other things I’ve seen her use when I was at her apartment. I placed an order for takeout to be delivered around the time we get home from the airport, including some of her favorite snacks, wine, and a favorite dessert. I don’t think she’ll want to go out, but we’ve definitely been known to get a little wine-drunk and nasty when we stay in.

  I loosen my tie as I prepare to leave my downtown office for the day to go home and get ready for Halle’s arrival, when there’s a knock on my door.

  The urge to bark out “what?” is strong, but I reach for the stress ball on my desk and give it a long, hard squeeze before I yell out a much more HR friendly “come in.” I instantly regret it when three people from my press team enter, each carrying an iPad and sporting varying levels of anxiety and nervousness. I watch as two of them exchange a worried look, and I already know I’m not in the mood for whatever the fuck they’re about to tell me.

  “What?” I ask as I lean back in my chair and begin tapping my fingers on my desk, hoping it conveys my agitation. My patience is already razor-thin right now, and tiptoeing around any bullshit is just going to make it worse.

  “So… Halle…” Jack, a red-haired man barely out of college, who sounds like he might still be in high school, speaks up first. “She’s flying in tomorrow?”

  I raise an eyebrow at him as if to say what about it?

  “Right, so we were thinking,” says Lola, a woman who reminds me of my mother and acts like she is sometimes too. “Maybe you and Halle should talk to the board together. Explain how different you are and how you and Halle fell in love. It’s going to be a hard sell, but maybe you can make them understand.”

  My eyebrows furrow in annoyed question because I hadn’t expected them to pitch this idea. “And what, just pray that they’re hopeless romantics?”

  “Mr. Wilder, respectfully, you have to do something. We understand that dating someone for appearances isn’t feasible, but this isn’t just going to go away,” Jack points out.

  “Appeal to some of their softer sides,” Lola adds.

  “Do they have softer sides?” I ask.

  “Everyone has a soft side. Most of them are married, and if you portray this relationship as the real thing and not about lust or the heat of a forbidden relationship or a violation of ethics, you may be able to sell them. But you need Halle. They need to meet her and see both of you. Together.”

  “This feels like I’m on trial. I don’t want to subject her to this.” This whole situation pisses me off. I fucking hate that it feels like I’m being forced to “run my relationship by my job” as if they have a say in who I love.

  I tried to warn you that no one would understand. I can practically hear my mother’s voice in my ear.

  Lola narrows her eyes at me. “Okay, well, you kind of are, and speaking of trials, will you be going to one for punching your other stepsibling in the face at a bar in North Carolina?” she asks snarkily with her voice laced with disapproval.

  I glare at her before pinching the bridge of my nose and letting out an exasperated sigh. “Fine. I will talk to her about it.” Halle will do anything to make this situation easier for me, so I know she’ll do it, but I hate the thought of putting her through this.

  The second those gorgeous eyes find mine, they light up, and her speed picks up as she makes her way toward me. I’m standing at baggage claim, even though I know she didn’t check a bag, because not only could I not wait another second to see her, but the last time she flew here, her terrible sense of direction led her to the wrong area, and I couldn’t find her for thirty minutes.

  “Wild!” She’s in my arms a moment later, wrapping her arms around me and squeezing like she hasn’t seen me in months, not the four days we’ve been apart. When she pulls away, she rises on her tiptoes, letting me know what she wants, and I press my lips to hers. I pull her hard against me, and for a moment, I get lost in kissing her just like always. I can tell she wants to climb up my body, but I hold her in place, reminding her of where we are before pulling back.

  “We are in public.” I chuckle before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

  “Like that’s ever stopped us. I wasn’t expecting to see you here either!” she says as I take her small roller suitcase from her and begin rolling it behind us as we make it out of the airport.

  “After what happened last time you were here, I wasn’t taking any chances,” I joke.

  I don’t live far from the airport, so we’re back to my apartment building in thirty minutes.

  “I ordered some food. I figured we could stay in tonight.” Usually, the first night we are together, we stay in—we barely leave the bed, let alone our houses—so I assumed that’s what she’d want to do. I also have to break the news about going to my office to meet with the board tomorrow.

  She follows me out of the elevator and toward my two-story penthouse at the end of the hall. I push through the door, and she’s barely even through the door before she gasps. “Oh my God, baby.” She spins around to look at me before turning back to the flower shop that my living room has become. Fifteen dozen red and white roses sit on practically every surface in my kitchen and living room. I have the end unit, so two of the walls are floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing the Seattle night skyline to shine into the room and illuminate the flowers.

  “Sebastian,” she says quietly before pressing her nose into the closest bouquet and running her fingertip across some of the petals. “These are so beautiful. Wow.” She moves toward me and gives me a kiss that she probably intended to be innocent, but the anticipation of finally having her alone in my apartment has taken over, and I have her pressed against the wall, devouring her mouth.

  “Wait, wait,” she tells me when I start playing with the hem of her shirt with the intention of yanking it over her head. “I want to shower first.” She gives me a pointed look. “Alone.”

  I snort before pressing a hand over my groin in an attempt to calm the hard-on I’ve been sporting since I saw her at the airport, if I’m being honest. “And why would I agree to that?”

  “Babe,” she groans as she makes her way into my open concept kitchen and grabs the bottle of red wine that I left sitting on the counter. Taking the bottle from her, I grab my corkscrew out of the drawer and open it for her. “I just flew all day. I would like to wash the travel off me if you don’t mind.”

  “And why can’t I join you for that?” She slowly blinks her eyes while her lips form a straight line, and I laugh in response at the look she’s giving me that I’m pretty sure is telling me to read between the lines. “Fine, fine. The food should be here in about thirty minutes. Shower and then we’ll eat, and then I can eat you,” I tell her with a slap to her ass.

  She walks downstairs shortly after the food arrives and hops up on the counter next to me while I’m plating the food from my favorite Thai restaurant.

  “God, you do love me,” she says. “Food, wine, and flowers? You are kind of perfect, you know that?”

  I know this is how she feels, but it never gets old hearing it. “And…” I go into my pantry and grab a bag from the shop I went to earlier, then hand it to her.

  She opens the paper bag and practically screams when she sees what’s inside. “I was going to ask you if we could go! I can’t believe you remembered!”

  “You can’t… believe I remembered something… about you?” I ask incredulously as I continue to plate the shrimp pad Thai onto her plate.