I slipped it on and found some nude heels Lance bought me to pair with it, then applied a little makeup. I stared in the mirror for a moment, trying to remember the last time there was such a sparkle in my eye. Moving to Memphis looked good on me. Decker Harris looked good on me.
When I made my way back into the living room, the lights had been dimmed, and soft music was playing through the speakers. Decker lit a single candle on the mantle, then turned around to face me once he could hear my heels clicking on the wood floors. As I’d hoped, his jaw classically dropped, making a blush hit my cheeks. “You look incredible. Breathtaking. I’m-I’m speechless here.”
“Come dance with me, Decker,” I said while holding my hand out. He didn’t need telling twice.
Decker sauntered over, then wrapped his arms around me. I nuzzled his neck, breathing in the deep scent of his cologne while swaying to the music. “This is just what I wanted,” I whispered as his hand drifted lower to cup my ass.
“I would have picked you up in a limo if this was our dance. I would’ve been nervous out of my goddamn mind, too, wondering how a nerd like me scored a date with you. You would have been way out of my league,” Decker replied before spinning me around and crushing me back to his chest.
“I doubt that. Have you seen yourself?”
“Have you seen yourself?” Decker asked. “You’re beautiful, Blakely. I can’t stop staring at you. And it’s not just these plush lips,” he kissed me for emphasis, a light peck that I wanted to drag out but he cut off too soon. “It’s not your delicious curves”—his hands ran down my sides—“or your long legs,” he added before lightly touching my thigh.
“It’s not?” I asked.
“No. It’s your selflessness. Your fire. Your intelligence. Your heart. Fuck, you have an amazing heart once you let people in.”
“You’re going to give me a big head, Mr. Harris,” I teased before running a hand through his dark hair. It was so soft. “I wish our timeline would have aligned better. I would have gladly fumbled through an awkward high school dance with you.”
“My younger self would have been fighting a boner all night,” he joked.
“Your older self seems to be having the same problem. Need some help with that, Mr. Harris?” I asked with a teasing grin before trailing my hand down his chest and past his waist until I was cupping his hard-on over his pants.
“Fuck, you kill me.” He groaned before taking a deep inhale of my hair. “I know you’re on the pill, but I’m going to grab a condom and bend you over the kitchen table,” he rushed out before backing away. “Give me five seconds.”
Decker disappeared down the hall, and I smiled after him, the thrill of the moment coursing through me. How did I get so lucky? How did something so disastrous and ugly turn into the best move of my life? I had a brother that I liked, maybe even loved. I had Decker. I was at my dream school on track to graduate with honors. Everything was just perfect.
And then the door jiggled. Fuck.
Lance was here. Right now. Right fucking now.
I turned on the lights and quickly blew out the candle just as Lance opened the door and entered the loft. I fixed my face into a fake smile while greeting him. “Whoa! Look at you! Hot date tonight?” Lance asked before dumping his bag on the floor. I heard Decker’s door shut and breathed out a sigh of relief. Crisis averted.
My brother looked effortlessly handsome with his graphic tee and faded jeans. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a low, polite whistle while gesturing for me to spin around. I curtsied and humored him, feeling giddy at how sweet he was being. I couldn’t help but wonder how it would have felt to have his sort of enthusiasm growing up.
“It’s the fall formal tonight, but it seems my date has stood me up. Was just about to go get changed and watch a movie.”
Lance’s jaw dropped. “Who in their right mind would stand you up?” he asked while rubbing his hands together. “Oh gosh, I’ve been waiting for this moment. I get to beat some dude up for breaking my sister’s heart now, don’t I?” he asked with glee while pacing the floors. “Give me a name. I’m so excited! I get to be the protective big brother now!”
I giggled at his elation while taking off my heels. Usually, others might have said that my romantic night with Decker was ruined, but I actually wasn’t bothered by Lance’s intrusion. “There will be no beating anyone up,” I chided. I felt terrible for yet another lie but didn’t see any other option. I was actually pretty proud of myself for coming up with something so quickly. “I didn’t really want to go anyway. Besides, look at me. He’s already missing out. I think the absence of my presence is punishment enough.” I winked to feign confidence and put my hand on my hips.
Lance grinned. “I like the way you think, Blakely,” he said before making his way over to the kitchen and grabbing a Coke out of the fridge.
“I thought you were staying at Sean’s tonight,” I asked.
Lance faced me just as his face fell, and I watched as he started staring at his feet. “Ah, I decided to come home. Missed my baby sister too much,” he deflected. I wanted to pry but didn’t want to be too intrusive. It seemed like he wasn’t unwilling to open up about his relationship. I had no right to complain though. I decided not to press him on it even though I wanted to. I was starting to understand why Decker felt so protective of Lance. I had started to feel the same way. Lance was so bright and joyful; he was the type you wanted to hold tight and shelter from the world. Sometimes I even fleetingly wondered if he would have been this optimistic ray of sunshine had he been raised by Mama.
“Oh! I spoke to your dad’s parole officer and managed to get a case opened on his disappearance,” Lance said. “I know we’ll find him soon, Blakely.” My heart swelled again. I hadn’t heard from Dad since the night he warned me away. I was worried about him but felt helpless to do anything. The system was flawed and didn’t care about an ex-felon. We hadn’t seen more of those men around, but I had a feeling this wasn’t over. Like most of my life right now, I was in a state of limbo and waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“Thank you, Lance. I can’t say it enough. It means a lot that I don’t have to go through that alone,” I choked out.
Lance circled the kitchen island and wrapped me up in a hug. “You don’t have to do anything alone anymore, Blakely. I’m here for the long haul.” Moisture collected in my eyes, and I swatted it away when our embrace ended. “Anyways,” Lance began, all tenderness in his tone now gone, “a dress like that shouldn’t be put to waste. How about we go to dinner? Where the hell is Decker?”
As if on cue, Decker appeared out of his bedroom and came sauntering down the hall. He looked frustrated as he ran a hand through his hair. He’d changed out of his suit and into jeans and a t-shirt. I wasn’t sure which outfit I liked more. “Was just grading papers,” he supplied lamely.
“Well, stop. We’re taking Blakely out to dinner,” Lance said before clapping his hands.
Decker’s face twisted up into a look of agony as he responded. “I’m not sure. I have a lot of work to get done,” he replied. I knew that he didn’t have anything to do tonight, but the idea of sitting with Lance and me while I was wearing this dress would be awkward and torturous. I had to fight back a snicker.