I laugh. “We do get a lot of flyover traffic to the Chicago airports.”
She takes a few steps back, and I find myself moving toward her. My arms fold around her slender waist and my cock jumps. I turn my head to the side, fighting with myself. I want to kiss her and tell her how I feel…but she’s more than a little tipsy.
I’ll wait.
“The food is probably getting cold,” she says, eyeing the bag. “And those fries smell amazing.”
I unlock the Jeep and open the passenger door for her, then quickly go around and get in. Scarlet turns up the heat and plays with the radio as I drive us home, stopping on a classic rock station. “Living on a Prayer” is playing, and she looks at me with a smile before cranking the volume. We belt it out together, laughing and dancing in our seats. I don’t realize it until a car comes up behind me, but I’ve slowed down, going less than half the speed limit on this country road.
Speeding up, I glance over at Scarlet, watching her move her seatbelt to the side so she can take off my coat. Her dress gets caught when she pulls it off, and the low-cut neckline of the dress moves to the side, exposing part of her lacy black bra. Fuck, she’s gorgeous.
I clench my jaw and grip the steering wheel, keeping my eyes on the road the rest of the way home. Parking in front of the house, Scarlet and I walk up the sidewalk together. She stops a foot before the porch and looks up at the sky again.
“It’s so beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Is it making you believe in aliens?”
She laughs, and the way her face lights up is even more beautiful than the sky above us. “It’s starting to convince me.”
I pull my keys from my pocket to unlock the front door.
“Can we eat on the porch?” Scarlet asks. “So I can look for shooting stars?”
“I can do you one better.”
“Careful.” I hold out my hand, planting my foot down on the shingles of the roof. Scarlet steps through the open window, gripping my hand tight.
“I’m not really scared of heights,” she starts, holding onto the window frame. “But I’m afraid of falling from heights.”
“I won’t let you fall.”
She looks me right in the eye. “You sure about that?”
“I’ll catch you.”
Her lips curve into a smile. “You better.”
“You can trust me.”
“I know.”
She steps onto the roof, and I help her down a few feet. We’re on top of the covered back porch, and while the roof still angles down a bit, it’s level enough to sit. Once she’s settled, I reach back inside and grab a blanket and the food. I take a seat close to Scarlet, draping the blanket around both of us.
Scarlet opens the take-out bag, and we eat together in a silence that’s anything but awkward. Once we’re done with our food, I gather up the wrappers and toss them along with our empty water bottles into the house through the open window.
“You know Jackson is going to come out here once he’s older, right?” Scarlet says, resting her head on my shoulder.
“I’ll nail the windows shut before then.” I slip my arm around her.
She laughs. “I’d be out here every night if I were a kid.”
“Just wait until winter.”
“I can tough it out.”
She could, and she would just to see the stars. “Have you been to the Alder Planetarium?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “I’ve always wanted to go, but I haven’t been. I used to take my brother and sister to the Field Museum, though. It was within walking distance of our house. Well, a long walk. We’d make a day out of it. Then when my dad came back into the picture, he’d meet us there.” She closes her eyes and rests her head on my shoulder. “I haven’t been in a while. A long while. I haven’t even thought about it but now I really miss it.”
“Do you want to go? We can take Jackson and drive up next week.”
She lifts her head up and looks at me. “Really?”
Her smile is making me smile. “Yeah. I haven’t been since probably high school, and Jackson’s never been. You could invite your dad and sister, if you want.”
She stiffens, and the smile is gone from her face. “They…they won’t be able to come.”
“Shit, right. Your dad is sick. How’s he doing?”
With furrowed brows, she turns to me. “I need to tell you something.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Weston
“You can tell me anything,” I say. Unable to help myself, I put my arms around her again. Scarlet tenses, and for a moment I think she’s going to pull away from me. Then she relaxes in my arms, leaning back against me. Holding her is one of the best feelings in the world.
“My dad is sick, but it’s not the kind of sick he’ll get better from.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. He more or less did it to himself. Years of heavy drinking and getting into fights takes its toll on the body.” She inhales, breath catching. I hold her closer, pressing my lips to the back of her neck. I can tell this is painful for her, and the confession is like pulling the bullet out of the wound. It hurt going in, and it’ll hurt coming out, but once it’s gone, the wound can begin to heal.
“He’s in a nursing home, a really shitty one at that, but it’s the best I can do. And my sister can’t join us because she’s in jail.”
I blink but don’t say anything. I was not expecting any of that. Waiting for her to go on, I run my fingers up and down her arm.
“Why is she in jail?”
“She got caught up with the wrong crowd.” She shakes her head. “She’s so desperate to fit in she went along with this stupid idea to rob a store and got caught. Her friend had a gun, and even though my sister didn’t, she still got charged with armed robbery.”
“Damn.”
“My sister and my dad…they’re not bad people, though. They’ve just…they’ve made bad choices. Hell, I’ve made bad choices.”
“Haven’t we all?”
She turns, eyes glossy. “You have no idea.” Slowly, she twists in my arms and cups my face with her hands. “You’re a good person, Weston. A good dad, a good brother, a good cop. I used to think people like you only existed in fairytales.”
I rest my hands on the curve of her hips. “No one has ever compared me to a fairytale before.”
“Well, they should have. You’re everything I could have—”
I can’t stop myself any longer. I pull Scarlet to me and kiss her. She melts against me, arms flying around my neck. Everything disappears in that moment, and it’s like it’s just us and the stars.
Scarlet’s lips, soft and warm, press against mine with a passion that matches my own. I slide one hand down to the small of her back, feeling the heat of her skin. The blanket falls from her shoulders and she shivers, pressing herself closer to me. The desire I’ve been trying to ignore, trying to convince myself isn’t there, comes rushing back, and my need to be inside her is the most intense thing I’ve ever felt.