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I didn’t even realize my body language had changed as I drifted off, but Brougham pulled back. “Are you all right?”

I cringed and gave him an embarrassed smile. “Yes, totally. I was just thinking about my website.”

Brougham touched his head to mine and groaned, laughing. “You’re dying to get started on it, huh?”

He took my laptop to the bed, and I nestled in beside him and leaned against his shoulder to watch as he worked.

“What are you doing now?” I asked.

“Just… registering you… a domain name.” He navigated to a search tool with a flashing cursor. “Any idea what you wanna call it?”

“Is Dear Locker Eighty-Nine free?”

He typed inwww.dearlocker89.com. The name flashed green. Available.

“You want it?” he asked.

“Yes, quick, take it before someone else does!”

“A veritable race against the clock,” he murmured. “And… it’s all yours.”

“Is that it? Do I have a website now?”

“You have adomain name.” He grinned. “Setting up the website will take a while. I’m gonna message Finn and ask which one he used for his—he said it was really good.”

“Finn has a website?”

“Yeah,” Brougham said, eyes on his phone while he wrote to Finn. “It’s something like ‘Ryan Chad Truthers dot com,’ I think?”

Of course it was.

Brougham locked his phone. “Done. Hopefully he replies soon.”

I dragged my fingertips lightly over his shoulder blades. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to take a quick break while we wait.”

Brougham didn’t need to be told twice. In one movement he’d flipped the laptop shut and turned around to kiss me again. This time I pushed him backward on the bed before quickly moving the laptop to safety on the floor.

And these days, that taste, that smell, made me feel warm, and safe, and infinite. In fact, as it was turning out, upon reflection, maybe I wasn’t avoidant after all. Becausedespite my fears and doubts and confusion at the beginning, now whenever Brougham looked at me, or I looked at him, there was no part of me that felt smothered.

We had our couple bubble. He was my safe base. I was his.

I didn’t fear engulfment. When his life merged with mine? My life simply grew bigger.

So, maybe I didn’t always get things right, about myself, or about others. And maybe a part of learning my place in the world was about accepting that I wouldn’t always have the answers, and I wouldn’t always be the hero in every scenario, and maybe I wouldn’t win everything I attempted.

But I was pretty sure about a couple of things.

Whether I was changing lives through my advice itself, or just my willingness to listen, I’d made a difference with the locker.

And I could make a difference again. Maybe even a bigger one. Especially with Brougham’s help.

Speaking of Brougham? Of all the terrifying decisions I’d had to make this year, among all the missteps and bad calls and failed attempts—agreeing to help Alexander Brougham was the most perfectly right decision I’d ever made.