Page 67 of Between Hello and Goodbye

I didn’t budge but she held my gaze unflinchingly, unwilling to break. Another ring, and she gave me a gentle push.

“Go.”

I frowned and crossed my bedroom. I snatched up the phone, jabbed the green answer button.“What?”

“My brother, ladies and gentlemen.” Morgan laughed. “Just calling to remind you that the Friends and Family picnic at Kal’s school starts in an hour.”

“Shit, that’s today? I forgot.”

“Which is why I called. Problem?”

I turned my back to the bathroom and lowered my voice, bracing myself. “Faith is here.” I held the phone from my ear until there was a break in the ensuing crowing and hollering. “Are you done?”

“No, just catching my breath.”

I snorted and rolled my eyes. “I’m going to be late to the picnic. I have to drive Faith back and then—”

“Drive her where? Bring her, you jackass.”

“It’s a family thing.”

“It’s afriendsand family thing. Faith is officially our friend for her advice about the business, and she’s yours for…other reasons. Friends with benefits, apparently.Finally.”

I glanced over my shoulder at Faith, still perched on the sink and still topless, lost in thought. Her fingers toyed with the quartz pendant.

“I’ll ask.”

I hung up before Morgan could add more commentary and rejoined Faith at the sink.

“Ask me what?”

“Kal has a school picnic thing today. Kind of like a mini carnival with pony rides and games and all that shit.”

“All that shitsounds cute. When’s it start?”

“Soon.”

“Then we’d better hurry.”

She gingerly hopped off the sink and climbed back into bed, stretching her long, lithe body on my sheets. As if a magnetic switch had flipped on, I automatically moved to join her. I pulled her close so that I could feel every inch of her naked skin on mine.

“Give me a little bit more time with you,” she said, kissing my chin, her hands in my hair. “Then I’ll Uber back to my place and you can go to Kal’s picnic.”

“If we don’t do Waimea today, you might not get there. You could come to the picnic with me and then we’ll hit the canyon.”

Faith’s expression stiffened and she looked away, her eyes on her fingertips that traced the lines of my neck. “I don’t know. Seems more like a family thing.”

My argument exactly, yet I held her tighter to me.

“Morgan invited you.I’minviting you.”

Faith hesitated, then smiled, though it looked forced. “Maybe I should put in an appearance. I won’t have another chance to say goodbye to them before I go.”

Fuck.

Our eyes met and then she lunged at me, kissed me hard. Kissing me instead of talking about all the shit we didn’t want to face. I’d said too much at the restaurant last night. I’d kicked open doors that needed to stay shut.

I kissed her back just as urgently, rolling her onto her back and settling myself on top of her, as if I could weigh her down and keep her where she was…with me.