Page 62 of Billion Dollar Vow

My heart skips again, but I can’t tell if it’s from the run or something else. I smile, shaking the water from my hair.

“For the record, I saved your food, too.” I glance at his groceries, his precious kale and peanut butter still intact.

All of a sudden, rain falls harder.

He pulls me gently back toward the awning, my body now pressed against his as I stumble slightly. We’re close… so close. I can feel his warmth against me. His hand is still wrapped around me, but it feels like something more.

“You risked hypothermia for that?” He gestures at the dripping packages.

I sniff, hugging the cookies to my chest. “They’re delicious.”

As we stand, the humor fades. He looks at me, water dripping from my hair and face.

“You really don’t care, do you?” he rasps.

I frown, glancing up at him, unsure of how to handle the shift. I try to shake it off with a laugh. “Care about what?”

“About what you eat, what you spend money on. You just... go for whatever’s easiest and cheapest.”

My smile drops a bit and I straighten as it hits me in the stomach. “Not all of us grew up with the luxury of being picky. Sometimes you take what you can get.”

He falters. “I didn’t mean—” he starts.

“Yeah, you did.” I brush past him, ready to get out of here.

He hesitates, then follows me into the rain, the bags still in his arms. “Wait.”

I keep walking, muttering, “Just drop it, okay?”

He stops me with a hand on my arm, his voice firm but not unkind. “That’s not what I meant.”

I turn to face him, the rain causing my hair to stick to my face. “Then what did you mean?”

He looks at me, something unspoken passing between us. Finally, he sighs. “I just… You deserve better.”

My expression softens at his unexpected sincerity, but I quickly cover it with sarcasm. “So, what, kale is supposed to fix my life?”

He smirks faintly, his hand still on my arm. “Maybe not. But it pains me to think that you’ve had to struggle.”

I pull away gently, shaking my head. “There's so many kids who grew up without, not just me.”

He watches me for a beat, then shrugs lightly. “Yeah, but I’m not standing here with them. I’m standing here with you.”

I turn and walk to his car, mulling over his words.You deserve better.Maybe trying his fancy kale wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Not because I think it’ll magically improve my life, but because there’s something touching about his concern. And I’m curious about the things that matter to him.

As we get to the trunk, I finally break the silence, realizing I was childish with my outburst, and I want to bring back the peace between us.

“You know... I might try kale. Just once.”

He grins. “See? I’m rubbing off on you.”

I glance at him sideways, fighting back a smile as I playfully bump his arm with mine. “Don’t push your luck.”

He closes the trunk, and we climb into the car. Memories spill from my lips as we settle inside, and I keep my eyes forward, watching the rain hit the glass. “We didn’t really get storms like this in the foster homes. The roof would leak even if it was just drizzling. I used to pray it wouldn’t rain, just so my bed stayed dry.”

He pauses, twisting to look at me. “You never told me that.”

I shrug, trying to brush it off. “Not really the type of thing you bring up, is it?”