Page 146 of Under Your Scars

“I didn’t realize the oil reservoir was located in the windshield.”

I grab the rag that’s flung over my shoulder and wipe off some of the grime that’s built up on my hands and turn to face her.

I use my thumb to point behind me. “Want to learn how?”

She narrows her eyes at me, revealing her manicured fingers from her sweater paws. “Do these hands look like they were made for manual labor?”

I chuckle. “Spoiled brat.”

She sticks her tongue out at me.

My face falls when I notice how red the tip of her nose is, and the small smudges of mascara under her eyes.

“Have you been crying?”

She shakes her head. “Nope,” she quips unconvincingly. “Okay, fine. You got me. Edwin was just telling me about how he met Helen. It was a really cute story.”

“Until he gets to the part where he rocked her world, huh?”

Elena smiles and laughs. Something genuine sparkles behind her eyes and my shoulders instantly relax to see her happy, if only for a second.

I pull her to my side, not caring that she’s wearing my sweater or that my dirty hands are mucking it up. She wraps her arms around my neck and hugs me.

I move my hands up to rest on the small of her back. She kisses the tip of my nose.“Tell me why you’re upset.”

My shoulders sag with regret. “When we got back from California, Edwin and I got in a fight.” I look up at the ceiling and sigh. “Okay,Iwas doing the fighting. I got upset with him and stormed out. I said some shit I didn’t mean in the heat of the moment.”

She gives me a strained smile. “He doesn’t feel good.”

“I know.”

Fuck,I know. I shouldn’t have gotten mad at him, and I shouldn’t have blown him off. At his age, not feeling good can turn into not being alive so fast it’s frightening.

“Why are you mad at him?”

I close my eyes and let out a long breath, trying to buy time to find any plausible explanation without telling her the truth.

I’m not withholding information because of Elliot. I have no loyalty to that man. I’m only keeping my mouth shut about his revelation because he’s her father and I’m not so confident she’d even believe me.

“Elena, angel, I can’t tell you.”

She blinks slowly at me, as if she’s not surprised. I’m a master at keeping secrets after all.

“Okay,” she says quietly, rubbing her hands across my bare chest. I purr in satisfaction when her nails scrape along my abs. “I understand.”

“You do?”

She nods. “Your secrets with him are none of my business.”

I wrap my hands around her waist, squeezing lightly. “I’m just not ready to talk about it.”

She cups my cheeks in her hands and gives me a soft kiss. “Go take a shower and meet me in the study.”

“Why?”

“Because I said so.”

I chuckle again. “So bossy.”