Page 76 of Your Last First Kiss

I rest my ass on the edge of the sofa and recline like I was dropped there so Mari can sleep against me.

“I don’t know what happened in your bathroom,” Miller says with a teasing lilt to his voice. When I look up, he’s smiling.

“Why are you smiling? The kids. The kids are going to be heartbroken. They didn’t get to say goodbye. Maybe we can FaceTime a thank you when we find his phone. Oh, his phone.”

I try to stand, but he places a hand on my shoulder to gently push me back down.

“I don’t think you’ll need to FaceTime him.”

All the blood drains from my head, making me woozy. “After all, all of this,” I say, waving a hand around my house. “He doesn’t want to see me again, does he?”

Miller drops onto the sofa next to me.

“Just the opposite, actually.”

My head snaps to him so fast my dirty hair whips Mari in the face. I brush it away quickly and pat her back while staring open-mouthed at Miller.

“What are you talking about?” I hate how my voice trembles. Hate those tiny grains of hope that seep into each word.

“Remy bailed him out of jail and didn’t tell us.” He leans back and wraps both arms along the back of the sofa. “Seems he made a deal with your lover boy.”

“What kind of deal?” I can barely get the words out. They sound small and fragile.

“One that has him driving like a bat out of hell to New York to pack his shit.”

“Pack?”

“Pack.”

It takes more than a minute for my brain to understand.

“He’s moving to Chance Lake. At least for now,” he says smugly.

If I weren’t already sitting, I’d definitely fall over.

“I mean, I knew…” What? What did I know? “I knew,” I try again. “That Ashton wanted him to stay for a while, but I assumed he’d commute. Or—or…”

“Or move into one of the apartments at the TAC to be closer to you. Looks like you snagged yourself a white knight, missy.”

“I didn’t ask for one,” I say numbly.

“Does anybody ever ask for one? Or do they just ride in on their Tesla when you need them the most?”

I give him the side-eye but can’t find a response. Do I want a white knight?

Yes, you idiot. You want that white knight like you want your next breath, but only if it’s Dillon.

We sit in silence for long moments. Long enough for Miller to get antsy. He’s never been good at sitting still.

“I don’t even want to know what happened in your bathroom.” He grins.

A laugh bubbles out of me. Just because Dillon is supposedly moving to Chance Lake doesn’t make all my problems disappear. If anything, it makes them more complicated, but I can’t help feeling like maybe, just maybe, I won’t be so alone anymore, either.

CHAPTER24

DILLON

Remy’s truck is about a hundred years old and shakes like it’ll fly right off its frame when you go over fifty miles per hour, so the drive back to New York is long.