Page 57

I paused a beat, my heart racing, before I admitted, “Oh. Well, I knew Nova.”

Startled to hear his ex’s name, he pulled back in obvious surprise, while the rest of the room went eerily silent.

Keene stroked my arm as if to let me know I hadn’t done anything wrong, so I refocused on Thane and said, “She was really nice to me.”

She’d been one of the few girls at the center who’d recognized how painfully shy I was, and she actually approached me a few times to talk, asking questions about my life and making sure I felt included. I’d always appreciated her for that.

Thane smiled but it was full of pain. “Yeah,” he admitted quietly. “She had a talent for making people feel special.”

The way he spoke about her in the past tense sounded like someone who spoke of a loved one who’d died.

“Last I heard from her mom, she was still in Austin, right?” I added, not sure what to say that was safe.

But Thane lifted his face in surprise. “Austin?” he repeated as if that was news to him.

“Well, shit,” Keene said. “No one ever guessed Austin.” Jostling my arm, he asked, “What the fuck is she doing in Austin?”

“I…” Realizing I’d just stepped into a very sticky situation, with everyone staring at me for answers that maybe I shouldn’t be giving, I eased closer to Keene.

“I actually don’t know,” I admitted in a small voice.

“Mom and I ran into Malena last year at the grocery store, and I was only really listening with half an ear to their conversation.” I glanced at Thane, and he looked so stunned and upset I winced with apology. “I’m sorry; I don’t?—”

“No, it’s okay,” he assured me, waving a dismissive hand and trying to smile, but it looked pained. “But, uh…” I could tell he was trying not to act too eager when he shifted closer on his couch cushion. “This was last year, you said? She was in Austin last year?”

When I nodded, he glanced eagerly between Alec, Keene, and Damien.

Shaking his elbow encouragingly, Alec said, “So she’s probably still there now.”

“And married,” Thane said as he nodded along with Alec before turning back to me. “At least, I think so. Did, uh, did her mom—did Malena mention a husband or upcoming wedding at all? I heard she was engaged.”

“I—” I opened my mouth and glanced toward Keene. The supportive look in his gaze gave me the courage to admit, “She didn’t mention a wedding, sorry.”

“But that’s good, right?” Keene told Thane. “Moms always mention the son-in-law, so that probably means she didn’t get hitched after all.”

But Thane looked like he was in agony. “Well, I don’t want her to be miserable.” But it was obvious he didn’t want to hear that she was married and living out her happily ever after without him either.

An uncomfortable silence filled the living room, and I knew I’d been the one to put it there. I always had a way of ruining a good time. Why, oh why, did I always open my stupid mouth and fill the air with my awkwardness?

Wincing up at Keene, I apologized with my eyes, but he only rolled his as if Thane getting maudlin over Nova was nothing new, and he pressed a reassuring kiss to my temple.

For some reason, that helped.

I blew out a relieved breath as Thane motioned toward the television. “So what’re we watching, anyway?”

Alec unpaused the movie, recapping the first five minutes for Thane, and from there, we fell into a comfortable silence, finishing the film without any more interruptions.

Even though it was an action flick with plenty to keep me awake, I dozed off, slumping against Keene.

I was vaguely aware of moments when he would pull the blanket more snugly around me, then bury his nose in my hair and breathe deeply.

But he felt so safe and warm and comfortable, I never fully woke either.

Until he squeezed my shoulder at the end credits and kissed my brow. “Hey, darlin’,” he murmured, stirring me back to consciousness. “You have to be home by one tonight, right?”

I jerked upright with a gasp, blurry-eyed but suddenly one hundred percent awake. “What time is it?”

“It’s a little after midnight,” he assured. “We still have plenty of time to get you home.”

I struggled my way out of my blanket, while the rest of the room was standing and stretching, still talking about the show. At some point, Oaklynn had come home and was here too.

“My car’s still on campus,” I said, looking up at Keene in alarm.

He only shrugged, letting me know it was no big deal. “So I’ll take you back to campus and drop you off at it. Or I could take you straight home, and we can get it back tomorrow.”

I opened my mouth to argue both points, but he only smiled, completely unconcerned as he pressed a finger against my lips.

“You can say you took Xander home in her car earlier, and one of her roommates drove you back to campus for yours, or this roommate can drive you back home right now. Your choice.”

I exhaled in relief, thinking it was a believable story, and I told him, “I should get my car tonight.”

He nodded. “Then we’ll get your car tonight.”

Slinging an arm over my shoulders as if he’d always done it, he glanced at the others. “We’re taking off.”

Xander had to hug me goodbye. Then Thane shook my hand, bidding me a special goodnight before Oaklynn surprised me when she came bouncing up to hug me as well, only to whisper into my ear, “Damien told me the exciting news. Congrats. You’ll never be bored with Keene, that’s for sure.”

She pulled back to send Keene a stern glance and tapped his arm threateningly. “Hey, be good to her. This woman saved my life.”

“Excuse me,” he muttered, scowling back and clutching his chest as if he’d been hurt. “I plan to be amazing to her, thank you very much.”

And he was.

After he drove me back to my MINI Cooper, he followed me home to make sure I got there okay, honking briefly in goodbye as he drove past.

Then, I woke the next morning to a text from him, wishing me good morning.

And after that, he checked in throughout the day, complaining about everything his friends were making him do, including getting him to help move a new couch up to the second floor of Foster’s apartment building.

His complaints were hilarious and made me laugh, but I wrote back my sympathies, which he seemed to appreciate.

The next night he asked if I wanted to eat supper with him at his Nana and Grandpa Dugger’s house. But first, we had to stop by to see his Gram and Pop-Pop on the Laterman side.

It was weird meeting the parents of the ghost who liked to follow me around work and reshelve nearly every book I put away. But it was also depressing that the Latermans didn’t know their daughter was still around, even though I completely understood Keene’s reason for not telling them.

Aside from that, all four grandparents treated me as if I were some rare, golden treasure that needed fawning over.

I guess Keene had never brought a girl home to meet them before, and it was frankly disconcerting how much attention they paid me because I still wasn’t a fan of so much scrutiny.

But with Keene present, it was okay. Besides, they were all sweethearts, and it was obvious they adored their Keene, so I enjoyed myself, too.

By Monday, I was ready for the other shoe to drop, certain Keene was going to tell me he’d just been joking about the whole dating thing, or he’d ignore me on campus because he hadn’t wanted anyone else to know about us.

But he texted me good morning—for the third day in a row—then found me at lunchtime, making me and Xander sit at his table with him and his friends in the student union, and finally, he joined me at the library about five minutes after I started my evening shift, plopping onto the counter in his usual spot, and grinning his usual Keene grin.

“Howdy, darlin’. So here I am. What’re your other two wishes?”

I glanced up, blinking in utter confusion. “What?”

When our gazes met, he winked before saying a little too loudly for my taste, “I hope you have maps in this place because I think I just got lost in your eyes.”

A few scoffs around the library lobby had me glancing around to realize he’d gained people’s attention, notably some members of the basketball crowd who were obligated to come here to study together every Monday night.

During my shift, unfortunately. They were always loud and rowdy and left the worst messes for me to clean up. Jerks.

Returning my scowl to Keene, I hissed, “What’re you doing? And get down. Why do you always have to sit there?”

Keene remained unperturbed by my bitching. If anything, his grin only grew as if he got off on my irritation. And leaning closer, he dramatically clutched his heart with both hands. “Because it’s close to you,” he said.

I shuddered and melted, unable to help myself.

He groaned. “Dammit, Waves. Stop looking at me like that. I haven’t been inside you since Friday, and I’m feeling it.”

My stomach muscles fluttered, and all my parts went tingly with excitement.

Not changing the look in my eyes one iota, I said, “I like it when you call me Waves.”

It was a pet name I could get behind one hundred percent.

Keene’s gaze heated. “Do you now?”

When I nodded slowly, he whimpered. “When are we going to get some alone time again?”

I bit my lip and cringed. “Probably not until Wednesday.”

“Wednesday?” he cried. “No. I can’t wait that long.”

When I reached up to touch his face sympathetically, his eyelids went heavy.

“Why don’t you stop by for a quickie on your way home from work tonight?

” he cajoled. “You get off at ten, right? That’s over an hour of sweet lovings before you gotta head home again.

” Moving his mouth to my ear, he whispered, “I swear, I’ll make it worth your while. ”

With another shiver, I glanced into his eyes and groaned. “Dammit. Now you stop doing that,” I warned. “I can’t tonight. I have a paper to write for my psychology class.”