Page 23 of First in Line

Nathan dismisses his phone and lowers onto the mattress to welcome me as I plaster my front to his side.

He looks at me with his gentle blue eyes, then his hand comes to graze my temple and soothe back my hair. “I wish I didn’t have to wake up in five hours. I really want to make love to you right now,” he confesses.

His confession makes me smile. “When you come back,” I offer as a compromise.

“Deal. Will you come to my place, or…”

“I don’t mind either way. Let me know what you prefer.”

“Will do.”

He leans in for a soft, long kiss, then twists away enough to turn his light off. When he returns to me, we settle into each other, finding a comfortable position for the night.

“Good night, honey,” he whispers in the dark.

“Good night.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, honey.”

But when I let myself slip into a peaceful slumber, it’s not Nathan’s cerulean gaze that populates my dreams. No, it’s a pair of mismatched irises, one blue, one brown.

I’ll wrestle with my conscience in the morning. Right now, I’m too tired to fight it.

CHAPTER

FIVE

Jackson

One last swipe of my hands over the sides of my pants, and I knock on the flimsy door of the trailer. Inside, I hear Evie’s mom shout her name, then some commotion, and the door opens.

When I find Ms. G instead of my date, I lower the corsage I bought, which matches the flowers I pinned to the lapel of my suit. Per usual, Evie’s mom is wearing cheap leggings, a wide T-shirt that has a few holes, and her blonde hair looks unkempt. I’ll never understand genetics, because how is that her mom? Evie is always proper, always put together, even if her clothes aren’t the most pristine.

One day, I’ll buy her an entire closet full of designer clothes and expensive accessories. She will have everything she’s ever dreamed of. And I can’t wait to give her all that.

“Good evening, Ms. G. Is Evangeline ready?”

She removes the cigarette from her chapped lips and replies, “Not yet. She’s been at it for hours. Evie!” she shouts toward the narrow hallway that leads to the small bedrooms.

“I’m coming!” her daughter frustratedly replies.

“So, what’s the plan, kid?” Ms. G asks, looking me up and down.

“We’re going to the homecoming dance, then I’m taking Evie to the restaurant, if that’s alright with you, Ms. G.”

“She needs to be home by midnight, or I’m turningyouinto a pumpkin. Hear me?”

“Of course, Ms. G. I’ll bring her back on time.”

She’s about to ask me something else when Evie appears behind her. She’s wearing a white dress that falls just below her knees with off-the-shoulder sleeves. Her hair is up in a high bun, with butterfly pins everywhere. When she sees me in my suit, she smiles as broadly as I do.

Ms. G moves aside, allowing her to join me down the two steps. “Here, I—I got you this,” I say, extending the corsage in its clear box. She told me she’d be wearing white, so I bought matching flowers.

“Thank you, Jax. Can you put it on me?” she asks, bringing her slim hand toward me.

I immediately comply, securing the flowers on her wrist, then give the back of her hand a kiss.