Page 39 of Drive Me Wilde

I lean my head back against the seat. "Normally, I'd say yay, but I realize now it's not ideal to get punched in a stomach that is full of beer." I lift my arm. That asshole left me with a twelve-stitch gash. The wrap goes from my wrist to my elbow. "I think they were being awfully stingy with the painkillers," I say.

"And you had one at the hospital so you're good for the night."

"Yes, Nurse Meanie." The pill has kicked in, and I'm feeling pretty good. It took away the edge I was feeling after the fight. "You can just spin the truck past the house and give me a quick push out the door. I'll crawl my way up to the door. Or you could stay and tuck me in." I reach over and brush my fingers along her arm.

"I thought the doctor might be pushing it giving you that pain pill while you were still drunk."

"Not drunk," I insist, even though my head is swimming. But that's more from sitting in the cab of Zander's truck with Indi than from the stuff in my bloodstream. "Indi," I say, "thanks for taking me to the hospital."

She laughs lightly. "You bet." She pulls the truck into the driveway. "I still can't believe you own this house. It was always my favorite."

"I know," I say under my breath.

She takes off her seat belt and turns slightly toward me. "How do you know that?"

"Because I heard you say it back in high school."

"How the hell do you remember something like that?" Her green gaze catches mine.

My lids feel heavy as I stare back at her. "I remember everything about you, Indi. You used to carry a light pink backpack with a Green Day patch on the side pocket. You always ate a banana between second and third period. You sat in the back in creepy Mr. Kennedy's science class because you were sure he was looking down your shirt when you sat up front. By the way—he was. For Valentine's Day you gave out little bags of chocolates to everyone you saw, and when Mrs. Bernstein fainted in homeroom, everyone else freaked out, but you ran straight up to the front of the class to help her."

Indi's smile fades, and her eyes look glassy. "You remember all that?"

I stare at her for a long time, and all I can think about is kissing her. "I remember everything, Jones. Every fucking thing."

She sits still for a second, and I'm pissed for telling her. I'm blaming it on the pain pill/beer combo. The driver's door opens, and she climbs out.

She circles around to my side. I stare at her for a second through the window, and another moment from the past comes back to me. She opens the door, but I stay in the seat, gazing at her. "You brought me gauze," I say.

She lifts a brow. "The nurse gave it to you to redress your arm."

I shake my head, and it spins for an extra second. "Prom night. After the fight. Everyone took Zach inside to take care ofhim while Connors was snarling at me for starting a fight. You brought me gauze that night. Why?"

Indi looks down at her feet for a second. "I just thought it was wrong that only Zach was getting first aid." She gazes up at me. The moonlight only adds to her unreal beauty. "Are you ever going to tell me what started it? You never even told Weston what happened."

I lean my head back and close my eyes. "It's on Zach to tell you what happened. You gonna start dating him again?" I lift my head. It takes plenty of effort. "Everyone always said you were meant to be together. Maybe that's true after all."

Her lips pull down on the sides. "Is that what you want to see happen? You want us to get back together and finish that fairy-tale ending everyone was waiting for? You know what? Maybe I should start dating Zach again. Maybe fate brought me back here, so I could end up with Zach. Let's get you inside."

She angrily spins around, but I grab her hand. My forearm is still numb, but I can feel her hand in mine. She doesn't pull it free. She turns back to me, but I can't find the words. It's fucking ridiculous because those same words have been stuck in my chest since we were teens. Our gazes hold like two strong magnets. She breaks the force field first, and I reluctantly let her go.

A glimmer of a smile returns. "C'mon. I'll fix you something to eat. It's not good to take those pills on an empty stomach."

My legs feel heavy as I swing them to the side and drop down out of the truck. We walk to the door, and I fumble with the keys until Indi takes them out of my tingling right hand and unlocks the door. "Think I'll have to use my left hand for a few days," I say as we enter.

Indi turns on a light in the living room. "Where's Rio tonight? With your dad?" She doesn't try and hide the disapproval.

"No, she's with a friend. She does spend time with my dad occasionally. He's much better as a granddad, and with Rio being a girl—he did however let her get her eyebrow pierced. She stopped talking to me for three days when I made her take it out."

"I have to admit it's very hard picturing Finnegan Wilde in the grandfather role." Indi's laughing as she walks to the kitchen. I follow her, suddenly not wanting to be more than a few feet from her, not wanting to be more than an arm's distance from her. It's been a shitty night, and she's been the only thing good about it. I'm still having a hard time believing she's back in my life. At the same time, I'm sure, her leaving will destroy me just like before. But this time is different. This time I won't be able to spiral into bottles of whiskey, constant one-night stands and the occasional brawl to make myself feel better, or maybe I was doing all those things not to feel better but to feel less. This time will be different because I have Rio, and she's all that matters now. My life exists just to take care of her.

I'm telling myself that as I hold my breath watching Indi put two slices of bread in the toaster. She leans over the counter to make sure the toaster is glowing red, and as she does, her perfectly bitable ass juts out. I suck in a deep breath and hold it, releasing it slowly, like a tire with a nail.

"Fancy schmancy toaster," she quips as she turns around. "It's so quiet, like a luxury car. I'm glad you've done so well for yourself, Jameson."

"Thanks, Jones."

"You seem happier," she says. "I mean not at this very moment with your arm bound up like a mummy's arm, but you know—I guess that's Rio's doing."

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