Page 41 of The Confidant

“Yes.”

He has no doubts in his tone. It’s a done deal for him.

“M-maybe we can discuss it when you get home?” I wince, afraid to push but so damn happy. I don’t want to jinx it. I also don’t want to force him into something he would regret. “Or we should slow down.”

“No.” He barely lets the last sentence finish before he refuses. “We go at our own pace. What feels right forus. No one else matters. I want to be with you all the damn time. Ever since I first saw you, I’ve wanted that. To me, we’re moving at a snail’s pace already and it’s my own damn fault.”

“What happens if it doesn’t work out?” I toss the trash in the bin with a huff. “We’re setting ourselves up to hurt each other at breakneck speed. Aren’t you scared?”

“I will do anything it takes to make sure we work out, Adelaide.Anything.” His voice is hoarse and almost panicked. As if he’s afraid that I’ll hang up and never speak to him again.

“Hey,” I say gently. I don’t like how scared he sounds. Like he’s two seconds away from hopping on a plane without any thought to what he’ll leave hanging. “We’re talking, that’s all,cher. This is new, and we’re still figuring it out. I like the wordcompromise, don’t you? It takes some talking to do it, though.”

He lets out a rough sigh. “I’d rather have this conversation face to face.”

“Then we will,” I tell him with a faint laugh. “I’d like that too. I might be scared, but I know you can talk me around it with all your perfect words.”

“Good.”

“You better use that power for good. We’ll have plenty of witnesses to back me up if I get mad,” my laugh gets brighter as I look around at all the raccoons.

His low chuckle sends a pleasant shiver down my spine.

“Alright. I’m holding you to that conversation,” he warns me, his solemn mood returning. “We both need sleep for right now.”

“Awwww,” I pout, glaring at the raccoons around me. “Don’t be an adult right now. Stay on the phone with me all night.”

“Go get ready for bed,” he tries to sound stern, but I can tell he’s smiling. His firm tone, turning gentle, clues me in.

“Fine,” I grumble, making a big fuss over it. “You and Racer don’t have too much fun without me.”

He chuckles, but the sound is cut off as he hangs up.

I blink at the phone in surprise.

“Rude,” I try to ignore the tiny sting of hurt and clean up my dinner mess. Afterward, I look around for something else to do. Nothing comes to mind, so I head for my bedroom. If he’s going to be like that, I might as well get some sleep.

I’ve just passed the doorway when my text alert goes off. I narrow my eyes at Poe’s name. Since my heart is fluttering and confused, I open it up.

A picture of Racer with a towel wrapped around its head forces a little chuckle out of me. It’s positioned in front of a wide bathroom mirror with a toothbrush in its paw. How did he manage that?

Not to be outdone, I text back.

Me: Junkyard dogs that don’t say goodbye are on my bad list. Night.

I set the phone on my dresser, determined to ignore anything else he sends me. I’m not putting up with that type of sass, and he can learn it now. I deserve a sweet goodbye and some reluctance to get off the phone.

I look around me, unsatisfied with my own determination to punish him. I’m punishing myself by proxy, and it’s ticking me off.

The first thing I see is a pile of plushies.

I look at my bed with a frown. If I want Poe anywhere in it, I need to get rid of some of them. It’s late, but I’m too anxious to settle down and sleep. I get to work on finding new locations for stuffed raccoons.

My phone goes off with a text. When I see it’s from Poe, my heart jumps with excitement. He took a long time to reply. I was starting to wonder if I was going to have to sit with my decision all night with no relief.

When I open the message, my knees go weak. I have to sit on the bed as I lose my breath.

“Bold man,” I whisper with a wide smile.

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