Page 16 of Atlas

I start shoveling food into my mouth despite how sick I feel, and pretend that my parents didn’t just urge us to hook up and keep hooking up. They about as good as came out with a hearty welcome to the family.

I don’t want to even think about what that would look like.

Hooking up.

Or the after.

Especially not while I’m at the table with my parents right across from me and my sister beside me, Willa on the end.

I’ve had enough humiliation for one day, and tomorrow I have to go and get my bike.

I have to say though, I’m not worried about it there. Agatha is a sweet old lady and if she said it would be fine, then I know it will be. I wouldn’t mind going back and helping her out with a few things around the farm. I noticed the way the eaves were sagging and the porch needed some repairs. I should ask the guys at the club if they’d mind lending a hand for an afternoon.

Damn it, this just proves my parents right about my bleeding heart. I’ve never been embarrassed about that, but it felt like my family was trying to sell Willa on the idea of me.

Do I want that? I shouldn’t. I don’t. I…

“We’re so proud of all that you’ve accomplished together,” Mom suddenly blurts out of nowhere, right on the heels of talking about baby Georgia. “Simon has always been great with his hands. We were so pleased when he got an apprenticeship with the club, even though most parents would be worried sick. We had our doubts, and when he came to us to ask for a loan to buy an old factory, we were even more doubtful, but what a transformation! You’ve both worked so hard, and you’ve learned so many skills along the way.”

“I can’t take any credit for that,” Willa protests easily, though I swear I catch a glimpse of red creeping up her neck.

“It’s not like it was a huge factory-” I try to say, but Willa speaks at the same time.

“It was all Atlas. I just did the easy stuff, like laying stick-down flooring and painting. He came up with the layout himself, and it was all the guys from the club too, who made it possible. You all did. I’m so thankful.” Her eyes are shiny with tears. They’re good ones, but they still do something to me that resembles a swarm of insects crawling under my skin.

“We’re so happy you moved to Hart and that you’re part of this family, Willa.” Dad looks towards Mom, and she nods.

“Yeah. Simon has never had a friendship with a woman before.” Georgia flicks me a look of apology. She’s going to tell the truth as she sees it, but she doesn’t mean to hurt me. She wants to provide context. “He’s always gone for that ride or die love where he’d burn down the world for that person. That might appear all well and good, but it’s not realistic and the problem with burning love is that it burns itself out.”

I sink down a fraction lower in my chair, though what I really want to do is leap up and get out of here.

My mom adds, “You’re a wonderful young woman and if you’d like to date our son, whenever you’re both ready, you have our wholehearted stamp of approval.”

Wow. Yup. There’s no way they’re pissing around about this. If the subtle shit earlier wasn’t enough, then they’ve just made it ultra clear.

Even Georgia’s into it. “I know you’d never hurt my brother. He’s a good man and he deserves someone special. When and if you’re ever ready.”

I clear my throat so loudly that it makes me cough and since my throat is so dry, I almost gag at the end. If I didn’t have anxiety issues already, this would sure as fuck cause some.

“Thank you so much for awkwardly trying to determine our future and probably ruining our friendship and working relationship.”

Georgia screws up her nose, my dad’s face blanks, and my mom’s eyes fill up with tears.

Oh no.

Willa salvages the whole thing. “Oh, god no. Nothing’s ruined. I’m honored that you all think so highly of me.” She blinks rapidly, studying each of my family members in turn. “Even if we stay friends forever and only friends, I feel so blessed to know you and be welcome in your home.” That pretty much reduces my mom to butter and has my dad grinning while Georgia looks on the verge of happy tears now.

My whole family stares at Willa with stars in their eyes. If anyone else had been put on the spot like that, I’m sure it would have gone badly, but not Willa. She’s not faking it either. If she hated the idea, she’d come straight out and say so. That’s the thing about her.

She has more than enough confidence that she’s not afraid to say what she’s thinking and feeling, but she somehow always does it with tact. I know that Lynette might say different, but I also think that she’s been pretty hard on Willa at times—though Willa told me that she understood why, as she’d beenpretty wild when she was younger. To her credit, when Willa told her that she didn’t want to go to college and let her know about our business plans, she didn’t freak out. She’s supported Willa unwaveringly, and she’s tried to be a lot less smothering. More of a big sister and less of a mother.

Willa turns right to me, her face so unexpectedly soft and open, her whole aura so different than it normally is, everything just dropped away and stripped down. She’s not merely beautiful. She’s breathtaking.

It finally hits me.This. This is how she looked at me earlier, when I opened my eyes. Like I’m the center of the universe, and she’d fight hard for me if she had to.

“You’d be anyone’s greatest catch.” She doesn’t whisper. She’s not soft. She’s bold, as though she’s exhausted by having to normally hold back.

Does she mean that?

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