Page 56 of In the Stars

I snort. “Yeah, thanks.” I kiss him again. “See you later. Go argue some cases or some shit.”

It’s his turn to snort a laugh. “Not the kind of lawyer I am.”

I kiss him one more time—it’s a mindfuck that I’m ableto do it so freely after all these years—loving how his soft lips feel on mine.

He laughs against my mouth. “Get out of here before I play hooky too.”

Reluctantly, I leave, giving him one more backward glance before I do.

For the rest of the afternoon, I set up my rooms and write some poetry, anything to keep myself from constantly looking at my phone to see if Jaxon called me. Which is stupid because my ringer is on. I’d know if he did.

Figuring I have a while to wait, I turn on a streaming service and watch the TV show Kas was telling me about. It’s actually pretty good, the brothers are funny while hunting down ghosts and shit. If I had siblings, I would have wanted to be like them.

Well, minus the demon hunting.

Around six-thirty, my phone rings, and I rush to answer it, the show quickly forgotten. I grin when Jaxon’s name pops up on my screen. “Hey.”

“I’m sorry. I thought I would be finished early, but I had an emergency client.”

“It’s cool. Do you want to cancel?”

Please say no, please say no.

“No.” I have to blow out the breath I was holding slowly so he doesn’t know how I excited I am. “I’ve already showered and put on my pajamas…unless we’re going somewhere?”

“No, we’ll be staying in.”

“Cool. I’m ready when you are.”

“Okay. See you in a few.”

After we hang up, I grab my wallet and keys and head out the door. Ten minutes later, I’m standing on hisdoorstep and ringing the doorbell, nervous like I’m a teenager picking up my prom date.

I’m surprised when Mr. Collins answers the door. “Wesley. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Hey, Mr. Collins. Good to see you again.”

His eyes turn sad, probably thinking about the last time we saw each other, but he smooths his expression quickly.

“Retirement treating you good?”

He grins with a shake of his head. “Bob, remember?” I dip my head in apology. “To answer your question, not really. I’ve played more golf in a year than I have in my entire life. I think it’s time to hang up the clubs.”

“I’ve never been golfing.”

“Did you have a spare moment to go?” he asks with a wry grin.

I shake my head. “Nope. Being on a tour bus and recording albums took up most of my time.”

“Think you can give an old man an autograph before you go?”

“Anything you want. You took care of me when I was a kid. It’s the least I can do.”

He pats my shoulder, and I cringe. He drops his hand quickly and gives me a sad smile. “I’ll let Jaxon know you’re here.”

“Is it okay if I go to the basement?”

“No problem. I’ll let him know where you are.”

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