Page 44 of Falling Stars

“Wasn’t any trouble.” He wags his eyebrows. “Got a date.”

I glance at my phone on the counter. “At nearly midnight?”

He smirks. “Okay, fine. A booty call.”

I chuckle. That sounds more like my brother. “Thanks for the supplies, but I’m not sure Baylee wants to share a bed with me.”

Jace pats my shoulder. “Okay. Sure. We’ll go with that.” He motions to the door. “I’m gonna leave you and your tortured soul while I get some TLC. Good to have you back.”

Then he’s gone.

A bed sounds great right now. I could spread out. Maybe I wouldn’t wake up so many times. I take stock of my couch. It’shuge, which means the bed is probably enormous too. Would Baylee care?

I scrub my face with my hand, annoyed that I’m probably overthinking this. Fuck it. I’m gonna make the bed. If she hates it, then… I don’t know. I’ll take the floor. But it seems dumb to have a perfectly fine bed that no one sleeps on.

Gently, I set Leo’s basket to the side and push the shorter end of the couch away before I yank off all the cushions on the longer end. At the bottom, there are two handles. As I lean down to grab them, a wave of dizziness hits me, and I have to wait it out. I brace my hands on my thighs to try to regain my balance. When everything stops spinning, I pull the bed out from the couch. I press on the mattress. As long as there’s not a metal bar across my back when I lie down, this will be perfect.

I spread the fitted sheet, then the top sheet, and finally the comforter. Paige is the best sister-in-law. I grab my phone and set a reminder for tomorrow.Do something nice for Paige.

I’m in the kitchen when Bay emerges in a t-shirt and sleep shorts. “Good shower?”

She sniffles. “Yes. Thanks.”

Her eyes are red and swollen, and her face is flushed. “Were you crying?”

“No.” But her voice is stuffy.

“What’s going on?”

She shrugs but doesn’t say anything.

“Come on. Talk to me. We never used to have trouble talking to each other.”

She sighs. “That was a long time ago, Maverick. We’re adults now. It’s different.”

“It doesn’t have to be. You’ll always be the most beautiful girl in our class and the only one who could always make me laugh. The Baylee I know is tough as shit and doesn’t put up with my crap.”

She finally makes eye contact with me. “I’m worried about what happens when you go back to New York. Football is your lifelong dream, but it will kill me if anything happens to you out there while I’m stuck here.”

I think about that for a moment. “So come with me.”

She snorts. “Sure. Just like that, I’m going to take off. Who’s going to run the salon? I can’t leave. I have responsibilities here. I’llalwayshave responsibilities here. Besides, where will I live in New York? I can’t even afford Wild Heart.”

“I have roommates, but maybe I could find a different apartment, and you and Leo can stay with me.”

That makes her huff. “I bet Kira will love that.”

“Who cares what Kira thinks?”

“Uh, she’s your girlfriend, and if my boyfriend moved in with his female bestie, heads would roll.”

I chuckle. “Remind me not to piss you off again, but Bay, Kira won’t care because I broke up with her.”

She stills. “What?”

“We broke up. I’m not dating anyone.”

“Oh.” She nibbles her enticing bottom lip.

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