Page 44 of The Last Thing
“It’s better than you cleaning out a wet car or struggling to put it on in the rain. It started raining when I had mostly finished, so you should be okay.”
I stare at him, and the expression in his eyes is so… earnest. It hits me right in the chest.
He wants to take care of me.
And there’s a part of me that’s soft for him and wants to let him.
That fear of having my heart crushed dances in the back of my mind. With him, it would be complete and total devastation. If I let him care for me the way he wants to… it would end up destroying me.
I can’t go there with him.
“Thank you, Mr. Decker.”
He goes rigid and his eyes flit to mine as he flexes and releases a fist.
He clears his throat. “No problem. I’ll just wash up, and then we can eat.”
I watch him walk out of the room and fight the urge to follow him. To thank him for real. But being alone with him—especially in his bedroom—would be a very bad idea.
I keep telling myself I won’t give in to the pull between us. But in moments like this, holding out feels like an impossibility.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
WILSON
I’m exhausted,but I can’t sleep.
Story of my life lately.
I’m always thinking. Thinking about Hallie and the fact that she’s only a wall away from me. Thinking about how to break throughherwalls and prove I’ll be here to support her in every way, not just as a co-parent. Co-parenting with her would kill me when we could be together. Weshouldbe together.
I’m pretty sure most people would say I’m delusional. But my dad wouldn’t have. He would’ve understood completely. He believed in fate and the power of true love.
My mind goes to that half heart on my keychain.
I kept it because I felt more than chemistry or intense attraction that night. I felt settled.
I have to believe there’s a reason for that. She didn’t come into my life the way she did, then show up as my neighbor ready to be Sophia’s nanny while pregnant with my child by pure coincidence.
Someone or something had their hands in it.
Maybe it was the threads of fate, or maybe my dad helped orchestrate it himself. Nothing would surprise me.
Despite the softness I see in Hallie, she puts up rock-hard walls.
I wouldn’t blame her for being cautious, but how guarded she is surprises me.
If I could just crack through her walls, see what’s going on underneath, maybe I could figure out how to get all the way through.
Grumbling to myself, I grab my pillow and roll over. I probably shouldn’t be thinking this much about Hallie. I should be worried about Sophia. How will finding out she’s going to have a sibling affect her? Will a complicated relationship between Hallie and me set an example for relationships I don’t want her to have?
“Fuck,” I mutter, rolling onto my back and sprawling out like a starfish.
I’m a mess.
I throw the blankets off, ready to call it, grab a snack, and eat my feelings all night. But I haven’t even made it a step when I hear a groaning noise on the other side of the wall.
Hallie.
