Page 159 of Wish You Were Mine
He gave me a long look. “She really did a number on you, huh?” His voice was soft, more curious than teasing.
I shrugged. “I tried not to fall for the temptation. I mean, I’m not exactly known for being reckless. But…”
“But my sister weaseled her way into your heart and refused to let go,” he said, a knowing look in his green eyes.
“Basically.”
“Well,” he said, a hint of a smirk tugging at his mouth, like he couldn’t decide whether to be annoyed or amused. “She’s worth all the drama that might come your way. So just…don’t screw it up.”
“I’ll try not to.”
He stood and walked me to the door, then paused. “Oh, and when you do talk to my dad?”
“Yeah?”
“If you and Lucy want…you can do it here on Saturday.” He shrugged and gestured to the living space behind him. “A dinner in neutral territory. No crowd, no pressure. And if things go south, you can bail without any onlookers watching.”
I blinked. “You see this ending with me running away?”
“I’m not ruling it out.” He gave a shrug. “Just remember: the front door’s easy to access, and the back patio’s even faster if you need to make a run for it.”
I laughed and held out my hand. “Thanks for the heads-up.”
He shook it. “Take care of her, Owen.”
“I will.”
Then I stepped back out into the night, the porch light flickering on again like it was saluting me for surviving the first real test.
One hard conversation down. One very big, very intimidating conversation to go.
49
LUCY
I openedTheo’s front door on Saturday evening before Owen had a chance to knock, heart already thudding like I’d just sprinted up a flight of stairs.
He looked...way too good for someone about to walk into a lion’s den. Dark jeans. A button-down rolled at the sleeves. That steady, calm expression on his face I wished I could borrow for five seconds.
“Hey,” I said, stepping back to let him in.
“Hey,” he echoed, voice low and warm. But beneath the calm facade, a flicker of nerves showed in his eyes.
Which was understandable. In the very least, it showed that I wasn’t the only one feeling like my insides were made of wet tissue paper.
“They’re already in the dining room,” I whispered as I closed the door quietly behind him. “Charlotte’s being adorable. My dad’s already a glass of wine in. So…we’ll see how this goes.”
He leaned a little closer. “You okay?”
“Not even a little.” I gave a breathy laugh. “But I keepreminding myself that we haven’t actually done anything wrong.”
“That’s true.” He nodded, his voice calm and grounding. “We met outside of school. We didn’t know each other’s full identities at first. And when we figured it out, we did everything we could to step back.”
“Exactly.” I forced a smile. “And it’s not like we’ve been hiding some grand affair for years. It’s still early-ish.”
“Right.” His lips curved slightly. “Besides, it’s not unheard of for professors to date students…”
“Yes.” I nodded. “It’s totally normal. Just two adults falling in lo?—”
