17
Blaine had been at war with himself for four days, and exhaustion threatened to overtake him. He knew he shouldn’t make big decisions when in such a frame of mind, but he wanted to do what he’d just told Spur to do.
He wanted to follow his heart.
He kneaded the steering wheel, though it wasn’t pliable, and kept driving. “You don’t have to tell her everything,” he said to himself. He didn’t know what to tell her, though, and he should probably put together a speech before he showed up at Tam’s. Otherwise, he might kiss her.
Blaine’s mind blanked, and he made turns and arrived at Tam’s without even realizing it. He sat in his truck, the giant engine rumbling when he didn’t turn it off. He should just go, because he still didn’t have any of the words to say to her.
He put his head down on the steering wheel and reminded himself that he was almost forty years old. He wasn’t eighteen, and he wasn’t even twenty-eight. Tam made him feel younger and like having a future together would be filled with joy and laughter.
“Blaine?”
He lifted his head at the muffled sound of Tam’s voice through the glass. He looked at her, the single pane of glass separating them. He rolled it down, realizing he should’ve just gotten out of the truck.
She smiled at him. “What are you doing here? Did I forget something at the house?”
Blaine seized onto her question, as well as that bright smile that made his pulse pound a little harder. “Yes,” he said, opening the door and getting out of the truck. He leveled his gaze at her and ignored the screaming nerves running through his whole body.
“You forgot me at the house,” he said.
Tam’s smile faltered, and a furrow appeared between her brows. “Blaine, you’re not making any sense.”
“You haven’t put anything up on that website, have you?” Blaine knew she hadn’t. He’d been checking it every day—possibly two or three times a day, which was how he’d found Olli’s listing—to make sure he knew what Tam was doing.
“No,” Tam said.
“What about the dating app?”
She shook her head, but again, Blaine knew she hadn’t finished the registration on the app. He had, and he’d been waiting for her to pop into his feed.
Blaine wasn’t sure how to convey his feelings for her. “I’ve been thinking—” he started at the same time Tam said, “Hayes called me, and—”
They both stopped talking, and Blaine’s eyes widened. “He called you?”
“What have you been thinking about?”
Blaine retreated, not sure what to say now. He looked away, his mouth tightening.
“I didn’t answer the call, Blaine,” Tam said, stepping away. “You don’t give me any credit.” She cast him a dark look and headed back to her house.
Blaine got moving, and he hurried after her so that he darted up the steps to the porch before she reached the door. He put his palm flat against it and said, “Wait.”
Tam sighed and looked up at him after a healthy pause. “What, Blaine?”
“I came because you forgot me at the house, Tam.” He gazed down at her, feeling slightly drunk though he hadn’t had a sip of alcohol in years and years. He didn’t know what else to say, and it had been a while since he’d kissed a woman, but his hand slid up her arm easily. He tucked that luxurious blonde hair behind her ear, and he lowered his head until their mouths were only an inch apart.
“I’ll be your boyfriend,” he whispered, every sense on full alert. “If you want me to.”
“Okay,” Tam whispered, and Blaine went the rest of the distance and pressed his lips to hers. An explosion of heat moved through his mouth and down his throat, and Tam pulled in a breath and pushed her hands through his hair.
She kissed him like she’d thought about doing so before, and Blaine pulled away. “I’ve wanted to do that for a while.”
“You have?” Tam giggled and moved her hands to his shoulders. Little fires broke out everywhere she touched.
“Yeah,” Blaine whispered, opening his eyes.
Their eyes met, and Tam didn’t giggle this time. “I’ve had a crush on you for what feels like forever.”