Hadley laughed. “Calder would say yes. But I think I’m also incredibly smart. What do you have to lose by flirting a little? If he’s not interested, you can cut your losses and move on.”
“I could lose everything. He could ask me to move out and not help around the ranch anymore—”
“Shy, Ramsey doesn’t strike me as an asshole. I don’t think he’d do any of that. At the very worst, he might pull back for a while.”
The idea of losing the intimacy I had with Ramsey right now—the brushes of his fingers, the pressure of his arms around me—nearly ripped me to shreds.
“Would you really rather not know?” Hadley prodded.
“I’d rather have these little pieces of him than an entirety of anyone else.”
Hadley’s eyes glistened in the overhead lights. “Well, maybe all he needs to give you everything is a little push in the right direction.”
“How about whenHayes got that M&M stuck up his nose?” Hadley asked through her laughter as we stepped out of the restaurant and into the cool night air.
I couldn’t help my snort of laughter. “The M&M had nothing on the time Beckett broke his wrist climbing up to Sally Crenshaw’s window.”
Hadley’s eyes widened. “I completely forgot about that. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Dad so mad at one of us before.”
“But it was Mom who threw down the hammer. I think she grounded him for a month. Missed Halloween and everything.”
Hadley shook her head, but her smile stayed firmly planted on her face. “This was fun. What do you say we make it a monthly date?”
For the first time since I could remember, I didn’t feel dread at being locked into plans with someone or panicked at how I would hide whatever I was feeling from my family. I wanted this kind of time with my sister. “I’d like that.”
“Me, too.” She looked down the street. “Where are you parked?”
“Around the corner.”
Hadley beeped the locks on her SUV. “Want me to drive you?”
“I think I can make it a block.”
“All right. Text me what day works for you next month.”
I moved on instinct, quickly pulling my sister into a hug and then letting go before she could say a word. “Text you tomorrow.”
I started down the sidewalk before I had a chance to take in the shock in Hadley’s eyes or give her a chance to respond. I’d hugged her once in the last decade, but that was changing now, too. My chest burned as I rounded the corner and headed for my truck, but it was a good burn, one that pushed me to live my life to its fullest.
The street was dark, but the moon made the path ahead glow. I tipped my face up as I walked, taking in the shining stars in the clear night sky. I smiled up at them. The sky was what it had always been for me: a beacon of hope. But it burned brighter tonight. The hope was even stronger.
Suddenly, a hand clamped over my mouth, and someone jerked me backwards.
I froze. All the time I’d spent honing my instincts and awareness vanished in a flash. All I could remember was how powerless I’d felt all those years ago, how out of control as the fair passed by me.
That memory jerked me out of my frozen state. My arm swung back hard, my elbow landing in my attacker’s gut. He grunted, and his hold on me loosened a fraction.
I twisted, bringing my knee up to his groin. His reaction was instantaneous. The blow hit me right in the side of the face. Light flashed, and then I was falling.
23
RAMSEY
Aidan rinseda dish and handed it to me. “Thanks for staying. I think it made Elliott feel better.”
I glanced over my shoulder into the living room. Elliott laughed as he bumped Art Miller’s game piece off the board. I turned back, placing the plate in the dishwasher. “I’ll stay as long as you guys need.”
Aidan swallowed hard and grabbed another plate. “They seem nice.”