“Then get to know him more. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“But how do I tell him I want him to kiss me?” I whispered, then quickly added, “When I do.”
I couldn’t confide the real reason why being so close to a boy scared me the way it did. Not to Dex. Not to anyone ever. But I fell asleep last night wondering what it would feel like to have a boy I liked kiss me. To want to be close to him more than my next breath.
Dex groaned and looked away. “When the time’s right, you’ll both know.” He shook his head. “Can’t you talk to Suzy about any of this?”
“Heck no. She’d probably scream at me about getting knocked up in high school like her sister did.”
He winced at the mention of Debbie’s mom, my aunt Sharon. “She scream at you often?”
I shrugged it off like it was no big deal.
He reached over and patted my leg. “I’m sorry, peanut. I wish…well, what I wish doesn’t matter. You don’t have long until you’re out on your own.”
And doesn’t that terrify me almost as much as being trapped here forever.
My fear must have shown on my face, because Dex looked even more troubled. “You still want to be a nurse?”
“Don’t know how I’ll pay for it, but yes.”
“It will work itself out, Juliet. Somehow.”
I doubted that. “I miss them. Mom and Debbie. She was like the big sister I never had. I could’ve told her this.”
Sadness clouded his eyes and I wished I’d kept my mouth shut. “She loved you,” he rasped. “Her little peanut.”
In the driveway, a truck door slammed and someone shouted, “Why is this piece of shit in my driveway!”
Dex clenched his jaw. “I planned to be out of here before he came home.”
“He works second shift now,” I whispered.
“When’s Suzy get home? She still working nights?”
“No, she should be here soon.”
He sat back as if he had no plans to leave, even with Uncle Jared muttering and cursing his way around the house.
One heavy boot thudded against the porch steps and I shuddered. Dex glanced at me and frowned.
“That your bike in my driveway?” Jared asked.
“Who else’s would it be, old man?” Dex stood and shook my uncle’s hand, even though Jared seemed pretty cranky. Dex always ignored my uncle’s moodiness but never backed down because of it. Something I admired and respected. If I was Dex’s size, I could probably get away with it too.
“What’re you doing here, Dex?”
“Wanted to stop by and give Juliet an early birthday present,” he said, as if he was trying to remind my uncle that I had a birthday coming up.
Good luck with that.
Uncle Jared and Aunt Susan hadn’t acknowledged my birthday in years.
Jared grunted at the explanation.
“I’m going to wait around so I can say hi to Susan,” Dex said, leaving no room for discussion.
My uncle slammed the door open and stomped into the house without answering.
Shaking his head, Dex dropped into the chair next to me. “He seems angrier than ever.”
I shrugged. Uncle Jared had always been unpleasant. That was nothing new.
Chapter Twelve
Roman
The next morning when I got off the van in front of the school, there was a Harley parked at the curb.
I recognized the owner right away and wasn’t one bit surprised.
“Hi, Dex,” I said, approaching him first. Guess it was time to prepare for the “Stay away from Juliet” speech. Too bad I had no intention of staying away from her.
“Morning, Roman.” He reached out and shook my hand.
Maybe he wasn’t here to tell me to back off.
I crossed my arms over my chest and waited. “You looking for Juliet?” I asked when he didn’t start the conversation.
“Nope. Looking for you.”
“Well, you found me.” I glanced at the school. “I need to be inside.”
He cocked his head. “It’s ass-crack early in the morning.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t exactly get a lot of freedom.”
He nodded. “You like Juliet?”
“Yeah, I like her a lot,” I said, deciding to forgo cockiness in favor of honesty.
“You got a job?”
Okay, didn’t expect that question.
“Haven’t been here long enough to look for one.”
“I might be able to hook you up with something.”
No one did favors for free. “And why would you do that?”
He blew out a breath and glanced away before answering. “Because if you’re gonna be hanging around Juliet, I don’t want her dating a bum.”
“You don’t have a problem with me dating her?”
He shook his head. “I ain’t her fuckin’ dad. I’m not even really her uncle. But I care about her. Known her since she was little. Figure you’re teenagers. Gonna do whatever the fuck you wanna do anyway. Least I should do is make sure you can take her out and shit.”
I wasn’t quite sure I believed that explanation.
“Although, if you ever hurt her, I will fucking kill you.” The casual way he tossed out the threat made me believe he meant every word.