“See? No worries.”
“There’s still the matter of me getting car parts and you getting home safely.” His dark brows furl together and I push out a soft sigh. I climb in his lap, straddling him, then I sandwich his face between my palms.
“Look.” I reach over to my bag and pull out my phone.
“I thought your mom took it from you,” Mars inquires.
“She did. Dad convinced her to give it back when I told her I was going to spend the night at my friend’s house. You know, for emergencies. I can call an Uber in the morning.” I tilt my head to the side a little and say, “I can call you one too, if you want.”
“Nah, I’ll ask someone for a ride,” he says, squeezing my ass in his hands. “Right now, I’m just going to enjoy being with my girl under the stars.” We share a slow kiss.
“Can we go back to laying in the back of the truck? The stars look so beautiful.”
“No matter how beautiful they are, they’ll never shine like you.” My breath hitches when he kisses my forehead. “You’re blushing.” He chuckles then touches the tops of my ears. I slap his hand away playfully before burying my face in the crook of his neck.
We camp out in the back of The Beast, making out and talking all night, until exhaustion carries both of us off to sleep.
Mars
Anxiety swells up inside me the moment Sage’s Uber drives off in one direction, while Linus and I drive in the other. He’s the only tow truck driver in Duncan and thankfully said he’d come pick up The Beast. I’ve helped him clean up his yard before, since he’s a good friend of Dad’s. Sometimes it pays to be a “good ‘ol boy.” Especially when said “good ‘ol boy” is poor as fuck and needs a favor in return.
“Who’s the girl?” he says once we’re cruising along the highway.
“Sage Emerson. She’s my girlfriend.”
He grins at me. “Pretty hot in a nerdy kind of way.”
I force a smile at him. While he rambles on about how business is slow lately, my mind is elsewhere. I’m worried about my damn truck being broken. How will I see Sage? How will I get to school and work? He talks the entire way to my trailer. My truck gets unloaded in front of our lot and then with a slap on my shoulder, Linus leaves.
Fuck.
I’ve never felt so helpless and stranded.
My phone buzzes in my pocket and I pull it out before heading inside.
Sage: I’m home.
Me: Me too.
Sage: I miss you already.
Me: I miss you more.
Sage: My mom is forcing me to go shopping and then to dinner with her and Dad. Tomorrow they’re going to a function at my dad’s work. I got out of it because I have to “study.” Want to come over?
My car is broken and I have no way of fixing it.
Me: I’ll be there. Text me the time.
I don’t care if I have to start walking now in order to get there in time.
Sage: I’ll call you later when I can.
Me: Try not to have too much fun without me.
She sends me a bunch of eye roll emojis that have me chuckling. My laughter dies though when the front door opens and Dad glowers at me from behind the glass storm door. His eyes dart to my truck, as though he’s looking for something, and then he disappears inside. With a sigh, I head into the trailer. As soon as the door closes behind me, the air feels so thick with tension you could cut it with a knife.
“Where’s the girl?” he asks, his voice deceptively calm.
“Home.”
“I don’t want you seeing her.”
Normally, I cower under my dad. Not today. Rage bubbles up inside of me and I fist my hands as I try to keep it at bay. My jaw clenches. Words I desperately want to yell at him stay stuck behind my gritted teeth.
“I’m serious,” he growls, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Dad,” I say, keeping my tone calm. “Please don’t go there.”
“Girls like her fuck guys like us because we’re interesting. We’re dangerous. Fucking hot for the moment. Girls like her bail when the going gets tough. They move on to better men.”
My nostrils flare. “Sage isn’t going anywhere.”
“Boy,” he snaps, taking a threatening step toward me. “I’m your old man and I know what the hell I’m talking about. I’ve been around the block a few times, where you’ve barely gotten out of the driveway. Unless you’re looking to make a repeat of my life, stay the fuck away from that girl.” His lip curls up in disgust. “She will ruin your life. Mark my words.”
I grind my teeth so hard they’re surely going to turn to dust. “Understood, sir.”
He heads to the kitchen to rummage around for a bottle and I make my escape to my bedroom. Her scent still lingers. I could fucking scream at the injustice of my world.