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But I can’t get that far

I fear that Avery won’t look at me the same

Fear she won’t look at me at all

So I stay silent instead

And Avery speaks first

"I’m so sorry that happened to you, Tristan," she says after I finish "Parents can be so… cruel"

"Yeah, they can," I agree then force a sh The way you are with Mason… he’s lucky"

She frowns "He’s lucky now, but I’ve hadup I worry, you know, that what happened between Conner and I is going to affect him later on in life I wish I could have walked away from all of that sooner…"

"But the i about Delilah If only she could have walked away

"And the is in over fourto o doesn’t exist anymore And if your parents can’t see that, then fk the chilly I al her back "Now, co?" I ask as she takes my hand and pulls"But does it really matter?"

As I look into her eyes, I realize it doesn’t Nothing really does when I’ take out on the side of the house in the shade Clouds are rolling in, but a faint trickle of sunlight still drifts down on us and heats the air

"You know, it’s been pretty cool helping put this house up," Avery re on a french fry as she stares at the side of the house "It’s kind of like watching the foundation for a new life get created"

"Yeah, I guess it kind of is," I agree with her insightfulness then take a bite of et old?" She adjusts her shorts over the bottoround beside s, ad the view of her as I reach for inning, but now it’s kind of growing on ainst the wall as she picks up another fry "Well, I think it’s very fulfilling You get to get up every day to build so for someone who really needs it Give them walls to protect them from the stor, and trust et lost in the sound of her voice as aze traces her full lips and the diamond just above, the soft flutter of her eyelashes, the way her hair floats around her face in the breeze "Well, when you put it that way, it sounds pretty a

"That’s because it is arins "Just like you"

Unable to help htly brush across the faint freckles on her upper thigh I faintly suy, you’d be the kind who uses cheesy pickup lines on woly make an O, then she covers hermy head, I slide h, it wouldn’t be that bad to be like you," she says "You’re one of the good guys"

Her coe around it "Speaking of Conner, have you heard from him lately?"

Her features harden at the ht at work"

"Good" I dither before I ask my next question "What about Taylor?"

After Avery stopped crying on her birthday, she broke down and told me about her worries, one that included her half-sister Taylor who contacted her out of the blue The fact that she’s told sAvery everything, not just the parts that will allow her to still like me

"I still haven’t decided what I want to do about her" Herit up "I hteen years, and suddenly, his daughter is contacting et to know you That wouldn’t be so bad, would it?"

"But I’et to know her, especially ifa sister could be a good thing"

Her frown deepens, and then her eyes pop wide as she slaps her hand over her ht now after you’ve--"

"Lostto break And that’s not what I was getting at I wasthat maybe you should try to look past the father aspect and focus on the sister part"

She nods her head "Yeah, you’re right"

"Of course I ahter when my phone vibrates fro I wanted to give her today, so I setfor you Or for Mason, anyway"

Her eyes light up like she just won the fking lottery "Really?"

The look uilty because I don’t deserve it Still, I nod then retrieve the miniature toy car that’s tucked in my pocket with my phone "So, while I was there the other day, heto be a fa with pride, the sa she does every time anyone mentions her son It shows her love for him, like a mother should have for their son I like her that "

"Maybe he will be everything," I tell her, opening ive it to hioing to drive"

She freezes then whispers, "Wow, you really did get hi wrong, like crossed a boundary or soive it to him if you don’t want to"

"No… I’m just…" She stares at the car with uncertainty "I don’t knohat I am, but thank you" She plucks the car fro the toy into her pocket "He’s going to think you’re the coolest person ever"

"That’s because I ae her side with my elbow

"You really are" She stares at me in a way that causesher by the hips, I drag her closer toto discover my sins and leave me "Come here"

Her lips quirk as I zero in on her mouth, and then she surrenders intoas our lips reunite We haven’t kissed since her birthday, and fk, we need to start doing itincredible So full of want Heat Need Life

I feel completely alive for the first tiers travel around to the back of her neck, to her tattoo she still has yet to let me see The moment I brush the inked flesh, she shivers and shifts her neck away from my hand

"Not yet," she whispers, then continues to explorefor air, co for her to get closer even though our bodies are already ainst my mouth "Ask me later"

It’s the first ti to consider letting row even guiltier for still having secrets

I want to tell her