I swallow hard. “… And body.”
It’s a lie.
Or at least, it’s aspirational.
Because my heart still belongs to a boy four hours north who probably hasn’t thought about me in months. But maybe if I say it enough, it’ll become true.
Maybe I can force myself to love Z the way he deserves.
Maybe I can kill the part of me that’s still aching for Caleb.
“Harper.” Z’s voice is rough. “You don’t have to do this. I don’t need you to?—”
I kiss him and cut off whatever he was going to say with my mouth on his.
It’s been three months since that night I don’t remember, when apparently I initiated everything the first time.
But this time I’m not drunk.
Z’s lips are soft. And less sure than I expect.
He responds slowly, carefully, like he’s afraid I’ll bolt. One hand comes up to cup my face, and I lean into it, trying desperately to feel something. Anything.
His tongue slides against mine and it’s fine.
It’s good, even. Technically proficient.
But it’s notright.
His kiss tastes wrong. Feels wrong. The rhythm is off, the pressure not quite what my body expects.
Because my body expects Caleb.
My body remembers the way Caleb kissed me—slow and deliberate and worshipful, like every press of his lips was a promise he intended to keep.
Stop it, brain. Stop it.
This kiss is fine.
Good even.
This is the kiss I’m having.
I kiss Z harder, hands sliding under his shirt and around the warm skin of his back. He’s real and he’s here.
But it’s not Caleb’s solid back. Not his broader shoulders. Not his?—
“Harper.” Z breaks the kiss, breathing hard. “Wait. Are you sure?”
It’s Z’s baby inside me. Even if I end the pregnancy, there’s still no going back.
Imade the choices that separated me from Caleb.
There’s a good man in front of me, and if there’s anything else I learned from my mother, it’s how few good men there are. Z’s been my family. The seven months in Dallas were nothing but a blip.
Z has always been my home. And though I always swore I’d never end up a pregnant teenager, my time in Dallas proved all I’ve ever reallywanted is family.
And here it is, right in front of me.