“Are you drunk?” he asks, his lip curling in disgust. “If that guy got you hammered and—”

“Shut up, Caleb.” I drop my shoes by the door. “I’m not drunk. I’m tired and want to go to my room without having to deal with you.”

He inhales slowly and releases a God-grant-me-the-patience sigh, pushing to his feet. “Fine, you’re right. That didn’t come out the way I wanted. I’m here to apologize. Any mistakes you made last night were my fault. I drove you to it.”

“Oh, how big of you,” I say, heavy on the sarcasm, low on the patience. “But the only mistake I made was not realizing how much of an asshole you are sooner. Anything that happened after that was far from a mistake. Best. Night. Ever.”

The expression on his face goes tight as he stalks over to me. He puts his hands on my shoulders and attempts a sincere look. “Listen. Nothing happened with Rebecca. After you left last night, I brought her home. Let’s talk about this. We can work on things.”

I shrug out of his grasp. “You think I care what you did or didn’t do with Rebecca? You two can have each other. Go wake her up for a morning fuck. I don’t care.”

His lips part. He’s probably shocked that I cursed. I usually keep that in check around him. He thinks it’s unladylike. “What did that guy do to you? I don’t even recognize you.”

I shake my head with a bitter laugh. “You never did, Caleb. That’s the problem. And what that guy did to me is none of your business.” I push up on my toes and get close to his ear. “But it was fucking fantastic.”

And with that, I stroll past him into my bedroom and shove the door closed behind me.

The reflection in my dresser mirror greets me from across the room.

I don’t recognize that rumpled, confident, smiling person either.

Hello, Me. Meet the new girl.

Chapter 11

Monroe

“Is that all of it?” my brother asks, tossing a duffel bag in the back of the van.

I check the clock on my phone. Not for the first time. “Yeah, all I’ve got left is hooking up the trailer for my bike.”

Will braces his hand on the roof of the van and leans in. “You did a damn good job on this, little bro. Though, you should’ve kept the blue shag carpeted walls. That shit was awesome.”

“No fucking way. I would’ve felt like I was sleeping inside of Cookie Monster.”

He snorts and pushes off the van. “You got all the food out of the fridge?”

“Yeah, there’s a box of stuff from the pantry on the counter. Take what you want and ditch the rest. You sure you don’t mind keeping an eye on the place?”

“I’ve got it covered. No worries.”

“Cool.” The house is the one we grew up in, so I know he knows all its quirks and the things that could come up.

He closes the rear door and turns to me, arms crossed, that I-am-the-all-powerful-all-knowing-big-brother look on his face. “What’s with you? You’ve been talking about this trip nonstop for the last few months and now you look like you’re on the way to a funeral.”

I shrug. But the move feels stiff, forced. “I’m fine. Just didn’t get a lot of sleep. I’ll be good once I get some caffeine.”

His eyes narrow, but he doesn’t push me on it. “I’ll take care of hitching up the trailer. You go inside and make sure you didn’t forget anything.”

I tuck my phone in my pocket and go back into the house, knowing I need to get my head out of my ass. I have three months ahead of me. No obligations. No work. And a different view every day. Being in a shitty mood because a girl isn’t as insane as I am is pointless. I know what I’m doing is out there. And the fact that I asked a near stranger to come with me probably makes me certifiable. So why should I be surprised that she isn’t on board?

God. I’ve turned into one of those Hey, Girl memes everyone’s always posting on Facebook. Hey, Girl. Get in my van. I’ll show you the country while I feed you delicacies from greasy spoons.

Lame.

No wonder Natalie bailed.

I wander through each room, checking and double-checking everything, then grab my backpack. Enough of this crap mood. I just need to get on the road and put all this drama in my rearview. Hanging around is only making it worse.

I step outside, closing the door behind me, and am happy to see the trailer all hooked up and my bike already on it. Excellent. Time to roll.

I look for Will, but he’s no longer in the garage. Voices drift from behind me, and I turn around. My brother is laughing about something. I set my backpack down and step around the front of the van. At the end of the driveway I see my brother. And a girl.

My girl.

Something inside me loosens.

She came.

Chapter 12

Natalie

The expression on his face is all I need to know. I came here with a bag packed but my mind not one hundred percent made up. This whole thing still feels crazy and reckless and has high potential for being a disaster. But ever since Monroe dropped me off that morning after my birthday night, I haven’t been able to think of much else.

I told my mom that I’d visit her sometime this summer but that I won’t be moving back in. It felt liberating.

And when I’d gotten that obligation off my summer agenda, I’d tried to make other plans. I’d looked for apartments. I’d skimmed through job ads online. But over and over again, I found my mind drifting to eating cupcakes under strings of lights and making out by the lake and riding a motorcycle with my eyes wide open. And Monroe. Always back to Monroe with his pretty eyes and badass tattoos and pig parts T-shirt. The guy who wasn’t going to let life sail by without him. The guy who chased bluebirds.

And so last night, I’d found myself packing a bag, putting in things a girl needs for a long road trip and camping and long walks on the beach. I’d even bought a new bikini.

But still, I haven’t been sure until right this moment, looking up and seeing his smile—the genuine joy on that too-handsome face. He’s been waiting for me.

He strolls down the driveway, and I lose track of what the older Hawkins is saying. Monroe stops a few paces from us, tucking his hands in his back pockets. “Hey.”

I feel a goofy-ass smile lifting my lips, and I can’t stop it. “Hey.”

“You’re here.”

“Apparently, I’ve lost my mind.”

He laughs. “Perfect. Sanity is overrated.”

The brother’s eyebrows disappear beneath his hairline, and he jabs a thumb toward the house. “I, uh, will go lock up. Nice meeting you, Natalie.”

“Same here. Thanks again for the discount on the car stuff.”

“No problem.” He pats Monroe’s shoulder as he passes him, and there’s a look exchanged between the brothers.

I have a feeling I’ve been given some stamp of approval.

Monroe moves closer, his hands slipping out of his pockets. “So . . . you have a bag.”

“I do. Is this still an open invitation or did you pick up some other girl off the side of the road to replace me already?”

He smirks. “That invitation was only for you, princess. Of course, if there’s not a skimpy bikini in that bag, then the deal’s off.”

“Will you settle for slightly skimpy?”

“Done.” He wraps me into a bear hug and kisses me soundly. “I can’t believe you’re actually here. And I can’t believe you waited until five minutes to seven to show up. Way to make a guy sweat.”