Chloe met us outside the hotel to say our good-byes.
Mom hugged Chloe longer than necessary, but Chloe didn’t seem to mind. “Thank you for coming to see us, Mrs. Hunter. Oh, and the car, thank you so much for the car.”
Mom patted the side of Chloe’s face and smiled. “Anything for you two,” she said, then to me, “Get a haircut, Blake. You look like a gigolo.”
I closed Mom’s car door and watched as she drove away.
“Yeah,” Chloe said from behind me. “My own private gigolo.” She smacked my ass.
“Should you have been paying me this entire time?”
She winked. “Maybe you’re not worth it!” Then she bolted, running away from me and back to the hotel room.
She got about ten feet before I caught her. “What the hell makes you think you can outrun me?” I picked her up and threw her over my shoulder. “You can’t even do two push-ups!” I smacked her ass and carried her back to the room. She laughed the entire time.
Chloe
I was sitting up in bed, with his head on my lap, playing with his hair. We were supposed to be watching a movie, but I didn’t think either of us was paying attention.
His eyes caught mine when he turned to look up at me. “What are you thinking?”
My eyebrows bunched.
“You always play with my hair when you’re lost in thought. What’s up?” He moved to get into bed and under the covers, tugging me down so we were lying face-to-face. “Talk.”
What could I say? I love you, but I’m scared that I’m dying? I faked a smile. “What did you and your mom talk about today?”
His eyebrows rose, as if he knew I was talking bullshit. He sighed before answering. “Her and Dad are getting a divorce—”
“I’m sorry, Blake.”
“Nothing to be sorry about. Mom and I are fine with it. She thought I’d be upset about it, but I’m not. I’m happy for her.”
His eyes drifted shut when I reached for his hair again, moving it away from his eyes. “What else?”
He leaned in closer, kissing me softly. I opened my mouth, inviting him. But he pulled back before he could get there. “I told her about Duke.”
My face lit up. “You did? And?”
“She said she would support me, whatever I choose.”
“Was she proud of you?”
“Yeah,” he said, nodding. “I also told her about how much I love you,” he whispered against my lips. His own moved to my neck. “I love you so much, Chloe.” His deep voice vibrated against my skin. “So much,” he repeated.