She launched herself at me. I closed my eyes the moment her arms slipped around my neck. I slid my hands to familiar places and reveled in her delicious smell. For three weeks I’d felt like a puzzle with missing pieces. Her body fit perfectly into mine, making me feel whole again. “I’ve missed you.”
I swore Echo clutched me tighter before stepping back. “I’m sorry. That was totally inappropriate.”
Begrudgingly I let go, chuckling. “I’m all about inappropriate.”
Her laughter healed and stung at the same time. “Yeah, you are.” She bit her lip and my smile grew when her eyes wandered down then back up my body. Echo blinked. “How are things going with your brothers?”
I motioned with my chin toward the chairs and we sat next to each other. Her knee and shoulder barely brushed against me and I wished more than anything that I could run my fingers through her hair. “The judge set a date to hear me out after graduation. Mrs. Collins has been prepping me.”
“That is awesome!”
“Yeah.” I forced optimism into my voice.
Her cheeks fell, as did her joy. “What’s wrong?”
“Carrie and Joe hired a lawyer and I lost visitation.”
Echo placed her delicate hand over mine. “Oh, Noah. I am so sorry. Have you seen them at all?”
I’d spent countless hours on the couch in the basement, staring at the ceiling wondering what she was doing. Her laughter, her smile, the feel of her body next to mine, and the regret that I let her walk away too easily haunted me. Taking the risk, I entwined my fingers with hers. Odds were I’d never get the chance to be this close again. “No, Mrs. Collins convinced me the best thing to do is to keep my distance and follow the letter of the law.”
“Wow, Mrs. Collins is a freaking miracle worker. Dangerous Noah Hutchins on the straight and narrow. If you don’t watch out she’ll ruin your rep with the girls.” Echo waggled her eyebrows.
I lowered my voice. “Not that it matters. I only care what one girl thinks about me.”
She relaxed her fingers into mine and stroked her thumb over my skin. “With Mrs. Collins on your side, you’ll get them back.”
Minutes into being alone together, we fell into each other again, like no time had passed. I could blame her for ending us, but in the end, I agreed with her decision. “How about you, Echo? Did you find your answers?”
Echo let her hair fall forward as her knee bounced. “No.”
If I continued to disregard breakup rules, I might as well go all the way. I pushed her curls behind her shoulder and let my fingers linger longer than needed so I could enjoy the silky feel. “Don’t hide from me, baby. We’ve been through too much for that.”
Echo leaned into me, placing her head on my shoulder and letting me wrap an arm around her. “I’ve missed you, too, Noah. I’m tired of ignoring you.”
“Then don’t.” Ignoring her hurt like hell. Acknowledging her had to be better.
“We’re not exactly the friends type.” As if to prove her point, she tilted her head up. Echo’s warm breath caressed my neck, causing my body to tingle with the thought of kissing her.
I swallowed, trying to shut out the bittersweet memories of our last night together. “Where’ve you been? It kills me when you’re not at school.”
“A little bit of everywhere. I went to an art gallery and the curator showed some interest in my work and sold my first piece two days later. Since then, I’ve been traveling around to different galleries, hawking my wares.”
“That’s awesome, Echo.” I absently stroked her shoulder. Part of me was thrilled for her; another part was upset she’d made such big leaps without me. “Sounds like you’re fitting into your future perfectly.” No custody battles, flipping burgers or single parenthood in her future. “Where did you decide to go to school?”
“I don’t know if I’m going to school.”
Shock jolted my system and I inched away to make sure I understood. “What the fuck do you mean you don’t know? You’ve got colleges falling all over you and you don’t fucking know if you want to go to school?”
My damned little siren laughed at me. “I see your language has improved.”
Poof—like magic, the anger disappeared. Anger Mrs. Collins would love to analyze. Guess her scheme to get me thinking about my future worked. I pulled Echo back into me. “If you’re not going to school, then what are your plans?”
“I’ve got paintings and drawings in a handful of different galleries in this and surrounding states. I’m not going to be rich, but I make a little bit with every painting I sell. I’m considering putting college off for a year or two and traveling cross-country, hopping from gallery to gallery.”
Damn if her whole world wasn’t changing. “And your dad’s okay with this?”
“Not his call to make.” Fury crept out behind her light tone. Maybe some things hadn’t changed. “I don’t want to live with him and Ashley anymore. Selling my paintings—it’s my way out. I don’t want to stare at the walls and think of my mother. I don’t want to sit in my room and think of all the nights Aires used to stay up talking to me. I don’t want every moment of my life filled with reminders of a life I will never get back.”
Normal. We both craved it and neither one of us would ever experience it again. She had hoped learning the truth of what happened between her and her mother would solve her problems and I had promised to help. “I feel like a dick. We made a deal and I left you hanging. I’m not that guy who goes back on his word. What can I do to help you get to the truth?”
Echo’s chest rose with her breath then deflated when she exhaled. Sensing our moment ending, I nuzzled her hair, savoring her scent. She patted my knee and broke away. “Nothing. There’s nothing you can do.”