“I can call you an Uber.”
Her head pops up, and she narrows her dark eyes at me. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”
Iwasbeing kind. It’s Christmas time. Surely she doesn’t want to be stuck here with my crazy family.
Karli settles into the pillows again and folds her arms across her chest. “I’m staying right here. I rather like the Star Wars bedspread. It’s cute.”
Cute?My cheeks burn as she brushes her hand over Anakin’s giant head on the blanket. I thought my mom got rid of that thing years ago.
“Star Wars is a classic,” I grunt.
“Agreed.” She pulls the comforter up to her chin and grins. “Cozy.”
My ego is taking a massive hit right now. “You know, this ismyhouse.Myroom.”
She cocks an intrigued brow. “You still live with your parents?”
Boom.Ego destroyed. “Wha-no!”
“There’s nothing to be ashamed of,” she says, sitting up with a smirk. “I hear it’s all the rage these da–”
“I don’t live with my parents.” I scrub a hand over my beard. This entire conversation is confusing the heck out of me. It’s like I take one step forward and she pushes me two steps back. “Don’t you have your own home? I’ll gladly take you there.”
The smile slips from her face, but it returns so quickly I think I imagined it. “Sorry, but I don’t bring boys home until at least the fourth date.”
This is ridiculous.
“You know what? Do what you want.” I turn and unhook my monitor.
“Gee thanks, maybe I’ll stay for Christmas. I might even refer to your parents as Mom and Dad.” Her overconfidence is enough to make me fume. She can infiltrate my room all she wants, but not my family.
I stomp out of the room. That woman is insane. Good thing I’ll never have to see her again.
Chapter 3
Trent
ONEYEARANDELEVENMONTHS LATER
There’s a whirring in my head and my limbs feel like they’ve been cemented to the ground.
I crack an eye open, my vision blurry and wild. But I know this feeling, this seat, this music. Why am I in Sean’s car? Are we still in the take-out line at Pablo’s? No, we are moving. But where? And Why?
“Sean?” I croak. My voice is hoarse, my throat dry. I take the only cup in the middle console and down half of it.
“Oh hey, sleeping beauty. Nice of you to finally wake up.”
“What are you talking about?” My eyelids are heavy but I force them to stay open.
“You’ve been asleep for five hours.”
“What?” I sit straight up in my seat. I did wake up at five this morning to get homework done, but there’s no way I was tired enough to take a five-hour nap in his car. “What’s going on?” My gaze snaps to the darkness out my window. Where are the city lights? I blink, again and again, but there’s still nothing.
Something is wrong.
The last thing I remember is Sean telling me he got us tickets for a show in Vegas in two days. I immediately rejected his offer. It’s Thanksgiving in two days.
Then Sean had said, and I quote. “Oh yeah, I forgot. Nevermind.” That should have been my first clue something was up because one does not simplyforgetThanksgiving.
