The Girl Next Door
Chapter 42

Unable to sleep, I stare sightlessly at the ceiling. No matter how much I try to block out what I saw at Marco's, I can't. The image of my dad having an intimate dinner with a strange woman refuses to be buried. Even though I know what I saw and how I felt in the moment, part of me wonders if it's possible I could have misconstrued the relationship. Was it a dinner between friends? Or colleagues?

From across the restaurant, I could see the besotted look in Dad's eyes as he stared at the blonde across from him. How long has it been since he looked at Mom that way?

I sift through my memories, going back years, but can't come up with a definitive answer. If Dad ever looked at Mom like that, it was before Brianna died.

Beck's words ring unwantedly throughout my head.

This has nothing to do with you.

He's right, it doesn't. This is between my dad and mom, but still...seeing him with another woman feels like a betrayal to our family.

How could he do this?

After everything Mom has been through, how could he inflict more damage?

I turn onto my side and curl up in a tight ball under the covers as a wave of nausea crashes over me. This isn't the kind of secret I can keep from Mom. She has a right to know what's going on. The thought of telling her makes me sick to my stomach.

I glance at the clock on the nightstand. It's after midnight, and I'm no closer to replaceing sleep than I was two hours ago. Maybe I should go downstairs and make a cup of tea.

As I throw off the covers, there's a tap against the windowpane. I pause as my heart thumps a painful beat against my ribcage before squinting into the darkness. The breath rushes from my lungs as Beck's features materialize on the other side of the glass. I hurry across the room and unlatch the lock, shoving open the window.

"What are you doing here?" Relief and happiness swirl inside me at the sight of him.

He stares at me from the thick tree branch he's perched on. "I wanted to make sure you were all right. What happened earlier was brutal."

"You could have texted or come to the front door."

"It's been a while since I climbed your tree." He shrugs as a smile lifts his lips. "Kind of seemed like a grand romantic gesture. Don't you think?"

I shake my head and unsnap the screen from the window before pulling it off and leaning the metal frame against the wall. "You're crazy."

"Only for you." Beck balances his weight on the branch before levering himself through the window. He lands gracefully on the floor before popping to his full height and dusting himself off. I quickly slam the window closed and clip the screen back into place. "Are you doing okay?" He closes the distance between us until he can tug me into his arms. "I was worried."

Unable to help myself, I melt against him before burying my face in his chest. I have no idea why his presence is so comforting, but it is. "I'm all right. Still in shock, I guess."

He wraps his arms around me, pressing me closer before dropping a kiss on the top of my head. "Have you made any decisions?"

I huff out a breath and mumble, "I called him."

"Really?" Beck pulls away. "What happened?"

"It went straight to voicemail."

"Oh." He draws me to him again before tucking me beneath his chin. I hate to admit how perfectly we fit together.

"Dad texted five minutes later. He said he was in the middle of a business dinner and would call in the morning." "Un-f*****g-believable," Beck mutters.

Anger floods through me before pooling in my voice. "I was so tempted to text back and ask how dinner with his w***e was."

"s**t, Mia..." he whispers against my hair before squeezing me tighter.

A fresh wave of tears stings my eyes. "Can you imagine the look on his face if I had done that?"

"I'm so sorry, baby. I wish I had hustled you out of there before you caught sight of them."

I burrow my face against Beck before inhaling a big breath of him. The woodsy scent of his cologne settles something deep inside me. "You have nothing to be sorry about. He does."

A humorless chuckle falls from my lips when I remember sitting down to dinner at Marco's. "I'd thought you had changed your mind about us going out. All of a sudden, you were acting weird and trying to drag me from the table." "Nothing could be further from the truth. I'd been looking forward to dinner since I asked you out. I'm sorry our night got ruined."

"Yeah," I say softly, lifting my head from his chest. "Me, too." Maybe I haven't wanted to admit it to myself, but I'd been looking forward to this date. Probably more than I should have. I'm trying to be cautious and smart and take things slow, but Beck is making that difficult to do.

He lowers his face until his lips can graze mine. The moment we make contact, all the noise rioting in my brain goes silent. Beck angles his head as his mouth roves gently over mine. When my lips part, his tongue slips inside to dance with my own.

My palms glide over his chest until they're able to lock around his neck and pull him closer. Somehow this kiss mutes all the pain vibrating deep inside me, and for that, I'm grateful. I don't want to think anymore.

I just want to feel.

And this feels amazing.

I pull away enough to whisper, "Stay the night with me?"

"Is that what you want?"

"Yes." After everything that's happened tonight, it's what I need.

"Then I'll stay."