Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 97337 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97337 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
“Yes!” Until he said the word I didn’t realize I’d been holding my breath. I believed him, maybe because of the look in his eyes when he said it, or maybe because I wanted to so badly. Either way his reassurance made me feel all warm inside and I cuddled into him, happier than I’ve ever been.
Things had been happening so fast that I’d hardly had time for regrets or even time to think. It seems like one minute he was rescuing me in that parking lot and the next we were here. And it’s been one continuous ride on the merry go round.
It’s been so good that I’ve hardly given Robert a second thought. There were no more phone calls after Drake made me change my number, and I hadn’t heard anything since the restraining order was issued. As for the message on the high school forum board, there hasn’t been anything since and principal Thorne hadn’t brought up the issue since that first day.
Some mornings I awaken telling myself that today might be the day it all blows up in my face, my luck can’t hold forever, and then the whole day goes by with nothing happening and I spend the night in his arms all over again.
And now this thing with his mother and grandmother, something I was sure would put an end to us, had turned into something else. I’m almost inclined to believe that life was repaying me for the crappy childhood I’d had.
There was no other explanation for why things should’ve turned out so differently for me. Why no one was pointing fingers and whispering behind my back the way I’d always feared, and why I’d been lucky enough to find someone like him.
Someone so mature and grounded. Someone who knew what he wanted even better than I did. And someone who isn’t afraid to go after it all, no holds barred. I have no doubt that all of this played a huge part in his mom’s capitulation. That had he been anyone else, things may not have turned out this well.
But every day I remind myself not to take it for granted, not to get ahead of myself, because there’s still a danger that things could go wrong. But when I’m in his arms like this, when we’ve shared a night like the one we just had, I find it hard to hold onto those fears.
“You wanna go for a drive in the country tomorrow?” I nodded my head and wrapped my arm around his chest. It’s the only way we can be together away from here, is if we leave town. I don’t hold out any hope that that would change any time soon, that would be asking for too much.
And I hate thinking about the time he’ll be going away to college though that’s months away. But every once in a while the thought sneaks in and steals my joy. He never mentions it, never brings it up, and I’m hard pressed to know if it’s even crossed his mind. Or if for him, we will be over by then.
“Lizzie…baby… go to sleep. Whatever you’re thinking is making you tense.” I closed my eyes and almost purred like a kitten when he ran his fingers through my hair and kissed my head. And just like that, I fell asleep.
Drake
Until I took all the SAT subjects we spent each Saturday driving out to the neighboring towns, and most Sundays at home in bed, or at my nana’s house. Now the test were behind me and even without the scores coming in as yet, I had no doubt that I’d aced them. It’s not like I didn’t already have my university picked out.
“So where have you decided to go?” I reminded her about our little out of town trip. She’d been keeping her choice a secret until now and the only issue I had was that she insisted on paying for it. When I told her that that made no sense since it was my idea, she put her foot down. If I didn’t give in, then we’d go nowhere.
She seemed to think that she had to prove to me that she wasn’t in it for the money, something that had never crossed my mind. As far as I can tell she’s not very materialistic, something I plan to change as soon as I get her away from here.
That’s another thing. I’d come up with the perfect solution. In the weeks since her class had ended and I had more time on my hands, I’d taken to scoping out the other schools in the area around my university online.
I’d found a prep school that would be perfect for her, and since the town was pretty much like ours, with just a few thousand more residents, I think she’d like it there. Halfway across the country though it was.