Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 77415 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77415 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
This wasn’t good.
It had to be because his birthday was only a few short weeks away that I was thinking about him. His birthday was the same day as mine, and I could never think about my special day without thinking about his.
“Oh, shit.”
My eyes snapped up and zeroed in on what was happening on the field.
Someone was down.
I couldn’t see who it was, due to the crowd that was now surrounding the downed figure, but from the crowd’s reaction, it was someone important.
The man who was standing beside Sean suddenly tensed. Within a heartbeat he was standing directly on the railing of the bleachers. His large, scarred hand that had a single tattoo of an E on the backside was resting against the large silver pole that held up the massive stadium lights.
He was staring at the crowd, his body stiff but ready to move if there was a need, and it hit me like a twelve-ton truck.
I knew that man.
Knew that strong jaw.
Knew that wavy black hair.
The elbow with the scar.
The way he held himself, even fourteen years later, was the same as he had when he was a teenager.
My belly clenched, and I found it hard to breathe.
His beard was different, fuller maybe. He had lines at the sides of his eyes that told about a hard fourteen years.
The tell-tale sign that this was the man who had held my heart, for what felt like a lifetime, was the white shock of hair at the bottom of his chin. The curly locks were distinctive, and had made me want to laugh when the man had been eighteen.
Now, at thirty-two, it looked like he owned it.
Then he’d been self-conscious; now…well, now, it didn’t look like the man had a self-conscious bone in his body.
The crowd on the field parted, and the kid I’d seen talking to the coach earlier, emerged.
He looked into the stands, worry in his eyes, and found the man standing on the rails.
He pointed, the man from my past pointed back, and everyone let out the breath they’d been holding.
I, on the other hand, was in danger of passing out.
I was lightheaded, sick to my stomach, and angry all at the same time.
How dare he?
How dare he show up now when I was just finally starting to get my act together! Finally moving out from under my mother and father’s thumbs.
Shit!
“I’ll be right back,” I said to Tally. “I need to use the restroom.”
With that, I stood up, inched through the crowd of parents who were still strung too tight from the call that was just made, and made my way down the bleachers.
I had to walk directly past Jessie to do it, too.
I’d almost gotten to him when he finally decided to climb back down off of the railing, inadvertently knocking into me when his ass hit my shoulder in his haste to move.
“Sorry,” he muttered, not bothering to look up at me.
I gasped, and his eyes finally came to me.
The instant they connected, I knew he knew it was me. I also knew that he wasn’t happy to see me, seeing as his eyes went from apologetic to blank in a matter of moments.
He didn’t say a word as he turned around and walked down the bleachers in front of me.
I, on the other hand, had no other choice but to follow him or look stupid because I was the one who got up to walk this way anyway.
I watched his back as he threaded his way through the crowd, all the while my heart was hammering and tears clogged my throat.
The memories started to assault me before I could halt them.
The way he kissed me on the corner of my mouth, his tongue sweeping along my lower lip before he’d back away quickly.
His arms wrapping around my shoulders, pulling me close and holding me tight as I cried about something only a teenage girl would cry about.
My first time meeting Jessie’s son, Linc. The way Linc had wrapped his arms around my neck, just like his daddy did, and held me tight.
Linc’s second birthday party, with Jessie’s arm tight around my lower back, holding me to him as we watched his son play his little heart out with his friends.
The first time I had sex with him.
The after party of my prom, where we snuck out together to spend some time with each other without my parents insinuating themselves between us.
Yes, I had a lot of great memories.
Then…nothing. One day, he just up and left, and I hadn’t been able to find him again.
I’d spent the next week searching for him. Going to all of his old haunts. I’d even gone as far as to run by his parents’ house, but I’d chickened out about halfway up the driveway and turned around.
By the time I made it to the bathroom, I was lost. So completely and utterly lost that I wanted nothing more than to go home, wrap myself up in a blanket cocoon, not unrolling myself until all of this hurt disappeared or I became stronger.