Beyond Eighteen

by Gretchen de La O

  Wilson Mooney

  Beyond Eighteen

  ~ Book 3 ~

  a novel by

  Gretchen de la O

  Wilson Mooney, Beyond Eighteen

  Gretchen de la O

  Copyright© Gretchen de la O 2013

  Published at Smashwords

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events,

  real people, or real locales are used fictitiously.

  Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored on a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the author.

  ISBN: 0983665850

  ISBN: 978-0-9836658-5-4

  Printed in the U.S.A.

  First Edition, October 2013

  Edited by Tiffany Barkman Grayson

  Original Art and cover designed by Eunice Ortegón

  Photography Art by Liza Aharonovich

  My Shout-outs…

  Wilson’s Beta Readers: Becky, Debbie, Karley, and Suzanne: When I needed you…you answered. Thank you for being the most amazing beta readers a girl can ever ask for. As this journey ends with this series I hope you are willing to come with me on the next one.

  Liza: Thank you for sharing your talent. You capture such authenticity with your photos. I am happy I had a chance to meet you and glad you agreed to be a part of Wilson and Max’s journey.

  Tiffany: You rock! I came to you with a tight deadline on this book and you didn’t even blink. You worked tirelessly to make me shine, and I can’t thank you enough. You keep fixing the same mistakes I’ve repeated through all three books, and never once did you lose your patience with me. You are such a generous, caring, and wonderful person.

  Eunice: Thank you for working so hard on all three books. Not only did you create my vision for the first two original covers, but you selflessly spent hours creating all three new ones. Times were challenging and you met them head on. Thank you for living through my craziness. I appreciate the journey you and I have had with this series.

  Becky: I don’t think there is another person alive who knows the characters in this series better than you (including me!). You have been my record keeper, my note taker, my beta reader, my idea bouncer offer, and my best friend. I will never be able to thank you enough, for everything you’ve done for my family, my craft, my books and the stories that bounce around in my head.

  My family: Ed, Jared, Kyle, Nate, and my mom (Grandma K):

  Ed thanks for giving me the opportunity to grow my dreams and build my career; your support, even when silent speaks volumes. Mom, thanks for reminding me that my career is not a hobby, and I must remember to treat it as such. Jared, Kyle and Nate, it wasn’t glamorous by any means, nor do I feel anything less than guilty for the times you’ve missed me. But I hope that I taught you to follow your heart, never give up on your dreams and even when things look like they aren’t going to work out…have faith that there is something greater than you…supporting you along your journey. I love you all so very much.

  “A heart that has never been broken…

  has never been touched by true love.”

  Chapter One

  ~ Wilson ~

  I couldn’t stop shivering and every muscle in my body ached like I’d been in a head-on collision. My voice was raw from crying endlessly since Max left; it felt like I’d swallowed jagged shards of glass plastered with every missing word I should have said to him. Somewhere above my body, a space that I never really knew existed carried all of my relevant thoughts away. The look on his face when he found out I betrayed him steamrolled across my head over and over again. Visions of him driving away as I collapsed on the porch killed every butterfly caged in my gut. Max left me on the bone-chilling granite—rotting, longing, and totally broken. How will I ever find my way back after hurting the man I love more than anything in this world? A war was being waged in my body, and I was losing…big time.

  Joanie’s hands were scalding hot against the side of my head as she held me on the Browlers’ sofa. She rocked back and forth in an attempt to soothe the searing pain that vibrated from my core out to every last part of my body.

  “Shhhh, Wilson, sweetheart, shhh. I am so sorry honey, so sorry.” The nature of her words only made it worse.

  Incoherent babbling tumbled from my lips. I searched behind my closed eyes, working to see patterns that I could dissolve into, but I couldn’t see past the ache that throbbed in my head. Joanie clung to me so hard that I couldn’t catch a deep breath. Please, God, let me just disappear; let me become that person who nobody hears from ever again. There was nothing I could do to repair the damage I’d caused. When I kissed Nick I destroyed everything Max and I had.

  I heard footsteps strike against the hardwood floor and the whispering concern of a guy’s voice as I slumped heavily in Joanie’s embrace.

  “Is she...okay? If she needs anything—” Nick said in a low voice.

  I felt the pressure of Joanie’s hand across my back withdraw and her voice vibrate through her chest as she whispered back at him, “Thanks, but I think I’m just going to take her upstairs.” There was a sizable pause before she continued, “She’ll be fine, Nick. She just needs some time right now.”

  I could feel Nick staring at me before I heard him walk toward the kitchen. Even if I wanted to look at him, I couldn’t. Suddenly I didn’t feel the same need to be comforted by him. He was part of the reason I lost Max.

  Joanie dragged her hands to the back of my biceps as she pulled me away from her chest.

  “Wilson, sweetie, let’s go upstairs. You can clean up and change your clothes. Freshen up a bit,” Joanie said in a soothing voice. It was the same voice I found comfort in when every other shitty event happened in my life. She ran her hands up and down my arms from my elbows up to my shoulders and back, collecting the heat she generated with her friction.

  I didn’t say anything. I just willed the muscles in my legs to work and Joanie did the rest. She supported me as I ambled out of the living room and up the imperial staircase. I also knew better than to try and argue with Joanie. She knew what I was going to need, and how much time it was going to take me to wallow in my misery.

  My knees stretched and ached as I pushed up each step. They seemed to be taller than I remembered. The same gut-wrenching feeling I’d had when I first climbed these stairs twisted low in my stomach. Those familiar feelings of wanting Max and not knowing if he felt the same way about me started to swirl throughout my body. The beads of perspiration that tickled and rolled from my hairline down the back of my neck when I decided to find him at Cindy’s “seasonal” party just a month earlier began to push from my pores. It seemed so long ago and yet not long enough to be in this much pain.

  We were almost to the top of the stairs, my body still leaning into Joanie’s, still hoping that I could make it up to the room, when I saw Cindy standing at the top of the stairs. God, she is the absolute last person I want to see right now. Her lips twisted into a smirk and her eyes gleamed with the triumph she felt at ruining my life. Every bit of
her, even the way she pressed her hands against her hips, looked like she was ready to rub it in my face that she was right and I was nothing more than a tragedy in the life of Max Goldstein.

  I took a deep breath, about to tell Cindy I couldn’t deal with whatever she had to say, when Joanie did my bidding for me.

  “Not now, Cindy,” Joanie steamed as she waited for Cindy to get out of the way.

  I went numb. Cindy finally knew about Max and me. I couldn’t even find my voice to argue back. Everything I’d ever stood for my entire life was ripped away the moment Cindy walked in and found me making out with Nick. My honor, my morals, my credibility—all wiped away like it never existed. I wanted to crawl into a hole and shrivel up into the piece of crap I felt like. I’d used Nick, ruined my reputation, and beyond it all, lost Max by making a stupid mistake.

  “Well, I think right now is the perfect time. What did you expect, Wilson? Did you really think you could make out with two different guys in the same week without either of them finding out?” Cindy spewed in her snarky way.

  “Shut up, Cindy. Can’t you, for once, dig deep and find some compassion for what Wilson is going through?” Joanie barked.

  “Compassion? She was playing the two ends against the middle and got caught!” Cindy said before she continued with an answerless question directed at me. “Come on, Wilson, did you really expect that you’d be able to play with fire and not get burned? Did you honestly believe they wouldn’t find out about each other?”

  Her words sliced me down to the bone.

  “Cindy, please, I’m sorry that I hurt your brother. I never meant for anything like that to happen.”

  “You think I care about that? I could care less about you and Nick having a sleazy fling in my kitchen.”

  “Then why are you being such a bitch to her?” Joanie steamed. I felt her body heaving with her words.

  “Because, Joanie, finally the stellar shining star of Wesley has burned out. And what better way to make sure I get exactly what I want? I’ve got proof that our amazingly brilliant government teacher is sleeping with one of his underprivileged students,” Cindy said in a sappy tone.

  That’s when I snapped. I couldn’t hold back any more. Couldn’t stand there and listen to any more of her bullshit. I just went off. Tears streamed down my cheeks, burning the already raw skin on my face.

  “What do you want? What sick pleasure are you getting from ruining my life? What do you want to hear? That I’m a slut? That I made a totally screwed-up mistake and ruined my life when I kissed your brother? Or maybe you want to see me suffer because you just can’t handle the fact that Max loved me and I loved him back. There you go, Cindy, there is your ammunition: I love Max. I am totally and completely in love with him. And, up until today, he loved me back.”

  My chest swelled and my head pounded with all the other words I didn’t say. With our eyes locked, I watched as Cindy’s widened and looked past me. Her face turned scarlet red before her jaw dropped open. I turned to Joanie, thinking Cindy was looking at her but when I saw Joanie looking down the stairs, her face drained of any color, I had a feeling he must be standing behind me.

  I turned all the way around and whatever strength I had left fell to my feet. My breath hitched, painful in my chest, and my eyes flooded with the apologies I ached to tell him. It was Max, standing at the bottom of the stairs. God, he was my forever. He was every breath I needed to take and every pulse that kept my blood pumping. He was the home I always wanted to have.

  His eyes, bloodshot and narrow, matched the hue of his cheeks. The edges of his lips bent south and his jaw constricted as he looked up at me. It was the same look he gave me when I left him on his staircase. He swallowed hard as the tip of his tongue pushed and curled just enough to wet his lips, making it seem like every word that flashed in his head was poison to him. His head swayed to the side as if he was struggling to formulate his thoughts into words. His scent strolled toward me, teasing me, making me long to inhale him completely. My mouth watered. I swallowed hard, waiting for him to say something—anything. But he didn’t.

  In that moment, it was just Max and me. Everyone else became nothing more than solid pieces of furniture holding space in the room, until I heard Joanie whispering, telling me to breathe.

  “Max…” my voice cracked. “You’re h—ere…” I choked on my words before I took a step down.

  “Yeah,” he whispered. The radiance from the huge crystal chandelier caught the flicker of the tears that began to cluster in his eyes.

  I pushed my hands up to my cheeks, trying to dry them so the chill that kept rippling across my face wouldn’t be so harsh. God, I want to run to him. I crave to feel his touch. I just want him to hold me and tell me everything is going to be okay. But what if he doesn’t want me any more? What if he’s here to tell me that he’s over me? I looked over at Joanie, hoping she would convince me to keep walking down the stairs to Max.

  “Go,” she prodded.

  I took another step. My legs felt like rubber.

  “I’m so sorry—” I struggled to say. He moved closer to the bottom of the stairs and held his hand up to stop me. I froze. As I looked at him his hair fell, blanketing his face. He looked down at the floor. The small space between us felt like a million miles. He shook his head. His shiny, black hair tumbled before he dragged his hands through it, clearing it from his face as he looked up at me.

  “Did you mean what you said?” he asked, his beautiful lips shaping the words that poured from his heart. “What you told Cindy?”

  There was a moment of complete silence that grew between us before I answered.

  “Every word.” I took another step down.

  He stepped up on the first step. “You are totally and completely in love with me?”

  “Totally and completely,” I whispered. I felt my butterflies return to life as he took another step up.

  “Well, you’re wrong,” he choked.

  I gasped at his words. It felt like someone punched me in the gut. What is he saying? Is this some twisted payback for my huge mistake?

  “I…don’t underst—” I said.

  “You didn’t ruin your life,” he interrupted and took another step up.

  “I really…hurt you,” I mumbled.

  “I’m not going to lie, Wilson…you broke my heart.” He took another step up.

  Now he was only a few steps away. I still towered over him; and yet, I felt as small as the eight-year-old girl who was left on the porch a decade ago. My heart clung to the back of my throat, my lips tingled with the fear of never kissing him ever again, and my hands were drenched with the anticipation of wanting to touch him one last time.

  Chapter Two

  ~ Max ~

  I was standing so close I could just reach out and grab her. Press her against my chest so hard she’d melt into me. When I saw her on the stairs I couldn’t keep my heart from thundering in my chest, my body surging with need for her; I had to stop myself from collapsing at her feet. I love her, and when I look at her, I see everything I’ve ever wanted—everything.

  Wilson swayed forward and took another step. Her sweet aroma wafted down through me.

  “I wish I could take back everything. God, I wish I never hurt you, Max,” she said, her eyes damp with regret.

  Her blonde hair curved around her face with stray pieces clinging to her tear-drenched cheeks and the edges of her lips. I wanted to press my fingertips to her face and clear the pain away. But I didn’t. Instead I told her how I felt.

  “You’re wrong about one thing. I could never stop…loving…you, Wilson.” I climbed the few remaining stairs that were between us.

  I was so close to her I could feel her warmth roll across my skin. I watched her eyes well with tears and her chin quiver as she tried to stay strong.

  “Really?” The word broke and cracked coming out of her mouth.

  As our eyes danced, a sorrow grew in her gaze. I pushed the backs of my fingers against her face, clea
ring away her damp hair, before I pressed my palms to her cheeks. She was shaking.

  I leaned into her, pausing only long enough to answer her.

  “Really,” I whispered, tickling her lips before I pressed my mouth against hers. I kissed her softly at first, trying to see if I was going to taste regret. I didn’t. Pulling her tight against my chest, I ran my hands up against her back and stopped at her shoulder blades. She was cautious at first, but once I pushed past any fear of tasting her, our tongues tangled and exploded into a familiarity that my body knew so well. She was so warm—so damaged. Truth was I could stand there all day wishing away all that had happened between us, but the fact still remained: she found comfort in someone else when she was hurting. And I will never let that happen again.

  “I love you,” she moaned as I pulled away from our kiss. Her eyes were still closed in the moment of indescribable relief.

  I waited for her to come back.

  “I’m sorry I let you go,” I said. “Promise me something.”

  “Okay,” she breathed deeply.

  “Promise me you’ll never kiss another guy…who isn’t me.” I felt the words vibrate in my chest as I said them.

  She nodded, her expression bent to anguish as she broke down and sobbed. I held her, kissing the salty tears from her cheeks. I couldn’t get enough of her.

  Yeah, I was still raw from the fact that she’d made a bad decision and kissed Nick. But she’d lived a lot of broken moments in her life. She’d never had something this intense before. I couldn’t erase the fact that she loved me enough to let me be her first.

  “Oh my God. Really? You’re really going to forgive her that easily? Come on, Max, she made out with my brother. They were frickin’ grinding against each other when I walked in! I suppose you’d have forgiven her if she slept with him too?” Cindy groused from the top of the stairs. She twisted her body and thrust her hip up dramatically.