Holding on for you (Saved #2)

by Shelby Reeves

  “Call me when you take the trash out.”

  I love how he can put me in a better mood. “I will,” I promise him.

  I hang up with Bo and pocket my phone, preparing myself to deal with the mess that is in my dorm.

  Ryan is up walking around in his boxers while Jess begins picking up some of the mess. At least she is helping, I think to myself.

  Ryan ought to help too since I am sure he helped create the mess, but I’d rather have him gone so I can talk to Jess alone.

  I watch him for a couple of minutes to see if he is actually planning to leave. He dresses and talks to Jess quietly so I can’t hear what he is saying. A couple of times, Jess glances at me over his shoulder so I know he is talking about me. I could care less what he says about me.

  After a minute of them murmuring back and forth, Jess begins stuffing clothes into a bag. She’s leaving with him!

  “Jess, don’t go. I want to have some girl time,” I plead, begging her not to leave with him. Here, I know she is safe, but when she is gone with him, I have no way of knowing.

  “Girl time? When are you ever there for me?”

  “I’m always there for you!” I can’t think of a time I wasn’t there for her.

  “Whatever,” she huffs. “Ryan and I are going to spend some time together. At least he is there for me.” Shoving past me, she walks right into his arms and they leave together.

  Now, I am worried about her more than ever.

  21

  Bo

  As I walk into J and Cassie’s house, I’m stunned to find Heather sitting on their couch. Cassie may have forgiven her for the way Heather bullied her, but I haven’t.

  Heather turns and frowns at me. Good, feeling’s mutual. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

  Heather flinches and jumps to her feet as if she is afraid of me. Her reaction shocks me. I expected her to get pissed and square her shoulders at me, not get scared.

  “Bo Michaels!” Cassie scolds, entering the room with her hands full of drinks. “Do not come in my house and be an asshole to my guest!”

  “She has no reason to be here,” I state. “After the hell she put you through, you’re just going to be friends?”

  Cassie sets the drinks down and marches over to me. She is madder than hell at me. “Listen here, if I want to let her in my house, I will. It’s none of your business why she’s here, but if you must know, she’s here because she needs our help. Heather is not the same girl she was in high school. People change, Bo. If you don’t like her being here then leave.”

  “Whoa, my wife is hot when she’s fired up!” J chuckles as he emerges into the room, carrying Ella in his arms.

  Cassie blushes, glancing over at J, but when her eyes meet mine again, she glares at me. “Are you staying or going?”

  “Staying,” I grind out.

  “Good. Would you like something to drink?”

  Women.

  “A glass of sweet tea would be nice. Thanks.” Cassie disappears into the kitchen again. Heather hasn’t moved since she jumped up, standing there looking uncomfortable. “I’m going to go check on Carson.”

  When she is out of sight, J walks up and stands next to me. “Zack is giving her a hard time.”

  “He’s in jail. How can he be giving her a hard time?”

  J sighs, gazing down at his daughter. Sadness washes over him. When he looks up at me, his sadness morphs into anger. “Zack is trying so hard to prove that she’s an unfit mother so he can get Carson taken away from her and give his parents have custody of him.”

  “Does he think in his twisted mind that he’s going to get out?” Zack murdered the two people Cassie thought were her parents. Not to mention he also kidnapped Cassie that night. He is one crazy son of a bitch.

  J grunts, not happy thinking about the guy who took his whole world. “He better pray he doesn’t or I will kill his ass.” He pauses, then adds, “Look, if I can forgive Heather, then so can you. Cassie’s right, Heather isn’t the same girl she was in high school.”

  Now, I feel like an ass. “I’ll apologize to her. She caught me off guard when I walked in. I’d never expect her to be here.”

  Heather returns with her son on her hip. He sucks on his fingers, still seeming half asleep. He’s a cute little fellow.

  Remembering my apology, I tell her, “I’m sorry for shouting at you and scaring you.”

  She smiles, kissing her son’s head. “It’s okay. I know it’s hard to believe that people have changed sometimes.”

  Cassie smiles at me as she hands over my glass of tea. “You didn’t poison my drink, did you?”

  She shrugs innocently, but the look in her eyes tells me she is up to something. “Take a drink and find out.”

  “I’m going to fix my own damn drink,” I mutter.

  I hear them all laughing as I leave the room. I highly doubt my sister-in-law would poison me, but I’m not going to take the chance.

  After I pour myself a fresh glass of tea, I take a seat with everyone in the living room. The babies are on a blanket on the floor, playing with their toys.

  “I met a guy,” Heather blurts out.

  J and I sit and listen while Cassie gets excited. “Aww, that’s great! What’s his name? Have y’all gone out on a date?”

  Heather flushes crimson. “His name is Mason and he works in construction. No, we haven’t gone out on a date yet. I met him yesterday and we talked for hours,” she gushes.

  I zone out as Heather and Cassie discuss girl shit. I miss Faith, and more importantly, I miss Jess. I miss them both in different ways. Faith is someone who is carefree and I miss being around her. Jess is the girl I love who I can’t get over. I wish she would come back home and let me love her. She deserves the kind of love I want to give her.

  While Faith and I may be in a relationship, Jess is always in the back of my mind. Faith is a wonderful girl and she deserves better than a guy pining over another girl.

  “Hey, where did you go?” J asks, pulling me from my thoughts.

  I don’t really want to talk about it. Being lost inside my head is hard enough. Thinking too much gets to me. “I was just thinking.”

  J frowns, worried about me, I’m sure. “Have you called her?”

  Why would I do that? “No, I haven’t. She wouldn’t answer my call anyway.” What would I even say to her if I did call?

  “You might be surprised,” he mutters, leaving me confused.

  I want to ask him what he means by that, but I keep my mouth shut. “I’m going to call Faith,” I inform him. After saying goodbye to everyone, I leave and hop into my truck.

  I dial Faith’s number when I get down the road. Faith is unknowingly my informant when it comes to Jess. In a way, I feel like I am using her and that I should tell her, but I chicken out.

  “Hey, boyfriend!”

  “I miss you, Faith,” I tell her. Having her here for the summer will help me keep my mind off of Jess.

  “I miss you, too. Not much longer.” I can practically hear her smile through the phone.

  “How has your day been?” Faith and I talk almost daily and I’m beginning to crave our talks.

  “It’s been pretty good. Yours?”

  “It’s better now.” I smile into the phone.

  “I miss you,” she murmurs, sounding melancholy. “I wish you were here.”

  Faith has been so worried about Jess ever since she ran off with douchebag last week. I wish Jess would wake up and realize what she’s doing before she spirals downhill even further. “Do you want me to come for a couple of days? Just tell me and I’ll be there, Faith.”

  I hear her sigh then she grows quiet. She’s thinking, I can tell. Knowing Faith, she wants me there only she doesn’t want to burden me. “Only if it’s not going to get you into trouble with your dad.”

  “He won’t be mad. Hell, he’s always trying to get me to quit and go home,” I chuckle lightly, trying to lighten the mood.

  “Okay then. I’ll s
ee you soon.”

  “I can’t wait to see you, Faith.”

  “Likewise, cowboy.”

  As soon as I hang up with Faith, I call my dad to let him know I will be gone for a few days. He laughs and tells me to be careful. Now, if it was mom, she would be asking questions about where I am going, who I am going with, and so on.

  After taking a quick shower, I fill my duffle bag with everything I need, including extra pairs of clothes in case I need to stay longer. I know Faith said only a couple of days, but it will be hard to leave her.

  Once my house is locked up, I hop in my truck and head to Miami.

  22

  Faith

  I shouldn’t have asked him to come. Yeah, I miss him and want to see him, but for him to drive all the way down here to only stay a couple of days isn’t worth the driving time to me. I feel selfish, even though he offered.

  The semester is close to ending and I’m stressed to the max. Finals are coming up and since I have been so worried about Jess, I’ve fallen slightly behind with my work.

  I text her daily, asking her to come back, yet they all are ignored. She never responds to them, which only intensifies my worry. Ryan has been in jail a few times for sexual assault and I’m worried Jess will be the next victim. After she dumped him the first time, she should have stayed away.

  I don’t know what all pain her eyes hold, other than her parents’ deaths, but there is something there. I haven’t asked for fear of her getting upset and not be my friend anymore.

  My goal for the next few hours is to try to push the worry aside and catch up on my assignments. I want to be completely caught up by the Bo gets here so I can just spend with him.

  I’m not sure of what to think of my relationship with Bo. Yes, we are dating, and he’s a great guy, but sometimes, I feel as if we are more friends than boyfriend and girlfriend. Maybe I’m crazy, I don’t know. This is my first real relationship so I’m not sure how it works. One thing I know for sure, is if Bo and I don’t work out, we could definitely stay friends.

  A couple hours later the dorm room opens and Jess appears. My eyes glance over her to make sure she isn’t hurt anywhere. I sigh in relief and move to hug her, amazed she lets me.

  “Are you back for good?” I ask tentatively.

  Her eyes grow sad. She looks miserable to me, but I can’t convince her to come back if she doesn’t want to. “No, I’m only here to get some more of my things.”

  “Jess, there is something I’ve been meaning to tell you,” I begin, pausing when Ryan breezes into the room with us. “I miss hanging out with you. I miss my friend and I am sorry if I said anything to hurt you. Please, hang out with me for a while?”

  Jess looks over at Ryan, who is glaring at me, before turning her attention back to me. “Maybe another day. We have plans already.”

  It’s bullshit, I know they don’t have any plans. “Okay, well, when you are free, text me and we can hang out.”

  “Okay,” she says, then goes back to packing whatever she came here for.

  Then she leaves with him.

  What can I do to get my best friend back? Maybe Bo can help me figure it out when he gets here.

  It’s late when he arrives and while I’m sure all he wants to do is crash, I want to stay up and talk. We don’t have to talk about anything specific, I just want to spend time with him.

  “Hey, cowboy!” I beam, running over to hug him.

  He grins from ear to ear. “Hey, pretty girl,” he croons, kissing my temple. Bo drops his bag and his hands immediately cup my face and his lips meet mine.

  Bo kisses with so much passion it makes me weak in the knees. His tongue grazes the seam of my lips so I part them, allowing him entrance. Gripping the hem of his shirt, I tug it upward, and he breaks the kiss long enough to let me get the shirt over his head.

  I’m only wearing an oversized t-shirt and underwear, so it only takes a second for him to undress me. Bo takes off his shoes, kicking them out of the way.

  Grabbing the waistband of his jeans, I walk backward toward my bed, bringing his sexy ass with me. His hands grab my backside and effortlessly lift me, my legs locking around his waist. His mouth peppers kisses from my neck, down to the valley of my chest. A moan passes my lips when his tongue flicks my nipple.

  My hands fist his hair as he sucks on my breast, my back arching as pleasure courses through me. His hand moves to the apex of my thighs, his fingers finding the sensitive bud.

  “Bo,” I gasp, another wave of desire hitting me.

  His mouth leaves my breast and my hands grip the sheets as I climb higher toward my release. “Let go, Faith. Come on my fingers,” he commands, sending me over the edge.

  His name falls from my lips as a whisper as I come down from my high.

  Bo climbs off the bed to remove his jeans and boxers. It’s hard to believe that I found this man.

  “Where are your condoms?” I’m glad he remembered, because I didn’t.

  “Bedside table drawer.”

  Bo finds them and tears open the foil, then sliding it along his length. He climbs on the bed, resting between my legs. “God, you’re so beautiful,” he murmurs, making my heart flutter.

  Bo slides into my wetness, filling me completely. Never had sex felt this good until I met Bo. He blew my expectations out of the water.

  As Bo makes me come again, I realize that nothing could be this perfect. Life is great.

  23

  Bo

  I didn’t plan to be buried inside Faith as soon as I arrived, yet, I don’t regret it. Everything with Faith is so easy, so simple.

  As hard as I try not to worry about Jess, I can’t help but not to. In the back of my mind, I wondered if she would walk in and see us in bed together. A small part of me hopes she would have so maybe it will make her realize she messed up. The other part of me, the greater part, doesn’t like to see her hurt.

  “Want to head down to the beach today?” Faith asks.

  “Yeah, let’s go.” I’m glad I remembered to pack my swim trunks.

  After we change our clothes, we make a picnic lunch for us to eat on the beach. Once we have everything we need, we leave the dorm.

  “I’ll drive,” I tell her as I direct us toward my truck.

  As I’m loading the truck, Faith’s phone rings.

  “Hey, Jess,” she says and my heart seizes. Faith asks her how she’s doing, what she’s up to. “Bo’s here for the weekend and we’re going to the beach, you want to come? I’d like for you to meet him.”

  I stop breathing, waiting to hear what she says.

  “I miss hanging out with you, Jess,” Faith murmurs. “Please come with us.”

  Faith sighs and pockets her phone. “She’s not coming,” she informs me, sounding sad.

  “Maybe next time she’ll come.” Faith looks as if she’s about to cry, so I take her in my arms and hold her.

  After a moment, she pulls away and wipes her eyes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get upset. It’s just we used to hang out all the time and now she’s changed and she won’t let me help her.”

  “One day she will realize that she needs your help,” I say, trying to make her feel better.

  “I hope so.”

  I should have told Faith I know Jess, but I keep my mouth shut instead and I feel like shit for lying to her. Hopefully, Jess will realize the mistake she’s making by not letting anyone be there for her.

  “Let’s go have some fun, okay?”

  Faith offers a smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. It’s not the smile I fell for the day I met her.

  After a while, Faith starts cheering up again. We set up our picnic first before feeding each other some fruit, which was entertaining, to say the least. Her smile is back now and I’m enchanted all over again.

  Now, Faith is lying next to me on the blanket, underneath the umbrella, curled into my side. Right now, in this moment, everything just seems so peaceful. “Did you ever think we’d see each other again?” Faith
asks, talking about the weekend we met and hung out with each other the entire time.

  “I wasn’t sure. I hoped we would.”

  Faith smiles. “I knew we would.”

  “Oh, really? How do you know that?” I ask, curious.

  “This is probably going to sound corny, but in my heart, I knew that I met you for a reason that weekend.”

  It didn’t sound corny, I believe her. “That’s not weird at all. We did meet for a reason,” I say, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

  Faith has come into my life when I needed her the most. I was struggling with Jess moving away and Faith has made me smile and laugh again. She’s made me happy despite the fact that I miss Jess something fierce.

  24

  Jess

  Bo is here in Miami. I can’t seem to process it. When Faith asked me if I wanted to go to the beach with them, I knew my heart couldn’t handle watching them together.

  There is a reason I haven’t been back to my dorm and I am so ashamed to tell Faith. I’ve been trying to find a job so I can start making some money since I’m running low, except no one will hire me because either I have no experience or they say I’m not a good fit.

  When Ryan came to me saying he had one lined up for me, shivers went down my spine. I didn’t know why at first, but it didn’t take long for me to find out why. Ryan got me a job as a stripper. I hesitated because I didn’t want to take it, but I didn’t have another choice. I needed money and it was a way for me to make some.

  This is what my life has come to. Ryan told me if I didn’t take it I couldn’t stay with him. That was a low blow. I couldn’t go back to the dorm because I didn’t want Faith to know what I’ve become. Everyone will be so disappointed in me and I don’t want to see the looks on their faces or hear it.

  I’ve only had this job a week and I feel so dirty.