by Chris Cannon
Nathan ignored the comment and pointed a remote at the screen. “Movie starts in fifteen minutes. Pick a couch.” He emphasized the last word as if Bryce couldn’t figure out he should sit with me. Then again, the boy needed all the help he could get.
Chapter Eighteen
Bryce
Have I mentioned dating a smart girl is a pain in the ass? Here I was, doing things the way I normally did them, and she thinks I’m doing something to spite her. I wasn’t. At least not consciously.
Once we finished our pizza, I made sure to sit on a couch where Haley could sit with me. Like I wouldn’t have figured that out if Nathan hadn’t said, “couch.” Though it might have taken me a minute, one glacial look from Haley would’ve clued me in.
She seemed fine now. But, if that was true, why was she sitting a foot away? Was this a power play? Was she testing me to see if I’d move toward her? She moved, and her blouse shifted, revealing a red strap. What was she wearing? I scooted over a few inches and put my arm around her shoulders.
She gave me a sideways glance. “Is this an invitation to move closer?”
“Smart-ass.”
She caved and cuddled against me. Scary, how comfortable it felt to have my arm around her. A sweet scent filled the air. Not sickening, like the perfume some girls wore, but nice. Stress from the day drained away as we settled in to watch the movie.
Boom! Something blew up onscreen. Haley jumped, which made me laugh. She elbowed me in the ribs. After several car chases and a few more explosions, the scene changed to a couple kissing. How would Haley react if I tried to kiss her? There was only one way to find out. I touched her chin, turning her face toward me. She gave me that sly grin which meant she knew I was about to kiss her. I leaned down and she met me halfway. There was a spark and then a slow burn as she showed more confidence, threading her fingers through my hair.
The movie and everything around us seemed to disappear. Kissing Haley, being with her, felt right. Not like a fling. More like something that had a future. Strangely enough, that didn’t scare the hell out of me like I thought it would. The sound of the movie faded away as I kissed Haley’s neck until I found a spot that made her breath catch. Realistically, I knew this wasn’t going any further than kissing, but that was okay because she was worth waiting for.
The movie ended and the lights flared back on, startling both of us. Haley’s hair was a wild mess, and her lips were swollen. God, she looked hot. And then I saw her neck. “Shit.”
“What?”
I pointed at the dark bruises on her neck. “I did not do that on purpose.”
“What are you talking about?” Click. It fell into place. “Oh my God. Did you give me a hickey?”
I nodded, trying not to laugh at the horror in her voice. “It’s not that bad. You can wear turtlenecks until they go away.”
“They? As in more than one?” She jumped to her feet and took off out the door.
…
Haley
I stared into the bathroom mirror at the two red marks decorating my neck. What was I going to do? Jane flew through the bathroom door, took one look at my neck, and burst out laughing.
“It’s not funny.”
“I’m sorry, but Holy Crap. Did he do that on purpose?”
I remembered his reaction. “He seemed surprised.”
“You do bruise easy.” The corners of Jane’s mouth turned up in a weird way like she was trying not to laugh.
I stomped my foot like a five-year-old. “Not. Funny.”
She bit her lip and nodded. “Sorry. Maybe you could claim they’re hives.”
When we rejoined the guys, Nathan’s eyes went straight to my neck. He let out a low whistle. “Nice.”
Like I needed crap from him right now.
Bryce grabbed my hand. “I‘m sorry.”
He looked into my eyes as he spoke. The anger faded. “I believe you. You’re lucky it’s winter and I can wear my turtlenecks. If you’d done this during the summer, I would’ve killed you.”
“How are we going to get you past my mom?” Jane asked.
“I don’t suppose there’s a turtleneck somewhere in this house I can borrow?” I asked Nathan.
“My mother is a foot taller than you, so that wouldn’t work,” Nathan said. “I bet there’s something in one of the guest rooms. Let me make a call.”
He went back to his magical phone and spoke to whoever was on the other end of the line, explaining what he needed. Ten minutes later, a woman with steel-gray hair entered the room with a small stack of shirts. The corners of her mouth turned down when she saw my neck.
“Thank you, Winifred,” Bryce said, drawing the look of disapproval his way. He accepted the clothes and passed them to me.
…
Back in the bathroom, I tried on the turtlenecks and found a black one and a navy one that fit. I read the tags. “These are young men’s size medium. That’s depressing.”
“They look good,” Jane said, “and they’re Polo. I think you should keep them. ”
Bryce seemed to agree with Jane’s assessment, because he looked at me in that way that gave me goose bumps.
“You can keep those. My cousin will never miss them.” Nathan took Jane’s hand and led her to the door.
My heart skipped a beat as Bryce laced his fingers through mine. I expected him to walk toward the door. Instead, he pulled me close and pressed his lips against mine. It was a sweet kiss. The kind of kiss I thought meant more than the hormone-fueled make-out session we’d had on the couch. It seemed like the kind of kiss that meant he cared about me.
He led me toward the door and walked me to Jane’s car, where he kissed me good night. “Sorry about your neck. Next time I’ll be more careful.”
Next time? Which meant he planned on kissing me again. And unlike at the movies, this time he was the one to bring it up.
I kissed him one more time and then we said our good-byes.
I waited until we’d exited the country club before I gushed. “I think Bryce likes me.”
“Your neck is proof of that.” Jane took a turn on two wheels.
“No. I mean the fact he wants me is huge, but I think he might actually really like me.”
Happiness bubbled in my chest.
…
Staying the night at Jane’s house on a weeknight felt weird. Since her mom didn’t ask questions, I figured Jane had explained the situation. I kept hoping my dad would call and say my mom was over her hissy fit and I could come home. No such luck.
“I’m sure everything will be back to normal tomorrow.” Jane finished blowing up the air mattress and tossed me a set of sheets.
“I don’t understand what my mom’s problem is.”
Jane helped me wrestle the fitted sheet into place.
Once the bed was made, I lay down and stared at the ceiling. “Do you think your mom would call in sick for me tomorrow?”
“No. She has a no-missing-school-unless-you’re-vomiting-up-internal-organs rule.”
…
I woke to the sound of a Jane’s cell phone and watched as she fumbled around and knocked it off the nightstand.
“I’ll get it.” My dad’s name blinked on the screen. “Hello?”
“Sorry to call so early, but I wanted to let you know that you don’t have to stay at Jane’s tonight.”
“Gee, thanks.” Apparently my smart-ass-filter didn’t work at this time of morning.
“Haley…” He didn’t sound mad, just frustrated. “Do you have any big tests today?”
“No.” Where was this going?
“Why don’t I call you off school so we can hash all this out.”
My dad never offered to call me off school. “Is someone dying?”
“What? No. I think it would be good to clear the air. Can Jane drop you off at home on her way to school?”
“Sure.”
“What’s up?” Jane mumbled.
I explained the situation. “Any thoughts?”
> “At this time of the morning, no.” She checked the clock and then flopped back onto her pillow. “We can sleep for forty more minutes.”
I closed my eyes, but the thoughts swirling around in my head wouldn’t let me sleep. Would I find out why my mom had been acting so strange lately? If I did, would it make a difference?
…
On the drive to my house, Jane gave her opinion. “It’s nice that your dad wants to talk now. He could’ve let you go to school and stew all day.”
“I guess you’re right.” I dug homework pages out of my backpack. “Promise you’ll turn these in for me.”
“Of course, and I’ll fill Bryce in. You need a cell phone. Maybe you can leverage the drama of this situation into a gift.”
“Doubtful.” I tucked my homework pages into Jane’s backpack. I heard barking. Ford and Chevy raced across the lawn to keep pace with the car. When Jane came to a stop, I saw my dad sitting on the porch drinking coffee. No mom. For some reason, I was disappointed. Keeping my expression neutral, I climbed out of the car.
“Call me,” Jane yelled.
Dad set his coffee down and met me halfway. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around me and lifted me off my feet.
He set me down. “Come on, your mom is making pancakes.”
Mom hadn’t made pancakes in years. We were a frozen-waffle kind of family. “What’s the occasion?”
“She wanted to do something nice for you.”
Right.
When we entered the kitchen, Mom turned from flipping pancakes on the stove and smiled at my dad. “They’re almost ready. Haley, will you pour us some milk?”
“Sure.” The sweet scent of pancakes made my stomach growl.
Once we were all seated with food on our plates, my mom reached across the table and touched my hand. “Sorry about yesterday. After breakfast, we’ll talk.”
I nodded and poured syrup on my pancakes, wondering what we were going to talk about.
“Did you and Jane have fun last night?” Dad asked. He seemed to feel a bit guilty. Since last night had been great, I cut him some slack.
“Jane, Bryce, and I went to Nathan’s house to watch a movie.” I pictured the giant house. “Have you ever been back to see the houses at the country club? They’re huge.”
My dad nodded. “He lives in that monster on the cul-de-sac.”
“I can’t figure out why one family would need that much room. Although the movie sized screen and theater seating were awesome.”
“It’s not a good idea to want things you can’t have,” my mother snapped.
And there she went again. Smacking my fork down, I pushed away from the table and rose to my feet. “I didn’t say I wanted it.”
“Haley…” My dad sounded tired.
“Don’t blame me. She’s the one who keeps accusing me of things.” I should play nice and finish breakfast, but the genie was out of the bottle and it wasn’t going back in.
“Haley, please sit.” My dad stood to refill his coffee.
“Fine.” I dropped back into my chair. “But I want some answers.”
Mom swirled a piece of pancake around in a puddle of syrup until it disintegrated. The maple syrup had smelled good minutes before, but now it seemed cloying.
Sitting back down, my dad blew on his coffee. Steam rose from his cup. “I’ll start. Do you remember when I told you your mom and I were inseparable in high school?”
I nodded.
“Well, there was a time after high school graduation when we separated. I’m not going to give you details. Let’s say I drank too much one night and did something stupid. When I confessed, she broke up with me. It was the lowest point of my life. I apologized every day and told her whenever she was ready, I’d take her back, no questions asked.” He reached for my mom’s hand. The love shining from his eyes was unmistakable.
I didn’t get it.
“Your mom dated a guy from the country club for a few months. I used to fantasize about running the smug son of bitch down with my truck. One day, he left town. The best day of my life was when your mom showed up on my doorstep asking if I still wanted her, no matter what. And I did.”
My mom sniffled, and tears trickled down her cheeks. “There’s more to it than that.” She wiped her eyes with a napkin. The reason the other guy left town was…I was pregnant.”
Okay. I did not see that coming. “What a jerk.”
She nodded. “Too bad I didn’t figure that out earlier. But I was so mad at your dad. And I was flattered this guy with a fancy car and a big house was interested in me. I was young and stupid.” She closed her eyes. “When I told your father I was pregnant, he didn’t even blink. He took me back, and we drove to Vegas and got married that weekend. When I began to show, we told everyone we’d conceived on the honeymoon.”
I expected her to say she miscarried from the stress.
“Since I was having twins, no one questioned when they arrived a month early.”
Bam! My world pitched sideways. A ringing sound filled my ears. “Matt and Charlie?”
“Are my boys.” My dad’s voice was thick with emotion. “They’re mine, Haley. You can’t ever tell them any different.”
“I won’t.” The ringing in my ears grew louder. “Give me a minute.” I leaned forward with my head between my knees, taking shallow breaths. My brothers were really my half brothers. My mom had every reason in the world to hate rich boys, and my dad was the best human being on the planet.
When the ringing subsided, I sat up. “That’s why you don’t like Bryce?”
My mom nodded. “I…it’s…you remind me so much of myself and the way I acted. I didn’t want you repeating my mistakes. If your dad wasn’t the wonderful person he is, my life would’ve been over.”
“I’m not you. If you talked to me, instead of accusing me of things, you might have figured that out.” I sounded pissy and I knew it, but I didn’t care.
I waited for my dad to jump to her defense. She looked to him, too. He shrugged. “Haley is right. She’s a smart girl. If you’re worried, you should talk to her.”
“Sorry.” She sniffled and gave me a tentative smile. “Maybe we could bake cookies and do girl talk this morning?”
“I’d like that.”
An hour later, I sat at the kitchen table with my mom eating chocolate chip cookies warm from the oven. The melted chocolate oozed out whenever I took a bite. “These are awesome.”
Mouth full, my mom nodded.
I’d love to say we bonded over baking and everything was sunshine and rainbows, but that would be a lie. A layer of tension still existed between us, though, before, it had felt like a cinderblock wall, now, it felt like a pane of glass.
“Tell me about Bryce.” She broke a cookie in half and dunked it in a cup of milk.
Where to start? “He’s funny, smart, and used to having things his own way. So we butt heads, a lot.”
“That doesn’t sound like a great relationship.”
Even though he was a bit moody, he was there for me in a crisis and he seemed to be in the relationship for real now. “I think the good outweighs the bad.”
The kitchen phone rang. “That’s probably Jane.” I grabbed the cordless phone. Bryce’s name showed on caller ID. “Hello?”
“Is everything all right?” he asked.
I headed for the living room, hoping for privacy. “I think so.”
“Glad things are working out for one of us.”
“What’s going on?”
“My parents were waiting to talk to me when I came home last night.”
Uh-oh. “Was it ugly?”
“Yes. My father doesn’t seem to understand I can’t control other people’s actions. After a fifteen-minute tirade, my mom cut him off. It went downhill from there.”
“Sorry.”
“Thanks. I have to go.”
I wanted to say something to make him feel better, but he hung up. When I walked back into the kitchen, my mom had cleaned
off the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher.
“Everything all right?” She wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and then hung it on a drawer handle.
I nodded and grabbed another cookie from the cooling rack.
“I need to work on the books now. Do you want to go to school late, or stay home the rest of the day?”
What kind of dumb question was that? “I’m good here.” My major plan for the day: sleep until Jane called. Then figure out how to share information with her without telling the whole story.
Chapter Nineteen
Haley
Friday morning on the drive to school, Jane and I rehashed the current events in our lives. It was an impressive list.
“I never thought I’d say this, but I could use a boring day.” I adjusted my turtleneck, checking the visor mirror to make sure it covered the hickeys.
“Speaking of boring, do you know if you’re going to the banquet yet?” Jane asked.
“Even if Bryce agrees to take me, what dress would cover my neck?”
“Good point.” Jane floored it through a yellow light.
I braced my feet against the floorboards. “In a hurry to see Nathan?”
“Yes.” She grinned from ear to ear.
At that moment, it hit me. I’d been a bad friend. Even with my own drama, I should’ve asked how things were going between her and Nathan. “Give me an update on your boyfriend.”
For the next ten minutes Jane gushed about Nathan. She didn’t stop to take a breath until she turned off the ignition in the school parking lot.
“I’m glad it’s worked out for you.” I was thrilled for Jane. Really. I wished I felt as sure of my situation with Bryce beyond this weekend.
…
By the time I met up with Bryce at his locker, I needed reassurance. The set of his mouth in a straight line didn’t comfort me. Forcing a smile, I walked over and grabbed his hand. “Everything all right?”
The corners of his mouth turned up a millimeter when he met my gaze. “No, but there isn’t anything I can do about it.”
“Care to elaborate?”
He squeezed my fingers. “My parents aren’t speaking to each other, and I feel like it’s my fault.”
“Your dad being a jerk isn’t your fault.”