Don't Fall
Page 14
“Go back to sleep. I’ll talk to you later.” Another quick kiss and she was gone.
Several hours later, I woke up, took a shower, and searched my room for my stuff. I had no idea where she’d put anything. Apparently Anya thought my socks and underwear deserved their own drawer.
Once I’d found my clothes, I headed to Baby Cakes. When I got there, a woman with long red hair stood on the sidewalk, peering through the window.
I took a deep breath, told myself to stop being a complete chicken, and approached her. “What are you doing here?”
She jumped, slapping her hand to her chest. She recognized me, and her eyes turned to dark slivers.
“Are you going in?” I asked, even though she hadn’t bothered to answer my first question.
“No. I’m not.” She turned to leave.
“She’d love to see you, you know.”
She froze, her back to me. For a second I thought she’d change her mind, come in, talk to Anya. She looked over her shoulder, first through the glass, then at me. “Tell Anya.” She paused and bit her lip. “Tell Anya she can come collect her things tomorrow.” Her foot came down hard on the concrete, and she walked away without another word.
Anya
She didn’t meet me at the door this time. I used my key to let myself in, and for a second I thought maybe she wasn’t even home. Then I saw her, sitting at the dining room table, holding a coffee mug and staring up at Lauren’s portrait.
I kept walking to my room. She said nothing to me, and my eyes filled with tears. I was thankful she was behind me and couldn’t see them. In my room I tried to fit as many of my clothes and my favorite books into my suitcase as possible. I’d slammed the lid shut and was zipping it up when I heard her behind me.
“I’m sorry, Anya.” Her voice shook. I turned around; she stood on the other side of the door, not coming into my room. How many times had she strode in without asking? Now she stood in the hallway. Her eyes glittered with tears.
“I’m sorry. I never meant to lock you away. I…” She looked up at the ceiling, then down at her hands. “I was just so scared to lose you. I wanted to protect you like I hadn’t been able to protect her. I didn’t want to fail you, too.” Her face twisted and the tears fell. I ran to her, wrapping my arms around her. I buried my face in her, and we held each other.
“Have I ever told you about when I adopted you?” Mom asked, breaking the silence. I shook my head. “I had planned to get an infant, but when I saw your picture, I just had to meet you.”
“Because of my red hair,” I said softly, thinking of the baby pictures of Lauren sitting next to mine on our mantel.
“What?” Mom asked, pulling away to look down at me.
I bit my lip, embarrassed for saying it. “My hair, it was more red when I was little. More like yours. I just thought…”
Tears lifted in her eyes again, and she shook her head. “No, that’s not why. It was your eyes.” She smiled. Her cheek lifted, pushing out a tear. “They were so bright and full of mischief. And when I met you…” She stopped and ran her hand over my cheek. “You were so bold, so full of life. It was selfish, but you were the bright light I needed to help me out of a very dark time. And then I did everything I could to put out that light.” She covered her mouth with her hand as tears ran down her face. “I just wanted to keep you safe. I never meant… I’m so sorry, Anya.”
“It’s okay, Mom. It’s okay,” I said, and I realized it was. Despite everything, I always knew she loved me. We stepped into my room, sat on the edge of my bed, and let the tears wash away our anger.
“I want you to stay, Anya,” she said, holding my hand. “I know you’re eighteen now, but that’s still young.”
I wanted to stay. I loved Zander, but I wasn’t ready to live with him. But I couldn’t go back to the way things were, either. “It can’t be the same.”
“I know.”
We spent the afternoon talking. I told her about Zander, and she actually listened. We agreed that I would move back home and complete my last year of school with my tutor. But I would keep my job at Baby Cakes, and I would keep dating Zander. She agreed to give me more freedom, although I could tell by her face it pained her to do so.
“How did you grow up so fast?” she asked, running her hand down one of my braids. It was a question that didn’t need answering, so I just leaned into her side. She kissed the top of my head.
“Well, I guess I better meet this boy of yours, huh?”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Zander
If Anya was nervous to meet my mom, I was terrified to meet hers. That is, to meet her again. Our first couple of meetings, in the dark of their backyard in the middle of the night, had not gone so well. And Anya was not helping.
“She hates me.”
“Well, not really,” she said, dragging me down the sidewalk. She’d met me at my place so we could go over to her house together. “I mean, she won’t once she really gets to know you.”
“Thank you. That’s very reassuring.” I glared at her, and she reached up and kissed my cheek.
“She’s going to love you.”
“All I care is that you love me. I just want her to like me enough to feel comfortable with us being together. And not to call the cops on me.” I also wanted her to stop scaring the crap out of me, but I wasn’t about to say that to Anya.
Anya laughed, linking her arm through mine and pulling me forward again.
Her mom met us at the door, took a deep breath, and put on a very fake smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Zander.” She put out her hand, and I shook it. She squeezed the hell out of it, but I managed not to flinch. She stared me down with the same icy look she’d given me when we met before.
“It’s nice to meet you, too,” I said, meeting her gaze even though my stomach threatened to throw up. “Thank you for having me over.”
She led us into the dining room. Three portraits hung on the wall. Anya, her mother, and a girl who must have been Lauren. Her flaming red hair matched her mom’s. Anya’s photo was pale and soft in comparison, but, in my opinion, even more beautiful. I stared at Lauren’s face, thinking about how this girl I’d never met, whom Anya had never met, affected all of our lives.
Most of dinner was pretty quiet, but her mom did seem to be trying. She asked me about my family and the classes I’d be taking at college. Slowly the frost left her face, and she was able to smile at me without it looking like it hurt.
Afterward she walked me to the door with Anya. “Thank you for coming.” She actually sounded like she meant it. We weren’t going to be buddies any time soon, but I felt like I’d accomplished what I’d come for.
“Of course,” I said. “I’d do anything for your daughter.” Anya beamed at me. Her mother looked back and forth between us and finally just shook her head.
It was clear she wasn’t leaving the entryway to let Anya and I say goodbye, so we gave each other a quick kiss. “See, she didn’t call the cops or anything,” Anya whispered in my ear.
“Thank God. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I kissed her cheek, and her hand lingered on mine as I went out the door.
Classes would be starting the next day. I had two in the morning, but planned to meet Anya afterward. She started with her tutor in a week, and we knew we’d be busy. Even so, we’d be able to see each other more than twice a week. It was going to be a wonderful fall.
Anya
The bakery was warm and smelled like bananas and cinnamon, the flavor of the day. My hair, wrapped around my head, was weighing me down, and a few hairs had come loose and stuck to the back of my neck. I wondered if it might be time to cut it.
Blake and Shannon sat at one of the iron tables, drinking coffee and licking frosting from their fingers. They often came to visit me while I worked.
“Do you work tomorrow?” Shannon asked, folding her empty cupcake liner.
“Yep, in the afternoon.”
“What’s the flavor of the day going to be?”
>
“I don’t know. Denise decides. It usually depends on what kind of mood she’s in. Why?”
“Just curious. The banana cinnamon was pretty good, but I’m in the mood for something chocolaty.”
I laughed. “We always have chocolate cupcakes.”
“But I want something unique and chocolaty.” She twirled her blue tips around her finger. “Like chocolate marshmallow, or—oooh! Chocolate chili!”
“Yes!” Blake agreed, pointing at Shannon. “Spicy chocolate. I like it.”
“Okay, I’ll let Denise know.” The bell above the door jingled, and my head spun toward the sound. Zander walked in, his dark hair messy and a messenger bag over his shoulder. He looked sexy in study mode.
He leaned over the counter and kissed me.
“Okay, you guys,” Blake said, waving the swizzle stick from her coffee at us. “Not where we eat.” Zander gave her a dirty look and kissed me again. Blake and Shannon booed, but we just laughed.
I got him a cupcake and a glass of water. As he took a seat with the others and pulled out a textbook, I was hit with a wave of happiness. I went into the back and grabbed my camera. Without them noticing, I snapped a few pictures of them, sitting all together. My friends.
I zoomed in on Zander as he leaned over his book. The light from the window shone behind him, bringing out the red highlights in his near-black hair. I set the camera down, and a happy sigh slipped out between my lips.
Zander looked up at me and grinned. His dark eyes shone, and my heart swelled in my chest. The girls didn’t seem to notice us staring at each other as they chatted. He winked at me. Somehow, even outside the library and our clearing in the woods, we were still in our own world. Everything else could fade away, and he and I would remain, tied together by something I couldn’t quite explain. In its simplest term, love.
I’d fallen madly, wildly, completely in love with Zander. And he had fallen with me.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I have so many people to thank, I don’t even know where to start.
My Beta Buddies, an amazing group of writing friends who help improve my writing and my spirit. Theresa Paolo, Cassie Mae, Kelley Gerschke, Leigh Covington, Suzi Retzlaff, Jessica Salyer, Jennie Bennett, Jenny Morris, Lizzy Charles, Hope Roberson, and Jade Hart, you ladies are made of awesome. Thank you so much for all your support and encouragement, for pointing out all my over-used words, and everything in between. I love you girls!
Thank you to everyone at Swoon Romance who made this book possible. Thank you to my editor, Mandy Schoen, who actually thought I could write a whole novel, and who didn’t think it stunk once I did! Thank you for believing in me and my work. Thank you to Georgia McBride for the huge amount of work you put into Swoon, and making dreams come true for all your authors.
Thank you to Emily Taylor for creating a gorgeous cover. I love the free fall feeling of it, and I know Anya would approve.
I want to thank my readers, but fear I don’t have enough words to do it sufficiently. Without you I’d just be talking to myself. I hope you fall in love with Anya and Zander like I did.
And finally, thank you to my family. Big thanks to my mom, who showed me how a mother should be. To my sisters for listening to me talk about fictional people. And to my husband and my kids, without their patience while I sat at a computer screen, I would never have been able to finish anything. Thank you for believing in my dream, and giving me the time and encouragement to see it through. I love you guys!
RACHEL SCHIEFFELBEIN
Rachel Schieffelbein grew up in a tiny town in Southeast Minnesota reading books, riding horses, and participating in speech and theater. She is now married with four kids and enjoys reading books, riding horses, and coaching speech and theater. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! She enjoys writing characters she can relate to, ones she would want to hangout with, or fall in love with. She hopes her readers will love them, too.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Acknowledgements
About the Author