The Winter Collection

by Alexa Riley

  “Dad told me to stop giving it to you until we got older. We’re teenagers now.”

  He slides it onto my finger and I know I’m not going to be able to keep it, but I want to wear it for at least a little while. I stare down at the diamond and wonder what it would be like to really be married to Reed. I bet when he does get married one day he’ll be as good to his wife as his dad is to his mom. It’s always sweet watching the way he dotes on her. They have the life people dream of and it’s one I’m not so sure I’ll ever get. While Reed and I go to school together we’re worlds apart in other ways.

  I’m only lucky enough to go to this school because I live on the Sanders’ property. It’s the nicest school district in the state and I’m literally the only kid there that doesn't come from money. The other kids have started to figure that out and now some of them are treating me differently. Not Reed though, he’s always kind.

  “Are you asking me to marry you?” I tease him.

  “No, you said yes when we were in second grade,” he teases me back, but he’s not smiling, and it makes me think he might not be joking.

  I look down at the ring and then back to him. “You really want to marry me, Reed Sanders?”

  “Yeah, I do,” he responds instantly, and I freeze as he leans in towards me.

  His mouth gets closer to mine and my heart begins to pound. Oh god, is he going to kiss me? I’m nervous all over and I don’t know what to do with my hands. I think back to all the movies I’ve watched where I’ve seen people kiss and I know I’m supposed to close my eyes. I shut them tight and try not to mess it up as I feel his warm breath against my lips.

  “Yo, Reed, you back here?” I jerk away from Reed at the sound of Sam’s voice and the moment is broken.

  Sam comes strolling around the side of the house and stops when he sees us. I look behind him and see he’s brought Ashley and Claire with him. Ashley is Sam’s sister and Claire is her best friend. The two girls are always together and everyone knows Ashley is in love with Reed. Okay, maybe not everyone, but I notice the way she’s always watching him.

  “I told you I had plans today,” Reed snaps, and I’m shocked because he sounded almost exactly like his dad.

  “Come on, there’s only a few days left of summer,” Sam says before he runs and does a cannonball into the pool.

  “Jesus,” Reed mutters. “I’ll get them to leave.”

  “It’s fine,” I tell him as he stands up. I go to try and grab his arm to stop him, but he’s already up.

  “It’s not. It’s your birthday and you don’t even like Ashley.”

  “I never…” I trail off when he gives me a look.

  “I don’t like her either, and I told Sam to stop bringing her over her. I can hang out with him later. Today’s about you.”

  I look down at the ring that’s still on my finger and I swear I can hear him say the same thing he said all the years ago.

  I’ll always take care of you.

  Chapter 4

  Reed

  Sophomore year of high school…

  I slam my locker wondering where Cami is. The bell rang ten minutes ago to dismiss school and she hasn't shown up to get her books. Well, it’s technically mine and Sam’s locker if you ask the school because boys and girls aren’t allowed to share. Cami put up a little bit of a fight because she didn’t want to break the rules, but I got her to agree after some coaxing.

  “Yo.” Sam lifts his chin and then leans against the lockers next to me. “Don't you have to get to practice?” he asks.

  I do, but Cami was acting weird at lunch and I think something is up. I can’t figure it out so I wanted to check on her. Whatever it is I’ll get to the bottom of it. It’s driving me nuts already and it’s only been a couple of hours. We don’t keep secrets from each other. Unless you count the fact that I’m utterly in love with her. Though, I’m not sure that’s much of a secret around the school, but she’s the only person who hasn't noticed for some reason.

  People will outright say we’re a thing and she brushes it off. She says they think it’s true because we’re best friends. But what I feel for her is nothing like what I share with Sam. She can call us best friends all she wants, but we’re something else.

  “Yeah, but I’m looking for Cami.”

  I glance down the hallway to see if she’s coming and I wonder if maybe she went to the bathroom or had to talk to a teacher or something. When I don’t see her I grab my backpack and slide it on. I don’t even want to go to football practice and I don’t know why I let Sam talk me into trying out. Maybe it had something to do with seeing Cami wear one of my jerseys with my name on her back. It sounded good at the time, but what I didn't plan on was all the time it would keep me away from her.

  “You’re always looking for Cami.”

  “No I’m not,” I say defensively. “Not when she’s with me.” I smile at my stupid joke, making Sam shake his head.

  “Maybe I know where she is,” he says, and I stare at him, waiting for him to tell me. Instead he just stares back at me like a dick.

  “Why aren't you at practice?” I throw back. He loves playing football and is never late.

  “Because I wanted to see this.” He keeps on smiling and I’m just getting more pissed off.

  “Sam!” I bark, and he laughs.

  “I might have seen her over at cheerleading tryouts.”

  Before he can even finish getting the last word out I’m running. I speed down the long hallway and out the double doors that lead to the football field. The bright sun blinds me for a moment, then my eyes adjust and instantly I see her. Somehow I can always spot her no matter how big the crowd is. I swear there’s an invisible thread that ties the two of us together.

  As if she feels my stare on her she turns those blue eyes to me. She raises her hand to give me a small wave but then stops and her eyebrows draw together in confusion.

  “Cool it, man,” Sam whispers next to me. “You look like a bull about to charge.”

  I take a breath, unsure of what came over me. No, that’s bullshit. I know exactly what came over me. The guys on the team have been talking about cheerleading tryouts happening today and I hadn't given it much thought. I didn’t pay it any attention because I didn't care. I thought the one person I wanted cheering for me would be in the stands and not on the field in one of those tiny outfits.

  “How does she already have a uniform?” I ask Sam, who seems to know everything before I do today.

  “I don’t know but—”

  “Don’t,” I cut him off because I know what he’s going to say.

  She looks pretty just like she always does. I take another deep breath before clearing the distance between us. I ignore the other girls along the way with my sights set on Cami.

  “Reed?” she says with a question in her voice.

  “You’re not at the library,” is the first thing I can think to say.

  When I have practice she goes to the library for a little while then comes out afterwards and watches us while she reads. I went to our locker to see her, but she didn’t show up to get the books I knew she needed to return.

  “No, I’m not at the library,” she repeats in a half laugh, but I see a touch of pink light up the freckles on the bridge of her nose. She got them over the summer because she spent too much time in the sun with me.

  “You didn't tell me.” I reach out and take her left hand so I can hold it. I rub my thumb over her ring finger and it’s something I’ve noticed calms me. “We tell each other everything,” I remind her.

  She bites her bottom lip and I can tell she wants to say something. I lock her fingers with mine and tug her away from everyone else. Not out of sight but far enough so that no one can hear us.

  “Say it,” I push.

  “All the other girls were doing it.” She shrugs as she looks away from me.

  Normally when she starts fidgeting around and acting like this I’ll let it go. This time I can’t bring myself to do that. My
heart is already thumping hard in my chest and I can feel something is about to happen. When she realizes I’m not letting her out of it this time she looks back to me.

  “The boys on the football team like the cheerleaders.” Her cheeks turn even pinker and I stand there for a moment letting her words sink in. After a moment my hand tightens around hers a little more.

  “Who is it you want to like you?” I barely get the words out because they’re surrounded by so much hope.

  I rub her ring finger back and forth, and when her lips part a little I can’t stop myself. I lean down and brush my mouth against hers, kissing her for the first time.

  Her small gasp of surprise excites me, but when she leans in I know I’ve sealed the deal. I steal the moment to kiss her deeper, and when my tongue touches hers I taste the cherry blossom lip gloss she’s always wearing. When I hear someone clear their throat I break the kiss and glance over to see Coach standing there. He’s giving me a look that lets me know I’ll be paying for this.

  I don’t care. It was so worth it. I turn my head to look back at Cami and her eyes are wide and her lips are redder than before.

  “Me kissing you in front of everyone will have to do until I can finally get that ring on your finger. I want everyone to know you’re mine,” I tell her.

  She puts her hand up to cover her smile, but I can see those dimples. I feel like I could run the field a hundred times over and not get winded.

  “It was you,” she tells me. “I wanted you to notice me.”

  “I promise you this, Dimples,” I say as I walk backwards towards the team. “There’s never been a day of my life since I met you that I haven't noticed you.”

  I wink at her and dash to the gym with the biggest smile I’ve ever had on my face. Even after the coach makes me run seven miles I’m still grinning ear to ear.

  I’m full of excitement and I’ve never been happier because now the whole school knows she’s mine.

  Chapter 5

  Cami

  Senior year of high school…

  “Come with me. I want to show you something,” Kathy says as she motions for me to follow her out of the kitchen. I take a peek over at Reed and his dad Mike, who are manning the grill, and I know we’ll only have a few minutes before it’s time to eat.

  I love my girl time with Kathy. She’s been a mom to me from the moment I got here. Before we came to live on their property my dad and I drifted from one place to another. I don’t know what I would have done if I’d never met them. I don’t even want to imagine it.

  It’s Friday night and our only plans are dinner together. Tomorrow is prom and I know Kathy and I are going to be on the go from the moment I wake up until Reed and I leave for the night. She has a whole day planned for us and I’m so excited I’m not sure how I’m going to be able to sleep.

  “I got you these.” She holds up a shoe box and I already know what’s inside.

  I hold up my hands in protest because I know they’re the ones she made me try on when we went dress shopping. She’d tried to buy them for me, but they cost more than my dress and I couldn’t let her do it. They matched perfectly and I felt like a princess when I’d had them on, but it was too much.

  “Before you try and say no,” she says, already going into mom-battle mode. I might as well admit defeat now because when she gets that look on her face she isn’t stopping until she gets what she wants. “You’re like a daughter to me, and I only get this one prom. I want this to be perfect and that includes you getting these shoes.”

  Wow, Kathy is going right for my heart. She’s talked to me a lot privately, and when we had the sex talk she told me that Reed was the only baby she was able to carry to term. She would have had a house full if she could have but getting me was like having the daughter she always wanted. Last week she asked me if Reed and I were having sex and then she gave me the safe sex speech. I told her that we weren’t and that was the truth. But that won’t be the case after tomorrow night.

  “Thank you,” I tell her, because I know it would hurt her feelings to turn them down, and honestly I really love them and don’t want to. I move to give her a hug and she holds me tight. “I love you.”

  She leans back and cups my cheek. “I love you, too, sweetheart. Like you’re my own.” She kisses me on each cheek and I feel like I could cry. “One day Reed is going to marry you and give you our last name, but you’re already a part of us where it matters most.” She touches the place over my heart. “And then, much later, you'll give me lots of grandbabies.”

  A burst of laughter comes from me and it helps scare away the tears that threaten to break free.

  “Much, much later.” She lifts an all too knowing eyebrow and I’m sure Reed already told his mom and dad we aren't coming home tomorrow night. My face heats and she smiles as she shakes her head. “Remember what I said about using protection.”

  I nod quietly and stare at the box in my hands.

  “Try them on, I want to see.” She claps excitedly and I sit down in the chair and slip them on.

  They fit perfectly, and as I look at the shoes I can’t help thinking that tomorrow is the start of a whole new life. Reed and I graduate soon and we’ve been talking about getting a place together.

  “Have you thought about what you want to do?” I look up at Kathy when she asks the question like she’s reading my mind. She’s always good at that, just like Reed.

  “I’m not sure.” I shrug because I don’t want to say what’s in my heart. It’s silly for a girl my age to want it because I should be thinking about going to college and having a career, but my mind is on having a family.

  “You know whatever it is you want, we’ll support you, sweetheart.” I stand in the heels feeling more confident with her reassurance.

  “Thank you,” I tell her again, and not just for the shoes. She’s done so much for me for so long that I know I’ll never be able to repay her kindness.

  “Us girls gotta stick together,” she laughs right as both Mike and Reed walk into the room.

  “You’re going to fall in these things, Dimples,” Reed says as he picks me up and my feet dangle off the ground.

  I rest my hands on his broad chest and it doesn’t go unnoticed that he’s really turned into a man these last few years. I don’t know if it’s normal or if it’s all that football practice. Either way he’s bigger than his father.

  “Not with you carrying me all the time,” I joke with him, and he gives me a quick kiss on the cheek.

  “Dinner’s done,” Mike says as Reed puts me back on my feet and I take off the heels and put them back into the box.

  The four of us sit down to eat because my dad never joins us. He's been getting more and more reclusive lately and he disappears for hours. He talks even less than he used to, which is saying a lot because he didn't talk much before. I’ve tried with him, but it’s hard when I’m around Reed’s parents and then I go home to my dad who barely says three words to me. I’ve kind of given up and I’m not trying to force conversation anymore. I’ve quit inviting him to have dinner together with the Sanders and they’ve stopped asking if he’s coming.

  I push away all thoughts of my dad as we eat dinner and have a great night. All too soon the sun has set and Reed’s parents clean up after dinner and go inside for the night. Reed and I stay on the back deck, and when they’re gone he leans over and kisses me on the neck. It’s a soft touch at first and I let out a sigh, wanting more.

  “Tomorrow I’ll know you in all ways,” he whispers against my skin, and my whole body heats.

  He pulls me into his lap and then he kisses me with urgency. He digs his fingers into my hair and I don’t know how long we sit like that, making out. I know we can do it for hours because we’ve done it before, but when we finally separate my mouth tingles and I’m out of breath. His hands hold my hips to stop me from rocking against him and I know he’s trying to get himself under control.

  “Tomorrow,” I remind him, and he groans as he rests h
is forehead to mine.

  “You know I love you?” he says, and I nod.

  “I know.” I rub my hands up and down his chest. I don’t know why but it always soothes me, in the same way rubbing my ring finger soothes him.

  “No, Cami, I love you. We’ve been saying I love you since we were kids and you say it to my mom and dad. They say it to you, but you know this is different, right? I love you more than anything in this whole world.”

  “Of course I do. And you know I love you like that, too?”

  “Yeah.” He smiles at me before kissing me again.

  I don’t care what anyone says, Reed is my forever. Some people at school say that we’re high school sweethearts, and that it will never last in the real world. I don’t pay them any attention because I know what this is. I don’t know how we got so lucky to find each other so young but we did.

  “What the hell!” I jerk away from Reed at the sound of my dad’s voice booming from the other side for the deck. “Do you have any idea what time it is? Get over here, Cami.”

  “Mr. Evans,” Reed says as he stands with me. “I’m sorry about that. I meant no disrespect. She’s my girl and we got carried away.”

  I can tell Reed is trying to be polite for me, but he wants to say more. He doesn't care for my dad and the way he’s so dismissive of me. Of course Reed would never understand someone not wanting to be near me.

  “I said get over here,” my dad snaps again and points his finger to the ground next to him.

  “There’s no need to talk to her like that.” Reed’s voice comes out hard now and his jaw clenches.

  “She’s my daughter,” my dad says but takes a step back. He’s no match for Reed, especially when it comes to me.

  “And she’s my—” I grab his arm and squeeze it so he looks down at me.