Page 83 of Forever Mine
Jay leans a hip to the dishwasher. “Mom wanted me to remind you they were driving up tomorrow.”
Our parents are coming to watch me play since it’s a home game.
Jay looks at Liz. “Just a head’s up. They’re going to invite you to Thanksgiving.”
Liz’s reaction is immediate. She jerks backward, colliding with Ry, her face white as chalk.
“I… I can’t. The house. I’m not ready to see it yet,” she stammers.
For a second, I’m confused until understanding creeps in. Shit. Her home where her family was brutally murdered. Where she was attacked. Even though she doesn’t remember that night, she knows what happened there. If Daniel hadn’t told her first, she would have found out through doing a simple online search.
Jay looks stricken. “I’m sorry, I didn’t even think. I’ll make sure to tell Mom and Dad not to bring it up while they’re here.”
Our parents have been dying to see her, but we’ve kept putting it off. Didn’t want to overwhelm her more with too much, too soon.
Clutching the paper towel Ry offers her, she dabs at the stain on her tank top. “It’s okay. I think I’m going to skip my classes today and spend it napping.”
She wakes up most nights screaming from nightmares of the man who attacked her. She describes him as a faceless man with heterochromatic eyes. One brown and one blue. She doesn’t know if it’s real or something her imagination conjured.
“I think I may join you,” Jay says, which garners a harsh look from Ry.
“We have that quiz,” I remind her.
She sighs. “Dammit.”
Time for a distraction.
“Speaking of sleeping beauties, want to wake up Elijah?” I waggle my eyebrows.
My brother is the first to jump in with suggestions. He lives for practical jokes.
“Water balloons?”
“Hell, no. Not getting my brand-new mattress wet.”
I’ve survived every prank Jay has subjected me to. Out of all of them, including the shaving cream and honey fiasco—don’t ask—the water balloon prank was the worst. My mattress didn’t dry out fast enough and mold started growing on it. It smelled like old shoes. Mom freaked out when I woke up with swollen eyes and a head-to-toe rash. Turned out, I was allergic.
“Race you,” Liz calls out, already dashing out of the kitchen.
We take off after her, our bare feet drumming the floor, the noise likely waking our neighbors below.
Bursting into my bedroom, I fling the door wide, and it cracks against the wall. “Wake up, sunshine!”
“Holy fuck!” Elijah startles awake and tumbles off the side of the bed, taking the sheet with him. “You assholes!” we hear him shout from the floor.
I belly slide over the bed, and air explodes out of his lungs when I unceremoniously land on top of him.
“Morning, handsome.”
“I’m going to kill you.”
My grin is a mile wide. “You want to kiss me?”
He scowls up at me. “Kill, not kiss, you little shit.”
Elijah tries to push me off, but I grab his wrists and press my weight down on him.
“Uh-uh. You said you wanted to kiss me. Got to give my man what he wants.”
