Page 180 of Fifty First Times (Sharing You 0.40)
“What is this really about?” Blake asked. “Is it the sex part? We don’t have to do anything, you know that.”
She shook her head.
“What, then? Is it your mom? Because I’m not going anywhere.”
Her eyes found the floor and her bottom lip shook. “Not yet, but someday you will.”
Blake lifted her chin. “I won’t promise you that we’ll never be apart, but I can promise you that I’ll never leave. No matter where I am, my heart will be with you.”
Her gaze settled on his, so full of tears and sadness that he ached to pull her to him and never let go. But he knew Summer too well to try to talk through this. Not now. She’d been devastated when her mom left. He knew, he was there, watching from his bedroom window as she sat on her front steps day after day, waiting for someone who would never return. That sort of broken trust couldn’t be repaired by words alone. He would have to show her.
Blake stepped away from her and pulled back her covers. “Sleep with me.”
Her eyes widened. “Blake, I’m—”
“Not sex. Sleep with me. Let me hold you. Let me help you forget.”
Her gaze traveled to the bed and back to him. “But I said I would.”
He laughed. “So did I, but maybe today isn’t the day. Or maybe we’ll never have that day. For now, just sleep with me.”
Summer hesitated for a second longer, before crawling under the covers and sliding over to make room for him. Blake contemplated taking off his jeans, but he didn’t want her to think he was anything but genuine, so he slipped under the covers fully clothed and pulled her to him. There was no sound in the room, only the easiness of her breathing against his chest as he ran his fingers through her hair.
Blake had never been afraid of anything in his life, but he was afraid in that moment. He was afraid that the one person he loved would never trust him enough to love him back. Blake had suffered loss, just like Summer, but he was a baby when his parents died. He had no memory of that pain. Unlike Summer, who watched her mother walk away and never come back.
A surge of emotions washed over him at the thought of what she had been through. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, and before his fear could stop him, he whispered, “I love you, Summer Rain. I always have.”
Summer sat up to look at him, a small smile on her face. “What did you say?”
“I said that I love you.”
She climbed on top of him and kissed him long and hard as though she were starving and had finally found sustenance. After several long minutes, she sat up, straddling his waist, a beautiful, bright smile on her face. “I love you, too.”
CLOUDS SETTLED OVERHEAD, and Blake stared up at the sky from the huddle, praying the rain would stay away a little longer. He had played in the rain plenty of times, but LSU was up three, and there was less than a minute on the clock. He needed to bring this game home. He half listened as Coach Collins went over their next play again. They were fourth and short and had called a time-out to decide whether to kick or go for it.
Blake glanced behind the huddle to the stands, searching desperately for Summer. Even though they didn’t have sex last night, they did sleep together for the first time as a couple. He knew sex would come, but for now his heart and soul felt as though it had finally come home. Coach Collins said something to him and he nodded, half paying attention. He searched the stands again in vain, knowing she hated seeing him play. He had just resolved himself that she wasn’t there, wasn’t coming, when his gaze caught on a bright red pullover seven rows back and center. He squinted, Coach Collins now yelling obscenities at him to focus. He wasn’t sure, it sort of looked like her, but it could be anyone. And then a smile stretched across her face and she lifted her hands high in the air, clapping and cheering.
Blake smiled and ducked back into the huddle. “We’re going for it.”
Coach Collins stopped talking to look at him. “Are you sure?”
Blake glanced up
at Summer, then back to his coach. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
Coach called the play, and Blake took to the field with his team, his body charged with excitement. He could do this. He would do this. They set up, and then they were in motion. He backed up and stared down field for his receiver. He was open, but LSU’s defensive backs were closing in. Blake fired the ball downfield, praying, begging that it made contact. Time seemed to tick by in long, excruciating seconds and then—
“Touchdown!” The crowd erupted all around him. “Georgia wins!”
Blake found Summer amid the chaos, standing and cheering. He grinned. She’d been his good luck charm after all, and maybe, if she would let him, he could be hers, too.
About the Author
MELISSA WEST writes young adult and new adult novels for Penguin/Intermix and Entangled Teen and Embrace. She lives outside of Atlanta, GA with her husband and two daughters and spends most of her time writing, reading, or fueling her coffee addiction.
She holds a B.A. in Communication Studies and a M.S. in Graphic Communication, both from Clemson University. Yeah, her blood runs orange.
Connect with Melissa at www.melissawestauthor.com or on Twitter @MB_West.
