Page 101 of The Ghost of You

Kyle looks dapper even as a freshman with is perfectly coifed brown hair and piercing copper eyes. Becca is laughing as her and Anna hug each other. The three of them look like the best of friends.

As her mom flips through the pictures, I see Anna age from her high school graduation to her first day of college. There are pictures of her on stage and I wish I could see a video. The pictures make her look so alive and carefree. Like that is where she belongs. And Kyle stands next to her, his gaze transfixed on her. There is no doubt he loved her deeply. It’s painstakingly obvious in the photos. But what went wrong? What made him betray her and commit the worst sin in a relationship?

The thought of him makes me clench my fists. How could he throw away something so perfect?

“Mom, stop showing him that stuff. It’s embarrassing.”

“Oh baby girl, hush your mouth. He loves looking at these old pictures of you.”

She groans as she grabs the scrapbook, shutting it. “He doesn’t want to see pictures of me when I was fat.”

“You weren’t fat. There was just more of you to love,” her mom says.

“And that’s what moms are taught to say about their fat children.”

Her mom goes to respond but Jessica cuts in. “Anna you were never fat. Just curvy. But whatever the hell you did, I wanna know your secrets! Because once me and Connor start making babies, I want to be sure I can lose the weight.”

Anna laughs at her sister. “You’ve been skinny your whole life Jess, I don’t think you need to worry.”

I wrap my arm around Anna and kiss her temple. “You were just as gorgeous then as you are now.”

She rolls her eyes just as her mom gives an audible sigh and aww.

“And with that we are heading out,” Anna declares. “I’m tired and want to get some sleep before the party tomorrow.”

Her sister snorts. “Yeah right. I doubt you’ll be getting any sleep with that hunk of meat next to you.”

It’s my turn to blush at Jessica’s comment.

“And we are out,” Anna says as she pulls my hand toward the front door.

We say our goodbyes and then head out to the car.

“How do you feel?” I ask her.

She smiles at me, and I have never seen that smile before. Its happy, bright, and powerful. “Like the entire world has been lifted from my shoulders.”

I lean over the center console and give her a kiss before heading back to the hotel.

24

Anna

I wakeup to a very hard dick in my back. That’s one of the things I love about Noah. He always wants me in the morning. And morning sex is my favorite.

I grind my ass into his hips. He wakes up and I can feel his grin in the crook of my neck as he sucks on the crease between my neck and clavicle.

After we find our release I turn over to face him. “Thank you for coming this weekend. You make everything easier.”

“I’m proud of you, Anna. You needed this.”

I smile at him, my grin stretching from ear to ear. “I did. I needed this so much. And if it weren’t for you, I never would have done it.”

He pushes a strand of hair off my face. “I think you would have eventually.”

“Yeah maybe when I was seventy.”

He chuckles and I can feel it reverberate through my entire being. “I think it would have been sooner than that.”

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