Page 130 of His Virgin Romance Series

Somehow, she transitioned into her parents from her future plans, and I tried not to smile as I listened to her in amusement.

“I think Mom and Dad still see me as a little girl. Brent was always their favorite. I know most kids just think they’re parents have favorites, but I know it for sure. Brent was their golden child. He could do no wrong. He would come home from school with Cs, and he would get major praise for working so hard, but if I ever came home with an A-minus, I would never hear the end of it.

“Maybe being independent and making it on my own will finally show my parents that I’m not a kid anymore and that I am obviously the more responsible one of their two children. Still, I have a feeling that Mom and Dad won’t get over this Brent thing easily. I mean, not that I expect them to… He is their child, after all.

“Oh man, am I being a total jerk by being so self-centered while my brother is in jail and my parents are heartbroken over it? It’s not that I don’t care about Brent anymore, it’s just that I hate what he did and—”

“Rachel!” I said finally.

Her eyes went wide, and she stopped talking. “Uh…yes?”

“I don’t mean to interrupt you,” I said. “But you’ve been talking for seventeen straight minutes.”

“Have I?”

“I think you know you have.” I nodded. “Are you nervous about something?”

“Well…maybe.” She nodded.

“What are you nervous about?” I asked gently.

“You said you wanted to talk to me about something,” Rachel said. “And I suppose I was trying to prolong the moment before you told me…whatever it is you wanted to tell me.”

“Why?”

Rachel looked down and stuttered over her first few words. “Well… I… I suppose it’s because I suspect I know what topic you’re going to bring up and I’m frightened that it’s not going to be what I want to hear. So I figured if I just kept talking… It obviously wasn’t a very well thought out plan.”

I smiled at her and reached out for her hand. Rachel stared at my open palm for a second and then tentatively, she slipped her hand into mine.

“Your palms are sweaty,” I said.

“My palms sweat when I’m nervous.”

I leaned down and kissed her hand softly. “Rachel, I care about you so much.”

I saw her face fall slightly, and I realized she thought that this was just my polite way of ending things with her for good.

“You are my best friend,” I continued. “And I also happen to believe that you are the love of my life.”

I could see that she was holding her breath.

“Which is why I have no choice but to forgive you.”

Rachel stared at me for a moment and then her breath released in one happy gasp of joy. “You…forgive me?”

“I do.” I nodded.

She was silent for a second and then she burst out of her chair and into my arms. She was so excited that she accidentally knocked into my injured leg. I winced in pain, and she gasped in horror.

“Oh fuck,” she cried. “I am so sorry, are you okay?”

“Don’t worry,” I said, trying to shake off the pain. “I’ll live.”

“I am such a klutz… I’m so sorry.”

“Just come here,” I said, grabbing her arm and pulling her onto my lap.

She sat down on my lap and then I pulled her face to mine as I kissed her hard on the lips. It felt like coming home after a long absence. I realized how much I missed the feel of her nestled against me. I missed the taste of her lips and the weight of her in my arms. Suddenly, the world was righted again, and I felt whole. Despite the burn down my leg and the pain emanating from it, all was well with my world.

“I was so sure you were going to end it for good,” she admitted as she wrapped her hands around my neck.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to do this,” I said. “It was a no-brainer, really. I was just…”

“Hurt,” he finished for me. “I know.”

“I was proud, too,” I said. “Too proud to forgive you because I was still hurting, but I realized that my pride was not worth losing you over. I love you too much.”

“Oh, Jared,” Rachel sighed. “You have no idea how much I love you.”

And then before I could say anything more, she bent her head down and kissed me again—until I had completely forgotten what I wanted to say in the first place.

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