Page 16 of Valentine's Kisses
I take one of her hands and squeeze it. “Start at the beginning.”
She closes her eyes and sighs. “My family was happy once. Before my sister and I started to grow up. Before we became merely something to impress others. My mom and dad truly loved us then, or at least I like to think they did. My mom always had high expectations of us. Those expectations grew as we got older. My mom loved to brag to her friends about us. She wanted us to be perfect.”
She blows out a long breath and opens her olive eyes to look at me. “We weren’t perfect, neither of us. We each had our own problems. Susanna did a much better job of pretending to be perfect though. She got the right grades, hung out with the right people, did all the right things.” Her small, sad smile nearly breaks my heart. “I wasn’t nearly as good at it. I was klutzy, shy, scared of my own shadow in a way. I was too overweight, too awkward. Susanna was bolder, more adventurous. People gravitated towards her, including me. I loved her so much, and she loved me. She was my best friend.”
She lets out a shaky breath and I bring her hand to my lips. “Go on, sweet girl. I’ve got you.”
“But even she had secrets. I didn’t understand addiction then. I understand it now. I caught her with pills that weren’t hers when we were sixteen. She stole them from a friend’s medicine cabinet. She said they made her feel better. They made her feel numb, for once. That with those pills she could be completely free of worry, and completely free of the pressure of my parents. I fought with her about it. We never fought, but we fought about that. She promised to not do it again. She didn’t keep her promise.”
She pauses and a tear slips down her cheek. “I really wanted to believe she could do it. That she could be herself without drugs and it wouldn’t be too painful. But for her it was. I caught her a couple more times, noticed changes in her behavior. I threatened to tell our parents and every time I did, she would lose it. She would promise to change. She would cry and I would believe her. She was nineteen when she fell in love with a boy, a boy who clearly didn’t deserve her.”
She pauses again, as if remembering. “She was so desperately in love. He was desperately in lust, I think, at least at the beginning. We went to a party one night. Greg and Susanna had been together for a few months at that point, and they werealways fighting. I didn’t want to go to the freaking party. I hated parties, but she insisted. He was going to be there. She had to go. And he was there, alright. She found him in a room with another girl, kissing.” I stroke her cheek as she continues. “She was so upset. She ran to the bathroom, crying, and when I was finally able to coax her out, she wanted to leave. I tried to take the keys from her.” She looks over at me and bites her lip. “I really tried, Flynn. I promise I tried. She fought me so I got into the car with her. She must have taken something in that bathroom. I don’t know what. She was acting crazy that night. Driving all over the road. I tried to take the wheel.” Her voice breaks on a sob.
“You can stop now, sweet one. You don’t have to go on.” I can’t stand to see her in this kind of pain.
She looks directly at me, those emerald eyes shining and sad. “No, you should know. You should know what I did. I couldn’t save her. I should have been able to. It was starting to rain. I remember the big, fat drops of water hitting the windshield. I remember trying to calm her down. I don’t remember the car hitting the tree. I don’t remember much until I woke up and looked next to me. My beautiful sister, the smart one, the pretty one, who wanted to go to law school and right all the wrongs, was gone.” She snaps her fingers. “Just like that, she was taken from my life.”
I stroke my finger along her cheek again. “Baby, you did everything you could. What happened wasn’t your fault. You have to know that.”
Tortured green eyes stare deep into mine. “It was my fault. There are so many times I should have spoken up. So many times, I should have told someone. So, when the police came, when the ambulances got there, I told them I had been driving. We had both been thrown from the car. They couldn’t tell, so I told them it was me. I told them I drove, and I was upset. I didn’t want anyone to find out. I owed Susanna that much. I wantedmy parents to remember her the way they thought she was, as their perfect princess. She deserved that. She deserved far more from me.”
I take her hand in mine again, more in love than ever now. “You shouldn’t have done that, Gabrielle. They should know the truth.”
She shrugs. “What difference would it make, Flynn? My parents have never loved me the way they did her. They deserve to keep their memories.”
I kiss her cheek. “I am so in awe of you, baby girl.”
She reaches out to touch my cheek. “You shouldn’t be. I didn’t do the right thing.”
“You were a kid, Gabrielle. Hell, you still are. You’re still younger than my old ass self. I don’t deserve you.” I kiss along her cheek and then onto her neck as she sighs. “I don’t deserve you, but it doesn’t stop me from loving you.”
Her breath hitches. “You still love me?”
“Of course, I do. Always and forever,” I say, placing a soft kiss next to her lips.
“Even if it means you lose your job or people talk?” she asks softly.
I pull back. My face reddens. “About that…I kind of quit my job.”
She rears back, shocked. “You what?”
I smile broadly. “I quit. I resigned and told the dean I was in love with a student because I am.” I shrug. “I’ve got money, baby. And there are other jobs. We’ll figure it out…together.”
She touches my cheek again and gives me a sweet smile. “Together.”
“Can I finally kiss you now so that we can start this forever thing?” I ask.
As an answer, she pulls my head closer to her and places a light kiss on my lips. “Please.”
When her lips meet mine, the electricity flows between us and I kiss her deeply. I feel her tongue brush mine, and my cock instantly responds. Her small hand reaches over to touch my hardening dick.
She pulls back. Her green eyes have darkened with desire. “Please take me home and make me yours. Yours forever.”
She doesn’t have to tell me twice. I take my girl’s hand and lead her from the gazebo.
I look back at her smiling face.Mine now. Mine forever.
Chapter Eighteen
