Page 35 of When Wrecked Meets Ruined
I lifted her into my arms and breathed in the scent of baby shampoo and innocence. My sweet, sweet Wren with her big brown eyes and rosy cheeks. She was so precious. My first true love.
Before she was born, I only had one goal: graduate high school with a 4.0 average and go to a good college, preferably somewhere on the other side of the country.
But now, I couldn’t leave Wren behind. I didn’t trust my mother to take care of her in my absence. So I was planning to live at home and attend community college for my nursing degree. Not my dream, but sometimes life forces you to make compromises.
“I love you more,” I told Wren, holding her tightly.
It was funny how the person you loved most was the only reason you were bound to a life you desperately wanted to get away from.
Sometimes love is like an anchor.
* * *
Later that night, I was sitting on the cracked cinder block outside the back screen door with my earbuds in and music blasting while I debated.Should I?
No. Absolutely not. I wasn’t going to call him. Not like we were really friends. Besides, it was a Saturday night. He was probably getting drunk or having sex with some random girl.Notthat I cared.
My thumb hovered over the screen, and I chewed on my lip. Last night Ridge put his number in my phone.“Call me later.”
“Later? Like, next month?”
“Like, in twenty minutes. Second thought. Make it eleven. I’ll drive fast.”
At that point, it was one in the morning. Earlier, Quinn’s brothers had crashed the party and shut it down, and Ridge stayed to clean up. He’d also tried to take all the blame, but Quinn wouldn’t allow it.
“Are you sure you’re okay to drive?”
“Thanks for caring. I like it when you worry about me.”
“I’m not worried about you. I’m worried about all the other cars on the road.”Which was true. Mostly.
So, now I was just checking to make sure he got home okay. Twenty-two hours later. Because that’s what friends did, right?
He answered on the second ring. “About time. I could have been roadkill for all you knew.”
In the background, I heard loud music and voices. “Sounds like you’re just fine. Now that I have proof of life, I’ve gotta run. Catch you later.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Not so fast. Hang on.”
I took a deep breath and cursed myself for calling.
“What are you doing right now, Cherry?”
Waiting for my mom’s asshole boyfriend to come and mess with me. “Are you drunk?”
“Nah. Maybe. More high than drunk.”
“You shouldn’t be smoking. San Marcos probably does drug testing for the players.”
“Thanks for caring. But yeah, I’m gonna quit before training camp.” The music faded, and I heard a rustling sound like he was walking through tall grass. “Texas is weird. I’m lying in a field, and it smells like horse shit,” he said with a laugh. “Back in Chicago, we used to party in abandoned houses.”
“Do you miss it?”
“Nah. I don’t know. All I ever wanted was to get away from those streets. But it took some getting used to when I moved here… not sure I belong in Chicago or Texas. I don’t know where I belong.”
Neither do I.Ridge and I were the outsiders.
He was quiet for a beat, and then he asked, “Where would you go if you could go anywhere?”
