Page 46 of Make Her Mine
Pausing, she looked into my room. “What? And why are you whispering?”
Wiggling my finger, I encouraged her to come inside, “Come here.” It was still early in the morning; we hadn’t even got ready for work yet. Mom was in the living room, reading a book. She’d listen to us talking and shouldn’t hear what I was about to say.
Darleen came in, closing the door behind her, understanding the need for privacy. “What’s the hush-hush all about, Ella?”
“Brandon said he loved me last night.” I bit my lower lip trying not to burst out with some happy song.
“He did not!” she said with wide eyes. “You mean in your dreams or something? You went to bed way before they got back from the bar. Or did you go to his room afterwards? Oh, Ella, don’t tell me you did! Have you given up your virginity to a drunk?”
“Relax,” I said with a scowl. “What you might think of me is pretty appalling. I would never do something like that. I went up there after seeing Kyle when he got back. His face was swollen. I was worried he hurt Brandon and went to check on him.”
She sat on the edge of the bed frowning. “Not smart at all. Going to a grown man’s bedroom late at night isn’t something an innocent girl should be doing. Did you go into his room?”
“Not at first.” I stopped as she ran her hand over her face.
Her blue eyes rolled. “Ella, before you go on, please tell me you did nothing. Not so much as a kiss. Please?”
“Not a thing! But listen! “I needed her to shut the heck up! “He really likes me. He wants to start seeing me. And he said he had a dream the other night, and in that dream, he said he loved me. He was so smashed he passed out not long after saying that. I pulled off his boots and tucked him in, leaving him alone. I did the appropriate thing. The same way he did when I got drunk and passed out in his bed the other night.”
The expression on her face reminded me I hadn’t told a soul about that. “You did what? When? How? And why?”
“After not going through with the exam at the clinic, you all had gone to bed that night…” I really put my foot in my mouth this time. “I saw the black truck leaving. Dad was downstairs falling asleep in front of the television. He told me the brothers had gone to The Watering Hole.”
“Youwentthere?” Her eyes were as big as saucers. “You got drunk at that bar?” She paused. “What car did you take?”
I’d get a lecture if she knew, so no mention of the corvette. “Look, that’s old news, Darleen. Honestly, nothing awful happened that night. That’s because Brandon was there and rescued me from making a dreadful mistake in the nick of time. He took me home and put me in his room.”
Getting up, she began to pace. “He put you in the bed, and you slept together in it? That’ssonot okay, Ella.”
“He didn’t do that.” She saw the worst in everyone! “He put me in his bed, taking off only my boots and buttoning up the sweater I purposely left unbuttoned enough to show off my boobs. Brandon slept on the floor, also with his clothes on. He was a gentleman. And the next morning he helped me with my duties. We went out for lunch after that and had the best time. Then he freaked me out and ruined things by asking me to be his friend.”
“What an ass,” she said with a marked amount of sarcasm. “So that’s why he sent you those flowers? He wanted to improve things since you acted like a jackass, huh?”
“Yes.” I didn’t like to think of myself as a jackass, but she was correct. “But after talking to him last night, it’s been a mistake hiding from things—him especially.”
“So, do you want me to make you another appointment at the clinic?” she asked. “Because condoms are great, but not as effective as birth control. So, I do not recommend relying on them alone when your special time comes. And it will come. Sooner than you think. Brandon is all man; he’ll sweep you off your feet with the first kiss. And you’ll lose all the will to stop him from going further. You’ll become putty in his hands.”
“Will not.” I got up and rolled my eyes. “That’s just stupid. Anyway, he said he respected me and wouldn’t even kiss me until I was ready.”
“That’s decent of him. But when you give the go-ahead on that kiss, you need to be ready for what follows.” She came up behind me as I looked at my reflection in the mirror over my dresser.
“I do.” Turning to face her, I let her in on my design. “I didn’t want to see the doctor because I thought that one day I’ll pass her on the street and will want to crawl in a hole in shame.”
“It’s honestly not that awkward. She’s seen lots of female anatomy in this town. Why would you stand out more than anyone else?” she asked with a grin.
“Okay, it’s just me. I’ll be trying to dodge her, and who knows, I might run in front of a moving vehicle just to avoid her.” I did have another idea though. And the fact she kept butting in was slowing me down. “Our cousin, Sherry lives in Dallas. I could go there and spend a week or so to visit a clinic where no one knows me. How long does it take for birth control to kick in?”
“It depends on which one you get.” She tapped her chin with one long finger as she contemplated.
“I’m only getting on the pill. The other options are not for me. I can handle a pill every day like my Flintstone chewable. The other pill can be popped at the same time.” Great idea!
“That one takes thirty days to kick in,” she announced. “And like I said before, don’t use condoms alone, too risky. And you certainly don’t want to get pregnant right off the bat.”
“So, I need to stay away for a month then,” I mused. “I’ll have to ask Mom for time off. And I’ll have to make sure Sherry is fine with me staying with her that long.”
“What are you going to tell Mom?” Darleen asked.
“That’s why I asked you to come in here. Help me make up a good reason.” I tapped my foot and crossed my arms over my chest. “You’re great at filling in the blanks.”
