Page 63 of Mark Us Little Bear
“Like you,” Amber and Ronnie say together and Mom’s smile widens at them.
“Like me,” I repeat in a hushed tone. “I wish you had gotten the chance to know him.”
“I feel like we do through you,” Amber’s comforting touch meets my side as she scoots closer to me.
“What about you, Bear, what is your dream?” I never hear her talk about the future almost like it’s nonexistent—she’s worried about it but that’s where it leaves me wondering.
“I want to find my peace.” A sliver of hope colors her words and calmness envelopes her. “In love, work, and peace of mind.”
I reach up to brush my fingers in her hair, if we can be her safe space in all of this, then we will help her find what she is looking for.
My brothers join us at some point and we continue to reminisce for another hour or so. When I veer my gaze to the side, I notice Amber is drifting in and out of sleep.
“Mm,” half asleep and out of it she stifles a tiny moan as I lift her and carry her to my room upstairs. Pulling the blanket over her body, I kiss her forehead good night before I grab the laptop from the other side of the bed.
Scrolling to the bottom of what Amber wrote earlier, I type.
Whenever I look at you I see the little girl inside you. All I want is for her to be happy. To smile more. To laugh more. To believe in herself. To let go of her disappointments. You deserve more, Amber, you deserve to be loved for who you are and grow as a person. Don’t let the past deter you from becoming the wonderful woman you are because when I look at you, I see you.
“I don’t want to go to school,” she mumbles beside me, “I want pecan pie and my men.”
An exhale pushes out of my nose with a close-mouthed laugh. I’m amused but don’t want to wake her.
Every time you open up your mouth all I want to do is kiss the shit out of you, Ronnie. That deep, sexy gaze you throw at me with those beautiful fucking eyes of yours, makes my heart leap out of my chest. Flowers bloom in my stomach. And my brain eats, breathes, and livesyou.
I still go back to the first day we met and replay it ten thousand times a day.
“I’m Bradley.” I introduce myself, sending my hand forward.
He pulls himself out of the momentary shock and shakes my hand. “Ronnie.”
Fuck, he is gorgeous.
“Yeah, I know. Luka won’t shut up about you and now I get why.” A smirk crawls to the corner of my mouth while my eyes study his adorable reaction carefully.
I think I became obsessed with you that day, wanting to see you smile and blush like you did at that moment.
I type it quickly on my phone as I run downstairs but before I even get to the bottom, I stumble over my brother’s shoes. Mid fall strong, tattooed arms catch me.
My gaze is face to face withthose goddamn Jordan shoes my brother begged me to buy for himand my phone slips a stair lower right under Ronnie.
I grit my teeth as I flick my eyes up at him.
“Are you okay? Why are you texting while you are going down the stairs? You could get seriously hurt,” the scold in his soft tone is amusing on a whole new level. “Why are you smiling?”
“Because… you’re adorable when you get all protective and concerned.”
“I will drop you,” he warns with a raised eyebrow, “I’m still holding your sorry ass.”
“You wish you held my sweaty ass in your palm.”
“Oh, yeah?” He mirrors my amusement so wickedly. “Tell me it isn’t my name written on your screen with a detailed confession,Princess.”
Excuse me!
Am I turning red? Because I’m so fucking obsessed right now, even more, when he tosses saucy comments like this.
Shit!
