Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 104151 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104151 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
“When are you telling my dad?”
“Whenever you want.”
She frowned. “Why the change of heart? You wanted us to keep things a secret.”
“And you needed the world to know. I want to give you what you need.”
Eve remained idle in deep thought, still gnawing away at the inside of her cheek. “Will you hate me if I don’t want to tell my parents yet?” she murmured.
I squinted for a few seconds before slowly shaking my head. Eve felt like a seedling I’d been given to transplant, not like Josh who had been rooted in my life since the beginning of his. Despite her strong will and determination, Eve was fragile. I knew I could lose her if the conditions weren’t just right. And it reaffirmed why I felt so terrified.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION, “PURPLE RAIN”
Eve
I loved him. It was unlike any love I imagined—too good to be true. There was a one hundred percent chance I would ruin everything.
If we told my parents and I messed things up with Kyle, I would have no one and no place to live. The fact that Kyle was terrified to love me made me even more scared of screwing up.
I put the brakes on my heart and focused on work, visiting Grandma Bonnie, and taking care of Josh, Clifford, and Kyle before and after school. My parents didn’t question my staying at his house all night. They assumed I was sleeping in the spare bedroom. After all, Josh and Kyle were “family.” I knew it was only a matter of time before I blew up their world and mine.
“Where did you get that?” Kyle asked as I helped Josh into his Cookie Monster costume.
The last football game was that night, followed by a scavenger hunt around the church for good Christians who knew that Halloween was Satan’s holiday. The church-going kids in Devil’s Head waited almost two weeks after October 31st to don their costumes.
“I made it,” I said, buttoning the back of it.
“Like made it with a sewing machine?” Kyle eyed me while he stepped into his boots. He was back to work and coaching.
I laughed. “Yes, with a sewing machine.”
“Look, Dad! Mmm … me Cookie Monster. Num num num …”
Kyle’s face lit up, which made me feel warm all over.
“I go look in the mirror,” Josh said, running toward the stairs.
“Damn, I love you, baby.” Kyle kept his beaming smile for me.
I tried to return the same sentiment, to act as though I wasn’t feeling the pressure not to screw up. So far, I’d been playing the part of a responsible adult. Occasionally, I snuck a few drinks to take the edge off, but no one noticed. For the first time, I felt nothing but pride from my parents.
“I love you too,” I said.
He stepped closer, giving me a look I hadn’t seen in a while. It was a hungry look, sexy and sensual. Besides a few kisses, we’d acted more like roommates than lovers, which felt normal, given his injury. But this look was different, and a wave of nerves hit me.
He ducked his head to kiss me but quickly stood straight when Josh raced down the stairs.
“Mmm … me need cookies,” Josh said in a gruff voice.
I curled my hair behind my ears and tucked my hands into my back jeans pockets. “There will be lots of cookies at the fall festival,” I said. “Let’s get going to the game.” I snagged Kyle’s car keys just as he reached for them.
“You don’t have to keep chauffeuring me around.”
I winked like he did to me. “I do. Let’s go.”
During the football game, Josh ran around with the other kids in their non-satanic costumes. Kyle barked at his players because it was the closest they’d come to losing that season, but Drew threw for a twenty-five-yard touchdown to win the game with less than fifteen seconds left on the clock.
When we arrived at the church after the game, Kyle’s jaw dropped. “Did you help with this?” There was a maze of angel-carved pumpkins lighting up the churchyard, a dunk tank (that my dad was going to sit in), food, and lots of games.
“I made the caramel apples. But my mom, Gabby, and some other ladies did the rest. I’ve been busy playing Nurse Jacobson to Mr. Collins.”
He smirked at me as we opened the truck doors, and Cookie Monster hopped out.
A half hour later, most of the football team, along with half the town filled the churchyard to play games in honor of “fall” instead of Satan’s holiday.
It was all a little weird, but I was used to Jesus being infused into everything, often in a peculiar way.
“Want to be my partner in the three-legged race?” Drew asked, playfully draping his arm around me.
“Um …” I nervously smiled while looking for Kyle.