AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Three
The following evening about a quarter ‘til six, Abbey was just about to zip up her overnight bag when Cassie came into her bedroom. Smiling mischievously, she held up a pretty powder blue silk and lace teddy with matching panties. She placed it on top of everything Abbey had already packed, tossed in four condoms, and zipped up the bag.
“What are you doing?” Abbey asked, horrified, hoping her mother didn’t walk in. The woman was already fit to be tied.
“Just in case. It doesn’t hurt to be prepared, right?” Cassie replied, still smiling.
Abbey’s body warmed thinking back to the three kisses she’d shared with Luke the night before. He’d asked permission twice outside at Antonetti’s. At their front door before Luke and Jake left, she’d kissed Luke first, taking him by surprise. Kisses were one thing, sex was another. She was still a virgin at eighteen. It wasn’t that she was afraid, not really. She just hadn’t met the right person. She had a feeling it could be Luke.
“He won’t push you into anything, Abbey. You’ll be safe at his place. All the bedrooms have locks and private bathrooms,” Cassie assured her.
“I know. He already told me.” She trusted Luke. Really liked him, too. She was having dinner at his place and staying overnight because it was easier, since morning practice started early and she was going along. She wasn’t sure if tonight would bethenight, but Cassie was right. She should be smart and be prepared, in case it was.All a part of my adventurous summer.
“It doesn’t hurt that much, you know. The first time,” Cassie offered, giving her a quick hug.
Abbey’s face warmed. She didn’t want to have this conversation with her more experienced sister, although Cassie’s only real sexual experience had been with Jake.
“Oh, all right. I’ll take your word for it,” Abbey said, hoping that was the end of the conversation.
Luke lived on Chicago’s Gold Coast on Lake Shore Drive, but he assured her she should dress casual. Abbey wore her nicest blue jeans and a summer print top. She’d packed another similar outfit along with a sweater for practice day.
She braced herself as she bounded down the stairs for what she hoped wouldn’t be a total blow up with her mother yet again. Her father had been fairly cool about the visit to Luke’s and practice the following morning. That only seemed to anger her mother even more.
“So you’re just going to send your daughter off to who knows where?” her mother asked accusingly of her father.
“Stop it. I’m doing no such thing, and you know it. She’s not a little girl. We’ve gone over this,” her father replied, sticking up for her.
“You’re just starstruck because Luke’s a baseball player,” her mother countered.
“No. I’m tired of you treating our daughters like they’re three years old. We’ve raised them right. They’re strong, intelligent young women who know right from wrong,” her father snapped back.
“Luke thinks he can throw his celebrity status and family’s money around and get his way. Abbey is better off with Johnny Parker. They had such a nice time at Senior Prom.”
Her father scoffed, and Abbey rolled her eyes. “Yeah right. Let me tell you about Senior Prom. Johnny Parker’s an asshole. He spent the whole night staring at my boobs and trying to cop a feel. Then at the end of the night he tried to shove his tongue down my throat and grabbed my boobs so hard he left bruises.” She’d hadn’t said a word about the disaster before now because Johnny’s mother was her mother’s best friend, but enough was enough.
“What?” her mother cried, shaking her head.
Her father’s face turned red. He pointed an accusatory finger at his wife. “Iknewit. I never liked that little shit. Jenny and Mike treat him like he walks on water.” Her father turned to her, a serious expression on his face. “Did you knee him in the nuts like I taught you girls?”
He’d taught her and Cassie some self-defense moves when they were younger. His little girlswould notbe victims.
Cassie placed a protective arm around her shoulders.
“Yeah. Twice. And I punched him in the face. Hard.” She’d never forget the stunned, pained expression on the prick’s face for the rest of her life.
“You see? Abbey can take care of herself,” her father assured her mother.
“Yeah, Mom. Loosen up on the leash. Are you going to move into the dorm with her in the fall, too?” Cassie added, pressing the point her mother was out of control.
Her mother threw her hands up in frustration. “All right, all right. I get it. Parents worry. That’s our job. I don’t care that you’re over eighteen. You have your cell phone and charger?”
Abbey wanted to jump for joy, now that it seemed her mother had finally calmed down a little. “Yes, of course. And I’ll pick a bedroom far away from his and lock it tight. If he tries something stupid, I’ll knee him hard, call 911, and get the heck out of there.”
“Mom, I know Luke. It’s going to be fine. He’s a good guy,” Cassie added for good measure.
The doorbell rang, and Abbey felt a lightness in her chest. She would go, regardless of what her mother thought. She just preferred not to have her upset about it.
Her mother sighed, conceding defeat. “Go on. You don’t want to keep Luke waiting. If you needanything, just call us.”
