Prologue
Wesley
Sixteen years ago
Days like this were rare. Especially after the year I’d had. Beautiful blue skies, a balmy breeze, my carefree existence, and her lying beneath me at our spot … Everything was perfect. When I woke up this morning, I knew two things to be true.
My family was fucked up.
Albany Keyes was everything.
I should’ve known euphoria wouldn’t last. I had been lulled into a state of ignorance I never really had an option to embrace before. In a few minutes, I would have to pay the price for trying to forget about what was wrong with my life. Before sunrise, I would drown in the heartbreak of my reality. But not right now …
Albany cuddled into my side. “You made everything so special.”
I raised a questioning brow. “Are you sure? Because I—”
She cut me off with a soft kiss. “You were amazing.”
We were young, sixteen years old, but I knew that being with her like this was a gift. One that she’d given me freely, without reservation. We’d talked about sex many times, but I never expected it to happen tonight. And even though I knew what was coming, I couldn’t walk away.
She was right, though. It was amazing. Beautiful. The way our bodies moved together, the smell of her skin. Every moment, every kiss, every touch … The memory would console and haunt me for the rest of my life.
I pressed my lips to hers, brushed her nose with mine. “You’re so beautiful.”
Albany never knew how to handle compliments. Her first reaction was always to hide, so I wasn’t surprised when she buried her face in my chest. “Wes,” she whispered.
“You’re perfect. I wish I could stay here forever,” I confessed.
She giggled. “Stop.”
Her soft laughter wrapped around me. I wanted to record the sound of it so that I could remember how she always made me feel, how much she trusted me, how much she loved me. Because tomorrow she would hate me.
Leaning back, I tipped her head up. “I mean it, Bug.” To others, her nickname might have sounded like an insult. But only she knew what it really meant to me. It was mine—and mine only. “Always remember that.”
She searched my eyes, her brow furrowing with confusion. “What’s wrong?” We’d spent enough time together for her to sense the shift in my mood, no matter how much I wanted to spare her. “Who was that on the phone?”
I glared at my cell phone, fighting the urge to crush it with the wooden bat in the corner of the room. A few minutes ago, I’d taken the call that had cast a dark shadow over a pure moment of bliss.
“Wes?” she called softly.
Earlier, she’d confessed her love for me. Albany had always been more brave, more secure than I was. Fearless. Strong in her beliefs. Even when the world was against her. While I didn’t voice my thoughts at the time, my love for her was real. And I wanted her to know before I walked away from her.
When I met her gaze again, instead of answering her question, I kissed her. “I love you,” I murmured against her mouth, swallowing up her gasp with another kiss.
With our mouths fused together, I reached for a condom. Seconds later, I slipped it on and inched inside her. Slowly. She was so tight. So warm. The first time—for both of us—was quick. Lasted about a minute. I’d tried to make it last, but my inexperience wouldn’t let me.Thistime, I moved slowly, trying to extend my release while praying that she would come with me. I didn’t expect my body to run ahead without her again, but it did. Just like before, I shook as an orgasm rumbled through me, stealing all my energy.
Collapsing on her, I struggled to catch my breath. “I’m sorry,” I murmured, sucking her nipple. “I’m so sorry.”
Her fingers raked through my hair. “It’s okay, baby. We’re okay.”
I sighed heavily, glanced at her. “I had high hopes.”
Albany laughed and my heart cracked open a little bit more. “We have time to get this right.”
Shame rolled through me like choppy waves. Our time had run out. Squeezing my eyes shut, I sat up. “Albany, I—”
I felt her mouth on my back, her hands on my skin. “Wes, are you sure you’re okay?”
