AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hi, Mrs. Torrence. I was just telling Becca what a lovely meal you cooked.”
Becca pressed her face into my chest while I smiled at Melinda. But she wasn’t smiling.
Her eyes narrowed as she clipped out, “Your brother is asleep. I think it’s probably best you take him home so he can go to bed.”
“But Mom…” Becca turned around.
“It’s fine.” I dropped a kiss on her head, not wanting to make things any worse. “I’ll text you later.”
Melinda moved aside to let me pass, and I realized my error. Today hadn’t been about getting to know me. It was to gather her case against me.
And I’d given her all the ammunition she needed.
* * *
“Evan, wait.”
My hand lingered on the door.
“Evan, please.”
I turned slowly, and Becca came to a breathless halt in front of me. “I’m so sorry.” Her voice cracked with regret.
“There’s nothing to be sorry for. Look, I should get him home.” I flicked my head to Eli, sleeping soundly in his seat in the back of the Impala.
“Evan.” She stepped closer. “Don’t let her come between us. She’s just protective.”
It was more than that. I saw the way Melinda had looked at me—like I didn’t deserve her daughter. Like I wasn’t good enough.
Maybe I wasn’t.
“I get it.” It came out shorter than I intended. I knew it wasn’t Becca’s fault her mom felt the way she did, but I knew how it went. Melinda would be whispering in her ear, determined to make her daughter see things from her perspective. They might have ended up in Credence, but they came from a different world.
Becca’s hand pressed against my chest, dancing up my torso to my jaw. “I love you, Evan. I’m in love with you. I don’t care what she thinks. I’m eighteen. I’m not a child. Don’t let her do this.” Her eyes pleaded with me, but I was stuck on the part where she’d said she loved me.
My mouth landed on hers, hard and punishing. Her mom was probably spying on us from the window, watching everything, but I couldn’t find it in me to care. Becca had chosen… and she’d chosen me.
“Evan… breathe…” she murmured. “I need to breathe.”
Releasing her, I ran my nose along her cheek and whispered, “I love you too.”
“Is your mom really at work?” She didn’t acknowledge my declaration. “I could come back with you until she gets back?”
“Is that a good idea?” My eyes scanned the house, expecting to see the curtains swish. They didn’t.
“Dad’s making your case as we speak. I want you, Evan.” Desire flashed in her eyes.
“I lied. Mom’s not at work. She’ll probably be gone all night. My aunt and uncle throw this big party every year. It gets messy. I didn’t want to…”
“Shh.” She pressed a finger to my lips. “I understand.”
“He might wake up.” I flicked my head to where Eli was.
A smile tugged at her lips. “I’ll take the risk.”
The drive back to my house was quiet, interrupted only by Eli’s soft snore. I carried him inside and tucked him in. Becca was sitting on the edge of my bed. Her eyes slid to mine as I watched her from the doorway.
“She’ll be gone all night?”
