AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I was serious when I asked you to move back to Tennessee with me,” Genesis continued. “I could use my best friend again.” She clutched the blanket tight to her body, and her tone darkened.
It was suddenly obvious that something was going on with Genesis. I had been selfish only thinking about myself. I lifted the blanket and snuggled under it with her. Midnight jumped up and wedged herself between both of us.
“What’s going on?” I asked carefully.
She wiped a tear. “Rick, my ex-husband, wasn’t just a douche.” She paused. “He was abusive.”
“Oh, Gen, no. I’m so sorry.” I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her.
“What really sucks is, because it wasn’t physical, I couldn’t prove it, but, mentally, he had me so messed up that I could barely function. When he cheated on me, I knew it was my moment to escape. He was going to leave me anyway, and I was just so grateful I got out when I did. That’s the real reason why I didn’t have kids. I didn’t want to raise kids with a man like him. It took me a long time to recover from his abuse.”
“I’m so sorry.” I rested my head on hers and continued to hold her.
She sniffled and continued, “It just made me remember how amazing Jayden was, and how I lost the best thing that would ever happen to me. It made me relive losing him all over again. I went pretty dark for a while, and Louie took over the salon while I was down. I’m lucky to have him.”
“Jayden was amazing, and I know there’s another person just as amazing as him out there for you.”
“You’re pretty damn close,” she teased.
Genesis had always been open to any gender, and she had always joked that we should just get married and adopt, and forget about the male species altogether. I loved her, but I just never felt that way about girls, but if I had, Genesis would have been my perfect match.
“I love you.” I squeezed her.
“So, will you consider coming back with me?” She gave me her best puppy dog eyes.
“Stop. You know I could never resist that look.” I pointed my finger at her playfully.
“Oh, I know. I don’t think you were ever able to say no to any of this.” She waved her hand in front of her face. “Please, Char? Just consider it, for real. Not just to appease me right now.”
It was definitely a viable option. I could start fresh some place where there weren’t constant reminders of Bridger. Not that I wanted to forget about him, but it was really difficult to move forward when reminders were around every corner.
Is that what I wanted now? To move forward. Before, when I had no one, it seemed impossible. Now, maybe, moving on was possible. Maybe I could keep all my promises to Bridger, after all.
“I’ll think about it.” And I would this time. Not only did I need her, but it was evident she needed me, too. We would never be alone if we always had each other.
“So, how was the sex with Levi?” She switched gears.
I laughed. “So good, Gen. So good.” I covered my face, embarrassed. “I still can’t believe how young he is.”
“And hot, holy cow. That man is something. I was going to take a bite out of him if you didn’t.”
We shared another good laugh.
“I need details. It’s been a minute since I’ve been pleasured correctly,” she confessed.
“We need more wine for this.” I popped off the couch and opened another pinot.
It was another amazing night with Genesis. I spared no details and blushed at a few things. We laughed so hard we cried, and she told me all about her house. She lived on thirty acres, just outside of Nashville, in a two-story ranch house with wraparound porches on both floors and too many bedrooms. She had a pool and hot tub and a natural creek that ran through her property. She wanted to turn it into a bed and breakfast, but never did because her ex didn’t want to and the salon kept her too busy to take on anything else, but if I moved in, I could run it. If I were being honest, it sounded perfect. It was completely opposite of the life I had been living and far from an ocean, and while I adored the water, it might have done me some good to change the scenery for a while. I went to bed with so much hope. With a future. Genesis always had the magic touch to make me feel better.
I had been looking forward to prom all year, actually since I was a freshman, which was odd for me because I hated social events, but I was obsessed with all things prom. I adored the cheesy themes, the over-the-top gowns, and the exchange of corsages and boutonnieres. It could have been attributed to my unhealthy obsession with eighties movies likePretty in Pink,Can’t Buy Me Love, andFootloose. Of course, after finding the perfect dress and theming with Bridger, who reluctantly agreed to come to my prom, I got sick, and I’m not talking a little cold. I was on my deathbed with the worst flu of my life, so I missed prom, which at the time, was the worst possible outcome for me. I was devastated and it took me a full week to recover. When I was finally able to emerge from quarantine, Genesis told me she had a surprise for me. She picked me up and brought me to my mom’s salon where we got our hair and makeup done, and then she made me wear a blindfold once I got into her car.
“Where are we going?” I laughed. I had asked her a million times and she refused to tell me.
“I told you, it’s a surprise.”
“And I told you, I hate surprises.”
“Not this one,” she said sheepishly. “Just trust me.”
