AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Again, they just gaped at me. Did they think it was a bad thing? Were they trying to figure out a way to tell me they didn’t support it? What the heck was going through their minds?
“Guys,” I said sharply, “speak.”
“How does he feel about you?” Lyndi asked.
I swallowed again. Why was my throat so dry? “He loves me, too.”
All at once, an eruption of noise assaulted my senses. They screamed, they squealed, they laughed. Shelby picked up the throw pillow on the couch next to her and slapped me with it, and Lyndi collapsed back against the cushions with her hands over her heart like I’d killed her with my confession.
Layla clapped her hands with glee, then rubbed them together. “From the beginning. Spill.”
At this, I wrinkled my nose. “Oh boy. That’s gonna be rough.”
“Why?” Shelby asked.
“Well, this isn’t a new thing for me. And I’m scared you guys will be mad that I’ve been keeping it from you.” I bit my lip, waiting for their reactions.
Shelby reached forward, putting her hand on my thigh. “Girl, no way. How long was I keeping my feelings for Paul a secret before I finally told you guys?”
The sisters nodded, and Lyndi shrugged. “The way I see it, your private life is private until you want to include your circle. You know we’ll always support you.”
“Thank you,” I said quietly.
Layla waved a hand. “Okay, now that that’s settled, tell us the story.”
With a wide grin, I told them all about my first kiss with Will. I told them about the game of spin the bottle and how excited I’d been when the bottle landed on him. I told them about the sting of rejection when he’d refused me, and how angry I was when we were talking on the porch. They’d swooned when I’d told them he’d grabbed me and kissed me, but then their collective outrage over what happened next made me laugh. “I mean, yeah, it sucked at the time. But I get it now.”
“He was that scared of losing Paul?” Lyndi asked.
I pursed my lips. “You know he had a hard time growing up. We’re his only family.”
Silence overtook us again as we reflected on that. The details of Will’s situation with his dad weren’t exactly public knowledge, but our inner circle knew the gist of it. Mr. Paxton had once been a successful lawyer before he’d turned to alcohol and violence after his career ended. It was horrible. Not to mention his mom’s part in the whole thing—not even attempting to protect her son was downright despicable if you asked me.
“So, then what? What happened after that first kiss?” Shelby asked.
“Nothing,” I replied. “Absolutely nothing. Until Valentine’s Day.”
Her eyes grew wide as saucers. “This past Valentine’s Day?”
“Yep. I’d been standing outside the hospital, totally freaking out, when Will came up and offered me his hoodie. The whole thing was so sweet and swoony, and I couldn’t help it. I lunged at him like a feral cat and tried to kiss him.”
Maybe it wasn’t that abrupt in real life, but still.
“Oh, dang. I wondered how you wound up with his hoodie,” Layla said.
“I had no idea,” Shelby breathed.
“Well, you were a little busy,” I teased.
We chuckled at that, then Lyndi wagged her brows. “How was that kiss?”
“Oh, girl, no. I said Itriedto kiss him. He let go of me so fast it was like I’d burned him. Then he gave me the same crap about Paul being his best friend and all that. It was terrible.” I put my hands over my face, embarrassed by the memory even now.
“Wow,” Layla said. “Then what?”
“Then, we proceeded to be incredibly awkward around each other for a few months. But after a family dinner last week, we kissed again. And this time, when he tried to push me away, I stood up for myself.”
“Good for you,” Shelby said.
