One (26 page)

"Hush, you,"
I swap his hand away. "I need it for your surprise." I
settle comfortably into his arms. He kisses my shoulder and I almost
sigh. I take out the CD I brought and stick it inside. I press my
cheek to his. "I know Hearts of Love helped you out after your
accident." I swallow because I have a better understanding of
how much this organization must have meant to Pax when he was going
through his grief and guilt. "You always talk about what
they've
done for
you
. Now I want you to see what
you've
done
for
them
." His confusion is palpable. "All that time
last week you thought I was painting? Well I wasn't. And remember the
shift at Maddie’s I suddenly had to take last Sunday? Well I didn't
go to work. I did this instead." I moved the cursor over and
pressed play.

Instantly, a black
screen appears with a picture of little kids holding up a picture of
Pax and his jersey number- one. He gasps. I smile as I wait for him
to watch the rest.

The first person seen
is Mrs. Aberthy, the main volunteer coordinator and the person Pax
works with the most. She's the one I contacted to help do this, and
once she knew it was for Pax she instantly agreed. She, as well as
the rest of the women, wanted to schedule a time to make sure they
were looking their best. Pax has that effect on a lot of people.

Mrs. Aberthy is an
older woman with mousy brown hair, circular glasses and a small
smile. "Reid Paxton, you are a godsend to this organization. We
thought you were another person who needed a little help to get back
on their feet, but you turned out to be so much more. You've given
back so much more than you ever took. Thank you for all your help.
Your parents would be proud."

Next, Mrs. Patterson,
an elderly woman who helped found Hearts of Love grins broadly into
the camera. She never wears lipstick and had worn a bright red coral
for the occasion. "Reid, you are an amazing young man. If I was
half a century younger, I'd have a taste of you for myself!" Pax
chokes, unable to believe she'd just said that.

"She was a hoot,"
I tell him, smiling.

"But alas, fate
has ordained us to be born decades apart, only to meet near the end
of my life and the beginning of yours." Mrs. Patterson sighs
dramatically. "Nonetheless, I know you will help as much as you
can, even if that means taking off your shirt so an old lady such as
myself can feel alive again, I know you'll do it. You'll always do
the best for others because that's the type of young man you are- the
best." She smiles and we notice half her teeth are gone. She
doesn't bother with dentures. "Lucky in the sack, Pax," she
winks.

We lose it, laughing so
loudly Pax's neighbor pounds on the wall behind us. "Keep it
down," an angry male voice yells. We look at each other. I cover
my mouth as I giggle. The next people are easier not to laugh at.
They're children, kids Pax has visited. All of them talk about how
they're going to play football in the future. They hold up the
jerseys and balls that Pax signed. Their faces are so pure and
innocent that tears prick at my eyes.

When I had come up with
this idea a week ago, I wasn't sure what to expect, only that I
wanted it to be a surprise. I needed Anna's help and brought the idea
to her. She shocked me with how much she was willing to do.
Apparently, she's not always icy cool, not with Pax anyway. He seems
to be
every
woman's weak spot- young or old. I suspected she
knew how to get a hold of people working in Hearts of Love and I was
right. Anna informed me they held many events at Maddie's. She let me
borrow the company camera and allowed Alex to go with me (unpaid) to
help me record. It wasn't necessary since Nat was coming but Alex
wanted to help do this for Pax. He respected Pax a lot. Shooting this
video was a great bonding experience for the three of us. We laughed
and cried and had an all-around amazing time. We also left with
profound respect for the organization. They were willing to do a lot
of things. Think Make A Wish mixed with Children's Hospital with a
dash of all the ingredients used with a celebrity foundation-
parties, fundraisers, and over the top events. Basically, there's no
limit to what they'll do. Anyone who has been physically hurt can
apply for the charity. It's on a first come first serve basis and
they are willing to do anything to help make the road to recovery a
successful one, including helping you meet your favorite star, making
a wish come true, etc. For Pax, what he needed was something to pour
his emotions to. He was filled with it and the organization saw his
potential and gave him a leadership role, helping him do things for
others to get over what had happened.

Pax kisses my cheek and
I'm pulled out of my thoughts. I blink when I realize who is coming
on next. It's a little boy with muscular dystrophy whose greatest
wish was to meet someone "big and strong and a little famous"
and to eat cupcakes every day for a year. Hearts of Love made both
come true.

"Hi," a
little boy with blonde hair smiles into the camera. "I'm Alan.
You've visited me a couple times. I want you to know I've gotten a
little bigger. Maybe in a few years I'll even be as big as you!"
he grins proudly into the camera and I see his two front teeth are
gone. "You're a really nice man. And my nurses say you're
handsome like Ben Affleck-"

"
Ben Affleck
?"
Pax interrupts.

"Yeah," I
reply without taking my eyes off the screen.

He makes a strangled
sound. "Isn't he almost
forty
?"

"So?"

"I'm twenty- one!"

I roll my eyes. "Just
watch this, will you?" We focus our attention back to the
laptop.

"…So they want
you to visit again. I do too. Thank you for helping me." He
waves and Alex pans the camera out to encompass the rest of the kids
in the hospital Pax has visited. A few of them are holding a poster
with Pax's jersey number on it and it reads: "Pax, number one,
always."

The movie ends, fading
to black. I hold my breath. What does he think? Suddenly I'm worried
it's a little too corny for him. What if he didn't like it?

Pax's comes around me,
hugging me gently like a mama bear. "I love you, Jules." I
turn back to look at his face. His eyes are shining again, but it
isn't from sadness.

"You're like a
phoenix, Pax. You rise from the ashes and become something better."

He kisses me on the
mouth. "So do you."

We kiss, we make love,
and we fall asleep with peace in our hearts.

"Well, well, well,
look who's making the walk of shame this morning."

I close the door behind
me, feeling a sense of relief that Pax had gotten me home without any
further incident. There had been no sign of Braidon anywhere, but I
know that it doesn't mean he's not around. "Good morning, Nat."

"I haven't seen
you in two days. Don't you sound awfully cheery this morning."

Maybe because I'm
alive?
"I sound exactly the same." I fix my blanket
covers.

"
Mmm-hmm.
"
She sits next to me, pouncing on my bed like a kitten. "So give
me the details. Is he as good as I think he is?"

"What?" I
ask. She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively. Suddenly, I understand.
"Nat!" I shoot her a look, a blush slowly taking over.

"Ha!" she
shrieks. "I
knew
it! You can tell that boy is hung thick
as a whale."

I make a face. "A
whale? Gross."

She makes her eyes
wide. "Girl, a whale can have up to an eight feet penis and they
shoot out 200 gallons of semen in
one
shot!" She sees the
expression on my face. "I had to do research on a whale once,"
she explains. "If I had to be reborn as an animal I'd want to be
a female blue whale. The men are studs. They'd show you a good time
in the water for sure," she says seriously.

"Oh my God. That's
just wrong on so many levels."

"Whatever. You're
not a virgin anymore. Don't act like such a prude." She sidles
closer to me. "So what's he like?" she wiggles her eyebrows
shamelessly.

"Why do you want
to know? I don't ask
you
about your sexual escapades."

"You can."
She sits up. "What do you want to know?"

"Um… nothing."

She shrugs. "See?
Fess up."

"It was…"
Magical
. "Perfect."

"Don't give me
that Disney bullshit," she snorts. "Did it hurt when you
bled? Is his penis circumference big? Because that can-"

I cover her mouth with
my hand. "Nat! It was a good night, okay?" I rub my
forehead, suddenly tired. "I don't need to talk about that
stuff. I don't regret my decision," I say softly. I didn't. It
was the best night of my life.

She rolls her eyes.
"Fine. But if you ever need to talk, I'm here. Now that your
cherry's popped and cleared, you can come with me to Xylers. They
have this new dildo in called Monster-"

"Ugh!" I
cover my ears. "I don't need to
hear
that, Nat!"

"What?" she
says innocently.

She knows exactly what
she's doing. I narrow my eyes. "Why do I put up with you?"

"Because every
woman needs a sister, and I'm yours."

I open my mouth to
respond, then stop in mid motion.
Sister?
I remember wanting a
sister once. Then Mom left and I knew it'd never happen. I moved on,
but in this moment I realize the desire was still there, buried
deeper than I thought.

Sister.

Something warm is
glowing inside me. I swallow, blinking away the moisture at my eyes.

Instinctively, Nat
knows to look away. "Xyler's not so bad," she says
casually. "They have nice lingerie and they even have a candy
section. If you're not comfortable, of course you don't have to come.
I just thought you 'd want to experience something different together
like…"

"…sisters,"
I finish.

"Yeah," she
whispers.

I look at her. My heart
is bursting with a warm fuzziness.
Sister.
I say the word in
my head. It becomes stronger as each second ticks by.

Sister.

I reach for her hand.
She reaches around to hug me. We stay like that for a moment. Did I
ever think this would happen four months ago? If anyone had told me
I'd find the love of my life, and a sister who'd drive me crazy, I
would've walked away without a second glance back. I would've pitied
them with their illusions. I had dreams, every girl does, but I was
smart enough to know they could never be real. My life was harsher
than most.

Yet as I feel Nat's
bony arms around me I realize that this is the moment, the moment I
couldn't believe would ever happen: the moment when reality is better
than your dreams.

* * *

I don't like cops.

Police took my mom away
and even though she technically deserved it since she was breaking
the law, it didn't make me feel any better toward them. Coupled with
the fact that every policeman I've ever met has always looked down on
Grandma and me like we were gum under their shoe, I don't have the
fondest feelings for cops. I don't like them one bit and I sure as
all heck don't trust them. So the fact that I'm here in the home of a
police captain, having dinner with his family, makes me very nervous.
And a little upset.

I sneak a glance at
Pax. I've never told him about my feelings toward police officers.
People like him didn't have anything to fear from them. The people
I've grown up with, however, didn't have that luxury. They could be
shipped back to Mexico at any moment if an officer showed up.
Sometimes police could be bribed. If you didn't have money, well,
there were other ways to pay.

I adjust the seatbelt
across my chest, suddenly feeling as if it's too tight.

"Is something
wrong with the seatbelt?" Pax asks with concern.

"No," I
answer. His car is barely drivable with damage to almost every side
of the vehicle. There is only one functioning door in the back, and
we had to use it, wiggling our way to the front seats. Pax had a
tough time maneuvering his large body through the confined space. It
would be funny to watch him struggle if it didn't remind me so much
of what had happened.

"I'm sorry about
the car," Pax apologizes for the hundredth time. "I checked
the engine and it's in working order." The car makes a loud
sound, like steel banging against metal. "Everything's
just…shifted a little."

"You need to get a
new car," I tell him regretfully.

"I'll be heading
to the dealership with Cade tomorrow."

"Did you tell your
uncle and aunt yet?" I ask.

"I told them some
jerk face smashed into me and I'll be needing a new car, pronto."
He steps on the brakes, and a strange hissing sound is released.
"They weren't happy, but shit happens," he shrugs.

We drive quietly, the
silence only interrupted by sporadic sounds of metal pressing against
machine. Staring out the window, I lose myself in my own thoughts.
Why had I agreed to this? I remember when Pax had told me his plan.
He'd kissed me the whole time he was doing it, taking my mouth after
every few minutes, letting his fingers linger on my body. Bastard.

Women are supposed to
seduce men with sex, not the other way around. I should be ashamed of
myself. I scoot closer to the door. Pax shoots me an amused glance.
He knows what I'm thinking about. I want to slap the smirk off his
face. Although, if I'm honest, what I really want to do is lick the
smirk off. He's so gorgeous he can use his body to seduce women into
giving him what he wants. Who can resist his charms? His dimple? His
six-pack that makes every other guy out there look like a joke? Only
a corpse can, that's who.

"Don't be like
that. It won't be so bad, you'll see." He takes my hand and even
though I attempt to move it, he holds fast, refusing to let go.
"Uncle Bill's a good man. He's going to do what's best for you…"