Pivotal Moments (In Time #1) (19 page)

He nodded, wearing a befuddled expression. Then again, he’d probably never been told to stay safe and come back by a girl’s parents.

“Okay,” Mom said. “I’ll let you two finish. Ash, honey? Don’t keep him too long. They need to get on the road.”

I nodded, biting my lip so I wouldn’t cry. She gave me a smile and then walked up the driveway and disappeared into the garage.

One of the truck’s doors opened and closed, and I glanced into the vehicle; Connor was already inside. He stared out through the windshield with studious silence. A fresh wave of hurt mingled with the sadness, and each breath I drew was sharp and jagged. I stepped back and closed the door to the vehicle, shutting Zver inside with my brother.

I stared at the door handle, quiet, aware of Teagan standing behind me. With a deep breath, I turned to face him, sniffling as the tears started again. Before too much longer, I would be a blubbering mess.

“Hey,” he murmured, reaching out to pull me close. “Don’t do that, okay? Everything will be fine, baby.”

I nodded, not bothering to let him know I’d be having an emotional meltdown in, oh, about two minutes. He probably already knew, anyway. “I’m going to miss you,” I said, my voice cracking. I swallowed hard.

He tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear before lightly tracing my face with his fingertips. Sighing, he gave me a wistful smile and said, “I’m going to miss you too. Keep your phone charged. You’re going to be using it a lot.” He rested his brow on mine, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “I’m going to miss holding you.” He tightened his arms around me, and then opened his eyes to look into mine. “But mostly, I’m going to miss kissing you.”

Before I could react, he captured my lips in a heated, searing kiss. My knees buckled, but his arms locked around me, holding me upright. My fingers clenched around his neck, and I shivered as his tongue traced my lips. I opened my mouth at his silent demand. Our tongues met, and I groaned. He answered, his kiss turning hungry. All I could do was hold on for the ride.

When at last he pulled away, I whimpered, already missing his warmth. We were both breathing heavy, panting, and I trembled. I wasn’t ready for this to end. Neither was he, judging by his torn expression. “Christ, baby,” he growled. “Keep that up and I’ll never get home.”

The tears started flowing. I gasped, trying to inhale, but ended up coughing from the tears. Teagan ran his hands down my back, murmuring softly. After a bit, I was able to take some hiccupping breaths.

He pulled back and cupped my face. I raised my hands up to rest over his, and he smiled at me, his eyes conveying so much more emotion than words ever could. “There’s no reason to be so upset,” he said. “I promise, nothing will change between now and when I get back.”

There was strength, a conviction in him, that I hadn’t seen before. He was confident in us. I could be no less, so I nodded. “I believe you. You’re right.”

He rewarded me with one of his patent smiles, then leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to my lips. “I have to go. Keep the phone by you. I’ll call you as soon as we get home.”

I nodded. “Okay.” The tears tried to start again. “You had better go,” I whispered.

He nodded and pressed one last kiss to my lips, then he stepped away. “I’ll talk to you in a little bit, beautiful.”

I sniffed as he got into the truck and started it up. Then he waved at me with a sad smile before backing out. He started down the street, and I watched until they turned at the stop sign and disappeared before heading back into the house.

***

I lay on my bed and stared at my ceiling. Before now, the silence had never bothered me; now the house was too quiet. A storm had moved in shortly after Teagan and Connor left, and the thunder seemed louder than usual. The rain pinged against my windows, and sighing, I turned over onto my side.

I clutched Teagan’s shirt to my chest and tucked my nose into the folds of the material, breathing deeply. I missed him so much it was painful. That frightened me to no end; to miss someone this much implied a depth of emotion that probably shouldn’t exist this soon.

A tap on my door pulled me out of my mental wallowing. Frowning, I sat up. Mom was supposed to be at work, but who else would it be? “Come in,” I said. When the door opened to reveal Mom, I said, “What are you doing home? I thought you said you needed to work tonight.”

“I did,” she responded. “But then I saw my little girl’s heart break. I figured they could make do without me for a night.” She came over to the bed.

I shook my head. “Mom, you didn’t have to do that. I’ll be fine.”

Mom gave a lopsided smile. “I know, Ash. But I also know this is a heartbreak that could use some company.” She jerked a thumb toward the door. “I have chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, potato chips, and
The Notebook
all set up in the living room. What do you say?”

I smiled and nodded. When Mom’s gaze dropped to the shirt in my lap, I blushed at her grin. “What?”

“Nothing,” she replied, amusement in her tone.

I narrowed my eyes, suspicious. “That usually means something. What?”

Mom laughed. “I’m just wondering how long before you change into his shirt.”

“Mom,” I groaned. “Stop.”

“Oh, honey.” She laughed even harder. “It’s normal. He’s your first boyfriend. Of course you’re going to be like this.” She gestured to the shirt. “Go ahead and change. Trust me, you’ll feel closer to him. Why do you think I still sleep in your father’s shirts sometimes?”

My jaw dropped. I had never thought about what she wore to bed. “What?”

She nodded with a sad smile. “Yeah. Most nights I’m fine. But some nights, I miss him so much…” She trailed off, staring off into space. After several moments passed, I cleared my throat, and she gave a start. Then she shook her head and gave me a rueful smile. “Some nights I miss him so much, I need to be close to him. So, I put on one of his shirts those nights.”

A lump formed in my throat. “God, Mom…I had no idea.” I launched myself at her, wrapping her in a tight hug and blinking back tears. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s been almost eleven years, and I still feel like that. Your father and I knew within a few months we were a forever kind of thing.” Her eyes grew distant for a moment, but then she focused back on me. “Sometimes, you just have to do what feels right.” She turned toward the hallway. “Change into the shirt, baby. Then come down and meet me for a couple hours of estrogen therapy.”

I laughed. “All right, Mom. I’ll be right down.” She waved a hand and closed the door.

I grinned at the shirt in my hands, then stripped off my top and replaced it with Teagan’s. Something in my chest loosened, and I smoothed a hand over the soft material, giving a contented sigh.

I had the greatest mother alive.

***

The last fifteen minutes of the damn movie always got to me. Sniffling, I sat surrounded by ice cream bowls, potato chip bags, and milk glasses. The movie was wicked romantic, cruelly setting off fantasies of finding someone like that for myself. I couldn’t quite ignore the little voice that whispered maybe I had. A short sniffle beside me caught my attention. Mom sat on the couch, tissue in hand, tears running down her face.

She caught me looking and pulled a face. “What?” she demanded.

I shook my head, grinning. “Nothing. Not a thing.”

“I got something in my eye, okay?”

“Sure thing, Mom.” I giggled. She stuck her tongue out at me, and I burst into laughter. “Real mature, Mom.”

My phone saved her from having to answer. The ringtone had me scrambling off the couch, reaching for it on the other side of the coffee table. My feet caught the blanket, and I fell to my knees with a grunt. I staggered to my feet and flung myself at the phone again, praying it didn’t stop ringing. Despite Mom’s laughter behind me, I stayed true to my mission.

I finally reached the phone and snatched it up in triumph. I swiped my finger across the screen with a flourish—I could’ve defeated Hulk in a wrestling match, I was so happy. “Hello?” I answered, breathless, rubbing my knee.

“God I’ve missed your voice,” Teagan exclaimed.

A comforting warmth spreading through me, and I grinned. I waved distractedly to my mother as I headed to my room. “You did, huh?”

“You have no idea. I almost called you while I was in the truck.” I raised an eyebrow. Talking on the phone the whole trip would kind of fallen under the category of rubbing the whole Teagan-dating-Aislinn thing in Connor’s face. “But,” he continued, “I figured that might be pushing it a little. Especially since your brother and I were in close quarters. Don’t wanna piss him off when I’m within arm’s reach and all.”

I giggled. “Yeah, not a good idea.” I closed myself in my room and walked over to my bed, settling down on it and resting my back against the headboard. “I missed you too,” I confessed.

“Yeah? How much?” he teased.

“Enough that Mom made me put your shirt on,” I said drily. Silence greeted my statement. Frowning, I pulled the phone away and checked the screen. It showed he was still there, so we hadn’t been disconnected. “Hello? Teagan?”

He cleared his throat. “I’m here, baby. Just surprised. I figured your mom would be the last person to suggest something like that.” He paused. “I guess she really is okay with us, huh?”

“Yeah. I mean, we haven’t really talked about it yet. I’m sure that’s coming though.” I groaned.

There was a hesitation, but then he said, “Hey, baby, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Are you going to sleep in that shirt tonight?”

I blushed. “I don’t know.” I did know, though—I was absolutely certain I was sleeping in his shirt. I cleared my throat. “Why?”

“You are such a bad liar, babe.” He was smirking; I could hear it. “But that’s beside the point,” he said. “I think that’s sexy as hell.”

“Why do you like it?” I asked.

“Why? Sweetheart, it means my claim is staked,” he answered, smug.

I laughed. “Uh, okay. What if I just think it’s a cool shirt?”

“Right,” he said with a snort. “That’s why you’re in it right now.”

I nodded vigorously, despite the fact he couldn’t see me. “Absolutely.”

“I think,” he continued on as if I hadn’t spoke, “you maybe miss me being wrapped around you.” His voice dropped low, rough and delicious. “I think you miss me touching you, beautiful,” he purred.

I couldn’t have responded if someone had pointed a gun at my head. My heart thudded in my chest and I shivered. The room began to spin; I sucked in a breath. Had I forgotten to breathe?

“That’s all just my opinion, though,” Teagan added.

I narrowed my eyes. What had just happened? I shook my head, but the images now planted in my mind weren’t going away. I blushed furiously at some of them. I had a suspicion that had been his goal.

“At any rate, are you ready to go back to school tomorrow?” he asked. I could’ve been on an ADD rollercoaster ride, off-kilter and no warnings. I’d get whiplash if he kept switching gears like this.

“I…” I was so confused. “I really have no idea at this point.”

He gave a low laugh. “Why is that?”

“Are you serious?” I exclaimed. “You know exactly why, you big jerk.”

He laughed loudly. “Yeah, I do. But you know what else I think?”

“What?” I asked, wary.

“I think you secretly like it.” The smug tone was back.

I couldn’t help it; I grinned. “Yeah,” I confessed with a sigh. “I do.” I shook my head. “I have a feeling I’m dating a bad boy.”

“Reformed, baby. Reformed.”

***

My blaring alarm woke me with a start. I groaned and rolled over, slamming my hand on the off button. I glared at the offending electronic before throwing my covers off. I sat up and stretched, yawning, not really feeling the whole being awake thing.

Teagan and I had stayed on the phone even after I had to plug mine in to charge. I’d learned more about him during that late-night talk than I had in the two weeks he’d been here. He’d claimed the same applied for him, and we agreed that the next few weeks would be good for us. Not seeing each other, we’d have no choice but to talk, thereby getting to know each other better, becoming better friends, and hopefully a stronger couple.

My eyes flew open at a tap on the door. I glanced at the clock and gritted my teeth; I barely had time to take a shower. The following knock had me scrambling around.

“Yeah?” I called.

Mom poked her head into the room. “I didn’t hear the shower going. I wanted to make sure you were up, honey.”

“I’m up,” I groaned. “Running late.”

“I can see that. I guess this is what happens when you’re up after midnight on the phone, eh?” she teased.

I glared at her as I stumbled into my bathroom. “Are you trying to make a point here, Mom?” I yawned.

Mom laughed. “I think you already know.” She turned and left my room. “I’ll get you something to eat for while you’re on your way to school.”