Significance (29 page)

“Hi.”

“Hi there,” he said easily.

“Do you want to be my horseshoe partner?”

He smiled.

“An old man like me doesn’t get asked that much anymore.”

“Aw, come on. You’re not old. And I’ve never played before so I’m not sure if you should play or run.”

He laughed out loud just as Kyle reached us. Dang it. He followed me over here.

“Mags. You wanna play with me?”

“Uh, I think I convinced Peter to partner with me, If he’s brave enough.”

“Oh,” Peter said grinning as he stood and placed my hand in the crook of his arm. He walked us towards the others. “I’m brave enough all right. But you better watch out because my wife taught me everything I know.”

I laughed.

“Aha. Well it’s not like I could tell the difference between bad and good anyway. You’re going to have to teach me.”

He showed me how to line them up and how hard to toss.

“So, feeling better now?”

“Much.”

“Good. I’m worried about you And Caleb. I’m still trying to figure something out for you two.”

“Thanks. You know, I’m not that worried though. Caleb’s pretty crafty and it’ll all work it out. I know it.”

He nodded and smiled. I looked over to hear Maria squealing and saw an ivy vine racing across the yard towards her as she ran from it in zigzags. I looked around until I found the uncle concentrating on it. He winked and smiled at me.

“I’m glad one of you is level headed,” Peter continued and I realized this was just a common thing with them, to use their abilities in everyday life.

We played a few turns and I actually won a few. He asked me about school and things. I told him about running track.

He threw a shoe and it stopped midair. I gawked at it but he smirked and turned around to find Rachel. She smiled.

“Are you telling her that old lie about me teaching you everything I know?”

“Yes, ma’am, I am.” He opened his arms and she went into them, giggling in amusement. With their arms around each other they looked back to me. “Honestly, Maggie, my wife is terrible at shoes. Unless she cheats,” he said grinning and guffawed when she playfully punched him in the stomach.

“I wish it weren’t true but it is,” she admitted. “So, how is our Maggie faring?”

“Wonderfully, she’s a natural at horseshoes.” Then, he cleared his throat. “That was really thoughtful what you did, Maggie.”

“What?”

“I saw you before and I saw Kyle making his way to you. I could practically read your thoughts as you scampered over to me.”

“Really?” I wrinkled my nose. “I wasn’t trying to hurt Kyle’s feelings but he knows how to rub Caleb the wrong way and he does it on purpose. I’m just trying to avoid conflict.”

“I know. And trust me, Kyle didn’t see but I did and so did Caleb.”

He nodded his head to Caleb and I glanced over. He was looking at me with so much love in his eyes, it was terribly obvious but I didn’t care. I smiled at him and then giggled when one of Caleb’s uncles grabbed my arm to drag me away for another game.

I was handed off to several other uncles and cousins before it was over, one uncle who was apparently the one to see almost a minute into the future, predicted with accuracy mine and all the other wins and loses.

He even gave me some pointers before shots and told me I was literally changing my future.

I really liked him.

Somehow, I kept away from Kyle. He looked like he maybe caught on before it was over with but it couldn’t be helped. He leaned back in a chair and sulked openly, leaning the chair back on its hind legs. I cared more about Caleb’s feelings than Kyle’s and Kyle was really pushing it lately.

They were all sweet and talkative as we listened to the tinks of metal hitting metal and the strums of guitar. They told jokes and Rachel passed out lemonade.

Caleb was so good, I couldn’t stop from my eyes traveling to him every few seconds and even though he played a lot of modern stuff, his family seemed to really enjoy it. I guess they just enjoyed him. It still seemed so foreign to me to have so much family and be so close to them.

Then the music stopped and I turned to see Caleb standing behind me.

“I didn’t get my turn,” he said cockily grinning.

“Caleb, you were so good. I didn’t know you could play like that.”

He hugged me around the middle and grinned.

“Believe it or not, there’s still a few things you don’t know about me.”

“Oh, they’re lots I don’t know.” I linked my arms round his neck, “Favorite color, favorite food, favorite band, favorite movie. Were you a band geek or a jock in high school?”

He smirked.

“Would it matter if I was a band geek?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Well, I was little of both, I guess. I played the drums and bass in the school jazz band and was also wide receiver on the football team.”

“Wow,” I sighed.

“What?” he laughed.

“You’re just good at everything aren’t you?” He laughed again but I kept going as I tugged him under the tree to get out of the sun. “We have guitar, piano, drums, bass, and I know I saw a trumpet on your wall, though I didn’t see you actually play it, then football, swimming, geometry, motorcycles. I mean you are a serious overachiever,” I joked as I leaned my back against the tree.

He shrugged and came closer, invading my space in a way I wanted.

“What can I say? I’ve had a lot of spare time...waiting for you.”

My heart skidded and now that I knew he felt every movement of it, I watched his face and saw him register it. His lips turned up slightly on the sides.

“Good answer. Add flattery to that list,” I stammered as I stared at him, that dimple making me want to touch it.

He laughed again and shook his head.

“You are the funniest person I’ve ever met.”

“And you’re the sweetest.”

“I’m not that sweet,” he insisted.

“You’re honey bun sweet,” I said with an accent as sweet as syrup.

“Oooh.” He raised his eyebrows in mock seriousness. “That’s like the ultimate compliment.”

“Yeah, pretty much,” I said grinning.

I glanced around and saw that we were once again under the microscope of his family as they sat, played horseshoes and talked, tried to look like they weren’t watching us.

Then I heard Marvin Gaye blaring through the garden. Caleb scoffed and looked over with a raised brow at someone, I followed his line of sight to a guy I hadn’t talked to yet. He saluted and winked at Caleb, grinning like a fool and I heard a lot of laughter floating around us. I realized he was using his ability somehow because the music seemed to be right in our ears, everywhere. He was trying to be funny.

It was pretty funny, though it made me blush. So, I started back on topic.

“So, what about tonight? I have to go home at some point.”

“I know. I’ll just come to your room again, though I wish I could keep you here. Maybe you can say you’re spending the night with your friend or something.”

My phone dinged with a message.

I can’t believe you haven’t called or texted me! I need details on you and college boy. Is he as dreamy as he looks? How was the kiss? You did kiss him didn’t you? You better have! Come stay with me tonight. Pizza on me.

“Or.” I had an idea and wanted to laugh at Beck’s timing. “I could actually spend the night with my friend. I have barely seen her at all lately and she’s leaving for Southern Cal U in a couple weeks. I know it sucks us not being together but it’s not my house at least, Marcus wouldn’t know to look for me there and I can leave first thing and come straight here to see you.”

“But what about sleeping? He can still come to you in your dreams.”

“Do you think he still would? After everything that’s happened already?”

“I think he would now more than ever.”

I sighed. I’m not a cursing person but I was silently cursing Marcus Watson. I had wasted so much time with my best friend being selfish and now, she was leaving soon and I was angry that I couldn’t just be with my friend if I wanted to because of some jerk with a megalomania complex.

Caleb touched my cheek to bring me back to reality.

“I’m so sorry. I want you to just be able to do whatever you want. Stay with your friend, work, sleep, whenever you want. I want you to be happy and it kills me that you’re not.”

“I’m not unhappy,” I insisted. “Everything is just happening so fast. Last week, I’d never even been in a fight let alone had enemies, now I have Marcus. Last week, my father didn’t even speak to me and now he waits up to make sure I made it home safe. Last week, I hadn’t spoken to Beck in weeks until the other night and now, I can’t even see her. Last week, I wasn’t going to college and now I am if I can get in. Last week, I didn’t know you.” I felt so strange. I wanted to cry. “And now I do. I just hate all the time I wasted and now I feel like I don’t have any. I feel like I can’t make any-” I almost said decisions but I knew what that word would do to Caleb so I threw it out of my mind quickly. “I feel like I don’t know what I’m doing. Like everything is happening around me and I’m just standing in the middle.”

His face fell and I’d never seen someone look so guilty before. He grimaced and gripped my hips tightly.

“Ah, Maggie. I never wanted this. That day that Kyle said I didn’t believe in all this, he wasn’t lying. I did think imprinting wasn’t real because I’d never seen it with my eyes. I thought it was over exaggerated. But then it happened to me. And I was so happy. I felt complete for the first time, like I wasn’t just following my parents and doing what everyone else wanted. It was finally what I wanted. And I hate- absolutely hate- that my happiness has to cause you all this trouble. I’m so sorry, Maggie. If I could take it back, I wouldn’t want to, but I would if that’s what you wanted. If that’s what it took to give you your life back, I would go back and never have touched you.”

“Caleb, no, that’s not what I meant at all. I’m happy.”

He smiled sadly and reached up to skim my cheek with his fingers.

“Then why are you crying?” he asked softly.

I wiped the tears away and scoffed. I hadn’t even felt them before that.
“I’m crying because it’s a lot to handle but, that doesn’t mean I want to change it. I don’t want that, I want you.”

“Only because you think I’d be dead without you there to save me. Without that though, I’m sure you wouldn’t want it to be like this,” he said slightly harsh.

I pushed into his mind, as was becoming more common for me. It was almost second nature to me, like it had been implanted in me along with the imprint. Maybe it had.

I felt his heart beating erratic in his chest. It pulsed his sadness through my veins and it choked me with it. He wanted me to be happy above all else, even at the cost of his happiness, his future, his life. I felt the tears coming fast as his remorse flooded me. It was painful to feel how upset he was, how much regret he felt for being so happy about something he thought made me so sad.

I mentally shook my head. I should never have said those things to him and I wouldn’t have if I’d known he felt this way. Couldn’t he see how I felt? That I loved him and wanted him and wouldn’t go back for anything in the world, even if I knew he wouldn’t die. I’d still do it all over again because I wanted him. He belonged to me and I belonged to him.

“I would want it. I do now. I don’t want to change anything, that’s just some of how I feel, not all.”

Why was he not able to feel what I felt for him?

“Yes, I can,” he said gruffly, reading my thoughts. “But it’s hurting you. This thing between us is hurting you,” he growled.

“Thing?” I whispered and felt a ping in my gut.

“Thing. I wish I’d never touched you sometimes, you would never have had to know this world even existed. You could have stayed in your pretty little bubble and never have known different.”

“My bubble was not pretty, Caleb. You know that. And how dare you say you wished you’d never touched me!” I yelled and realized what I’d done. I lowered my voice and looked him straight in the eye. “Do you really wish that?”

“It would make things easier.”

“No it wouldn’t. For you maybe-”

“For you! Your world’s been turned upside down, not mine. I was already stuck in the middle of all this and now I dragged you into it too.”

“If I had a choice, I would go back and do everything the same.” I cut him off when I saw his protest. “And not because of saving you, because I want to...”

He read my mind.

“Be with me? Really?” he spouted sarcastically. “I doubt that, Maggie. I’ve done nothing but cause you trouble from the moment I met you. You’d hate me if your body didn’t force you to want me,” he said bitterly.

“Just like yours does with me?” I countered.

“Exactly!”

What was he saying? Why was he all of a sudden so hell bent on putting it out there that we shouldn’t have imprinted. He regretted meeting me. That’s what he was saying. For some reason I felt like I had when Chad broke up with me. Left behind, unwanted, not special and naïve for feeling like I was different.