AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I get her up the elevator and into the apartment. She fumbles with the key and pushes in the door, setting the carrier in thefoyer.
I’ve wondered what her place looks like but right now, I couldn’t careless.
I go past her, find the bathroom, and jerk open the medicine cabinet. Find antiseptic and cottonballs.
I return to find her leaning against the kitchen counter, staring at the cabinets on the otherside.
My attention moves up her legs slowly. I’m remembering when she came to visit. But when my gaze reaches her face, her eyes glint withtears.
Fuck. My dean’s decided they might not want me after all, I have a mountain of debt, and neither of those seems to be driving the raging frustration vibrating through every part ofme.
I peer into the carrier. “Tell me what to do with…this.”
“You can let himout.”
I pull on the door and try not to spring backward as the thing boltsout.
Rena smiles, sniffing. “Scrunchie, meet Wes. You wanted to meet myskunk.”
“I distinctly said I did not want to meet yourskunk.”
She sighs. “He’s intelligent, discerning, loyal, does stripes a favor. Come back, Scrunch. You and Wes have a lot incommon.”
I don’t know where to start responding to that. Instead I step closer, lifting her chin so I can see the angry streak of red. “Holdstill.”
She tries to twist away. “It’ll be fine,Wes.”
I love words, but right now, I’m tired of them. There are too many in my head, too many unsaid betweenus.
Instead of arguing, I reach for her legs and lift her up on the counter. Her eyes widen insurprise.
I roll up my sleeves, pour antiseptic on a swab and touch it to her cheek, less gently than I should. Her fingers find my arm. “You don’t need to do that,” shebreathes.
I don’tanswer.
“Why didn’t you tell me about your father?” Icounter.
“I wasn’t trying to hide it. I just…” She takes a breath. “I feel like myself around you, and I didn’t want that to change. I wanted to pretend you were mine, nothis.”
I’m not sure what to do with that. Of all the answers I expected, that one never made thelist.
So I return to cleaning the scratches. “Your dad and mine werefriends.”
She lifts a brow. “I didn’t know that. Jake said your dad worked at thelibrary?”
I nod. “The few times I met your father, he always took an interest in me. I respected him. I stilldo.”
“He’s very well respected in his field.” There’s a cautious edge to hervoice.
I recap the bottle and toss the cotton balls in the trash under the sink, then rub a frustrated hand over my face. “I don’t get you. One second it’s like you let me in, and the next you’re slamming thedoor.”
She straightens her spine and meets my gaze again. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know,Wes.”
“Why did he call youJosephine?”
“My name’s Josephine Elizabeth SerenaCrawford.”
I blink. “Holyhell.”
