Read Online Strong by Jennifer Rivard Yarrington - Free Book Online Page A

sufficiently recovered from the debate with my mom, I text Dani:  Spent the night with Chase . I can't control my giggling as I sit back and wait for her response.
    Exactly 2 minutes and 48 seconds later, my phone buzzes. Dani's voice on the other end screams, “What???”
    I'm laughing hysterically. “We fell asleep on his couch, talking !”
    “ Well, that sounds a little more like you, Kate. Sheesh, I was freaking out for a second there.”
    “ I noticed.”
    “ So?  Tell me more,” she presses.
    I begin with the information that I learned the night before, about Chase's accident. “I didn't mention this before – I wasn't sure if it was important – but he walks with these crutches, Lofstrand crutches is what he called them. They wrap around his upper arm and he rests his hands on grips to help him control them. He moves really fast on them. Oh, and...we kissed last night.”
    “ YEAH, he moves fast!” She laughs. “You kissed him already? My best friend who waits the whole school year to kiss her first boyfriend?  Sounds like the crutches don't hold him back at all.”
    She slows down a little bit and then cautiously suggests, “Just be careful, okay?”
    “ Great.” I'm sure my voice has a twinge of disappointment. “You’re starting to sound like my mom. She thinks I can’t possibly be in love yet.”
    “ When love is right, it’s right. I trust your judgment more than anyone. But I don’t want you to fall for him before you know if he’s serious about you. If he breaks your heart, I will have to break his legs for good!”
    “ DANI!”
     
    A knock at my door drags me away from putting the finishing touches on my makeup.
    “ Come in,” I call.
    My dad makes his way over to my bed and sits down.  He does that a lot. It's one of my favorite places to talk to my dad – in the comfort of my own room. I always feel safe here, and my dad's demeanor adds to the effect. He always knows what to say and how to say it.
    “So, did Mom talk to you?” I venture.
    Dad nods.
    “You believe me, right?” I question.
    “ Of course, I believe you, Kate. You're a smart girl and I trust you.”
    I breathe a sigh of relief.
    “But Mom has a point, you know,” he continues. If it was my mom talking, I might have rolled my eyes. But somehow, I can receive direction better from my dad. “I really like Chase. You know I do. I trust him, too. But you're spending so much time with him that I don't want your heart to get ahead of your brain. I hope he has good intentions, but I don't want you to get your heart broken. He's been through a lot, and he still has a long road ahead of him with medical school.”
    I swallow hard. “I know, Dad.”
    “And I do want you to be careful not to get yourself into a situation where you can lose control of your emotions and make the wrong choices.” My face turns bright red. My dad has never talked to me so directly about sex before.
    “ I know,” I insist.
    “ You have something special that you don't want to give away to the wrong person. Or before it's the right time, which is when you're married ,” he emphasizes.
    I give my dad a stronger “I know.”
    He's pushing the conversation out of my comfort zone. But he presses on, telling me quietly, “I think Chase might be the right one.”
    I look at him with surprise. He chuckles a little and then finishes by saying, “But I still want you to guard your feelings...and the rest of you. Just be careful, okay?”
    I hug my dad and confirm, “Of course, Daddy.”
     
    My trolley shift drags on without Chase on board. 
    Between tours, I spend some time pondering what Chase had told me about his faith getting him through the past four years.  My faith has always seemed important to me, but I don't necessarily act like it has a prominent place in my life. I had some “church friends” but I never really became close to them. Dani was always my best friend, and she wasn't interested in church at all. God is important