Read Online Sweetened With a Kiss by Lexxi Callahan - Free Book Online
Authors: Lexxi Callahan
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dropped her fork. “You started it.”
Lizzie waved her hands around. “I won’t make that mistake again.”
Jen cut her some slack and changed the subject. “Why didn’t you tell me about the house?”
Lizzie shrugged. “He made me promise not to, but if it makes you feel better, I spent a fortune on that furniture. He almost had a heart attack when he got the bill, but all I said was ‘Jen will love this’, and he was fine with it. And you do, don’t you? Love it, I mean? You’ve always loved this house.”
“Yes,” Jen admitted. Because she did love it. It was everything she could have ever imagined in a house.
Lizzie sighed. “I am totally a hundred percent on your side whatever you decide to do. But if you really don’t want to marry him, you need to tell him.”
“I have told him. Over and over.”
“I just don’t understand,” Lizzie said, suddenly sounding sad. “You’ve loved him since we were kids, and you were so happy last year. What happened? Are you not in love with him anymore?”
Jen took a deep, steadying breath. There were so many things she wasn’t sure about, but how she felt about Stefan was not one of them. “I don’t think I know how not to be in love with him, Lizzie. I’ve never not been. At least, I can’t remember not loving him, but you know everything is so patchy from before the accident, and I’m never sure what’s a memory or what’s just wishful thinking.”
Lizzie gave her a sad smile. “You don’t remember when you first came to live with us?”
“Bits and pieces.” She did remember Mac coming to get her from school and trying to tell her about the accident. The first real clear memory she had was after she’d been with them a year and they’d spent Spring Break at the beach house. She could remember how hot the sun was, the sound of the ocean and watching Stefan run on the beach. He ran every morning. She’d followed him down there and sat in the sand watching him disappear down the beach and later reappear again. She had no idea how long she’d been out there. She remembered when he slowed down because he saw her sitting in the sand.
“Hey, kiddo,” he’d said, “You’re up early.”
“I had a bad dream,” she’d told him, and she could still remember the startled look on his face as he dropped down next to her in the sand. All she had understood was that the sand was warm on her toes, the sun sparkled silver on the waves, and everything was going to be all right as long as Stefan was sitting beside her.
“I didn’t speak for a year, did I?” she asked Lizzie, the memory of that perfect moment causing a painful lump in her throat. It had been enough just to be next to him. Why couldn’t that be enough anymore?
“No, you didn’t,” Lizzie said. “Not until we were at the beach. I think you told Stefan you’d had a bad dream. You were traumatized, and you’d been in the hospital for such a long time.”
“Hospital?” Jen sat up suddenly, not understanding what Lizzie was talking about.
Lizzie moved closer to her. “Hey, Jen, let’s talk about something else. We can go shopping or swimming, but don’t worry about all this right now.”
“It’s too cold to swim,” Jen said, her heart rate rising. Was something burning? Did she smell smoke? She jumped off the bar stool. The floor tilted under her feet. She caught hold of the cold metal on the back of the bar stool. “Lizzie, why was I in the hospital?”
“Oh, honey,” Lizzie reached out for her. “The accident.”
“But, I was at school. Mac came to the school and told me.” There was a low-pitched hum behind her left ear and everything suddenly came into really sharp focus. “Oh, wait. Lizzie,” Jen looked at her, stepping back as Lizzie reached for her again. “No, wait. I was.” It was right there. Just out of reach.
The principal had gotten her out of class and walked her up to the office where Mac was waiting for her. Something was burning. Smoke
Lizzie waved her hands around. “I won’t make that mistake again.”
Jen cut her some slack and changed the subject. “Why didn’t you tell me about the house?”
Lizzie shrugged. “He made me promise not to, but if it makes you feel better, I spent a fortune on that furniture. He almost had a heart attack when he got the bill, but all I said was ‘Jen will love this’, and he was fine with it. And you do, don’t you? Love it, I mean? You’ve always loved this house.”
“Yes,” Jen admitted. Because she did love it. It was everything she could have ever imagined in a house.
Lizzie sighed. “I am totally a hundred percent on your side whatever you decide to do. But if you really don’t want to marry him, you need to tell him.”
“I have told him. Over and over.”
“I just don’t understand,” Lizzie said, suddenly sounding sad. “You’ve loved him since we were kids, and you were so happy last year. What happened? Are you not in love with him anymore?”
Jen took a deep, steadying breath. There were so many things she wasn’t sure about, but how she felt about Stefan was not one of them. “I don’t think I know how not to be in love with him, Lizzie. I’ve never not been. At least, I can’t remember not loving him, but you know everything is so patchy from before the accident, and I’m never sure what’s a memory or what’s just wishful thinking.”
Lizzie gave her a sad smile. “You don’t remember when you first came to live with us?”
“Bits and pieces.” She did remember Mac coming to get her from school and trying to tell her about the accident. The first real clear memory she had was after she’d been with them a year and they’d spent Spring Break at the beach house. She could remember how hot the sun was, the sound of the ocean and watching Stefan run on the beach. He ran every morning. She’d followed him down there and sat in the sand watching him disappear down the beach and later reappear again. She had no idea how long she’d been out there. She remembered when he slowed down because he saw her sitting in the sand.
“Hey, kiddo,” he’d said, “You’re up early.”
“I had a bad dream,” she’d told him, and she could still remember the startled look on his face as he dropped down next to her in the sand. All she had understood was that the sand was warm on her toes, the sun sparkled silver on the waves, and everything was going to be all right as long as Stefan was sitting beside her.
“I didn’t speak for a year, did I?” she asked Lizzie, the memory of that perfect moment causing a painful lump in her throat. It had been enough just to be next to him. Why couldn’t that be enough anymore?
“No, you didn’t,” Lizzie said. “Not until we were at the beach. I think you told Stefan you’d had a bad dream. You were traumatized, and you’d been in the hospital for such a long time.”
“Hospital?” Jen sat up suddenly, not understanding what Lizzie was talking about.
Lizzie moved closer to her. “Hey, Jen, let’s talk about something else. We can go shopping or swimming, but don’t worry about all this right now.”
“It’s too cold to swim,” Jen said, her heart rate rising. Was something burning? Did she smell smoke? She jumped off the bar stool. The floor tilted under her feet. She caught hold of the cold metal on the back of the bar stool. “Lizzie, why was I in the hospital?”
“Oh, honey,” Lizzie reached out for her. “The accident.”
“But, I was at school. Mac came to the school and told me.” There was a low-pitched hum behind her left ear and everything suddenly came into really sharp focus. “Oh, wait. Lizzie,” Jen looked at her, stepping back as Lizzie reached for her again. “No, wait. I was.” It was right there. Just out of reach.
The principal had gotten her out of class and walked her up to the office where Mac was waiting for her. Something was burning. Smoke
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