Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 68920 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68920 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
As Rylie babbles about crayons, my future hits me hard in the chest. I’m about to go off into the world and leave my family behind. It’s exciting and I’m looking forward to it, but I’ll miss them. With the threat of my leaving every bit as real as the tornado warning looming over us, I feel oddly nostalgic. Like I want to hold on to this moment a little longer.
The lights flicker off for good and the howling becomes louder. Rylie is no longer distracted and buries her head against my chest. I hug her tight and kiss her hair.
“It’s okay, Ry. I promise. I’ll keep you safe. I won’t let you down.”
She clings to me for what feels like hours until her sobs and terror fade away. The storms long subside and the lights come back on, but I don’t get up from the tub. And she makes no moves to get up either. I just hold her—I hold my own childhood a little while longer as my future beckons for me to grow up and become a man. Her breathing is soft and even, but she’s not asleep. It’s as though she knows I need this moment.
I’m lost in twisting a strand of her hair when I hear a sweet sigh.
“My babies.”
I dart my eyes to the doorway. Mom stands there wearing a bright smile. She’s soaked from the rain and her hair is a mess, but she’s beautiful.
“Tornado sirens,” I explain.
She nods and her smile fades. “A small one ripped through town. There were some uprooted trees and missing shingles near the shop. I’m just glad you’re both okay.”
Absently, I stroke my fingers through Rylie’s hair. “Who will sit in the bathtub with her once I go to college?”
Rylie flinches in my grip and I find myself patting her back to comfort her.
“Don’t worry about stuff like that, Huds. Just worry about getting yourself an education. Rylie’s a big girl. She’ll surprise you one day.”
I wake up to the feeling of someone watching me. In the dark. It would be alarming except I know it’s just Rylie. Her fingertips are running along my scalp through my hair. Offering me the same sort of comfort I gave her. It feels good, so I can see why she likes it. I drift in and out of sleep as she touches my head. When her fingertips skate along my jaw, I’m wide awake. She runs them along my throat to my pectoral muscle through my shirt. Then, she splays her palm there. I cover her hand with mine, letting her know I’m awake and here for her.
“Do you want to talk?” I ask, my voice raspy from sleep.
“No.”
I smile in the dark. Her sassy one-word answer reminds me of when we were kids. “You remember when I used to try to con you into making me food all the time?”
Her body stiffens. “It never worked.”
“Sometimes it did. If I was extra nice to you,” I say, amusement in my tone.
She relaxes. “You were so mean. All you had to do was say please and I would’ve done anything for you.”
We’re quiet for a moment.
“Talk to me then,” I murmur. “Please.”
“I feel so alone,” she whispers, her voice barely audible.
“You’re not alone, though. You have me.”
She swallows and burrows against me, as though she can climb right inside me to seek shelter. “I don’t, though.”
“Just a few more weeks and then I’ll be off for spring break. I’ll come back home. Maybe we can do something fun. Go to the movies or float down the river or go camping,” I tell her. “You have me. I’m right here. I’ve been a shitty brother, I know, but I want to try harder for you. Mom and Dad would want us to get along and lean on each other during this time.”
“I want that too,” she says after a few minutes.
I run my fingers back through her hair. She shivers and snuggles closer. When her leg brushes against my cock, I let out a hiss.
“Stop wiggling so much,” I complain.
“Sorry.”
She settles and I try to ignore the fact blood is now pumping to my dick. It reminds me I still have to tell Amy about Jada. The secret is eating me alive.
“I cheated on Amy,” I admit to my sister. “A girl named Jada.”
“What?”
Swallowing down the disgust at myself, I nod. “I…I…I was lonely too.” It’s a shitty answer, but it’s the only one I’ve got.
“Are you going to tell her?” she asks.
“Yeah. Eventually.”
“We’re fucked up,” she says with a small laugh.
I grin and kiss her hair. “That we are, heathen. That we are.”
“She’ll forgive you.” Her fingers trek back up the front of my chest to my neck. “She’ll probably cry a lot, though.”
A groan escapes me. “Yeah.”
“Do you ever wonder if she’s really the one, Huds? Just because you two will have a baby doesn’t mean you have to stay with her. Does she even make you happy?” Her curious fingers are back on my face and her thumb runs along my bottom lip.