Braided Strings

by Kaprice Potter

  Braided Strings

  Kaprice Potter

  Braided Strings

  Copyright © 2014 by Kaprice Potter. All rights reserved.

  First Print Edition: May 2014

  Limitless Publishing, LLC

  Kailua, HI 96734

  www.limitlesspublishing.com

  Formatting: Limitless Publishing

  ISBN-13: 978-1499105629

  ISBN-10: 1499105622

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

  Dedication

  For Momma, who was always my biggest encouragement. And for Chelsie and Kyle, who do their best to pick up the slack.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  Two pink lines. Cara knew exactly what that meant, but she had to blink several times to be sure she wasn’t imagining the results. She hadn’t expected that the test would be positive, despite her period being more than two weeks late. She wasn’t sure that she was ready for a child, and she knew that Delaney wasn’t. For the first time since they had met, she was nervous about seeing him. And she had two days until his upcoming visit to sit with the thoughts and feelings, and decide how she was going to tell him that they were going to be parents.

  Despite being friends for more than three years, they had only been a couple for a short time. During high school, the timing had never been right for the two of them to be anything more. Both admittedly had commitment issues, though for very different reasons.

  Delaney was ambitious and dedicated to his future, claiming that when he settled down it would be with a woman that demanded all of his attention. He wouldn’t be able to get his mind off her, and wouldn’t want to. To his mind, he needed to be in a certain place in his life before that could happen – his career settled and his rebellion behind him.

  Cara, on the other hand, was emotional—a bleeding heart, some said. She felt the pain of her loved ones so deeply that it rarely left room for her own pain. As she got older she built a wall preventing people from getting close enough for empathy, but that didn’t erase the scars of the past. It was those scars that prevented her from any level of intimacy with another person.

  But Delaney had changed that. He had slowly eased his way into her life, and made himself such a prominent fixture that she was no longer sure she could see her future without him. Looking back to the pregnancy test she was holding in her hand, she was reminded that there was no longer a future without him. No matter how he responded to the news, he was always going to be a part of her life, in a very big way.

  ***

  The weekend came, and Delaney with it. Cara was feeling like something was off, and about to go horribly wrong. She couldn’t place what, though.

  “Hey, Cricket,” Delaney said as he swept Cara into a hug. “Missed you.”

  “Missed you, too.” Cara squeezed him tight, hoping to squelch her feeling of dread. The familiar feel of his arms around her gave her some the peace she was looking for, but not all.

  “What are we doing this weekend?”

  “Not sure, but whatever it is, I have to tell you something first.”

  “Okay, that doesn’t sound good. What is it?”

  Cara took a deep breath. She sat down on the small bed in her dorm room.

  “I took a test, Del.” The relief of getting the words out came quickly, and she paused to let it sink in fully. “A pregnancy test. It was positive.”

  Delaney sat down on the edge of the bed next to her. Staring at the floor, he rubbed his hands over his thighs.

  “Are you sure? Did you take more than one test? Is there a chance you read it wrong?”

  Cara only shook her head. She had been expecting a panicked response from him. He was traditional and young. She knew that he didn’t want a family now, and neither of them were sure that they wanted a family with each other.

  “Maybe we should take you to a doctor? Have you seen a doctor yet?”

  “No, Del, I haven’t. Listen to me. I am just as scared as you are, but do you really think your freaking out is helping anything at all? We can’t change it.”

  “We can, and you know it.”

  Cara fumed. She knew what he was saying, just as well as he knew what her response would be.

  “So I guess I should say I won’t change it. We were old enough to take the risk, whatever it was. I’m not going to live my life with regrets because it scares you. You know how I feel about it, and I won’t do it.”

  “I know, I’m sorry. I just don’t know how to handle this, Cara. We’ve only been a couple for a minute. And now you’re telling me that we have to put everything aside for a kid, all of our goals and dreams.”

  “I don’t think that’s what I’m telling you at all, Del. I am prepared to do that, because I knew there was a chance when I slept with you. There always is. But if you can’t do it, then I don’t expect you to. I’m not going to be the reason you give up what you want, and then you end up hating me. I’ll handle it on my own. I’ve never needed help before.”

  Delaney could see that Cara was putting her wall back up, and he wanted to say something to stop her but he couldn’t find the words. She was giving him the out that she thought he wanted, and that he was sure he wanted as well. Maybe it would change, but for now, he was going to take it.

  “I think we both need to take some time to think about where we go from here. It’s not the right time for us to be around each other. I’m going to get a hotel for the night and drive home in the morning. I’ll call you after I’ve had some time to think about everything.”

  “Fine. Drive safe, Del.”

  Cara didn’t move from her spot on the bed. She didn’t touch him when he left, and didn’t look up to acknowledge when he paused in her open doorway. Part of her wanted to cry and beg him to stay, but she couldn’t do it. She just let him go, and when she heard the click of the door behind him, she lay on her bed and let the tears fall.

  When Cara woke in the morning, she had an uncomfortable cramping feeling. Great, she thought. After all that, now it decides to come. Oh well, at least it happened now.

  After using the restroom, the bleeding was confirmed, so she sent a quick text to Delaney to let him know he was off the hook.

  False alarm. Period came. Don’t call, not feeling well.

  She knew he would take the hint and not call. She also knew she had no intention of calling him. Her friend—her best friend—who had been there for her whenever she needed a shoulder, panicked when she needed him most. She might be able to forgive him if he had been even a little supportive, but he hadn�
��t. He had taken the out and left her alone, like she’d always thought he would. She couldn’t get past that, no matter how hard she tried.

  Chapter 2

  The house looked exactly as it had two years before—big, warm, and welcoming. She had dreamt of the sunny yellow siding and wrap around porch, always waking up misty-eyed at the memories that the dreams incited.

  Cara Wyatt had left to pursue an education and career in fashion design just before her twentieth birthday, and was coming home for the first time in two years. The home she was now parked in front of had belonged to her best friend Delaney Blake and his family, though, not her own. The house had been a safe haven for Cara during her last three years of high school. When Cara would have normally turned inward and spent her time buried in books, Delaney drew her out of her shell and into his life, with his parents doing the same.

  And she had repaid them all by turning her back after the fight. It had not been an instant cutting of ties, but she had done everything she could to push Delaney away after he left her room that night. She tried to imagine the confusion he must have felt, and she wasn’t sure she could ever come close. He had been her rock, the one she turned to when she was in emotional turmoil, and the first person she called when she was happy. Most people had seen her as a strong-willed young woman, but Delaney had known the truth. She was hiding, and that hiding had caused an anxiety disorder that resulted in frequent panic attacks.

  Those panic attacks had ultimately been their undoing as friends. The night before she had left town, she had gone to him when the nerves had taken hold of her.

  “Del, are you awake?” Cara stood next to her best friend’s bed, tears of anxiety blurring her vision. His parents would not approve of her being in his room, but he was the only one who knew how to calm her during one of her attacks. She was completely dependent on Delaney Blake, a thought that only caused her anxiety to rise. She gently shook him and sat on the edge of his bed when he stirred.

  He rolled over, his eyes groggy and confused. “Cara, what are you doing? What’s the matter?”

  “I can’t sleep. Can we talk?”

  He knew by her tone that she was on the verge of sobbing, the kind that if she started would take hours before she relaxed. He moved over on the bed and drew the covers back so she could crawl in. She did, quietly of course, so his parents would not hear. Curling into his chest, she lay silent, just breathing in his familiar scent.

  “Cricket, what’s the matter? Are you still nervous about leaving tomorrow?”

  Cara was leaving for college in the morning, leaving the state of Minnesota for one of only a handful of times in her life. A move she had thought she needed to improve herself and become more independent. He knew it was taking its toll on her. She had never been away for longer than a weekend, and even then he had been with her to soothe the pains of homesickness and panic when it gripped her. This time he would not be there, though, and it was breaking his heart knowing she would be going through it by herself. But he was also proud of her, knowing she was taking a leap.

  “I don’t know why I thought I could do this. I can’t. I’ve never been able to even go on vacation without freaking out. If I was meant to leave, I wouldn’t have so much of a problem with it, right?”

  “Cara, you’re not meant to stay here, not indefinitely. Your nerves aren’t a sign that you should bail on your plans, or even a sign of weakness. I know that you hate change, and that you would rather never have to experience it, but this is something I think you need to do —for you. I’ll be a phone call away, every minute of every day. I’ll fly out to see you as often as I can, and you’ll be home for Christmas in just a few months. You can do this, and I’m proud of you for trying.” With each word, he stroked her hair, listening for her breathing to even. After a few minutes, she looked up at him and he could see the worst had passed.

  “You always know exactly what to say. Remind me again how I got so lucky, having you as my best friend?”

  “It was my charm, and the fact that you can’t stand teenage girls.”

  Cara giggled a little at that, and leaned up to kiss his cheek. He must have turned, and instead she laid her lips against his. When they broke apart, she could feel his gaze fixed on her, trying to gauge her expression.

  “That was unexpected,” he said, trying his best at nonchalance.

  “That’s only because you don’t pay attention,” she teased.

  She snuggled down in the bed, hoping the darkness hid the flush in her cheeks. She hadn’t wanted to complicate things between them, so she had attempted for years to conceal her true feelings. She was content to be his best friend, and all the uncomfortable moments that role meant. To her benefit, though, she was too girly to be considered just one of the guys, and she got to enjoy their cuddle time as often as possible.

  “You think?” Delaney, who was now turned to his side and leaning up on his elbow, looked intently at Cara. He put his free hand on the side of her face and leaned his forehead against hers. “Wanna try again?”

  The shock of his challenge knocked the flush from her cheeks, and she stared at him. “Are you kidding me?”

  “Nope, not at all.”

  She wasn’t sure what kind of game he was playing, but he was offering her something she had wanted for so long she wasn’t about to turn away. She tilted her head up until their lips brushed. It was slow and tender to start, but moments into the kiss, Delaney’s hand moved from her face to the nape of her neck, weaving her hair between his fingers. His mouth was moving faster and harder over hers, and she could feel the heat of the kiss radiate through her body.

  Unaware, she began pushing herself up against him, pulling his head closer with one hand and his body closer with the other. He pushed her back into the bed in response. Bracing the elbow he’d been leaning on near her head, he gripped tighter with the hand he still had entwined in her hair. She had a moment to think about the fascination she had harbored for his hands. Safe, she often said. Safe could not describe what she was feeling right now. She felt jittery and excited, nowhere near the contentment that she normally felt being near him.

  Suddenly, he pulled away from her and rolled to his back. Staring through the darkness at the ceiling, he concentrated on steadying his breathing. Cara rolled over, propping herself on her elbow now, and placed one hand on his bare chest. He was tall and lean, with a long, smooth torso. She had always found him good looking, but it seemed her previous fantasies were nothing compared to those their kiss would illicit. Everything she had ever experienced with others had been magnified with him, causing a fog to cloud her vision. She wondered if he had experienced the same thing. Surely something that intense could not be one-sided?

  “Delaney, are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. But I’ve gotta ask, now who wasn’t paying attention?”

  She laughed a little, remembering his tone. He had tried to use the light tone he reserved for correcting her, but it had come out rough and strained. She remembered thinking at that moment that everything was perfect, that they were finally on the same page. She let herself hope that when they woke in the morning and she drove away, that he would be an even stronger tie to the town she had fallen in love with in the short time she had lived there. But then she opened her mouth and took it too far.

  “Maybe neither of us, but why did you stop? I didn’t want you to.” Her eyes had adjusted, and with the sliver of moonlight through the window, she could see him turn to face her. His eyes were intense, and she knew that he wanted her just as badly as she wanted him. “I don’t want you to.” She leaned in to kiss him again.

  Moving on top of him, she straddled him at the waist, hesitant of his response. Moments ago, she had felt his erection against her thigh. It was an odd thrill knowing that she had made him feel that way. It was no secret that she was a virgin, but she was not so inexperienced that she had never gotten a boy hard. She knew, though, that she had not had the feelings and hopes for them that she had for
Delaney. That made the concept of him returning her interest more than a little empowering.

  Beginning at her hips, he rubbed his palms along her thighs, slightly kneading as he did. It was almost as if he was trying to reassure her, of what, she wasn’t sure. When his touch moved back up, she sighed a little, relieved when he moved his hand under her pajama top.

  Sliding his hands farther up her shirt, he continued his massaging motion. He reached her breasts and cupped them, rolling her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers. The sensation made them hard, and caused a wave of warm desire low in Cara’s body. When she moaned in pleasure, he moved quickly to tug her shirt over her head, discarding it on the floor.

  He leaned up and flicked one gently with his tongue, then replaced his hand with his mouth. With his licking and sucking, Cara let her head fall back and moaned. It was like he was stripping her of all muscle control, and she was completely at his mercy. As if knowing that, he lay back and moved his hands to her hips, sliding her back to position over his cock. They may have both been wearing their bottoms, but the forgiving fabric did nothing to mask his girth. Her entire body tingled with awareness as she pressed against him.

  Delaney’s breathing was getting heavier, and his grinding harder, until he flipped her back to the bed, and situated himself on his knees between her legs.

  The only sound he made was her name.

  “Del?” His name came out as a question, her voice shockingly breathy. “Please don’t stop.”

  Delaney moved to kiss her again, and slid his hand to the waist of her shorts. He started at her hip, and slid his fingers over her thigh. Moving from between her legs, he rested beside her, and stroked to her inner thigh. He could feel her warmth; she knew it was impossible not to. He moved toward it like there was some odd, magnetic pull. When he first touched her, they both stilled.