by Shelly Crane
"What?"
I laughed and got in my side. "It's called a surprise for a reason, Em."
She punched my arm playfully and giggled when I reached under her thigh to tickle her. I could see that she was about to retaliate, so I surrendered.
The radio played a really great Killers song and I turned it up. She put her head on my shoulder, letting her fingers run across and trace one of the tattoos on my arm. I couldn't keep the smile off my face. Emma was graduating even after everything she'd been through. And not just that, she was number twenty two in her class of two hundred after missing months of school.
She worked her ever-loving buns off. I was so proud of her it was ridiculous.
We went past my house and then her house. She gave me a curious look, but didn't say anything. Just smiled and enjoyed the ride. She trusted me and that was something that I felt like I hadn't had in a long time. Trust.
Milo was still Milo. He hated my guts and that wouldn't change. Emma and I had gone to get him one night this week and I vowed to never do it again, but I knew that was a lie. I'd do it as many times as it took. He was my brother and I loved him, even if he didn't reciprocate. And Emma was a trooper as always. She fawned over him when he threw up on the curb and then again when I had to stop to let him throw up some more. He didn't even push off her efforts like he did me, and she seemed so eager to help, so it was a good partnership, I guess.
And she was good with my mom, too. Every day after I picked her up from school, she went and read the same chapter to my mom in her book. Every. Day. Same. Chapter. Mom couldn't remember that she'd already read it a million times, and she couldn't remember Emma's name, always calling her Mariah.
I took Mom to the doctor and went through her daily life like we always did at her check-ups. When I told the doctor about Emma, about how Mom always calls her Mariah, he was very intrigued. I explained it all and he in turn explained what fascinated him about it.
He said, "It's not that she calls her by the wrong name, it's that she calls her by the same wrong name every time." I must've looked confused because he explained further. "She never met this Emma before the accident, correct?" I nodded. "Then she shouldn't be able to remember her at all. She remembers her every time she sees her."
I got it and it gave me hope, but he quickly shot me down. "Don't get too excited. It doesn't mean that anything is changing in her brain, it doesn't really mean anything. It's just fascinating how the mind works. When little miracles like that happen, we just take them as they come."
I agreed and when I told Emma later, she cried. I knew she would. She felt close to my mom in a way the rest of us never could be. The fact that my mom had some kind of weird connection with her was amazing. It made me fall in love with her a little bit more every time I saw them laugh together, or when Emma pretended that she hadn't seen that daggum episode of The Price is Right a hundred times already, or when Mom freaked when she saw me and didn't remember me being this old, Emma would bring her some hot tea and the photo albums.
God, thank you for her. I loved her more than any man had a right to.
So now, as I drove her to my surprise and held her small hand in mine, I didn't have any doubt that I'd marry her one day, and she'd go to college to be whatever she wanted to be, and she'd have a little girl that looked just like her and had my eyes. I wasn't going to ask her to marry me today, no, but I was going to ask her one day. And she'd say yes because she loved me, too.
We drove for almost two hours, talking about everything but where we were going. She had school tomorrow and we were going to be late getting home so, even though she was nineteen years old, an adult, and didn't really need their permission, I asked her parents' permission anyway out of respect. They were warming up to me more and more every day, especially after what happened. I thought they'd hate me after that, but...the opposite seemed to be true.
When we pulled into the apple orchard, she looked confused, but amused. "Apples, huh?"
We pulled further into the field and she saw all the cars first, and then the booths and rides. Then the huge sign tied across the poles that said, "Dragonfly Festival". She gasped and looked at me. Her eyes were wide and awe-filled. "How did you..."
"I have my ways." I grinned as I pulled into a parking spot and came to her door. She looked up at me like I was more than I was. More than a poor boy that had nothing to offer, more than a tattooed guy who always had to prove he was something from judging eyes, more than I deserved.
I took her face in my hands and then took her mouth. That mouth that owned me, that mouth that made me forgot who and what I was and made me feel like I was better than all that. Her whimper as she went to her tiptoes and the way she gripped at the hair on the back of my neck had my pulse rioting in my ears.
As I pulled away, she held on tighter and slipped her tongue past my lips. My eyes rolled into the back of my head and I turned us to press her to the side of the car. She laughed happily into my mouth and that was it for me. I took another long pull from those lips and then leaned back. "OK, we've gotta stop."
She laughed at me and fell back on her feet from her tiptoes. "Is this my surprise?" Her voice was light and happy.
"Maybe," I said coyly and grinned at her as I locked her door and shut it. "I have a lot of surprises for you tonight."
"I need to call Isabella."
"I handled it. It's all good."
"Really?" I nodded. She bit into her lip and took my hand with both of hers. "Thanks."
"Welcome, baby."
We played every game there, we rode all the rides, I watched as she got sparkly dragonfly temporary tattoos on her hand and arm, and she ate enough cotton candy to hyperactivate six small children. We ate corn dogs and greasy fries for supper.
Then the lights went down and a live band started to play cover songs. They shut off all the street and spot lights, and all that was left was the twinkling string lights strung above the field. I couldn't have imagined anything better. When she sighed at it, I almost laughed. I pulled her to me, holding her hand on my chest, and led her as the band played.
I leaned down and put my mouth to her ear. "Do you know what we're doing right now?"
She laughed. "Yeah, Yoda. Dancing."
I nodded, my nose rubbing her cheek. "Yeah, dancing. In a field. You can cross off number five now."
I heard her breath catch a little. "Oh..." She pulled back just enough to see me. "Was this part of my surprise?"
I nodded. "We're going to put a hundred things on that list, and somehow, someway, I'm going to help you cross them all off."
She smiled, her eyes welling. "Thank you. This is better than anything you could buy me. You know that, right?"
"Hey," I chuckled. "It was just too good to pass up. Dancing in a field and dragonflies. Two birds, one stone."
She laughed and pulled me down to kiss her. My hands moved to her hips, and we swayed, moved, pulled and frustrated ourselves for hours out there as the band played in the dark.
When we finally walked back to the car, I was physically restraining myself. The ride home was going to be torture. It was after midnight and we had a long ride home.
"Are you going to be OK to drive?" she asked as I opened the creaky door for her.
"Course. Besides," I growled and nipped at her bottom lip, "I want you so bad right now that I won't sleep for a week."
"Hey, it's your fault," she said and laughed. She reached into my back pockets, knowing exactly what she was doing. She kissed my neck. "You're the one with hands that-"
"Uh huh," I groaned. "You've got to stop."
She laughed. I felt my scowl in place, but that just made her laugh more. She wrapped her arms around my neck. "I love you. Thank you for this."
"You know the first time I really, seriously fell in love with you?"
She shook her head. I pulled the note she wrote me all those weeks ago, the note I've kept in my pocket ever since. Her...tribute to the Useless Facts book I'd gotten her.
Her smiled turned a little shy and she laughed under her breath. "You're still carrying that thing?"
"I told you, it was the first time I knew that you were going to be mine. I carry it with my every day because I love you."
She opened it and laughed before reading it out loud, "Turtles can breathe through their butts." We both laughed as she continued. "I just wanted you to see what you were giving a young, impressionable mind to read. I can't stop reading it. It's addictive. Thank you so much. P.S. I miss you when you're not here - Emma." She folded it back up and put it back in my pocket. "That's still true," she muttered softly.
"I'm glad." I let my hand move to her back pocket, her backside under my palm, and my fingers of the other snuck inside the back of her jeans. She loved to touch my ink even when she couldn't see them. I could see the appeal now and I couldn't wait to see her tattoo again. "All in all, I just want you to be happy again, whatever that looks like, Em."
She smiled a sexy smile and kissed my lips. "You don't have to try so hard, Mason," she said against my lips. "We're there."
Thank you
_______________________
The irony from the fact that I developed a tumor in my head while writing a book about a girl who was in a coma from a head injury has not escaped me. Between all the spinal shots from when I broke my neck and now all the tests and doctors visits from this, writing this book was challenging. I was late on my deadline and release date, which is something through twelve other book releases I've never had to deal with before. But with the weight off of my shoulders, I finished the book at my own slow pace and I kinda missed writing that way. No deadline.
I'm so glad it's out and finished now, and I have a few people to thank for motivating and sending me love in the form of texts, emails, Will Ferrel pics, and goodies to check on me and keep me cheery. Jen Nunez, *points finger* you and me, me and you, you know! Amy Bartol, you are the queen of sarcasm and wit and I miss you like an insane person. Georgia Cates, my southern bell, Mwah! Anne Eliot, those flowers were better than ANY flower ever, on the planet. Mandy Twimom, blogger #1, I heart you for always being awesome when I need something. Mary Smith, you're the sweetest and I thank you for all the blog love. YATR, same goes for you. I notice all the sharing, I see it, thank you. Candace Selph, you and your formatting skills are amazing and just...thank, thank you! Cynthia S, Mwah, mwah, mwah!! There are a few fans in particular that I see and notice every day. You comment, you share, you post, you send me messages asking me how I'm doing. I heart you the most! Just to name a few: Marcia W, Maggie T, Jenny & Mike B, Stacey B, Kathryn J, Kimberly S, Kathryn G, Jody D, Liz J, Nanette B, Kerry H, & Bridget T. ((HUGS))
Playlist
(theme song) Nobody Else Could Be You : Jason Reeves
Lover of the Light : Mumford and Sons
Forest Whitaker : Bad Books
Stubborn Love : The Lumineers
Black Chandelier : Biffy Clyro
The Way It Was : Killers
Nothing Left To Say : Imagine Dragons
Slow and Steady : Of Monsters and Men
Heart Skips a Beat : Olly Murs
Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall : Coldplay
ON Our Way : Jason Reeves
Harbour Lights : A Silent Film
Heartbeats : Royal Teeth
Living Louder : The Cab
Give Me Love : Ed Sheeran
Sleep Alone : Two Door Cinema Club
(Mason's Therapy Jam) Keep Your Head Up : Andy Grammar
Shelly is a YA author from a small town in Georgia and loves everything about the south. She is wife to a fantastical husband and stay at home mom to two boisterous and mischievous boys who keep her on her toes. They currently reside in everywhere USA as they happily travel all over with her husband's job. She loves to spend time with her family, binge on candy corn, go out to eat at new restaurants, buy paperbacks at little bookstores, site see in the new areas they travel to, listen to music everywhere and also LOVES to read.
Her own books happen by accident and she revels in the writing and imagination process. She doesn't go anywhere without her notepad for fear of an idea creeping up and not being able to write it down immediately, even in the middle of the night, where her best ideas are born.
Shelly's website:
www.shellycrane.blogspot.com
Turn the page for a preview of the next novel by Shelly Crane...
Smash Into You
One
It was a case of mistaken identity.
The worst kind.
The kind that ended with appalled, parted lips and evil glares.
The girl was cute enough. Cute wasn't the problem nor the solution for me. I needed to blend and be invisible in the most plain-as-day way and girls like this, girls who just walked up to guys because they had hope somewhere deep inside them that I would fall for that pretty face, were the opposite of plain-as-day. Those kinds of girls got guys killed. At least the kind that were on the run.
She had mistaken me for a normal guy.
And this girl who approached, who could see that I was already surrounded by two, which was more girls than I knew what to do with, must've thought I had a hankering for something sweet. Because when she spoke, her words were soft and almost made me want to get to know her instead of send her packing. But I couldn’t stay in this town. It was better to hurt her now when she wasn't invested than it would be to leave one day without a trace.
The girls who were currently soaking up my attention - that they thought they had - they'd move on to their next prey and forget I ever existed. But sweet girls got attached and asked questions.
Don't stop running…
I swallowed and stared bored at her as she finally made her way to me from across the hall. She tucked her hair behind her ear gently and smiled a little. "Hi, uh, can I just-"
Showtime. "Honey, that's real sweet, but I'm not interested." I slid my arm around one of my groupies. I didn't even know her name, but they were always within arm's reach. "As you can see I have my hands full already, but thanks for offering."
She scoffed and looked completely shocked. I took her in, head to foot. She was cute. She had a great little body on her and her face was almond shaped. He lips looked…sweet. She was not the kind I wanted within ten feet of me. She was still standing there. I had to send her packing.
I grinned as evilly as I could muster and felt a small twinge of guilt at the vulnerable look of her. I looked away quickly. I didn't even want to remember her face. "Run along, sweetheart. Go find a tuba player, I'm sure he's more your speed. Like I said, I'm not interested."
She didn't glare, and that was a first. Most of the girls who approached a guy were confident, I mean that was the reason they thought they had a chance, right? But she looked a little…destroyed. When her lips parted, it was in shock, it was to catch her breath. I continued my bored stance, though at this point, it pained me in my chest.
But I was doing the best thing for this and any other girl. People who got involved with me were collateral damage when Biloxi came around. He was a ruthless bastard and if he found me and knew someone cared about me, or worse, that I cared about someone, he'd be all over them.
So when she turned without a word and swiftly made her way down the hall, I was thankful. I probably saved her life, though she had no idea. She thought I was an ass, but I was really looking out for her. That's what I told myself as I watched her go. That I had hurt her feelings for a reason, and that she'd get over it.
A slender hand crawled over my collar.
"What's this from?" she asked in a purr and slid her thumb over the long scar from my ear all the way to my chin. "Mmm, it's so sexy."
It followed my jaw line and it was not sexy. Unfortunately, it wasn't the first time some girl had said as much and it pissed me off to no end that they thought that, let alone said it out loud.
It was my reminder of what happened when I let my guard down and it was anything but sexy.
I bit down on my
retort and sent her a small smile that showed her I was listening, but she had to work for my attention. "Is that right?"
"Mmhmm," she said and kissed my jaw. "I have a little scar, too." She pointed to the place between her breasts. "Right here. Wanna see it?"
I managed a chuckle. "Is there really a scar there?"
"Pick me up tonight and you can find out," she purred, making her friend giggle.
"Don't think so. Busy."
"Ahhh, boo." She pouted and let her other hand hook a finger into my waistband. "Well here's something to keep you company tonight."
And then she pulled me down by my collar and kissed me. I tried not to cringe away, but her lip gloss was sticky and sweet. When she tried to open my mouth with her tongue I pushed her away gently with my hands wrapped around her bony arms.
"Let's keep this PG, honey. Settle down."
She giggled. I knew she would.
It was the last week of school. It was my last week to pretend that I was still in high school. The next time I made a move to evade Biloxi, I'd enroll in college because I was getting too old to be a high schooler. I didn't know where I was going. I would have graduated from high school years ago, but at the rate I was going, I didn't know if I would have actually graduated or not. School was not a place of learning for me, it was a cover, a place to blend in and be normal until Biloxi found me and then I'd be gone to the next place.
This was my life. No time or want for girls, no parties, no movies, no parents.
This was my life, but it wasn't a life at all.
Two
Six months and one lonely birthday later…
College sucked.
The big one.
I had only been going to class for a couple of days and was already dreading the long classes. It was part of my cover. I practically chanted those words in my mind as I trudged everywhere I went. But one thing remained the same. Desperate girls ran rampant and I still wasn't interested. Every once in a while, they were good for a distraction if need be, but mostly…not interested. There was this one chick, Kate, who would not take no for a answer. She'd 'found' me over the summer when I was apartment hunting and hadn't 'lost' me yet, no matter how hard I tried. To get her to go away one time, I'd even given her my phone number. I was going to ditch it in a couple weeks anyway when I undoubtedly had to move again, so it didn't matter, right?
