Unbidden (Brighton Academy Book 1)

by Cala Riley

  “That’s a great idea,” V tells her.

  “You guys, we don’t have to. I’m sure whatever you guys normally do will be fine,” I reply.

  If I’m even here.

  “Nope, I’ve made up my mind. This Fourth will be one for the books,” Tinsley tells me with conviction in her eyes while setting down her phone.

  “Your turn,” I say softly.

  “I love ice skating,” she starts with a gleam in her eyes. “There’s nothing like it. Speeding around on blades, cold biting my cheeks—ugh, it’s so exhilarating. I took lessons when I was little but stopped. Anyways, about two years ago now Reed, Keaton, and I went to Vancouver. We were supposed to meet our parents there, but they never showed. I spent the first couple of days on the mountain with the boys, but I really wanted to go ice skating. I never said anything though, because let’s face it, ice skating is totally not their thing. But on the last night, Reed and Keaton woke me up and told me to get out of bed about midnight, and they convinced me to let them blindfold me. When they took the blindfold off, we were standing in front of an empty ice rink, not a soul in sight, the lights on with clean ice. God, I must’ve skated for over an hour without stopping, and the whole time, Reed and Keaton just sat there in the cold and watched. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so loved before then. Don’t get me wrong. I know they love me, but they knew what I wanted more than anything but wouldn’t ask for.”

  “Jesus, who knew the Yates boys had hearts?” I murmur.

  “Dammit, now I kind of want to hug one of them.” V sighs.

  Tinsley and I laugh.

  “Yeah, I don’t think Reed would enjoy that, but Keaton, on the other hand…,” Tinsley teases.

  ∞∞∞

  I roll over in bed and see Tinsley still knocked out cold. I look to the little sitting area she has in her room and find V still on the couch where she passed out last night, the blanket I covered her with now halfway off her. I slide out of bed as slowly and quietly as possible so I don’t wake either of them. After doing my business in the bathroom and splashing my face with water, I head downstairs.

  I head to the kitchen, desperate for some coffee, only to stop dead in my tracks at the sight in front of me.

  “I can feel you staring, Sage,” Reed rumbles.

  “Sorry, I thought I was imagining things,” I mutter.

  I take in Reed while he can’t see me, watching his shirtless back ripple with silent laughter, his muscles rolling with each fluid movement. I peek lower and find black mesh basketball shorts low on his hips. I snap my eyes up when he turns to look at me.

  “Good morning,” he offers.

  “Morning.” I sigh. “Coffee?”

  He points to a Keurig off to the left of him with a spatula. “Help yourself.”

  Oh fuck, he has the V. Don’t drool. Whatever you do, don’t drool.

  I make my way over to the Keurig, grab a cup, and then pick out my little pod of joy and pop it in, starting the coffee. I turn back and watch Reed while leaning against the corner of the counter.

  “Pancakes?” I ask.

  “Mmhmm. Make ’em every Sunday morning for Tinsley and Keaton.”

  “That's sweet.”

  “If you say so,” he replies while taking two pancakes off the griddle.

  My coffee brews, and I turn to finish doctoring it. I search the counter but come up empty. “Sugar?”

  I feel Reed come up behind me and pin me between him and the counter. I barely contain my gasp.

  “Right here,” he rumbles against my neck while grabbing the sugar from the cabinet above.

  “Thank you,” I whisper.

  “My pleasure,” he softly tells me while moving my hair to the other side and running his nose along my neck.

  “Reed,” I warn.

  “Yes?” His voice is tinged with humor.

  “I think your pancakes are burning.”

  “That's okay. I made plenty, and I quite like where I am.” He laughs while moving a tiny bit closer, his chest flush with my back as he trails his hands softly down my sides.

  “Are you excited to see me, Reed?” I tease while trying to cover up how turned on I am.

  “It’s those thigh-high socks. Who knew they could be so sexy?” he teases right back.

  “Reed? We’re not doing this,” I warn.

  “We will, just not today. But you better get used to the idea of us, Sage, because we’re going to happen,” he states before kissing my neck. He pushes off me and goes back to the pancakes.

  I sigh and grab the sugar, pouring some into my cup before placing it back in the cabinet and shutting it. I pick up my cup and walk over to the fridge to take out the creamer.

  “I don’t know why you’re pushing this, Reed.” My voice is full of frustration.

  “Because I want you.” He shrugs.

  “Yeah, well, just because you want something doesn’t mean you get it,” I deadpan.

  “We shall see.” He winks as someone walks into the kitchen. “Good morning, Keat. How’d you sleep?”

  “Good. You two haven’t killed each other yet?” Keaton teases.

  “Eh, the day is still young,” I reply, causing him to throw his head back in laughter.

  “So true, little fox, so true. What are your plans for the day?” he asks.

  “I actually need to go wake V up so we can head home and get ready to leave for Stowe. Thanks for the coffee, Reed,” I tell him while slipping off my stool.

  “Anytime, Sage. Anytime,” he calls over his shoulder.

  ∞∞∞

  I’m sitting on the couch with an unopened book in my lap, unable to tear my gaze from the window. Snow is falling softly outside. I’ve seen snow before but nothing quite as peaceful as this.

  A knock sounds at the door, and I turn to find Aunt Alice.

  “Hey,” I greet her.

  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she asks, nodding towards the window.

  “It is,” I tell her while turning back to look outside.

  “I swear before here, I was never a fan of winter. At home it’s a hassle. Snow and slush just delay our schedules, constantly putting us behind for several months a year. But here? Here it’s soothing. It gives you a reason to slow down and appreciate the people and things around us.”

  “I never really thought about it, but that’s true.”

  “I sent Victoria and Richard out for some s’mores stuff.”

  “Oh?” I say with a raised brow.

  “I figured it would be a good time to talk,” she continues without looking at me.

  “About?” I trace the cover of the book I’ve been holding.

  “I wanted to know how you’re adjusting. You’ve been with us for a while now.”

  “Honestly?” I ask softly.

  “Always honestly,” she replies with some hesitation in her voice.

  “I’m happy. Happier than I thought I would be.”

  I watch her relax out of the corner of my eye.

  “That’s good. That’s all Richard and I could ask for. We always wanted a larger family, but it wasn’t in the cards for us,” she says with a shrug. “And I know you’re not ours, but we love you like you’re our own. We love you so much that if you still decide to leave once you’re eighteen, we’ll understand. We just hope you don’t.”

  “I don’t know what I’ll do, but I do appreciate your support. I don’t know if I’ve said it or not, but thank you. You and Richard didn’t have to take me in, and you did. You made me feel included, like I belonged. I honestly don’t think you realize how big of a deal that is, but I do.”

  “You will always belong with us, Sage, no matter what.” There’s so much conviction in her eyes, and I know she truly means it.

  A door slamming breaks the moment.

  “Honey, I’m home,” Richard yells up the stairs.

  Aunt Alice and I look at each other and start giggling at his antics.

  “Come on. That fire and the s’mores are calling
our names,” she says while offering me a hand.

  “Hey, Alice.” I stop her at the edge of the room.

  “Yeah?”

  “I think I’m ready to have that conversation.”

  “About your father?” she asks softly.

  “Yeah, I think it’s time.”

  “Let’s hold off until after we get home, and then I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.” She squeezes my hand.

  “Sounds good.”

  Chapter Twenty

  “Thank you for coming.”

  When I told Alice I was ready to hear about my mom’s past, she said she would love to tell me, but she felt someone else should be involved in the conversation—my father. I’d never met him and didn’t even know his name. She left the decision up to me, but in the end, I decided it would be best to hear him out. From what she says, the man has been wanting to get to know me for a long time.

  Alice comes around the corner, and I don’t hide the surprise on my face as Elijah walks in behind her.

  “Hello, Sage.”

  “Elijah?” I look between the two questioningly.

  “I have a lot of explaining to do,” he says. “That is, if you’re willing to listen.”

  I close my mouth and nod. Elijah takes the chair across from the couch I’m on, while Alice sits on the love seat.

  “Abi was always such a free spirit,” Alice begins. “I loved how she always dreamed big and didn’t let anyone hold her back. I know you saw her as someone who conformed to the way the high class lives, but those pictures weren’t the real her. She played the game because Father required it. He was a senile old man who would use whatever punishments necessary to teach a lesson. He’d been a ruthless businessman, yet an even more merciless family man. It’s a surprise he didn’t kill your mom’s spirit long before.”

  I smile at the thought of my mom being free. She always said this life suffocated her.

  “She dated and did whatever Father demanded, but she also had a life on the side. She would go out to art shows, concerts, and clubs. She wanted to live her life to the fullest.”

  “I always knew Abi from afar,” Elijah interjects, “but she changed my life one day.”

  He gives me a sad smile.

  “The day we officially met was a tough day for me. It was the first anniversary of my wife dying. I was in a bad place. I was trying to remind myself that Martha wouldn’t have wanted me to continue to wallow and be disconnected from the world. I had begged for a sign that I wouldn’t always feel this hole in my heart when Abi walked in. It was a little diner off Chesapeake. She was beautiful, but that’s not what caught my attention. It was the pure joy on her face. I marveled at how easily her smile came. I wished I could feel an ounce of that happiness, and then she turned her smile on me. She took the seat next to me at the counter before striking up a conversation with the waitress. Once she ordered, she turned to me.”

  Elijah pauses for a moment, lost in a memory. I wait patiently as he works through his mind.

  “You know, I can still tell you every word of our conversation. It’s still as clear as day to me. I confided in her. A nineteen-year-old girl who knew nothing of the pain I felt, yet I still felt I could tell her about what had been weighing me down. As soon as the last words spilled from my mouth, I felt the weight lessen. I felt a tiny pinch of grief settle.”

  I give him a watery smile. “She was always trying to make others feel better.”

  The smile he returns is much like my own. “I’m glad that didn’t change. I worried about her after everything she went through here.”

  “What happened?” I prompt when it looks like he’s lost again.

  “Sorry.” He clears his throat. “I enjoyed her company. I wanted to see her again, just as friends, but I knew I couldn’t ask that. So I left the ball in her court. I told her I went there every day at the same time. It wasn’t true, but I couldn’t stand the thought of losing the sunshine she brought with her. She smiled at me and said she would come and see me. It took a week before she came back. I showed up every single day, losing hope, but the moment she walked through the door, the time wasted was nothing. We became friends. I don’t know when it became more. Honestly, I would have never imagined myself touching another woman after my Martha.”

  He gives me a sheepish smile. “I loved your mother, Sage. I truly did. But Martha was my one. Your mother knew and accepted that. She said that while Martha fulfilled a piece of me, she wasn’t there to fill that piece. Abi was there to be her own piece and fit in elsewhere. She was always so understanding. She always said she didn’t mind sharing me with Martha.”

  Alice squeezes my hand gently. I glance up as she mouths, “You okay?” to me. I nod slightly.

  “Anyway, I can’t pinpoint the moment it changed, but one day, it did. I felt more for her than just a friend. I knew it was wrong. She was basically twenty years my junior. Hell, she went to school with my youngest son. I tried to break it off, but she took it hard. Then I stopped meeting up with her. That didn’t stop her though. She showed up at my house demanding I tell her a reason why I was avoiding her. She was feisty, like you.”

  I smile.

  “When I sputtered out that I had inappropriate feelings for her, I thought she would run. Instead she kissed me. I was shocked, but I let her. Then she told me she felt the same. We agreed that we should keep it quiet for the time being since we didn’t even know what it was. It wasn’t until months later when we knew we loved each other that we discussed telling people. That’s about the same time we found out Abi was pregnant with you. I was so happy to have you, Sage. You have to believe me. I wanted you. Please don’t think I ever didn’t.”

  I smile weakly but urge him to continue.

  “We met with your grandfather to tell him the news. I knew he wouldn’t approve, but he took it harder than even I thought. He punched me, then threw me out on my ass. I figured he would calm down and then we could talk about it like normal human beings. Instead, he forbade Abi from seeing me. I tried to contact her, but it seemed someone else was always around running interference. Then one day she disappeared.”

  “She didn’t disappear from just him. She disappeared from all of us,” Alice picks up the story. “After they told Father, he lost his shit. He trashed his office, all while screaming at Abi. He told her he wanted her to abort it and even made the appointment. He wanted to go with her, but I talked him into letting me go instead. When we got there, she didn’t want to do it. I’ll be honest, I didn’t want her to do it either. So we made a plan. She would hide it until she couldn’t, and then she would go off and have the baby. Once you were born, she could come back and everything would be great. She was planning to come back and live with Elijah. She had it all planned, but she had to pretend not to love him anymore, so she dated boys that Father set her up with. She followed his rules up until the moment she knew she had to go. Then she took a bag full of cash and left. She promised to keep in touch, but those first few months were hard. Then she had you, and she said she couldn’t come back. She said Father threatened to ruin Elijah.” She turns to Elijah. “She loved you. She said she couldn’t live with herself if anything happened to you, that if she came back, she would spend her life waiting for the shoe to drop. Waiting for Father to finally make his move. So she stayed away. She called periodically, but I could tell she was drifting further and further from us. Her hour-long calls turned into minute calls.”

  She hesitates for a few minutes, wiping a tear from her eye.

  “Once Father died, I tried to find her, but she was nowhere to be found. We couldn’t even find a trace of the last alias she used. I searched for months, but I didn’t find her. What I found was a foster child who resembled her. My niece.”

  Her sad eyes meet mine. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get there sooner.”

  “Getting there sooner wouldn’t have changed anything. I truly believe everything happens for a reason. I didn’t want my mom to die, but I know that if it was her
time to go, then there was nothing anyone could do about it.” I pause. “You’re all here now. I know I’ve been difficult, but I’m willing to give this place a real shot if you guys are willing to give me one. I’m so tired of being on guard all the time.” I turn to Elijah. “I’m not looking for a father. I think the ship might’ve sailed on that, but I wouldn’t mind a friend.”

  His sad smile almost makes me take back my words, but I hold firm. I don’t know if he can ever be my father, but I know I can be his friend.

  “I would like that. Could we maybe have dinner once a week?”

  I smile. “I think we can make arrangements for that.”

  For once, I feel like things are falling into place.

  -

  I feel like a whole new woman. I know that sounds silly, but I really do. Now that I’ve let go of my preconceived notions about this life, things have been great.

  My friends have been great as ever. Ingram has backed off ever since she was suspended for a week after our fight. Elijah and I have spent every Thursday evening having dinner together.

  The only uncertain part of my life has been Reed. I’m still not sure how I should feel about him. He’s been kind and attentive to me for a while now, but I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. I guess when a friendship starts on such rocky ground like ours did, it’s hard to trust that he won’t revert back to who he was.

  What are his true colors? Was he ever truly into me or was it another game?

  Needless to say, things have been stilted with us. Some days he’s flirty while others he’s moody. But even when he’s moody, he still tries to go out of his way to hold my hand or kiss my cheek.

  Alas, he hasn’t tried to take it any further, much to my lady parts’ dismay. Ever since Samhain, all I can think about is the way he touched me. The feelings he evoked inside me were unlike any others before. I can’t tell you how many nights I stayed up replaying that night, attempting to recreate the feelings in the comfort of my bed. All it ended up doing was leaving me feeling even more unsatisfied.