“No, I’ve got it. Go back to work,” I insisted. I leaned my dad against my old hatchback as best I could. My fingers wrapped around the door handle, and I lifted up before I pushed the button, knowing it was the only way to get the passenger door open. “You wouldn’t have been able to figure out how to open it anyway.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I’ve seen you do that a time or two in the past. Think I could’ve managed.”
“What, are you stalking me now?”
“Stalking you, no. Have you forgotten I’ve lived in the trailer beside your Gran’s my entire life?”
Of course I hadn’t forgotten. How could I ever forget someone like him living beside me my entire life? “Right.”
I pulled the passenger door open all the way. It protested with a loud squeak, but thankfully managed to stay open on its own. “Come on, Dad. Let’s get you home,” I said as I grabbed him by the shoulders, hoping to steer him through my passenger door with ease.
“So pretty. Just like your mother,” Dad murmured. “You’ve got her eyes.”
“Yeah, thanks, Dad. I know,” I said as I gave him a final shove. He fell into the seat, pulling me along with him. The car shook, causing the door to start to close. I squeezed my eyes shut, preparing for the painful blow of the metal door against my calf, but it never came.
Eli had stopped it from crushing my leg. “Here, please let me help.” His hands gripped my waist as he helped me to my feet. Electricity sizzled along my skin, causing my heart rate to spike.
I fumbled out of the way and allowed him to maneuver my dad around in the seat the right way. A gentle breeze blew, wafting Eli’s masculine scent to me. My eyes followed his every movement as my stomach fluttered. Jesus, what was it about this guy that invoked all these crazed sensations inside me?
Alec. I needed to think of Alec.
Eli’s help meant nothing besides me getting to see Alec sooner. I’d already had to cancel movie plans with him. I didn’t want to have to cancel the entire night, and if I didn’t get help situating my dad in my passenger seat, that was what I’d have to do. My time was running short. I couldn’t stand him up again. I’d already rearranged our plans twice this week. He didn’t seem to mind, but I knew having to do it a third time might bother him. He would probably think I was a flake and quit giving me the time of day.
I didn’t want that. I liked Alec too much to allow it to happen.
He was a good guy. He made me feel peaceful and content. Normal in some unexplainable way I always seemed to crave. He made me feel more than what I was.
And, he was the exact opposite of Eli Vargas.
Where Eli was dark and mysterious, Alec was sweet and charming. Where Eli was cocky and primal, Alec was southern and respectful.
They were like night and day.
“There, got him in for you, but I didn’t buckle him up. Figure that’s something you can do yourself,” Eli said as he eased away from my car and closed the door.
“Thanks.” As much as I hated to admit it, I was glad he’d helped. It was clear I’d needed someone. My dad was hammered. Again.
Gran would be pissed. Her anger wouldn’t last though; it never did. She felt as bad for him as the rest of us. Probably more. After all, he was her son.
“You do look nice tonight, Mina,” Eli said as I started around the front of my car. His words gave me pause. What was with all his compliments lately? While he had always tossed them at me from time to time, there’d never been so many strung together, and they’d never made me feel the way they did tonight—all hot and bothered. “I’m sorry if I held you up long enough to ruin your plans with that boy. I honestly didn’t mean to. I thought to ask Betty Sue to take your dad home two seconds too late.” He rubbed the back of his neck as his eyes lifted from the gravel to lock on mine. The light of the waxing crescent moon above illuminated his face more than the lamppost, making it easy to see how genuine his words were in case I couldn’t hear it in his voice.
“You didn’t ruin my night. That boy will wait for me,” I said, tossing the words he’d used when speaking of Alec back in his face. He knew his name. Why was it so hard for him to say it?
“If he knows what’s good for him, he better.” Eli grinned.
I didn’t know if he meant he’d beat him up if he didn’t or something else altogether. I didn’t wait around to find out either. Instead, I rounded my car and slipped behind the wheel. My fingers fumbled with the keys, but only because my eyes had drifted back to Eli. He was watching me, working his jaw like there might be more he wanted to say. I didn’t give him the chance. I cranked the engine of my car. It whined before sputtering to life. My dad stirred in the passenger seat and laughed as he mimicked the noise my clunker made. I wished he’d sober up long enough to fix the damn thing for me.
I wasn’t about to hold my breath for it, though.
Gears ground together as I shifted into reverse. I backed out of my parking spot without another glance at Eli and shifted into drive, ready to head home.
The second I passed the sign for Mirror Lake Trailer Park, I checked the dashboard clock. Alec hadn’t sent me a text yet, but I was sure he would soon. I was creeping up on being well beyond fashionably late and bordering on rude.
Another date had been ruined, and it was my fault.
I cut the engine on my hatchback and hurried to the passenger side so I could get my dad out. Somewhere along the stretch between Eddie’s and home, he’d fallen asleep. His head fell back, letting his mouth hang open, and he sawed logs as drool dribbled from his mouth. This was nothing new. He’d always snored, but when he drank, it was worse.
“Dad, wake up. We’re home,” I muttered as I nudged him. He didn’t budge. “Dad! Wake up!” I said louder. He folded his arms over his chest and proceeded to roll over onto his side.
My patience was wearing thin. I needed him to wake up so he could help me get him inside. There was no way I’d be able to carry him the way Eli had.
“Dad! Get up!” I shouted as I gave him a shove. I didn’t care if I woke up the neighbors three feet away in the next trailer. It was just Eli’s family, and they were probably used to it by now.
“Hmmm?” Dad stirred, but he didn’t fully commit to staying awake.
It took one more hard shove before he finally came to enough to help maneuver himself out of my car. His balance was off. I blamed it equally on his bum leg and how much he’d drank, but knew it had more to do with the latter.
When I finally got him inside the quiet recesses of our trailer, I flopped him down on the couch. There was no point in trying to take him back to his room. It would only wake up Gran. Thank goodness the room my little sister and I shared was on the other side of the trailer. The last thing I wanted was for her to see Dad this wasted. It would only upset her. It was hard enough being thirteen and not having your mom around—I remembered from personal experience—but it was another thing altogether to be constantly reminded of how screwed up your dad was because your mom was gone. Plus, I didn’t think seeing her older sister drag her drunk dad into the house was a memory I wanted her to have.
I tried to spare her as much as I could.
Maybe it was wrong to shelter Gracie as much as I did, but I didn’t want her to hurt. I couldn’t stand seeing those I loved hurt. Most of all, I didn’t want Gracie to worry. I knew she wasn’t stupid. She saw what went on around here, but keeping as much from her as possible made me feel like I was doing something good. Like I was making things better for her. It had to count for something, right?
I placed my hands on my hips and blew a few strands of brown hair that had slipped from my ponytail out of my eyes. Carrying Dad in had been tough. I was definitely going to be sore tomorrow. My fingertips reached around to knead the already tender muscles of the shoulder I thought Dad had broken. My cell vibrated in my back pocket, and I knew it had to be Alec. He was probably texting to say we’d have to reschedule. Either that or he was wondering where the hell I was. I
wanted to explain everything to him, but I didn’t know how. Telling the guy you liked you came from a screwed-up family, one where you had to rescue your dad from himself nearly every night, was not a topic I cared to discuss.
It wasn’t normal.
And that was all Alec was—normal. It had drawn me to him. How completely normal everything about him and his life seemed. He had a good home life and loads of friends. Everything I craved to surround myself with because my life was lacking in the normal department greatly. Even if you stripped away my home life dynamics, there still wasn’t a shred of normalcy to be found. Not with my family’s secret. Heck, not with everyone in the trailer park’s secret.
I reached for my cell. Alec’s name lit my screen and so did his text.
Hey, I was wondering if you still wanted to do something tonight. It’s getting a little late.
I glanced at the time. Yeah, it was getting late. Damn it. It had taken me too long to get my dad. Anger bubbled inside me. Dad mumbled something about my mom in his sleep and shifted around to cuddle one of the throw pillows. All my anger dissipated.
He was hurting. Not just physically, but mentally.
The sad fact was he’d probably never get over either ailment. Not the pain from the accident that still lingered or the pain from my mom leaving.
I didn’t blame him. Instead, I blamed her.
If she were still here, things might not be as bad. How could a woman abandon her kids the way she did? How could she walk away from her family? Her husband?
I understood sometimes parents don’t stay together, that sometimes it didn’t work out the way they wanted, but it didn’t work that way with kids. You don’t get to divorce them. You don’t get to leave. Once you’re a parent, you’re always a parent.
Yeah, I still want to do something. – Mina
I hit send and waited for Alec to respond, hoping he didn’t ask what I wanted to do. Deciding on plans had never been my forte. My immediate response was always, “I don’t know.” It drove Gran mad.
Cool, want to meet at Rosemary’s?
Rosemary’s was a mom-and-pop diner in town. Everyone went there to hang out. Everyone except me. I didn’t have issues with the people who hung out there. The place just wasn’t my cup of tea. Being in a brightly lit, crowded place was never something I enjoyed. I preferred quiet places in nature, dim lighting, and small crowds.
Alec was the exact opposite. Maybe that was another reason I liked him. He forced me out of my comfort zone. He was a people person. The perfect mixture of outgoing and sweet.
Sure, meet you there in twenty. – Mina
“Mina, honey? Is that you?” Gran’s voice floated to my ears from down the hall. She appeared in the kitchen dressed in her baby blue bathrobe and fuzzy white slippers. Her gray hair cascaded past her shoulders in soft curls and her face was wrinkled with age, but it was the concern tinting her blue eyes a shade lighter than usual that hurt my heart. She was going to be upset when she saw my dad laid out on the couch, but what could I do? There was no way to shield her from it. If she heard me come in, then she already knew the reason why. “You had to go get him again, didn’t you?” she asked, her tone sharp.
“Yeah.”
“He’s getting worse.”
“I know.” Sometimes I wondered if I’d wake up to find he’d died of a broken heart.
“Thank you for bringing him home again, dear, but you could have woken me up. I would’ve gone for him,” she said, giving me the stern look I considered her signature stare in situations like this.
“I don’t mind.”
“Still, I don’t feel it’s your place. I’ve told you that before.”
She had. A thousand times. Same as all the other times before, I ignored her. There was no way I’d send my seventy-year-old grandmother to a bar in the middle of the night to pick up her drunk son. It didn’t seem right.
“You look nice. Are you going out tonight?”
“Yeah. I was supposed to meet Alec hours ago for a movie, but that obviously didn’t happen. Now I guess we’re meeting at Rosemary’s.”
Gran’s wrinkled lips pinched into a frown. “I don’t know why you waste your time with that boy.”
And here we go. Just like Eli, Gran called Alec that boy. I was so sick of hearing those words. I didn’t know why everyone insisted on me blowing him off. Alec was a decent guy. He made me happy. Shouldn’t that be all that mattered?
“I like him. Isn’t that enough?” I asked, minding my tone. Gran would get onto me if I didn’t. Then there was no way I’d be permitted to leave the house, eighteen or not. Gran ruled the roost.
“You know it’s not, Mina. Nothing good can come from spending so much time with him. Especially not with the next full moon coming so soon.” She stepped to a cabinet in the kitchen and pulled down a mug. Every muscle in my body tensed at the reminder of the coming moon. “I love you, child, but you’re only setting yourself up for heartbreak.” She filled the mug with tap water before placing it in the microwave, and then moved to another cabinet to retrieve her favorite homemade tea blend. “You know there’s a strong chance you’re Moon Kissed. It runs in our family’s blood.”
“I know,” I whispered as icy panic set in at the thought of another full moon passing and nothing happening.
I wanted to be Moon Kissed, but I also wanted the normal life Alec represented. Shouldn’t I be able to have both?
2
I pulled into the parking lot of Rosemary’s later than I would have liked. Somehow, I’d hit every red light between the diner and my place. I hoped Alec was still here. I scanned the lot, searching for a parking spot and noticed his red truck near the back. Relief flooded my system.
A warm breeze kicked up as I slipped out of my car. It ruffled the fine hairs framing my face as I made my way to the double doors of Rosemary’s. Charbroiled burgers and grease hung heavily in the air. My stomach growled as I continued to walk, reminding me I’d forgotten to eat dinner.
Laughter and meaningless chatter drummed from inside the building as a group of guys I recognized from school made their way out the door. The short one in the middle smiled at me as his eyes appraised my body. While I wasn’t as self-conscious as most girls, it did make me wonder if I’d tried too hard tonight when deciding on an outfit. My skinny jeans were tight, but not painted on. However, I didn’t think my jeans had garnered his attention. I was sure it was the turquoise tank top, which dipped low in the front revealing my cleavage, that had him staring.
Maybe it would work in my favor and make Alec forget how much I’d screwed up our night.
The moment I stepped inside, my senses were assaulted. Burgers sizzled on the grill, people chatted too loudly from booths and tables, silverware clinked against plates and bowls as people ate, and a couple at a booth just inside the doors argued. I pulled in a deep breath and glanced around for Alec. It didn’t take me long to spot him. He was at the counter, chatting with the girl working behind it. I recognized her face, but I couldn’t think of her name. Tiny pinpricks of jealousy slipped through me at the sight of them together. Whatever she’d said made him laugh, and my jealousy bloomed as his head tipped back, revealing his pearly whites.
God, he was beautiful.
His light brown hair glistened in the fluorescent lights, and his tanned skin looked kissable. He wore a pair of blue jeans like always, a plain T-shirt, and a pair of scuffed-up hunting boots.
I stepped closer, watching and waiting to see if he’d feel my presence or maybe my eyes on him. Everyone else always seemed to. I chalked it up to having something to do with the special genes that floated through my DNA. Sometimes it made people leery of the others and me.
Alec noticed me when I was about three feet away from him, but only because the girl he’d been talking to had noticed me first. He was curious to see what had garnered her attention so suddenly. She was observant; I’d give her that. I searched my mind again for her name, but couldn’t remember it still. I’d seen
her with Alec before. She’d been chummy with him then too. Maybe I’d seen them together at school. There was a possibility I’d watched them exit church together also.
Either way, they were comfortable with one another.
This realization irked me. It had me skimming my gaze over her, soaking in every inch. She was the exact opposite of me. Where I was short, she was tall. Where I had a modestly sized chest, she had melons the size of my head. My hair was brown and hers was blond. My eyes were hazel and hers were bright blue.
I zeroed in on the bronze name tag fastened to the pocket above her left breast. Lilly. The name clicked with her face. She was one of the Pendergrasses. They were a well-known family in Mirror Lake. Not because they had the most money, but because they owned the largest farm. A dairy farm. According to Gran, it had been in their family for generations.
“Hey, there you are.” Alec smiled when I stepped to his side. “I thought you’d forgotten about me again.”
“No, and I didn’t forget about you the first time. I just got tied up with something.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re here now. I saved you a seat.” He patted the stool beside him. “Did you want to grab something to eat? Fries or maybe a milkshake?”
I situated myself beside him, taking notice of how close his knee was to mine now that I was sitting. A charge zipped through the inches separating us, causing a smile to twist at the corners of my lips. I loved being close to him.
“Actually, I’m starved. I think I’m going to order a burger and fries.”
“All right,” he said before resting his elbows on the counter. His tone seemed off.
Had he not expected to buy me dinner when he’d offered to meet up here? It was late; maybe he didn’t think dinner was an option after nine o’clock. “You don’t have to buy it.”
“No, it’s fine. I don’t mind.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. I didn’t ask you out so you could buy your own food.” He winked.
Lilly cleared her throat, drawing my attention back to her. I’d forgotten she was standing there. Her blue eyes were fixed on me, and there was a pad of paper on the counter in front of her. Her pen was poised, ready to take my order. “So, you want a burger and fries?”
Mirror Lake Wolves 01 - Moon Kissed Page 2
