Page 79 of The Moment Promised

I smile so hard, my cheeks hurt. How is this life?No. How is thismylife?

I must’ve done something spectacular recently to have received this good of karma. I count my fingers. All ten, so I’m not dreaming after all.

“Morning.” My voice comes out raspy.

I screech, lazily whaling around as Finn’s fingers dig into my sides, tickling me into oblivion. I’m fully wrapped up in his embraces, his torso over mine as I squirm from the torturous act of tickling.

“Please,” I say between clenching and gasps of breath, “stop.”

My annoyance comes and goes all too fast, because his lips find the sensitive part of my neck. His hands no longer dig into my sides, now they grip my wrists as his kisses send memories flash through my head.

Fingers gripping the sheets, warm breath against skin, eyes fluttering.

We haven’t had sex since that night. Unfortunately, Aunt Flow came to visit a week early. Chloe said to just do it anyway, but the thought makes me uncomfortable, especially since we’ve only had one night of experience together.

“I’m going to make us some coffee,” Finn says roughly against my neck. “I’ll be right back, my love.” He places a kiss to my hair.

“Okay,” I say softly.

The bed bounces, and the air feels as if it has dropped ten degrees without him. He closes the door to the guest room behind him and the mattress vibrates. I feel around for my phone and find it beneath my pillow, ringing with a random number.

It could be the owner to the café.

I take a deep breath and muster up my best customer service voice.

“Hello, is this—” I start.

“Adeline!” A deepfamiliarvoice causes every organ in my body to halt to an abrupt stop. One word in that thunderous voice fills me with such dread, taking me far into my past. I can’t breathe, I can’t even blink. “I didn’t raise a slut who runs away from home with some punk boy!” he shouts. I grip the phone with all my might, it shakes in my trembling hands.

“Get your fuckin’ ass homenowso you can explain to me why you put my wife in rehab.”

A knife pierces my heart. The person on the other line slowly turns it with each word, sending every nerve writhing in pain.

“How dare you embarrass me? Everyone in town is askin’ where my daughter is. I gotta make up some bullshit story, ‘cause I don’t have a fucking clue!” I pull the phone back a little, his voice so loud it sounds like it’s on speaker. “I can’t believe myfucking blood runs through your veins! Get your little ass back home before I come find you. I promise you it won’t be pretty!”

The unhealed wound I’ve been brushing aside finally tears through my entire body. My heart beats a million miles a minute, my broken soul shakes so violently.

The voice is gone, replaced by a new one. “Adeline? Ad, look at me, love,” he coos, the hot tears are wiped away by soft fingertips, but they keep falling.

I blink, for the first time, and find amber eyes staring back at me. I search for my phone, that lies on my lap. I still see the phone number, so I quickly tap the red circle, ending the call.

“Adeline, who was that?” Finn’s calm demeanor has shifted, all I see is concern creasing his brow.

“He’s b-back.”

“Who?” His voice makes my skin raise in goosebumps. There’s something hidden beneath the single syllable, as if he already knows. I see the moment his concern changes to rage, his nostrils flaring, his jaw clenched.

“Jason.”

20

FOUR YEARS AGO

Idon’t know whether to be offended or amused as my drunken father spits obscenities to me at a bar.

I don’t know how we got here. My mother is hidden away in the bar bathroom as my father tells me point blank that my mom is crazy, and how much he longs to have a different woman for each day of the week.

Occasionally the bouncer looks our way, but never intervenes. I’m only fifteen, sitting at the bar with a lunatic asking me to order him beer with a shot of liquor in it.

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