Page 20 of Mended Hearts

She nods in understanding, then turns to walk away. When she reaches the doorway, she looks back. “I have dinner soonwith some of the ladies from church. It’s at Mrs. Martha’s house. I’m unsure how late I will be, but your dad should be home in a few hours.”

I want to say,“Yay, lucky me.”But I just nod. “Have a good time, Mom.”

“Oh yeah, a blast,” my mom says sarcastically, rolling her eyes. I get the nagging feeling my mom is getting burned out living her purpose in life through my dad.

I look at the papers I have for homework. One is an English assignment. I have to write a paper. Big shocker, since that seems to be all we do in that class. The last sheet is Trig. I’m not a big fan of the mathematics department. I sit the papers to the side and then open my Trig book, where a blue Post-it note sticks out the top. I frown at it, knowing I have never put one in this book, or any book for that matter. I don’t even think I own any Post-it notes.

Use this page for your homework sheet.

Now turn to page 272 for your other assignment.

I turn to page 272. Another Post-it note sticks in the center of the page.

Now go to your window.

Chapter Twelve

DUSTIN

As soon as Echo’s mom shuts the front door, I run to the side of the house and open the wooden gate. I remember her complaining about how it can be a pain and get stuck, so I make sure to be swift and lift up as I push in.

I know Mrs. Price will walk straight to Echo’s room to give her the work I picked up. That gives me plenty of time to sneak into the backyard while she’s on the other side of the house. I also notice she’s dressed up, so I’m really hoping she’s about to leave. I need to talk to Echo. With her dad catching us the day before and then her not being at school today, I fear the worst. I wanted to leave at lunch when I knew without a doubt she wasn’t showing up. But then this brilliant idea hit me, and I knew I’d get farther with it than trying to sneak around midday.

Her blinds are shut, and I can barely hear talking. I pull out my pocketknife and start carving into her windowsill as I wait. I don’t make my masterpiece big; just big enough for her to notice it. I want it to be a reminder for her. I want the girl I love to never forget about me, no matter what happens with us. I want to make sure I implant every small thing I can to keep her mind on me. It’s the little things that count. Grand gestures are nice, but it’s all the small things that come around at themost unexpected times, taking your mind back to a moment, or a person. Those are the things I want to create between us—the small, meaningful things that will always keep us connected.

The old, heavy front door shuts, rattling all the windows. I hear the start of a car and know I’ll be seeing Echo any second. I blow at the pieces of wood and white paint and brush the remaining dust away with my hand. I watch with anticipation as the blinds slowly lift. Inch by inch, I begin seeing my girl. I want to break the window and jump in and tackle her, but I refrain. Barely.

She smiles as soon as she sees my face, making my heart skip a beat. I’m not going to lie; I was scared shitless of how she’d react. Not seeing her today put a whole new level of doubt in me I haven’t experienced before. I hate feeling her father has the power to instill doubt in both of us.

She kneels on her bed, places her hands on the glass, and pushes the window up. “Hey, handsome.”

“Hey, gorgeous,” I reply as I take her in. Her hair is extra messy from lying down, and I love it. I want to be the cause of the messiness. One day, I promise myself.

“Thanks for the delivery.”

“No biggie.” I shrug. “I had a hidden agenda.”

“Oh yeah?” She giggles. “And what’s that?”

I push up on the screen, releasing it, and then lower it to the ground. “Kissing my girl,” I say as I lean in to claim her lips. She returns the kiss but doesn’t fully give in. She’s reserved and hesitant. And I hate it.

She pulls away, looking down. “We’re going to get caught. Again.” She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth in a worrisome manner.

“No, we won’t.” I grab her hand that’s resting on the windowsill and pull it to my lips, placing a kiss on the soft skin.

She looks up at me, and it nearly breaks my heart. A few tears spill from her eyes and slowly roll down her face.

“We will. Somehow. Some way. It’ll happen. Someone will see us and tell my dad. Or, for all I know, God himself might do the snitching.” The funny thing about her last statement is I can see her father saying God revealed it to him.

“We’ll just be extra careful,” I assure. “We won’t make the same mistakes and be so careless.”

“I can’t lose you.” She begins to sob, making me realize just how hard this is on her and the extent that it’s gone. “Next time we won’t be so lucky. My father can be an extremist. I don’t even want to know what he’d do if he caught us together again.” She shudders at the thought.

I take her hand I’m still holding and lower it to the outside windowsill. I move it back and forth across the letters as if it’s Braille. “Do you feel this? Do you see what this says?”

She glances down and tries to smile, but more tears fall instead.

“Echo,” I say, urgency in my voice. She looks up at me. “This is my promise to you.” She glances back down and begins tracing the D+E 4ever. “Scooch back for a minute.” As soon as she moves, I hop in, landing on her bed. I don’t care if I’m going against everyone and their dog’s wishes—or commands. My girl needs me and I’m going to hold her. She doesn’t argue or urge me to get out like I half expect. I need to calm her down and reassure her everything will be okay…with time. Things might seem impossible at first, but if both people want them bad enough, anything is possible.

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