Page 1 of Everything I Desire

Prologue

Adelaide

Senior Year of High School

This is the defining moment of my young love life. This moment, laying with him, wrapped up in his arms, the need for him to have me as close as possible. Nothing will ever be better than this feeling right now, right here.

Everyone thinks I’m too young, but my soul is meant to be with Porter Jackson. We are polar opposites, and I hear the whispers around town about us, but none of that matters to me.

We’re the classical high school opposites– me, a straight A student, the definition of a good girl. And Porter, the bad boy. He had tattoos before he turned eighteen. He drives a motorcycle, and shows up at school when he feels like it. No one believes we should be together, and my Dad is the head of that party.

But here we are, sitting on a blanket under the moonlight by the lake, talking about the matching tattoo we are going to get on my eighteenth birthday and our future once we graduate.

We found a spot at the lake last year that is hidden from everyone else who comes here. The view from our spot has inspired that tattoo. Porter designed it and slipped it into my locker as a surprise yesterday. The image of a serene lake surrounded by the peaks of the mountains that jut out of the land creating this valley of serenity.

Porter brushes a stray piece of my hair behind my ear, and leans in to place a soft kiss on my lips. “I love you, Adelaide Harper.”

I smile into his kisses. Every girl in Lupine Valley wishes he would whisper those words to them, but it’s me here with him.

“I love you too, Porter Jackson.”

After our confessions to each other, we lay under the stars together, holding hands and stealing more kisses until it’s time for me to go home.

We’ve been dating in secret for months after my father found out and forbade me from seeing Porter ever again. Obviously that wasn’t going to happen, and so I lied for the first time in my life.

Now Porter walks me home instead of me getting to ride with him on his motorcycle like I love to do. We sneak around the corner of the house like we do every night, where I climb the porch fence, and swing myself up onto the roof of the porch and climb into my window.

Every night I climb through that window, and silently close it before crawling into my bed.

Except tonight, my father is waiting for me in myroom when I get home.

“Adelaide. Care to explain where you’ve been?” He asks, staring me down, already knowing the answer.

“Dad. What are you doing in here?” I try to deflect.

“Answer. Me. Were you with that Jackson boy?” he grinds out.

I hang my head and refuse to look at my Dad. “I was. You already know that though.”

“Damn it, Adelaide!” he roars. “I told you that boy was no good for you. I told you to stay away from him.”

I have never seen my Dad this angry, not at any of us. Especially not at me. I am the one who never disobeys, never argues.

“Why, Dad? You don’t even know Porter! You’ve never tried to talk to him, you’ve never even given him the time of the day!” I yell back.

Mom rushes into my room with my sisters close behind her. “What on Earth is going on?”

“Your daughter, Lorelei. Your daughter has been sneaking in and out of this room to go see that Jackson boy after I forbade her!” He points wildly between Mom and me.

“Yea, Addy! That boy is hot!” My sister Scarlett chimes in, but she quickly stops when Dad stares at her.

“Adelaide, darling, is this true?” Mom asks.

“Of course it’s true, Lorelei! Do you really think I’d be lying to you?” My Dad is even yelling at Mom, and it’s all my fault.

The guilt and the anger swirl together with the flutters in my stomach making me nauseous.

“Andrew Harper. I know you are angry, but you do not get to speak to me, or Adelaide in this manner.Please go downstairs so I can talk tomy daughteras you pointed out.” Mom points at him within an inch of the tip of his nose, her other hand gripping a hold on her hip.

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