Page 1 of Pax

CHAPTER ONE

Paxton Pechkin stared at his twin, Braxton, watching as he kissed the girl on the cheek, waving at her and walking toward him. He was on the other side of the practice fields, walking with a skip in his step. Brax was always more comfortable with the girls than Pax, contrary to popular opinion.

“Hi, Pax,” said a familiar, sweet voice.

“Hey, Deanna. Happy to be out for the summer?” he asked with a big smile suddenly on his face.

“Happy to be out, period,” she smiled. “I leave for college early. What about you? Did I hear that you and Brax would be headed to boot camp?”

“Yep,” he smiled. “We hope to be SEALs one day.”

“That’s really incredible, Pax. You guys were always smart, great athletes, and you’re the nicest guys I know,” she said with a bright, beautiful smile.

“You’re pretty great yourself,” smiled Pax. “Hey, I was wondering…” He was interrupted by the loud honk of someone’s pickup truck.

“Sorry, Pax, that’s my ride. Take care of yourself. Look me up when you’re back in town. I’ll be going to school here in New Orleans.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure,” he nodded. “Good luck, Deanna.” He waved as she got in the pickup truck of Josh Deville. He hated that guy, and he couldn’t even tell anyone why.

“Ready?” asked Brax.

“Yeah. I guess so,” he frowned.

“Why didn’t you ask her to the party tonight?” his brother said, frowning at him.

“That’s why. Fucking Josh Deville always up her ass every time I’m around. She’s always with him. Does she know what a douche he is?” Brax laughed, shaking his head.

“Probably. He’s her cousin.” Pax turned abruptly, gripping his brother’s arm.

“What?”

“Yeah. He’s her cousin. She gets a ride home with him, to and from school, every day since freshman year. He’s a bit slow, so he’s always been a year behind everyone.”

“He’s an asshole. He always jumped in every time I was trying to talk to her,” said Pax.

“Her folks are just protective of her, Pax. You should understand that better than anyone. Look, just call her and ask her to the party tonight.”

“Well, I would, Einstein, if I had her phone number.”

“Did you forget who our family is? Ask Ace, and he’ll get her phone number for you,” smiled his brother.

“Maybe. That feels creepy to me, though.”

“No creepier than wanting to ask her out for four years and avoiding her because of her cousin,” laughed his brother. “Let’s go. We’re expected at home to get ready for all the graduations.”

As much as Pax tried to shake the whole Deanna encounter, he just couldn’t. He’d always liked Deanna. She was smart, funny, and prettier than just about any girl at school. It wasn’t the kind of pretty that made you stop in your tracks. It was the kind of pretty that every time you saw her, you noticed something different about her.

At first, it was how cute her smile was. Then, it was her beautiful hair. The next time, it was the freckles peppered across her nose. But it was really the whole package. She could have been stuck-up. She could have been rude. She could even have been entitled, but she wasn’t.

He’d watched her become a beautiful young woman since first grade. Now, he’d let her slip through his fingers for the party of the century. A large group of Belle Fleur kids were graduating all at the same time.

It was something to celebrate.

“Did you get it?” asked Brax.

“Get what?” said Pax, trying to brush off his twin.

“Don’t be an ass, Pax. Did you get Deanna’s phone number? Did you ask Ace or one of the others to help you?”

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