Page 53 of Releasing 10
“Jesus.” The word slipped out of my mouth without permission, and I shook my head, feeling off balance. “I mean thank you…” I cleared my throat, trying to bury the sudden crack in my voice and took her small hand in mine. “And, uh, hi.”
“I best go inside and help your father deal with the horde,” Mam interrupted, releasing her hold on me. “Hugh, be a good boy and look after Lizzie, will you?” Grabbing several shopping bags off the bonnet of the car, she moved for the front door. “This is her first time at a birthday party, so don’t leave her on her own, love.”
I arched a brow in surprise. “I’m your first birthday party?”
“You’re my first,” she confirmed with a shy smile. “I still have your invitation.” Releasing my hand, she reached into the pocket of her shorts and retrieved the invitation I had written her. “I like yourg.”
“Myg?”
“Uh-huh.” Nodding eagerly, she unfolded the invite and pointed to where I had signed my name. “You work hard on your handwriting.”
Ididwork hard on my handwriting. In fact, I worked hard on everything when it came to school. Not because I had to—learning came easily to me—but because Iwantedto. English. History. Geography. Nature. Science. Irish. Religion. It didn’t matter. I soaked it all in. Everything about the world fascinated me, and I read more books than anyone else in my class, but she couldn’t know that. Sohowdid she know that?
“You don’t have to stay with me, by the way,” Lizzie added, tucking the invitation back into her pocket. “I know your motherasked you to, but you can go back to your friends if you want.” She smiled again. “I’m not afraid to be on my own.”
“No.” I shook my head, taking it all in. Taking all ofherin. “I don’t want to do that.”
“You don’t?”
“No,” I confirmed. “I want to stay.”
A slow blush crept across her cheeks. “With me?”
Nodding slowly, I kept my attention locked on the strange girl in front of me, while an even stranger pressure grew in my chest. “You’re really tall,” I noted, taking in how she came up to my nose in height. “For a girl.”
“It’s my legs.” She raised one foot then, giving me no choice but to catch it midair. “My sister says I have giraffe legs.”
Her sister was right. “Are you a fast runner?”
“Yep,” she replied proudly. “Fastest in my class.”
“Thought so,” I replied, setting her foot back down. “You’re matching me.”
“I know.” Grinning, she reached up and tipped my hat. “I thought you might like it.”
“I do,” I replied, feeling my face grow hot again.
“Do you want your present?”
My brows shot up in surprise. “You got me a present?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s your birthday.”
“But you don’t even know me.”
“So? You don’t know me and you still invited me to your party.” With that, she quickly whirled around and moved for my mother’s car. “I got you two presents,” she explained before opening the car door and climbing inside. “Well, I got you one, and I made you the other.”
Intrigued, I followed her to the car and watched as she rummaged around in the back seat. “I don’t have a brother, so I’m sorry if you hate it.”
“I won’t hate it,” I replied, taking the parcel from her hands. “And thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She blew out a loud breath and smiled. “That’s the one I bought.”
“You want me to open it now?” I asked, feeling another flush of heat spread up my neck when her blue eyes locked on mine.
