Page 29 of Breaking Free (Guarded Hearts)
The entire ride home I keep babbling about the beautiful, mesmerizing lights and I catch Drew laughing at me more than once. When we get back to his house, he helps me up the obnoxious flight of steps. I plop down on the bed, giggling as I bounce. I can hear Drew fumbling around but I’m too preoccupied pretending that I’m on a carousel that’s spinning.
Drew comes over and helps me get out of my dress, handing me one of his shirts to put on. “Why the hell is there tape all over your tits?”
“Gotta keep the girls cooped up!” I grasp the t-shirt he has on and pull him close to me. “Why is it okay for you?”
“Why is what okay?”
“You’re the only one. I just don’t get it.” Drew lies down beside me. “I hated you at first, but not now. I still hate that you’re the only one, though.”
I pass out to Drew trying to ask me questions and figure out what the heck I’m talking about.
Chapter Ten
I wake up in the morning feeling like I’ve been hit by a damn freight train. Alcohol is definitely no bueno. Drew isn’t in bed. I sit up to look around and see a note on the pillow next to me.
Hope you’re not too hungover.
Meet me downstairs when you wake up.
I swing my legs off the bed, and once I stand up, my stomach rolls. This isnotgoing to be a fun day. I slowly make my way downstairs, praying with each step that I don’t throw up. I walk slowly into the kitchen and Drew takes one look at me and starts to laugh.
“Oh yeah, laugh at me all you want, buddy.” I flip him off and make my way over to the coffee pot, hoping that this will help me get out of my funk.
“Don’t forget we told my mom we would go there today. We need to leave in an hour. Pack a bag in case it gets late and we want to stay.”Ugh, that’s today?He smacks my butt as he walks out of the kitchen.
I finish my coffee and decide to grab a shower since I feel like the damn monster of the black lagoon. I get upstairs in one piece, and when I lift Drew’s shirt off, I see the tape all over my boobs. I close my eyes, grit my teeth, and start pulling the tape strips off one by one, yelping with each one. This is almost as much torture as the damn waxing was. I walk up to Drew’s shower and stare at it.How the hell do you work this thing?There are a thousand different buttons on a control panel. This is so unnecessary. I would kill for a regular damn shower that I can twist the water on and off.
I finally figure out how to turn it on but it’s ice cold.Oh well, at least it’s on.After the shower, I get dressed in jeans and a simple t-shirt. I made a promise to myself that I would be fully dressed the next time I meet his family.
Drew walks into the room. “You ready, babe?”
The ‘babe’ thing is new for him, but every time he says it I smile. “Yep.” I grab my bag but he quickly takes it from me.
“Alright, let’s go then. It’s only about an hour drive.”
The drive to his parents’ house seems fairly quick. We pull up outside a huge ranch style house. The front yard is beautiful with every different color flower that you can imagine. The door flies open, Maya comes running toward us, and Drew scoops her up, spinning her around. “Happy birthday, beautiful girl.” I smile at the sight of them together.
“Happy birthday, Maya,” I say.
“Hi, Holly! Daddy didn’t believe you were real. He said ‘that boy ain’t never gonna convince a girl to be around him for more than a day’.”
Drew and I laugh at her impersonation. “You ready for our birthday tradition, baby girl?”
“Yes!”
I look at Drew in question. “What’s your tradition?”
He looks at me and shrugs. “Doing whatever she wants.” I laugh. “So, baby girl, what are we doing today?”
She smiles up at Drew. “Universal Studios!”
He looks over at me. “You up for that?” I nod. I think I’m almost as excited as Maya.
Drew’s mom comes out on the porch and I wave to her, thankful to be fully clothed this time. We pile into Drew’s car and sing along to the radio for the entire ride. When we get there, he buys some special ticket that lets you go to the front of the line for every ride. Thank God because those lines go onforever. He brought his trusty baseball cap to help him keep a low profile and it seems to be working.
We’ve been on almost every ride in the park and he has bought Maya and me something in every store we’ve passed. It’s amazing watching him with her, and he hasn’t let me out of his sight the entire day, either. I couldn’t have imagined having a better day. On the ride home, Maya falls asleep and I look over at Drew.
“She really loves you. It’s really cute to see you guys together.”
