Blind Love (The Complete Box Set Romance Series) (12 page)

We lived in the same house. If I got
involved with Dylan, my father might kick him out. So, I’d decided that I had
to avoid him.

But he was so cute and had been so sweet
to me. Even with his concussion, he was still helping me with math. I might
even get a B this quarter.

“Hi,” I said back.

He shuffled his feet, looking nervous,
which made him even cuter. The boy was asking me something that was important
to him. I gave him my full attention.

“Uh, it seems that I’m going to compete in
this weekend’s mathlete tournament.”

“Nice.”

“Yeah, one of the other guys is sick so
they asked me. I’m not sure I’m prepared, but I’ll do what I can.”

“That’s great, Dylan. Good luck.”

He grimaced. “The thing is, I wondered if
you would come
watch?
”

Watch a mathlete tournament. I hoped my
face didn’t show that I wasn’t interested, but then again, this was important
to Dylan. Even if I didn’t love the idea, I should go. I planted a smile on my
face. “I’d love to. Where is it?”

“It’s at our high school this time,” he
said. “This morning. I’m on my way there right now, but it doesn’t start until
ten.”

“I can do that, Dylan. I’ll be there. Do I
need tickets?”

“No, it’s free.”

“I’ll bring Helena.”

His face lit up. “It’ll be nice to have
people other than parents in the audience,” he said.

Oh. Brother.

I called Helena, who
was
still the only friend
talking to me. As if everyone hadn’t been mad
enough before, now with Greg getting charged with assault, they were all even
more pissed. Though, his friends had squealed on him to get reduced charges.

Whatever.

“Hey, home girl,” Helena said.

“You want to go to a mathlete event this
morning at the high school?”

“Sure. I got nothing going on.”

“Good. I have the car back, so I’ll pick
you up at 9:30. I can’t imagine we’ll have trouble getting seats.”

Boy, was I wrong. The auditorium was
packed. I glanced at Helena. “Who knew this was a big deal?”

She laughed. “Well, I’ve been to one of
these before. I just never asked you because I figured you’d laugh. Then Dylan came
into your life and you’ve loosened up a bit.”

I had to laugh. “Between most of my so
called friends being mad at me, I’ve had to expand my horizons.”

“
Andm
you get to
spend more time with me.”

We found two seats in the middle and sat
in them. “I know I’ve been a horrible friend to you. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Just don’t throw me over when
Bailey and Barbie come back.”

“I won’t. In fact, I hope they don’t come
back. I still have to see them at cheerleading, but that’s it.” I laughed. “The
best part is that they have to listen to me since I’m captain.”

She laughed. “You are probably enjoying
that too much.”

The house lights dimmed and the
competition started. The crowd cheered like it was a football game. I looked at
Helena, who seemed to be just as excited as everyone else. This was too weird –
even for the new me.

I wasn’t sure what to think. I didn’t know
any of the kids on the stage besides Dylan. I also didn’t know anyone in the
audience. Helena and I were in a sea of strangers and I wasn’t sure I liked it.

Finally, there was an intermission. I
hadn’t cheered once. I probably should have gotten into it more, but this was
not my crowd.

Helena and I purchased, sodas then went
back to our seats. “I don’t really get the excitement in it,” I commented.

“You don’t get it? Or you don’t understand
the questions?”

“Either. I don’t even know why the answers
are right, so how can I get excited?” I said.

This wasn’t my thing. I just had to admit
it. I wasn’t this smart, and I wasn’t comfortable around people this smart. Who
knew Dylan could kick such academic ass.

I looked for him, but the mathletes didn’t
come out into the lobby. At half time, the coach gave the football team a pep
talk. Did the mathletes have a coach, too? I had no idea about any of this, and
I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

Give me a good athletic event and I could
tell you all about it. I had to know when to cheer, so our faculty advisor had
taught us about the various sports. Each year, the new cheerleaders had to go
through it.

It would be embarrassing if they cheered
for the wrong team.

“Uh, I don’t think I want to stay for the
second half,” I said.

“You aren’t having a good time? Not even
watching Dylan?”

I didn’t want to admit it, but I was
uncomfortable with how smart he was. Maybe we wouldn’t make a good pair.

As much as he’d been sweet to me, he
probably knew that I wasn’t very smart. Not just in math, but overall.

“Not even watching Dylan.”

“I’ll find a ride home, Taylor.”

“You mad that I’m ditching you?”

“As long as it isn’t for the B girls, then
no.”

***

I went home to do some homework and
laundry. I’d been doing my own laundry for years. I think my mother was ready
to be done being a mother. Sad, really.

I hoped that if I had kids, I wouldn’t be
finished before the kids were.

I sat in the laundry room reading the
latest by Christina Paul on my Kindle. I loved historical romances. My phone
rang – Dylan. What was I going to say to him? I couldn’t ignore him. He knew
that I always kept my phone with me.

“Hi, Dylan.”

“Hey, Taylor. I’m sorry you left.”

“Yeah.”

I could hear cheering in the back. If I
hadn’t known better, I would have thought he was a at a basketball game.

“We won.”

“That’s great, Dylan. Congratulations.”

“It is. I answered the winning question.”

Wow. He was that smart. “That’s great.”

“You don’t sound excited.”

“I’m sorry. I just can’t get that
excited.”

“If I’d made the winning touchdown, you’d
be screaming. In fact, if it had been a sport, you would have stayed for the
whole thing.”

He wasn’t wrong. I was a terrible person.
Most of it was because I wasn’t smart. I never would be. I was good at science,
but not genius good. Just good. “I guess I’m just more into that than this.”

“I thought you were different, Taylor.”

“I thought I was, too. At least, I did go.
Don’t I get credit for that?”

“There are no points in life, Taylor. It’s
about feelings.”

He’s talking about feelings? What the
hell? How was I supposed to handle that? “I don’t know what you want me to say,
Dylan.”

It isn’t like I was actually his
girlfriend or anything. I was just some girl he lived with, some girl whose dad
took him in. I didn’t want to fight with him, but I didn’t understand what he
wanted from me.

“I want you to be happy for me.”

“I am.”

“You don’t sound it. You sound bored. As
if my accomplishment isn’t good enough for you.”

I wanted to scream. This conversation was
getting out of hand. “Don’t put words in my mouth.”

“I’m not good enough am I? I won’t ever
be,” he said.

He sounded angry now. Now I’d done it and
I didn’t know how to fix it. I’d made him mad. “I’m sorry, Dylan. I just don’t
get it. I don’t know.”

“Thanks, Taylor. Thanks for putting a
damper on one of the best days of my life.”

I wanted to reach through the phone and
hug him. “I’m sorry. I really am.”

“No, you’re not, Taylor. If it doesn’t fit
into your idea of the world, then you aren’t interested in it. I get it. I
won’t bother you with my stuff anymore.”

“Don’t be mad, Dylan.”

The phone went dead. He probably didn’t
hang up, but my battery died. I raced upstairs to get my charger. I plugged in
my phone and called Dylan back. He didn’t answer. It didn’t go right to
voicemail, though, so I knew it was still on.

I left a message. “Dylan, I didn’t hang
up. My battery died. Please, call me back.”

Worst case scenario, I would wait until he
came home and I could talk to him, but this situation seemed more urgent than
that. Maybe he needed a ride home.

I sent him a text. “Please, call me. My
battery died. I didn’t hang up.”

No answer. I stared at my phone, but Dylan
didn’t call back. I’d really done it this time. How was I going to fix this?

Normally, I would have talked to Daddy,
but I didn’t want him to suspect that I had feelings for Dylan. He’d make him
go away and everything was going so well for him. I couldn’t risk him going
back to the trailer.

I sniffed. Tears had started to form and a
lump in my chest made it hard to breathe.

I called Helena.

“They won,” she said.

“Dylan called me. And, I wasn’t excited
for him.”

“You’re a bitch, Taylor.”

“I know. How do I fix this?”

“I don’t know that you can. It was a
pretty big win for him. You should have tried to be more excited. His face fell
when I told him that you left.”

I fell onto my bed. “I’m the worst.”

“Well, yes. I’m not going to sugarcoat it.
You are.”

“That’s why you’re my best friend. You
always tell me the truth.”

“You’re going to have to do a lot of
groveling. Why aren’t you excited?”

“I hate to admit it, but I’m jealous.”

“That you aren’t the center of attention
for once?”

“No, that I’m not as smart as he is.”

“Why does that bother you?”

I sighed. “I don’t know. It never did
before, but I’ve never known anyone as smart as Dylan. Other than my father.”

“I think you’re going to have to do some
grand gesture to make up for this.”

“I will figure this out, Helena,” I said.

“I know you will. The team is going out
afterwards. You have a little time.”

“Thanks, Helena.”

I disconnected then went to Dylan’s room.
Maybe something in there would give me an idea of what to do for him. On his
desk, I found a wish list. He wanted to build his own computer, it looked like.

I took a picture of it with my phone. I
just had to figure out what some of those things were and buy him something.
Maybe if I got him closer to his dream computer, he’d forgive me.

It seemed important to him and he was good
at programming, so maybe this would work. I still didn’t know what the items on
the list did, but I could go to a store and I’m sure someone could tell me
which one was important.

Meanwhile, I’d let Dylan calm down.

Chapter Seventeen

Dylan

Only Mr. Dean was home when I was dropped
off. Maybe Taylor was hiding because her car was in the driveway, but I didn’t
see her. That was fine. I didn’t want to talk to her, anyway.

I thought that I had her support and I didn’t.
My feelings were hurt, but I could suck it up.

Mr. Dean was in the kitchen, his nose in
the refrigerator. He straightened when I walked in. “Hey, how was the
tournament?”

“We won.”

His smile was large. At least he was happy
for me. “Let’s celebrate. Just us guys. Burgers.”

“I’m in.”

Like I was ever going to turn down food.
“I’ll grab my keys. I have no idea where the ladies are, but they’ll have to
miss out.”

He patted me on the back as he went by. I
met him at the garage door. I was already dressed nicer than I usually dressed
so no need to change. He smiled again. “How does it feel, Dylan?”

“Pretty good.”

“Good.”

We drove to a burger joint. The place
wasn’t packed yet, but it would be. It was Saturday evening. My stomach, of
course, was empty, even though the team had gone out for pizza earlier. We were
seated quickly and ordered just as quickly.

“So, Dylan, have you thought about what
you are doing after high school?”

“Well, I’d like to go to college, but I
don’t think I can swing it. It’s hard getting aid. My mother has already said
she won’t fill out the form.”

He shifted in his seat. I wondered if he’d
orchestrated all of this to put me on the spot. I didn’t have too many answers
for him right now. I was still on a high from the tournament.

“I see. You are eighteen. Shouldn’t that
count?”

“It doesn’t. I looked into it. Even at
this age, I still need to be emancipated from her for her income not to count,”
I said.

I’d done the research out of desperation.
The answers hadn’t pleased me. “Then you should do that.”

“I don’t have the money, sir. It costs a
minimum of seventy five dollars.”

“I can spot you the money. Really. It
would be an investment.”

I shook my head. This man had already done
so much for me. “I can’t ask you to do that. You took care of my hospital bill.
You’ve taken me in and bought me clothes.”

“It’s my pleasure, Dylan. I think you’ve
been a pretty good influence on Taylor. You’ve opened her eyes to a different
side of life. I know that I’ve sheltered her, but now she knows not everyone
lives that way.”

I shrugged. I didn’t want to talk about
Taylor, but I didn’t want him to know that. He might read into it. He might
think I have feelings for her. Which I did, but he didn’t need to know that.

Mr. Dean went on. “That wasn’t the reason
that I took you in. No, I saw something in you And, I was right. You’re a good
kid in a bad situation. Your mother is doing better. She should be out soon.
What will you do?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Yes, you have a choice. You’re eighteen.
Even if you can’t get financial aid, you can choose where you live.”

“You’d let me stay?”

I didn’t want to leave the Dean household.
It was the most stable environment I’d ever been in. I knew where I was going
to sleep each night. I knew that I wasn’t going to be hungry. And if I was, the
kitchen was stocked. No need to dumpster dive. I had hit the lottery when I
chose Mr. Dean’s car to steal.

“Of course, Dylan. It’s your choice, but
if you stay, I need something that says I’m your guardian. I don’t know exactly
what you call it, but it means that I’m taking care of you financially.”

The waitress put our burgers in front of
us. I didn’t know what to say. “You’d do that? I just assumed that once my
mother was out, you’d want me back with her.”

“At this point, Dylan, you might as well
stay until you graduate. Unless you don’t want to stay?”

“Of course, I want to stay. My life is so
different, and I can get my homework done. And don’t have to worry about anyone
stealing my stuff because I didn’t lock my bedroom door.”

“That happened?”

“Yes.”

I took a bite of my burger, embarrassed
that I had shared that with him. He wouldn’t judge, but I was still ashamed. I
wondered if I would ever stop feeling that way.

“That sucks, Dylan. I can see why you
don’t want to go back. You don’t miss your mother?”

“No, I don’t.” I put down my burger. “This
might sound strange, but my mother never had my back. You do. Taylor does.”

“My wife does also, in her own way.”

“She did take care of me while I had my
concussion,” I agreed.

Mr. Dean nodded. “She did. She’ll come
around, I promise. Your mother never had your back?”

“No. If something happened, she always
sided against me.”

“That’s not right.”

“I didn’t think so, but that was all I
knew.”

“Well, I have your back. We all do, Dylan.
Never worry about that. I will also be forever grateful for what you did for
Taylor. She’s naïve and that’s my fault. I never warned her well enough about
guys like Greg.”

“She hasn’t seen the darker side of life.”

“No, but we always want better for our
kids. At least, parents should.”

I hadn’t had a chance to talk like this to
Mr. Dean before. I was enjoying my evening. This might be the best day I’ve
ever had in my life – I had the man across the table to thank for that. “I
don’t see myself having children, but if I did, I’d want them to know that I
was always there for them.”

Mr. Dean slapped me on the back. “You’ve
got a long time before you have to think about kids.”

***

Two days later, I picked my mother up from
the rehab facility. She looked better than I’d seen her look in years. I didn’t
know yet how I was going to tell her that I wasn’t coming back. She might be
devastated, and I’d feel guilty.

Or she might be happy, and then I’d feel
like shit. It was a bad situation either way. I borrowed Taylor’s car. Mr. Dean
had suggested it and asked her. I still wasn’t talking to her, and she was
giving me space. Or she didn’t give a shit. I didn’t know which one it was.

Not my problem. She needed to apologize,
not me.

I grabbed my mother’s suitcase while an
aide wheeled her to the door.

“I’m so excited to be out of there, Dylan.
It got so boring.”

I had no idea how she was going to pay for
it all. I’d expected her to be thrown out sooner since she didn’t have any
insurance. To my surprise, they let her stay. The bills were her problem, but I
felt at least partly responsible.

Mr. Dean said that I shouldn’t worry about
it. This was her issue and I shouldn’t let her hold me back.

But she was my mother, and I was almost
regretting my decision to stay with the Deans. But I’d tasted the good life,
and I didn’t want to go back to the trailer. I didn’t want to go back to that
life.

I had plans now. Plans to go to college
and make something of myself. I could be an engineer, my guidance counselor
said.

“You’re very quiet, Dylan. Aren’t you glad
to see me?”

“Of course, Mom.”

I helped her into the car, then I put her
suitcase in the trunk. Should I tell her now? Or wait until we arrived at the
trailer? I wondered Mr. Dean hadn’t given me any guidance on it, but told me
that it was up to me.

“Whose car is this?”

“It’s Taylor’s. She is Mr. Dean’s
daughter. It was the only one available today to bring you home.”

“The Deans have been good to you.”

“They have.”

I didn’t know how much of my new life to
share. This seemed like a touchy subject and it might push her back onto drugs.
But I was also pissed at her. Now that I’d experienced people who care, I
didn’t understand why she didn’t.

She said she did, but her actions said
something else. I had to remember that. I couldn’t trust her. I could trust the
Deans. They were my new family.

“I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed.”

I turned down the driveway. My breath
caught in my throat. I hadn’t been back since a day after my mother had been
taken away in an ambulance when Mr. Dean had brought me back to get some
clothing.

The place looked exactly the same. Nothing
had miraculously happened to make it better. It might have even looked worse.

What little lawn there was hadn’t been
mowed.

“Home sweet hovel,” my mother said.

I helped her out of the car, and she
walked into the house. I grabbed the suitcase, reluctant to return to the place
of my nightmares. I steeled myself.

It was even smaller and more cramped than
I remember.

“You bought groceries,” my mother said.

“Mr. Dean stocked the refrigerator for
you.”

She spun around to look at me. I stood in
the doorway, not really wanting to enter. I felt as though if I did enter, I’d
get sucked back into the vortex that was my mother’s life. I didn’t want that.
I saw a future for myself. At least, a better one that I had before she’d been
taken away.

“Then I guess I owe him a lot. He took
care of you while I was gone and he bought me food. He must realize just how
much you eat.”

As if she knew how much I ate. Most of the
time there was no food in the house, so I found food elsewhere.

She finally looked at me. “You’ve filled
out.”

It was all the food I was allowed to eat.
All the food available, I thought of saying, but that seemed mean. It wasn’t
her fault in some ways, but it really was. She couldn’t hold down a job because
of her drinking. And the drugs. People stole from her.

I was of two minds and couldn’t decide
what I should feel. I was so thankful for Mr. Dean, but I felt guilty leaving
my mother. I wished he’d come with me today, but I understood that this was my
decision.

The first of many difficult ones I’d make
as a man, he said. I had a responsibility to her, but more so to myself since I
was only eighteen. I was just starting out. Mr. Dean had said that it would be
okay to be selfish right now. It would benefit me in the end.

But she was still family.

Maybe it would be easier for her if I
wasn’t around.

“Mom, I have to tell you something.”

“Well, come in. It’s your house, too.”

I put down her suitcase and stepped a
little closer. “I’m eighteen now.”

“I remember,” she said.

She eyed me, a small smile on her face, as
if she was glad to see me. That made this that much harder. “I’m going to stay
with the Deans.”

The smile fell off of her face. “Oh?”

“I think it’s a better environment for
me.”

“Better than your mother?”

I nodded, not being able to say the words.

“How will I stay sober for you?”

Mr. Dean had warned me that she would use
guilt. “You have to stay sober on your own. It isn’t fair to make me part of
it. I’m just eighteen.”

“Don’t you have to live with me?”

“No. I have a choice.”

“Clearly you’ve already made it.”

Chapter Eighteen

Taylor

I couldn’t stand it anymore. Dylan had
been giving me the cold shoulder all weekend. Now it was Sunday afternoon, and
I was ready to explode. I had hoped he would just calm down, but he was still
not talking to me.

I really had to go through with my plan to
buy him a present. Maybe that would make him accept my apology. My father did
it for my mother all of the time – bought her flowers when he was in the
doghouse.

I still had the list I’d
photographed.
 

“Going to the store,” I called to my
father, who was in the living room.

“Where to?”

I stopped next to his chair. “To an
electronics store.”

“Why?”

“I’m going to buy Dylan something so he
forgives me.”

My father chuckled. “I’m not sure that
will work, but I admire your spirit. Have you apologized?”

“Yes.”

“Have you offered to go to his next
tournament?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“A man wants to know that he’s supported,
Taylor. That would go a long way to apologizing to him.”

“Okay. I’ll do that, too,” I said.

But I still wanted to go through with my
plan. I thought it was a good one.

“Okay, kitten. Drive carefully.”

“I will, Daddy.”

I kissed him on the cheek. I drove to one
of those big box stores. When I entered, I was already lost. I’d never built a
computer. I wouldn’t even begin to know where to look for the parts. I finally
stopped someone in a store shirt.