Lucky 13 (17 page)

“Damn deer. My parents are going to be pissed.” Libby beats her fist against the steering wheel a few times in frustration.

“Get it off the car, Chester. It’s staring at me,” I holler.

Libby and Chester both look between the seat back at me and start laughing. I’m not sure what’s funny, but Megan joins in a few seconds later and my face starts to heat up in anger. Libby recognizes the signs and punches Chester in the arm. He stops laughing, Megan following suit once she realizes only her laughter remains.

“Can you get it off the hood please?” Libby asks Chester. “I need to call my father.”

I focus my attention out the window while Chester tends to the deer. Once I hear him holler at Libby, I look out the front window to see that the deer is gone. I can still see it staring at me if I close my eyes. Staring at where it was lying, lifeless, my body shudders at the thought.

I text Grant, letting him know what happened. He replies right away that he’s coming to pick me up. Smiling to myself, I let Libby know that he’s on his way to get me. She shakes her head at me and mumbles something under her breath. Her father is on his way, too, and so are the police. Libby’s going to be stuck here for a while.

“Want me to come back and pick you up?” I ask as I see headlights pull up behind us.

“No. I’ll catch up with you tomorrow. I’m sure you and Grant want to celebrate his win, alone.” Megan’s eyes shoot to me as Libby’s implications slap me in the face.

“Libby,” I scold in disapproval.

“What? I didn’t say how you were going to celebrate.”

“You implied enough.”

Chester opens the door and our conversation comes to a screeching halt.

“Um,” he begins, knowing that he interrupted something. “Your dad is here and so is Grant.”

Unlatching my seat belt, I reach for the door handle when I feel a hand on my arm. When I look back, I see Megan’s hand on my forearm and a pathetic look on her face.

“Do you think you guys might be able to give me a ride home?” Her voice sounds sweet and innocent. That’s the first time I’ve heard her sound anything except ungrateful and rude since meeting her.

I’m shocked that she has the nerve to ask. I want to say no, but I can’t do it. I’m too damn nice for my own good. I nod my head and she immediately unlatches her seat belt and gets out of the car.

Grant’s waiting for me when I open my door. I smile up at him and kiss him deeply on the lips, making sure that Megan is watching first. I don’t want her to get any ideas. When I pull away, my knees are a little weak and there’s a smile on my face, and his.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I told Megan that we would give her a ride home.” Grant’s smile disappears and a look of confusion crosses his face.

“Sure,” he replies, sounding more like he’s asking me a question.

I slide into the middle as we pile in Grant’s truck. The ride to Megan’s house is quiet, the sounds of the music softly playing the only noise filling the awkward silence. It only takes a few minutes, but it feels like it takes hours to get there. As soon as Megan hops out of the truck, I give Grant a quick kiss before sliding into the passenger seat and buckling my seat belt.

“What was that all about?” Grant asks as he puts the truck in reverse, backing out of the driveway as Megan watches from her front porch. I wave at her, ignoring his question for a minute.

“I was being nice,” I reply.

“Sure you were. Are you sure you weren’t trying to make it clear to her that we’re dating?” He knows me too well.

“That too, I guess.” I look over at Grant, tossing him a sly smile. “Congratulations, by the way. MVP. That’s awesome!”

“Thanks.”

“And that game. You guys killed them.”

“We played pretty well. We’re going to have to play better if we plan on winning state, though. Coach wasn’t too enthusiastic with our performance. We should have won by a lot more. We let them get by us a few times that they shouldn’t have.”

Grant goes on to explain the plays that the team messed up, including the ones that he messed up. They may have won, but it sounds like their coach is expecting more from them in a few weeks when they play their next game. Grant seems to understand his coach’s expectations better than I do. What I saw was a team that beat the crap out of another team and won a chance to play in the state championship. What the coach saw was his team struggle to beat the other team because they “lacked focus” when it came to defense. At the end of the day, they won and that’s all that matters in my eyes. They have a chance to play better in a few weeks, and they’ll be working hard between now and then, I’m sure.

Walking into my place, I’m remembering where Grant and I left off earlier and suddenly get nervous. Grant must notice because he wraps his arms around me and whispers in my ear.

“We don’t have to go there. There’s no rush. We can take this as slow as you want, Madison.”

Turning in his arms, I know that I don’t need more time. He’s been waiting for me to come back to him for five years. I spent that time looking for someone to love me the way he does. There’s no question in my mind whether he loves me or not, and I know that I love him. What better way to celebrate his big win and my birthday than together?

Chapter 16

I’m not sure what I imagined my first time would be like, but it wasn’t that. It was awkward and slightly painful. Grant kept apologizing for hurting me and I kept cringing. It got better and then it was amazing. Lying in his arms after was my favorite part. Until this morning, when we tried again. Then, it was exactly how I imagined it would be. Perfect.

We both fell back asleep, and when I woke up, Grant was in the kitchen making breakfast. I tried to sneak up on him, but he caught me, lifted me up onto the counter and kissed me senseless.

“Happy Birthday, beautiful girl,” he says against my lips.

“Thank you.”

“What would you like to do today?”

“I don’t know. I was thinking that maybe we could just hang out here, watch a movie or something. Cuddle on the couch. Nothing big.”

Kissing me softly on the nose, Grant causes me to giggle. “What about a nice dinner out? We could invite Libby and Chester and make it a double date.”

“I didn’t tell Libby that it was my birthday. You’re the only one I told.”

“Really? Why?”

“I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.”

“So, if I told her earlier in the week by accident when I asked her what I should buy you, you wouldn’t be mad at me, would you?”

I wrinkle my nose at Grant, but I can’t be mad at him. “No, but I wish I had known that you told her.”

“Well, I wish I hadn’t. She wasn’t much help anyway. It does explain her attitude when I asked if she would help me pick something out for you, though. I think her feelings were a little hurt. You might wanna call her and invite her to do something today.”

It’s on my list. I’ll call and apologize for not telling her after breakfast. Just as the thought crosses my mind, my stomach growls, causing Grant to laugh.

“Let’s get you fed, birthday girl,” Grant says in a teasing voice.

***

Libby pretends to be hurt and mad for a few minutes before her excitement gets the best of her and she starts making plans for the afternoon. Her voice gets louder and louder until it sounds like it’s in surround sound. I pull the phone away from my ear at the same moment she busts through the door.

“Oh! By the way. I’m on my way over,” Libby says into her phone as she makes eye contact with me, closing the door behind her.

I hang up the phone, my eyes shooting to the bathroom door. I’m paralyzed, fear of what Libby will think when she sees Grant walk out of the bathroom freshly showered. She’ll instantly know why he’s still here, what we did. My face starts to heat up as Libby draws me in for a hug. Behind me, I hear the bathroom door open and Libby draw in a swift breath.

“Hey, Libby,” Grant mumbles. Looking over my shoulder, I watch as he retreats back into the bathroom to get dressed.

“Why is Grant showering here and walking around in only a towel after?” She still has her arms wrapped around me tightly so she can’t see how red my face is from embarrassment. When I don’t answer her, she continues. “Did he sleep here last night?”

I shake my head and Libby lets out a squeal of excitement, pushing me away from her and holding onto my shoulder. The excitement on her face is overwhelming.

“Did you …?”

“Libby!” I exclaim and look away.

“Oh. My. God. You did!” Loud Libby is back. I’m sure Grant can hear her loud and clear in the bathroom. I wish he would come out here and save me. “Tell me everything!”

Please, Grant. Please come save me from Libby’s inquisition. As if telepathically hearing my pleas, Grant opens the bathroom door. A quick glance tells me that he’s fully dressed and ready to take Libby on.

“Later,” I whisper to Libby, knowing full well that I’ll do whatever it takes to avoid having that conversation with her.

Leaving Grant alone with Libby while I take a shower is a bad idea, but I don’t have a choice. When I return, Grant gives me a look that I can only describe as “save me.” I know that feeling. Smiling, I wink at him and pull Libby into the bathroom to help me with my hair. I leave the door open so she can’t ask me about Grant, but I still have to change the conversation twice before she gets the hint.

Chester meets up with us an hour later at the movie theater. I let Libby pick the movie since I didn’t have a preference. That was a bad idea. Chester and Grant both sigh when they realize that we are headed in to see a chick flick. I laugh, link arms with Libby, and we skip ahead of them.

After the movie, Grant insists that we go out for dinner. He picks the nicest restaurant in town and asks for a seat in the back, away from the crowd. I give him a curious look, but he avoids my gaze, leading me to the table with his hand on the small of my back. He has something up his sleeve, but I have no idea what. My interest is definitely peeked.

The food is amazing and dessert is even better. Just as we’re about to leave, Libby pulls a wrapped package out from under the table. Where did that come from? I didn’t see her carry anything in with her.

“For you, Mads. Happy birthday,” she squeals, her face aglow with excitement.

“Thanks, but you didn’t have to get me anything.”

“Of course I did. It’s your birthday. You only turn eighteen once.” Libby smiles at me sweetly as she hands the package across the table.

Careful not to tear into the paper like a child on Christmas morning, I slide my finger under the tape, opening the end, and then slide the paper off and open the brown box hidden beneath. As soon I see what’s inside, I start laughing. Only Libby.

“You have to split everything with me 50/50,” Libby demands.

“How many lottery tickets did you buy? There has to be at least a hundred in here.”

“Good guess. It’s going to take you a while to scratch them all,” Libby replies, a note of humor in her voice at the fact that I’ll be scratching lottery tickets for days.

“Well, thank you. I’ll let you know what your cut is as soon as I’m done.” I blow her a kiss across the table and she pretends to grab it and slap in on her cheek.

“Me next,” Grant announces from beside me.

I turn in my seat and face him as he struggles to get something out of the pocket of his jeans. He pulls his closed fist out and insists that I close my eyes. I feel him pull my hand out, open it and close my fingers around something. When he finally says that I can open my eyes, I stare at my hand for a moment, unsure of what lies beneath my fingers.

“Open your hand, Madison,” Grant says, pushing my hand toward me.

Slowly I unwrap my fingers from around the object and inhale sharply when I see what he’s placed in my palm. I can’t believe he kept it all these years.

“You still have it. I can’t believe it.”

“Of course I kept it. You gave it to me. Now I’m giving it to you.”

Staring at Grant, I see nothing but love in his eyes. I feel his love in my heart as it beats wildly in my chest, an overwhelming love words will never be able to describe. It’s as if our souls are entwined, always dancing around one another.

Libby clears her throat, attempting to get my attention, but I can’t look away from Grant. I wrap the bracelet around my wrist and Grant ties it for me, softly running his thumb across the slightly faded material before letting my hand go.

“I’m confused,” she announces. We obviously can’t tell her when I gave it to him or why. “You told me you were going to give her a bracelet for her birthday. I thought you were going to buy her something, not make her something.”

Grant chuckles but never breaks eye contact with me as he speaks. “I thought about it, but decided against it.”

“Okay. Am I missing something here?” Libby sounds irritated, and I’m sure if I were to look at her I would see her irritation as well.

“It’s kind of an inside joke, Libby,” I reply, forcing myself to break eye contact with Grant.

“Well, care to fill the rest of us in?” she asks, motioning between her and Chester who hasn’t said much tonight but has a knowing look on his face.

“Maybe later,” I reply, grabbing my purse from under the table and sliding out of the booth. “Ready to go?”

Grant slides out of the booth, throwing his arm over my shoulder and leads us out of the restaurant, Libby and Chester walking quickly to catch up. We try to part ways with them in the parking lot, but Libby isn’t having it. She invites everyone back to my place to play cards and hang out. I look at her, eyes open wide, nodding in Grant’s direction, desperately hoping that she gets the message that I want to be alone with Grant. The sly grin that slowly spreads across her lips tells me that she doesn’t care.

Two hours later Chester is finally able to pull her out the door. I quickly lock it behind them and rest my head against the door in frustration. I love that girl, but she knew exactly what she was doing.

“Are you going to take a nap against the door or would you prefer to lie on the couch with me?” Grant asks from behind me.

Pushing off the door, I turn to find Grant lying on the couch already, a blanket held open, inviting me to join him. I tilt my head slightly as I stare at him, wondering how I got so lucky.

I fall asleep as soon as Grant’s body warms mine. When I wake up, it’s a little after one in the morning and Grant is sleeping soundly behind me. It takes me a few minutes to shake him awake. Once I finally do, he strips down to his underwear and crawls under the covers in bed. I change into something more comfortable and curl up with him, falling back to sleep instantly.

Ringing wakes me as the sun starts to shine through the windows, the curtains still open, letting the light in. I sit up and look around for my cell phone, but I don’t see it, so I crawl out of bed and follow the sound of the ringing. When I find the source, I run back to the bedroom and shake Grant, attempting to wake him up before the ringing stops.

“Grant! Your mom is calling,” I holler at him as I vigorously push against his shoulder.

“Hmm. What?” His eyes flutter open slightly before closing again.

“Grant!”

“I’m up. Tell her I’ll call her back later,” he mumbles before rolling over and attempting to fall back asleep.

Staring at his phone, I contemplate answering it when the ringing stops. I breathe a sigh of relief just before it starts again. I can’t answer it. I can’t do it. How awkward would that be?

Hello, Ms. Fisher. He’s asleep still and wants me to tell you that he’ll call you back later.

Um, not going to happen.

“Grant. Answer it. I can’t.” I shake him violently until he grabs the phone out of my hand, answering it without opening his eyes.

“Yeah. Sorry. Okay. Sure. Love you too. Okay.” Grant tosses his phone on the bed and curls back into the covers.

“Uh, are you in trouble?”

“No. Why would I be?” His voice is hoarse from sleep, but I can tell he’s fully awake now.

“Maybe because you haven’t been home since Friday morning,” I suggest.

“It’s not like she didn’t know where I was. She says hello by the way.”

What? She knew he was here? That he stayed the night? Does she know we slept together? I’ll never be able to look her in the eyes again. She must think I’m a slut. I can’t believe she knows that he’s here and she’s okay with it.

“Quit freaking out, Madison, and come back to bed. It’s cold without you.” Rolling over, Grant opens his eyes and looks up at me.

Not sure what to do, I give in to the puppy dog eyes Grant is giving me right now and crawl back in bed. Grant starts snoring a few minutes later while I lie awake in bed and think about everything that’s happened in the last few days. Staring at the bracelet tied to my wrist, I can’t help but smile as Grant holds me tight.

When we finally get out of bed a few hours later, I attempt to make us a late breakfast while Grant starts on his homework. After we eat, I join him and we sit in comfortable silence most of the afternoon, working away. I glance over at him every once in a while, admiring the array of frustrated looks on his face, each one cuter than the last.

Grant promised his mom that he would be home for dinner. After he leaves, I put a frozen pizza in the oven and watch it carefully so that it doesn’t burn. A few minutes before it’s supposed to come out, my bladder screams at me and I run to the bathroom, getting back just as the crust starts to char a little.

Sitting alone for the first time in days, eating quite possibly the worst frozen pizza I’ve ever had, I try and think of what I’m going to tell Libby tomorrow when she starts asking about the bracelet and about Grant. I’ll have to lie to her about one of those things. The other, I could tell her the truth, but not at school. I have a feeling that Loud Libby wouldn’t be able to keep her cool and people would start to stare. I’m already going to blush when I tell her, even more so if people are looking at me.

***

I’m able to avoid Libby’s barrage of questions for a few days, but by the time Thursday rolls around, she’s less than accepting of me avoiding the subject. She wants answers, so I make a deal with her. I’ll tell her what she wants to know if she comes over after work that night. Grant won’t be around since he has a late practice and a test to study for.