SEAL's Baby (Navy SEAL Secret Baby Romance) (65 page)

“Uh, okay. Did he
give us homework in that class?”

“Yes. He did.
Chapter twenty three.”

“Yikes. Good thing
I brought it home,” I said.

He nodded, then
smiled. “Do you want to do the homework first and I’ll come back later?”

I reached into my
backpack. “No. I’ll do the homework later.”

“I’ll get this
back to you in fifteen minutes.”

I looked at him
with wide eyes. “It only takes you that long to do your math homework?”

“Yeah. To me, it’s
easy.”

“Wow. I will have
to get you to help me this weekend. I can’t seem to grasp it.”

“Were you
recommended for this class?” he asked me.

“No, but my mother
wanted me to take it for college.”

“Well, there’s
your problem. You weren’t ready for it.”

“My stupid grades
reflect it,” I said.

This was
comfortable. I could talk about school with him. Then the silence fell, but I
kind of didn’t want him to leave. “Uh. Did you get on the team?”

He frowned. “No, I
didn’t make it.”

“I’m sorry,
Dylan.”

He shrugged. “It’s
okay. Your dad was right. I need to put myself out there and try things.”

That might mean he
wouldn’t be friends with Cole. That would be okay. “You did that.”

“I’ll have to see
what else I can get involved with.”

“How’s your
mother?”

Another frown.
“She’s out of the hospital, but in a rehab center. She’ll be there for a few
days.”

“Was it drugs?”

His face fell. I
should have asked that.

“Forget I asked.
I’m sorry, Dylan.”

I really was. I
didn’t want to hurt his feelings. He was turning out to be a nice guy.

“It’s okay. It was
almost an overdose.”

“I’m sorry,
Dylan.”

“Not your fault.”

His face wasn’t so
open anymore. I had tread on personal ground and I had to bring things back
around. “Uh, are you taking the SATs on Saturday?”

“I’m signed up,
but I don’t know if I’ll bother.”

I shifted in my
chair to get more comfortable. “Why not?”

“Not like I can
afford college.”

“You haven’t
applied anywhere?”

“No. I couldn’t
visit.”

“You could start
at the local community college,” I said. Part of me wanted to go there for nursing,
but I knew my mother didn’t want me to go into that field. It was a fight we
had often.

“I can’t pay for
it.”

“Financial aid.”

“But that has to
be filled out by a parent, and that’s not going to happen.”

That was a bind.
“There must be something you can do.”

“I can be
emancipated.”

“But we’re
eighteen. Aren’t we considered adults?”

“Not in terms of
financial aid.”

“Then get
emancipated. What does that mean?”

He leaned against
the door frame. “It means that I can take care of myself. That I’m not under a
parent’s authority.”

“Do it.”

“It costs money
and I’m not working,” he said.

“Maybe my dad
could help.”

He shook his head.
“Your father has done enough for me. I can’t ask him to do more.”

“I could.”

“No, Taylor.”

It was only the
second time he’d said my name, and I liked how it sounded in his mouth. That
was odd, for sure. I wasn’t usually attracted to the bad boy and with his
longer hair, scruff, and tattoos he was definitely a bad boy.

“Why not? He’d do
it if I asked.”

“I know he would,
and I’d owe him even more that I do now.”

“It’s okay to ask
for help, Dylan.”

“Not for me,” he
said.

I didn’t
understand. I asked for help all of the time. Was it a guy thing? Maybe. My
father helped me all of the time.

“Is it because
you’ve never had anyone to help you?”

“Why are you
trying to analyze me?” He pushed off the doorframe. “I’ll get this book back to
you in fifteen minutes.”

He spun then
walked out. I’d pissed him off. I ran to my door. “Dylan?”

He stopped in the
hallway then turned to me. “What?”

“I’m sorry for
whatever I said wrong.”

He pressed his
lips together. “It’s fine, Taylor. You don’t have any idea.”

“No, I don’t. So,
if I do it again, please tell me and know that I don’t mean it.”

He studied me, and
I wasn’t sure what he was thinking. I told myself to never play poker with
Dylan. Certainly not strip poker. Now, where had that idea come from? I’d never
played strip anything with anyone.

“It’s okay,
Taylor. You don’t know any better.”

“But I’m not a
child, so tell me when I insult you. I don’t want to.”

He nodded. “Okay.
Deal.”

I smiled, but he
didn’t return it. Instead, he turned back around and left me alone in the
hallway. What an odd person this Dylan was. Would I ever understand him?

Chapter
Five

Dylan

Cole greeted me
outside of school after Taylor’s mom dropped us off. I wasn’t sure if he’d even
notice me since I didn’t make the team.

“Tough break, not
making the team,” he said.

The email had
landed in my inbox only minutes before I arrived home last night. It had been
nice to be out with kids my age as if I didn’t have a care in the world. The
reality of my mother in the hospital didn’t creep in until I woke in the middle
of the night.

I had been
disoriented, not sure where I was. The bed was too soft. The room too big.
Then, I remembered. I wasn’t able to sleep any more with worry for her. I
should be worried. She is my mother.

Taylor poured me
some coffee when she saw my face that morning. Maybe she wasn’t such a bitch
after all.

“I’ll be okay.
Guess I have to try something else,” I said as we walked into the school.

“How’s everything
else going?”

Part of me wanted
to take a step back. Why was he asking? “Uh, okay, I guess.”

“How’s your
mother?”

I had told him
about my mother last night. I don’t know what I had been thinking, but I guess I
needed to unburden myself. Now, I wish I hadn’t. “Uh, she’s okay. I’ll go visit
her this weekend.”

“Is it better
living with the Deans?”

“Yeah, it is.
They’ve all been nice.”

We walked toward
by locker. I opened it and pulled out what I needed for the next few classes.

“Even Taylor?”
Cole said.

“Even Taylor. She
isn’t so bad.”

Cole shook his
head. “Not so sure I’d trust that.”

“Why not?”

I had nothing to
lose by trusting Taylor. It wasn’t as if she could kill my reputation in
school. Everyone already thought of me as a thug or bad boy. How could it get
any worse? Taylor had nothing on me. I was pretty sure that Mr. Dean hadn’t
told her what I’d been doing when he found me. Even if he had and she spread it
around, no one would care.

Sadly, they
wouldn’t be surprised by it – that’s how everyone thought of me.

“She’s not all she
seems to be. I’ve seen her screw a few people over.”

“Well, I’m all for
giving everyone a chance. Especially since I don’t ever get one,” I said.

Cole shrugged. “I
think you’ll be sorry, man.”

“What has she done
to you?”

He put a hand on
his chest. “To me? Nothing. I keep her at a distance. I’m firmly in her friend
zone.”

“If you’re her
friend, why are you talking trash about her?”

Made me wonder
what he would say about me behind my back.

“I’m not talking
trash. I’m just warning you. Friend to friend. That’s it. Don’t kill the
messenger.”

I bit my tongue.
No need to make an enemy of Cole. Being friends with him could keep some people
off of my back. “Okay, no problem.”

Cole flashed a
winning smile that would open doors for him in life. I didn’t have a winning
smile. Instead, I had an off-putting scowl which Cole hadn’t seemed to be
bothered by.

It hadn’t bothered
Taylor last night, either. I’d reserve judgement on her. She deserved a chance.
Not that she needed one from me.

She was currently
surrounded by what I thought of as her groupies. As Cole and I walked by, they
all checked him out. I can’t imagine they were checking me out. When I looked
at Taylor, though, her gaze was on me. She smiled.

That was the most
recognition she’d ever given me in school. I smiled back, then moved on to my
first class. I could have walked her there, but I doubted that she would like
that. No reason to push my luck.

We had a pop quiz
in math and I could tell that Taylor wasn’t doing well. She kept huffing and
groaning. It might be fun to help her out later. She wasn’t bad to look at, at
all. She wasn’t my type, but that’s okay. It was just homework help.

, the teacher
collected our papers. When Taylor turned to put something in her purse, she
glanced at me. Her brow was furrowed and her frown creased her face.

That bites. She’s
pretty unhappy. I smiled at her, but she didn’t smile back. I didn’t take it
personally.

The class went
quickly and, to my surprise, Taylor was waiting for me in the hallway at the
end.

“I really need
your help this weekend,” she said.

She didn’t look
around at all. She just stared at me.

“I can help you,
but maybe you better let your mother know that you can’t do this class.”

“We’re in the
second semester already. I can’t drop it now.”

I nodded. She was
right. “That sucks. Okay. We’ll set aside some time this weekend.”

“Thank, Dylan.”

She flitted away.
I watched her for a moment, and then I realized Cole was walking the other way.
He glanced at Taylor as she went by, then at me. He shook his head.

“Nothing’s going
on, Cole. She asked for math help.”

“That’s how it starts.
Haven’t you seen any teen movies? That’s how it starts.”

“We live in the
same house and I doubt that Mr. Dean would appreciate me doing his daughter
right under his nose. He’d kick me out and I don’t want that to happen.”

“Keep that in
mind, sport.”

I would. I owed
Mr. Dean a lot. Fucking his daughter would be the last thing I should do.
Besides, she wasn’t interested in me and wasn’t my type. No worries. We could
probably be practically naked and I wouldn’t be interested in her.

Cole slapped me on
the back. “I got class. Hey, I’m getting some friends together on Saturday.
Come by my house about eight. We’ll hang out. Play some video games.”

“Sure. Sounds
good.”

My weekend was
wide open, after all. No dates. No parties, but really there never were.

***

I stopped in the
men’s room before my last class. I’d waited all day. I was in there alone,
thankfully. Using the urinal then washed my hands. That’s when I saw it.

I’d been thinking
about what Cole had said about Taylor. She’d been on my mind all day, and I
hoped I could help her.

Written on the
wall were the words: “Taylor Dean is a slut.”

I didn’t think she
was. Cole had said she was a cock tease. That usually meant that she was
virgin. So how could she be a slut?

Someone came in
and I took my time washing my hands. I’d be late for my next class, but that
was fine.

“Hey,” the person
said as they washed their hands.

“Hey.”

That guy left as
the bell rang. Shit, I was going to be really late for class. I dug into my
backpack for a marker. I couldn’t let that sit there. I’d never had a sister,
but I wouldn’t want someone to say that about her if I did.

She wasn’t and
even if she was, it wasn’t up to someone else to make that judgment. I knew
what it felt like to be on the receiving end of judgment. Most people thought
things of me that weren’t true. I knew that I’d never overcome my reputation in
this school, but no need to drag Taylor down.

I found the
marker. Uncapping it, I began to cover it up.

The door swung
open. I jumped and probably looked guilty.

“What are you
doing?”

The newcomer
looked from me to the marker and then to the wall. I had covered a good portion
of it by then. “You should be in class and not in the bathroom.”

The man grabbed my
arm and dragged me out of there.