Unclaimed (10 page)

I pulled up my shorts and yanked her against me so I could
steal a kiss.  I was definitely looking forward to later.  “Pack a bag,” I grumbled against her lips before she pushed me away and did exactly that.  I was taking her home with me tonight.

Prudence

I was nervous about going to the lake with his friends without the buffer of Maggie and Skyla.  Maggie can and does talk to anyone.  Skyla seemed so at ease around his friends like she really knew them.  I was more reserved.  Simple chitchat did not come easily to me with people I didn’t know.  I was worried that today was going to backfire in my face.  What if I didn’t have anything to contribute to the conversation?  Or no one talked to me?  What if Lincoln realized I wasn’t worth his time and pushed me to the side like everyone else did?

I had
no idea who was going.  Lincoln just said friends.  Friends I met?  Friends I hadn’t?  No idea.  Was it going to be his roommates?  Were they going to mercilessly tease me all day about my stupid lovely comments or girls that hated me because of some unknown girl code that required girls to always hate girls they didn’t know?  I didn’t do girls well.  I just didn’t get them for the most part.

As usual,
I was worrying about nothing.  When we got to the dock everyone was already there.  Everyone consisted of Lincoln’s roommates, Jonas and Guy and Prat, and Prat’s longtime girlfriend, Beth.  Apparently they grew up together making me a little bit of an outsider but they never made me feel that way.

They teased u
s a little about being late.  Of course I blushed horribly revealing our not so innocent reasons for our tardiness.  They found it highly entertaining but thankfully they hadn’t actually been waiting on us so I didn’t feel too bad.  According to Prat, Beth and Guy get ready like girls and Jonas overslept.

We had been out on the water for hours, wakeboarding, all but me because my tattoo was still too fresh so I couldn’t
.  Lincoln and I had talked about that dilemma earlier on in the week and he said he would gladly do something else with me instead of going to the lake, which was sweet but I wanted to go to the lake, even if I couldn’t get in too much.  I wasn’t much of a water person anyway.

We finally
decided to return to the dock for a few extra drinks.  The ice chest was running low and then we were going to one of the many coves to barbeque.

Jonas tied us off and then hopped
out of the boat.  Lincoln kissed my cheek and then joined him.  “Be right back,” he said to me smiling from ear to ear.  He was having a good time.  So was I.  No one else made a move to leave the boat.  “No embarrassing stories,” he said sternly pointing at his friends.

“Challenge accepted,” Guy said
laughing loudly.  He had a few beers under his belt.

Lincoln groaned as he headed
off with Jonas.  I couldn’t help but laugh.  He did this to himself.

“So,” Guy says rubbing his hands together like some evil cart
oon villain, “where to begin?”  His eyes were bright.  He was going to love this.  “When Lincoln was seven we had a thing at school.  You know when all the kids get up and sing some Christmas song.  Our class was singing Jingle Bells.  Lincoln was in the front row.  He wasn’t so tall back then.  We walked out onto the rafters and Lincoln blew chunks all over the front row.”  We all laughed.  Poor seven-year-old Lincoln.

“That’s gross,” I said while laughing.

“He went through a long hair phase when he was in junior high,” Prat added.  “It was not good.”  I could imagine.  Lincoln did not have a face for long hair.

“When Lincoln was fifteen his mom came home early from work and walked in on him and Vanessa Samson on the couch,” Guy shared
.  Guy was laughing so hard I couldn’t help but join him.  I felt bad for all three of them.  That had to be embarrassing for everyone involved.

“Lincoln had an ongoing rivalry with Patrick Harlow all through school,” Beth started
.  “Lincoln had been flirting with this girl.  We were in junior high, seventh grade I think, during his long hair phase.  She was leaning on the wall and he was doing that sexy one arm lean around her thing so he didn’t see Patrick when he walked up behind him and pants him in front of the entire lunch room.”

That was funny. 
I laughed along with everyone else.

“But he got his revenge,” Guy started
in.  Guy was probably the drunkest of the bunch.  “Lincoln slammed his fist right into his nose when he was hitting on his sister.  It wasn’t much of a fight though because one hit and Patrick was out.”  They all started laughing. I pretended to chuckle along with them thoroughly confused.

Lincoln didn’t
have a sister.  Lincoln told me himself he was an only child.  Why would he lie about being an only child?  I was confused.

Then they all fell silent and stared
behind me.  Their happy laugher died replaced with guilty, awkward smiles.  I slowly turned and there was Lincoln and Jonas and some girl I didn’t know.  Lincoln was glaring at each of them.  I saw them all look away from him refusing to make eye contact.  Then his eyes meet mine and I became even more concerned.  He was angry but I could see the panicked and worried look hiding underneath it.

He was perfectly happy ten minu
tes ago when he left the boat.  What happened since then?  Did something happen in the store or was it because his friends just outted his only child lie or just spent the last five minutes cramming in as many embarrassing stories as possible?

“Wow, Lincoln it seems all your embarrassing moments revolve around girls,” I
said playfully tilting my head down to look up at him over the top of my sunglasses trying to ease the growing tension.  I wasn’t going to call him out in front of all of his friends and make a big scene.

Lincoln smiled down at me but it didn’t
reach his eyes.  It wasn’t even his usual smirk.  It was forced.  “Apparently,” he said as he hopped in, secured the drinks in the ice chest, and sat down in the empty seat in the front.  Jonas and the stranger followed.

“This is Julie, she’s going to join us,” Jonas told us
.  “Cool?” he asked and we all nodded collectively.  Lincoln reached over and ran his fingers down my bare thigh before gently grabbing my hand and tugging me over to him.  I went willing, giving up my seat.

Lincoln

There were only six seats in the boat and they were all full, Julie, some random girl Jonas hooked up with once, made seven.  I was glad for the excuse to get Pru in my lap.  I scooted back in the seat opening my legs and she sat between them leaning back against my bare chest.  I wrapped my arms around her and nuzzled into her neck, enjoying her closeness and soft scent.  The floral, plum scent mixed with her sweat was beautiful.

I closed my eyes and inhaled
deeply.  I wanted to enjoy what could be the last moments I had to hold her.

I left her in the boat with my friends knowing they were going to try and get through as many embarrassing s
tories as possible.  It was what we did.  I didn’t expect a single one to bring up my family shit.  I knew Guy didn’t do it on purpose but he was drunk and now it was out there.

They all knew
parts of my story.  We had been friends for years after all.  Jonas and Guy knew who my dad was and they all knew Skyla was my sister.  It was hard to keep it from them when she started hanging out a few years ago.  When they asked I simply told them she was my sister.  None of them questioned it.  I guess it made since that my father, who wasn’t there for me, would have other children too.

When I came up and heard Guy’s story I wanted to pummel him, especially when it was fo
llowed by Pru’s awkward laugh.  She’s smart.  I knew she was trying to put the pieces of what Guy told her together with what I told her.  There was no way this was going to slip past her.  She wasn’t drunk or stupid.  Did she think I lied to her?  That would have been the obvious conclusion.  I guess in a way I had.

My chest tightened and I felt myself
start to panic.  Was she going to leave me?  I wouldn’t blame her.  I lied to her, kind of.  It was a lie through omission but a lie nonetheless.  Will she listen to me, let me explain and stay?  Or will she listen, let me explain, and then run anyway because I come from a rare breed of crazy?  No one wanted to date someone with this much baggage.  It was one the reason I didn’t publicize it.  If she decided she was done with me I’d understand.  I won’t fight her but it scared the crap out of me.

I had only been seeing this girl a couple of we
eks and that was stretching it.  The thought of her walking out of my life was tearing me up inside.  Never had losing a girl made me feel so panicked, so sick.

Pru and I were quiet the entire ride out to the cove as I held
her.  She let me.  That had to be a good sign.  Right?

We got to the quiet cove we always barbequed
at when we did this.  I swept her up in my arms and jumped into the waist deep water.  I needed to distract her, even if just momentarily.  She squealed and buried her head in my neck.

“Don’t want all my hard work to get ruined,” I said softly in her ear and she laughed as I carried her all caveman like to the shore.

“Never,” she teased.

“How come he gets the lightest load?” Guy grumbled from the boat.

We set up our little camp.  Jonas was cooking and I was successfully avoiding Pru and the conversation I knew was coming up quickly.  The food was done.  Pru and I had our plates, and two bottles of water. I needed to hydrate.  I tossed my towel over my shoulder, grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the rest of the group.  Might as well get this over with.  I couldn’t avoid it forever and if she was going to kick me to the curb I’d rather just be done with it.

I laid
out a towel for us to sit on.  I leaned back on her.  My back against her chest, as she ran her fingers through my hair.  It was so relaxing.  If I wasn’t so anxious I might actually be able to fall asleep.

We were don
e eating and just hanging out.  No one was ready to head back out onto the water.  Her legs were bent so I had one of her sexy legs on either side of my chest.  I ran my hands down them and kissed the side of one of her knees while we sat in silence and watched the water ripple contently.

I didn’t
want to bring it up.  I didn’t want to ruin the moment.  I just wanted to keep sitting like we were, holding each other, like nothing had changed but I knew it wouldn’t last.

“So…” she started
.  Here we go.  “I know you heard Guy’s story,” she said softly in the gentle way she had that seems to sooth my soul.

“Yeah,” I said. 
I wanted to turn around and look at her, see her reaction but at the same time I was afraid too.

“You want to explain
a little because I’m confused.  I distinctly remember you telling me you are an only child,” she said.

“It’s complicated,” I
evaded.  I wasn’t about to point out that technically I didn’t say I was an only child.  I just led her to believe that I was.

“I’m smart.
I think I can keep up,” she snapped.  It was the first time I had ever heard any irritation in her voice.

“I know you are.”  I did too. 
She was smart, beautiful, and wealthy.  What was she doing with me?  I was going to tell her all about my baggage and she was going to go running for the hills.  I couldn’t blame her.

I took a deep breath and let ou
t a deep sigh before starting.  “My parents were high school sweethearts with big dreams but their dreams led them down different paths.  They ended up breaking it off and never getting married.  Somewhere along the way they had me.  My dad left and it was just my mom and me.  That’s why I consider myself an only child, because I was raised as one.  But the thing is I’m not.  My father went on and got married and had two more kids and then four other kids with women he never married.

“I have four brother and
two sisters.  As far as I know they don’t know about me but he does.  He claims every single one of them but me.  One of my sisters knows but that’s it, I think.”  I took a deep breath.  This was the worst part.  “Pru,” I hesitated.  It was hard to get the words out.  “My father is Russell Kole.”

“Lead singer of the Cherry Pickers?” she asked as she gasped
.  Her fingers were still running through my hair.  They froze for a moment before starting back up.

“Yep.” 
It dawned on me that I had never told any girl I was dating all this before.

“You know
Skyla’s your sister right?” she asked.

“Yeah, she
’s the only one of my siblings that seems to know I exist,” I laughed a little under my breath.  “So I can take you back to the shore and get you home or have one of the other guys do it if you prefer.  We can call Skyla to pick you up if that would be better.”

“What? 
Why?” she asked.  I turned around to look at her.  She looked more confused than she had earlier.

“So you can leave?” I questioned.
  Wasn’t this the part where she went screaming into the sunset?