Always You(40)

I began to rub harder as the urge to be satisfied began to build. I imagined his erection pressing at my entrance, teasing me.

I thought about the other night, after the hot tub. I’d wanted him so badly that my body ached for him. I circled my clit, reliving the thought of him driving himself inside me and pushing me to the brink. I gasped as my body spasmed, my own touch almost too much to handle.

I softly rubbed my wetness, the euphoria engulfing me until I could take no more. I sighed and rolled over, exhausted and yet so content.

***

I made my way downstairs, thinking about Dalton. God, even the thought of him had me smiling. We were so close to the end, I felt like nothing could ruin this for us.

Except maybe Paige.

Since she’d accosted me the other day, she had stayed out of my way. No more mention of what she thought she knew. She had even stopped her abuse of me.

Dalton was convinced she wouldn’t say anything. With no proof, it was our word against hers, and Paige was all about appearances. The last thing she would want to do is snitch. I wished I shared his confidence, but part of me was just waiting for her to do or say something. I knew her well enough to know she wouldn’t just back away quietly. That wasn’t her style.

As I rounded the corner, I heard Dalton’s name. I stopped short, pushing myself up against the wall so Layna wouldn’t see me. I strained to hear what she was saying. My heart began to pound. This was it: Paige had told her. It was over. I felt dizzy as I struggled to breathe. Oh, God, not like this.

“Honey, I promised you I’d look out for him, and I have been.” Layna’s voice was soft. Now I was confused. Honey? Who was she talking to? Layna chuckled. “You’re supposed to worry about him, you’re his mother.”

I froze. Dalton’s mother. This wasn’t about us. Relief rushed through me. Thank f*cking God.

“I know, I understand. I would be, too. What age did Derek start showing symptoms?” Silence. “Uh-huh.” More silence.

Who the hell was Derek? And what did they mean ‘symptoms?’ Of what?

“You’re worrying about something that might never happen. If Dalton does turn out to have this disease, you’ll deal with it, and you won’t be alone. You’ll have Dan and me. I have no idea if it’s better for him to have the test or not. It’s his personal choice whether he wants to know or not.”

My heart raced as I tried to process what I was hearing. He might be sick. Dalton might be sick. My brain ached as I ran through all the possible worst-case scenarios in my head. Why hadn’t he told me? What was wrong with him?

Oh God, I couldn’t handle this.

My legs buckled under me. I lost my balance, crashing into an oversized, poorly positioned vase. My toe throbbed as I hopped around.

“Mary, I have to go.” I heard the phone click, and then Layna appeared around the corner. She grabbed my arm to steady me, and helped me over to the sofa.

“Wrenn, what are you doing?” she exclaimed, furrowing her brows.

I shook my head, not sure of what to say. “I was walking down and I heard you on the phone. It sounded like something I shouldn’t interrupt, so I waited . . . ”

“You eavesdropped?” she clarified, shaking her head in annoyance.

I blushed, not used to being chastised by Layna.

“Honestly Wrenn, that was a private conversation.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have been having it in the middle of the living room?” I shot back.

She narrowed her eyes and frowned at me.

“So, Dal—Mr. Reid is sick?” I asked, trying to keep the emotion from my voice. Inside, I was a wreck.

Layna sighed and sat down next to me. “He might be. He might be fine. We don’t know.”

“What ‘might be’ wrong with him? Is it serious?” I asked. At this point I couldn’t care less if my concern sounded misplaced. My heart was racing, a million thoughts flying through my head about what could be wrong with him.

Layna nodded, and then sighed loudly. “I can’t talk to you about this, Wrenn. I’m sorry. Try not to worry.”

Try not to worry? I was past worrying. In my head, I was already planning his freaking funeral. I jumped up. I have to get out of here. If I stayed any longer, everything would come tumbling out. Heading for the door, I grabbed my bag and my keys.

“I’m going to see Kass. I’ll speak to you later.” I forced myself to sound natural and even managed a smile.

“All right. And Wrenn? Keep this to yourself, okay?”

***

I pulled up outside the river, my hands shaking. It was raining, but I opened my door and stepped out anyway. I needed to feel something, anything, to distract me from the thoughts racing through my head at a million miles an hour. The rain fell down on me, huge, cold drops of water splashing against my face, but I barely noticed. I was soaking wet and I didn’t care. The cold air hit me, barely even registering.

He can’t be sick. I can’t lose him too.

I walked over to the river’s edge, kicking at the rocks that lined the path. I dropped down to my knees, sitting in the cold, wet mud as the rain continued to fall around me.

It wasn’t f*cking fair. Hadn’t I been through enough already? Was my life some kind of joke? If there was a God, he was probably up there laughing at poor Wrenn and all her tragedies. It was one thing after another, and I wasn’t sure how much more I could handle. I tried so hard to keep myself together and to not dwell on the past, but you’ve got to be f*cking kidding me. This was too much.