“I’ll meet you the day after but I can’t stay long.”
“Come in the mornin’, before you go to your friend’s, just real quick,” he urged.
“I… I can’t. I’m going over there early.”
“Then I’ll meet you earlier.”
“I –”
“Creed! You gonna buy me a cone or what?”
He twisted around to look behind him and I leaned to the side to look around him. I saw Natalie outside the door, one hand holding it open, one hand on her hitched hip. Her long, tanned legs on show in her short-shorts. Her big boobs making the material of her tight t-shirt stretch.
“In a second,” Creed called back.
I was so intent on my study of the beautiful, tall, brunette Natalie and wishing I had brown hair and long legs and big boobs that I didn’t notice him turn back to me.
“Hey,” he said softly and my eyes shot to him.
Then I quickly dropped my head and moved closer to my bike, mumbling, “Gotta go.”
“Hey,” he said it softly again and, slowly, my eyes lifted to him. When my eyes met his beautiful blue ones, he whispered, “You’ll always be my girl.”
He was just being nice.
I’d stopped being his girl a couple years ago. He had other ones now. Lots of them. Natalie was just the newest one.
I bit my lip and looked away, trying real hard not to cry.
“Hey,” he whispered and I didn’t want to, I could see the wet swimming in my eyes but I pulled in a breath and looked back at him to find him closer and leaning down toward me. “You’ll always be my Sylvie. Yeah?”
I sucked in a breath and nodded.
“Come to the lake. I’ll meet you early,” he ordered.
I nodded again.
He grinned, lifted a hand and touched the green stone hanging at my neck.
“Gotta give my Sylvie her necklace.”
“Okay, Creed,” I whispered.
He pulled only an inch away but stopped and whispered, “It’s always you and me.”
I nodded again and felt my lips quivering.
He kept whispering, “Always me and my Sylvie, yeah?”
“Yeah,” I whispered back.
He lifted a hand and tucked my hair behind my ear. “Careful ridin’ home.”
“’Kay, Creed.”
“See you tomorrow.”
“’Kay.”
“Later.”
“Bye.”
I got on my bike.
He strode back to the frozen milk stand.
I cried all the way home.
Chapter Eleven
We Win
Present day…
“Sylvie?”
I stood completely still, the roaring in my ears deafening, my eyes opened but blinded, every nerve in my body vibrating like I was receiving way too many volts but my lips moved.
“Stop talking.”
“Baby.” I felt two big hands settle gently on either side of my head.
“They didn’t do that to you,” I whispered.
“Sylvie –”
“Take it back.”
“Ba –”
My hands shot straight down in fists, my head jerked back so far pain pulled at my neck and the words carved jagged through my throat as I shrieked, “They did not do that to you!”
His arms folded around my head as he yanked me to his body.
“We’re done for tonight,” he muttered into the top of my hair.
Oh God.
That wasn’t it.
Oh God.
There was more.
My legs gave out under me but Creed caught me, lifting me up in his arms. I shoved my face in his neck as we moved through my house. Then we were in bed, Creed gathering me close, tucking me tight, curling over me so he was mostly on me. He was the only thing there was, the only thing I could see, the only thing I could feel.
“They didn’t do that to you,” I whispered into his throat but it was a ragged plea.
“Quiet, Sylvie.”
My body bucked violently as the sob tore through me.
Creed’s hold tightened.
My fingers fisted in his shirt.
“They didn’t do that to you. They didn’t do that to you. They didn’t do that to you. They didn’t do that to you. They didn’t do that to you. They didn’t do that to you.”
“Sh, baby.”
I shushed.
He held me.
My tears quieted.
He still held me.
“Creed?” I called.
“Sleep, baby.”
“Do you believe in God?”
“Sleep.”
“Do you believe in God?”
“I don’t know.”
I sucked in a broken breath.
Then I whispered, “Right now, I don’t either.”
*
My eyes opened and I stared at the alarm clock.
Then I threw the covers back from the bed, jumped up, rushed out of my room, down the hall and through the living room. I smelled bacon cooking so instead of going right out the door, I ran into the dining room and stopped dead halfway in.
Creed was at my stove. He felt my presence and turned.
“Charlene,” I whispered.
“I went over. It’s all good. She’s cool. Helped with the kids.”
I spared at him and started trembling, head to toe shakes.
He didn’t miss it.
“Come here, Sylvie.”
“I need time.?
His haad jerked then his eyes locked on me.
Ca5tiously, he replied, “Honest to Chriqt, give you aNything. Anything, baby. But lost enough time. Can’t give you that. Space, maybe. Time. No.”