Here Comes the Light (Cambrooke #1) (29 page)

“Miley,” Robin pulls away but kee
ps her hands on my arms. “What’s wrong?” she speaks sweetly as she push hair from my face.

“I miss my mom.” I say through tears. “I feel like the closer I get to you
I’m forgetting my mother ever existed. You’re like a mother to me, Robin.”

“Miley.” She whispers as she places a hand on my cheek while holding my hand with the other.  “You
’re not forgetting your mom. I’m sure she would want you to have someone to be a mother to you. If I couldn’t be there for my boys I would want that for them to be able to go to someone they saw as a mother. I’ll never replace her.” Her eyes glisten as she talks and I notice her eyes are the same light blue as Declan’s.  “But I do love you like my own daughter even though I have only known you for a few short months. Robin’s eyes leak a little before she pulls me into another hug. All this hugging and it isn’t freaking me out. Maybe I am just getting used to her hugging me. “Declan is going to be excited when he hears about your salvation.”

“If he’
ll even talk to me after last night.” I pull away and wipe the tears from my cheeks.

She smiles at me like she
knows something I don’t. “He’ll talk to you I know he will.” We sit down on the front porch swing and she pulls a Bible from her purse she hands it to me.

Teen Girls Life Bible.
The front reads. I look up at her and smile. “I bought that when you first started coming around and have been waiting for the right time to give it to you.”

“Thanks.” I whisper.

“Hey since the boys aren’t here you want to know how Randy and I met?”

I laugh and nod. “Absolutely.” She smiles at t
his.

“Well we went to the same high school,
Cambrooke actually like you guys. He was a big football player, which is where Garrett gets it from. He thought he was all that and a bag of potato chips.” She looks out at the road as she reminisces. “He was a bully. I was the quiet church girl. One day he started pursuing me,” she laughs as she looks at me. “I would not give him the time of day, couldn’t stand him. I finally told him I only dated Christians thinking it would make him back off. He didn’t he just started coming to church.  He came for weeks trying to get to me, but I saw through his act, I knew he wasn’t serious about God. Until God finally got a hold of him and he did a complete flip when he was coming to church for God and not me is when he finally caught my attention.” She shrugs and points to the house. “And you can see how that ended up.”

“So you guys were still in high school?”

She nods, “Juniors we were married almost right out of high school and had Declan shortly after that.” Just as Robin says his name his truck pulls in the driveway right beside my car. My heart drops when I watch him climb out of the truck my stomach in twisted knots.

“Well, I am taking off now.” She says standing as my eyes meet
Declan’s from across the yard. We don’t look at anything except each other as we close the distance between us. “You two behave.” Robin shouts but sounds distant. I am aware of Robin pulling away other than that Declan is the only thing on my mind.

I try to hold back the tears when he is standing directly in front of me, but they are too heavy and fall down my cheeks.

“What is it?” he speaks softly as he wipes my tears away with his thumb.

“I’m sorry.” My voice cracks. “
I’m sorry I pushed you away again.”

He sighs and pulls his arms around my shoulders hugging me against him. “I’m sorry I was moving too fast.”

“I got saved last night.” I speak softly as I look up at him my chin rests on his chest. I don’t want to move away from him.

“That is awesome, Miley!” he speaks with excitement as his hug grows tighter and he picks me up off the ground. When he sits me back down I giggle as I pull away.

“I don’t want what happened between us to change anything.” I whisper looking at the grass. “I just want to be friends right now.”

I don’t look up and he doesn’t respond for a second. I have no idea what is going to happen next. “I’ll wait for you.” He speaks softly; I lift to my eyes to meet his. His smile is faint, yet genuine.

“No,” I shake my head. “I don’t want you to wait for me. I don’t know how long I’m going to need.”

He laughs a little bit. “Let’s not worry about that right now. I just don’t want to da
te anyone and you can’t make me,” he smirks.

Chapter 28

I
hate the fact I had to come back here. I tried to talk my dad into sending me to the Christian school, but he wouldn’t do it being my senior year he says I need to finish the school I am at. I keep my books clutched to my chest and my head down. Which I soon realize is dumb when I crash into a hard chest and my books scatter all over the floor.

I don’t even look up to see who I ran into before I am on the floor p
icking up my books. “Hey watch it…” my heart sinks when I hear that voice. “Miley.” Hudson is now beside me on the floor helping me round up my scattered papers. “I wanted to talk to you.”

I rip the papers from his hand without looking at him. “I don’t need your help.” I hav
e been doing so well over the break not seeing him.

“I’m sorry about everything that happened this summer.
With us.”  His voice is soft making my heart speed up. I stand and still won’t look at him.  I head toward the senior hall to find my new locker assigned to me for the year.

“I just wanted to say.” He shouts to me.

“I don’t care what you want to say.” I shout back over my shoulder.

I find my locker and hide my face inside. I now feel like I can breathe. Until a hand rests on my shoulder; I stiffen up at this. “What part of I don’t want to hear what you have to say do you not understand exactly?” I flip around and Declan holds his hands up in surrender.

“Sorry.” He says.

I let out a long breath and relax my tense body. “I’m
sorry. I thought you were Hudson.”

“You already ran into him I take it?” He nods. “Let me have
your schedule so I can see if we have any classes together.” I slip him the blue slip in my hand.

“Look who
’s here!” I hear a voice that makes me sick. I turn to see what my suspicions were, Jaylynn in all her red headed snootiness. What is she doing here I thought she went to North Valley. “I am so happy to know some people at my new school.” She says with her fake smile.

“Y
eah.” I give her a sarcastic grin.

“Where are you going? Need
me to point you there?” Declan speaks without an ounce of friendliness to his voice.

“Thanks, but I toured the school yesterday.” She bats her eyes. “I’ll see you two around.”

“I hope not.” I say under my breath and forced smile.

Declan sighs and rubs the back of his neck. “I told y
ou Riverside Christian would be a better school .” I laugh as I elbow his stomach. He just gives a weak nod as he hooks his arm around my neck.

“We better get to class, we have first period together.
Government. We are supposed to love our enemies anyway.”

“Can’t we love them from a distance?  The Bible says nothing about having to go to school with our enemies.”

I am not at all surprised to see
Jaylynn sitting in my old spot at lunch. Nova smiles and waves until Jess glares at her. I look around for Declan but don’t see him anywhere. This place is loud and constricting, almost to the point of suffocation. Hudson gives me his wounded puppy dog face when he looks my way.

I make my way past the table with my head held high, even though I don’t know how I am keeping it high I feel stares and hear hushed whispers.

“There you are.”
Declan’s voice is a relief behind me. His friends that sat with us last year graduated so we are the only remaining seniors at our table

“Hey.” I turn towards him with a relieved smile.

“You want to eat outside today?” he tilts his head towards the double doors that lead to the courtyard.  I nod before I peek back at Jess and Jaylynn who both, yes both are glaring at me like they are going to lunge at me and take me down any minute. I have no idea how I am going to get through the rest of this school year. Then there is Hudson, how long can I resist him for? Is he ever going to leave me alone?

“How’
s the day been so far?” Declan sits beside me with the tray piled high with three pieces of pizza and a few helpings of fries.

“Exactly how I thought it was going to.” I say as I roll my eyes and pull my turkey wrap out of my lunch bag. I don’t starve myself anymore
, but I am still not eating the garbage the school tries to pass off as food. “I don’t know why my dad didn’t let me transfer.”

“You know
you are here for a reason.” He says just as Garrett flops down beside of us.

He pulls his lunch bag out as well. I know the football players that are serious don’t eat much of the schools food during football training, at least Hudson never did he brought a lunch with lots of protein along with eating protein bars before and after practice. “How’s it going?” he asks placing his forearms on the table. What even shocks me more is Colten Bailey sliding beside Garrett. I look back to the window I have a straight view of my old table, Colten is a junior but I would have expected him to be sitting with them not us.

“Alright, how about you?” Declan asks him.

“
It’s school right?” Garrett shrugs.

“Ready for practice tonight?”
Colten nudges Garrett.

“Not really.” He grumbles. I thought he loved football. Hudson was always stoked for practices.

“Coach is going to kill you man.” Colten shakes his head.

“Garrett, what did you do?” I g
asp. He never gets into trouble.

“He and Ley got into it at the game on Friday
.” Colten laughs.

“Garrett, you don’t have to defend me.” I say.

“It wasn’t about you.” He grumbles then turns towards Colten. “Just shut up, alright?”

That is weird. Colten chuckles and Garrett glares at him like they are in on this big secret he doesn’t want us to know about. “Do you guys have Mr.
Barnsworth this year?” I ask them.

“Just came from his class.” Garrett nods.

“Man, that dude either needs a tic-tac or toilet paper.” Colten chimes in while waving a hand in front of his nose.

“Maybe it is just his way of getting everyone to cooperate you know so you don’t have to get close enough to smell his breath.” I giggle. Hudson slides in beside Garrett.  Garrett and I both tense up. Hudson rests his elbow on Garrett’s shoulder like they are old pals.

“What are you doing here?” I chide.

“What am I not all
ow to visit with my teammates?” He looks at Garrett and Colten.

“Not if you are going to start a fight.”

Hudson lifts an eyebrow. “Is that what he told you? That I started it.”

“I didn’t tell anybody anything.” Garrett shifts away from Hudson.

Hudson laughs slowly. “Miley, can I talk to you without your bodyguards.” He looks from Garrett to Declan.

“No.” I chide.

“What is your problem, afraid I am going to steal her back?” Hudson taunts Declan.

“You need to leave.” Garrett growls.

“Your brother can’t fight his own battles?” Hudson replies to Garrett.

“This isn’t
Declan’s battle it’s Miley’s.” Garrett chides as he nods his head my way.

“So it’s a family affair?” Hudson shakes his head. “I didn’t think you were that kind of girl.” Declan and Garrett both
stand up at the same time. “Alright, alright.” Hudson holds his hands up as he stands. “I will go, but I thought Christians were supposed to forgive and forget. What would Jesus do?” he chuckles before sauntering off.

“Today can only get better, right?” I ask as I rest my forehead in my hands. Declan sits back down beside me straddling the bench so he is facing me. His hand rests on my back.

“Miley, high school is such a small part of our lives; it isn’t going to last forever.”

“I can’t believe I have to eat lunch with all of them.” I pout as I point toward the window.

“Miley, you are being a little dramatic don’t you think?” Garrett’s harsh words shock me. He shrugs when I look up at him. “I know you are an emotional-hormone-driven-teenage-girl and all.” He moves his head from side to side. “But seriously you have D and I.” he waves his hand between them. “Who cares what Football Captain and Cheerleader of the week think or do.”

“He is right.” Declan speaks softly as his hands slides around my back. “It really only matters what God thinks.”