Lessons of the Heart (24 page)

I pick each of them up, gently sliding my finger under the flaps. I pull each letter out individually and line them up so I can read them all at once.

“Well? What do they say?” Mom asks.

My eyes grow wide as I look between each letter. I swallow hard and choke back the tears threatening to fall when I look into my parents faces. “I got in. To all of them. Full academic scholarships for all four years.”

A tear falls down my cheek and I brush it away, finally letting the emotions of the situation take hold. Mom rushes around and hugs me tightly, repeatedly saying how proud she is of me. Dad joins her on my other side and we laugh as each of us holds a letter in our hands.

“Um, I need to go,” I say abruptly. I stand up and wipe my eyes.

“Where do you need to go?” my mom asks. “It’s getting kind of late.”

“I need to go see someone.”

“Can’t it wait until tomorrow? It’s a school night and you should get some rest,” Dad says.

I thread my arms into my jacket and pull on my cream colored beret. “No, I need to see him now.”

Both of my parents look at each other before turning back to me as I pull on my gloves and grab my keys.

“Him?”

I kiss them both on the cheek and smile. “Him.” I gather up the letters and give them a small wave. “I won’t be out long.”

Mom leans her head on my dad’s shoulder as they watch me run out the garage door. I practically sprint to my car and barely miss Liam as he pulls into the driveway next to me. With an apologetic wave, I back out while sending a quick text to James and ask him to meet me at Brier Park. He responds instantly, of course, and I drive the few blocks to wait for him.

Giant, fluffy white flakes fall from the sky as I trudge through the snow to our favorite secluded spot. The moon casts a soft glow on the trees and surrounding area. Several stars appear like glitter in the sky, each twinkling in the cold night. My breath billows in front of me, curling into the air before disappearing. Only I don’t feel the cold, just the warmth. And the source of that warmth is walking toward me right now.

I clutch the letters to my chest and my eyes water at the sight of him. He’s just so perfect. Those long legs clad in worn jeans make my heart skip a beat, while his wool pea coat and gray beanie hat make me want to jump him this very instant. But it’s his face that does me in. That gorgeous face, so masculine and strong with those piercing green eyes focused solely on me, that’s what makes my fingers twitch and my knees weak. And it’s his heart, his need to protect and help those around him that make me fall in love with him more and more every day.

My guy
.

“Britta? What’s wrong?” he asks as he cups my face.

I shake my head and let out a small laugh. “Nothing’s wrong. Look,” I say, showing him the papers in my hand. He backs away slightly and flips between each letter with wide eyes. When he’s done reading the last one, he gives me the largest smile I’ve ever seen.

“Sweetheart, this is amazing. Full academic scholarships? Wow, I just can’t even put this into words. I’m so proud of you.” Our lips touch and a tingle runs through my body.

When we pull back, we’re both smiling like idiots. “Sorry to drag you out of the house when it’s snowing like this but I needed to tell you in person. I couldn’t wait until tomorrow.”

James moves his hand to the back of my neck, pulling my body closer to his. Our feet intertwine and I cling to his shoulders, not willing to let him go.

“You know I would do anything for you. Your happiness is my happiness. Your pain is my pain.” James kisses me gently and I sigh. He plays with my hair, twirling it around his finger. “You look so beautiful right now with the snowflakes sticking to your hair. An angel sent from above. My angel. My girl.”

There is no way I could not have fallen in love with this man. Everything he says, everything he does, is perfect to me. My gloved finger traces his jaw before reaching around and pulling his head forward. The moment our mouths lock it’s nothing but a burst of light, dimming the stars and moon with our powerful glow of love.

His tongue touches my lips and I open for him, basking in the joy as he shows me by his actions how much he loves me.

We walk backward slowly until I’m pressed against a tree, never once breaking contact with his lips. Our hands roam over our bodies, separated by layer after layer of clothing. Oh, how I would love to get rid of these layers so I can finally see James.

“Tomorrow we’ll celebrate properly,” he says. His mouth moves down my throat and I tilt my head to the side, giving him better access to the delicate skin.

“Yes.”

“You taste so good right here.” The tip of his tongue grazes the hollow dip of my throat and I moan in response.

“James.” My voice is breathy, floating in the air like the falling snow around us. He brings his head back up and cradles my face again while his thumbs gently stroke the arch of my cheek.

“I love you,” he says, sending me spiraling toward the heavens again.

“I love you too.”

“What time can you come over tomorrow?”

My hands run up and down his coat, playing with a few buttons along the way. “After dinner. My parents think I’m going away for the weekend with Penny. Liam has volunteered to keep her busy so no one will question it. Anything in particular you want me to bring?”

“Just you.”

I laugh. “Well, are we going out? Are you making me dinner at home? I kind of need more to go on than that.”

“Yes, we’re going out to dinner. I’ve made us reservations a couple towns over so I can take you out properly without suspicion.”

“Sounds great.”

With a final scorching kiss, James backs away and pulls me toward our parked vehicles. Somehow I was able to still hold onto my acceptance letters, although I’m not entirely sure how.

“Tomorrow,” he says, opening my car door for me.

“Tomorrow,” I repeat with the smile still plastered on my face.

With a quick peck on my cheek, he closes my door and stands next to his truck, watching me as I drive back toward my house.

“This can work,” I mumble to myself. It worked for my parents; it has to work for me.

I
’M NERVOUS FOR THE FIRST
time in what seems like ages. I double check everything in my overnight bag, just to make sure that I haven’t forgotten anything. Not that it would be an issue if I did. We could always just go out and buy whatever it is I need, but that means more sneaking around and James is still having issues with that. But circumstances being what they are, our actions are pretty much dictated for us. Lies, deceit, and covert operations are the beginnings of our relationship. That’s normal, isn’t it?

“You ready?” Liam asks from my doorway. I turn to face him and smile, knowing it doesn’t quite reach my eyes.

“I think so.” I walk over to hug him tightly. There’s so much gratitude I want to convey with this one simple gesture. “I can’t thank you enough for doing this.”

He hugs me back then grabs my bag off the bed. “No need to thank me. This weekend is for me as well so we’re both getting what we want.”

I swallow hard and shift on my feet. “Just please,
please
be careful with Penny. I know how you feel about her and I know how she feels about you. I just don’t want you both to rush into something before it’s ready to fully blossom. Deep in my heart I know you two could be epic. The timing just needs to be right. You know what I mean?”

Liam smiles and ruffles my hair, making me rush back to my mirror to see the damage. “Relax, I didn’t mess it up. And I do know what you mean. I know that we are meant to be together. As painful as it is, I’m going to take it slow because I don’t know what’s going on through her mind and I don’t want to scare her off. We’re both still so young, but it’s hard to ignore the little voice in my head that says grab her before someone else does.”

“You’re such a good man. I’m proud to be your sister.” We smile and walk out my bedroom door and down the stairs. Our parents are in the living room, cuddled together on the couch with a book between them.

“Stay safe, Britta,” my dad says. “We know you think you can take care of yourself but remember, you’re still just a young girl.”

I walk over and hug them both so they don’t have to leave the couch. “I will, promise.”

Mom turns her attention to Liam and eyes him carefully. “And what are your plans for the weekend?”

He smirks and kisses her on the cheek. “Shenanigans.”

She rolls her eyes and sighs. “Of course. You are your father’s son after all.”

The look my dad gives her has me snickering to myself. She replies with a kiss on his cheek. “Take it as you will. I’ve heard the stories of your younger years before we met.”

“And where did you hear those from?” he asks.

“Your mother and I do talk to each other, dearest, along with Tom and David, who were with you when said shenanigans took place.”

“You can’t believe anything they said.”

Mom shakes her head and shoos us out with her hand. “You two have fun and we’ll see you on Sunday, preferably by dinnertime?”

“Yes, Mom,” we both chime out in unison. We close the front door as my dad’s lips falls onto hers. Liam and I both would like to retain whatever contents are in our stomach before we get into his car so we couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

He drives the short distance to James’s house. We don’t really say anything but then again there’s nothing left to say. He’s spending the weekend with Penny to keep her occupied and I’m spending the weekend with James. We both get what we want in a roundabout way.

“I’m walking you to his door,” Liam states with a quasi-authoritative tone. I roll my eyes and follow him to the front door as he carries my bag for me. My nerves are scattered everywhere and I don’t think I’m going to have any skin left on my bottom lip as I chew on it incessantly.

“Stop it or I will take you home. You don’t have to worry about me beating him up or threatening his livelihood in the event he hurts you. We’ve been talking quite a bit and have actually become friends. James is a good guy and really cares about you. I know I’m leaving you in good hands.”

I turn and hug him again, trying to keep the tears at bay. “Thank you for understanding.”

“Just don’t go and get pregnant. I can’t help you out with that one.”

I smack his chest as James opens his front door. He looks positively sexy in just his jeans and cotton shirt. It was hard not seeing him all day today, but he thought it would be difficult to contain himself if we were together at school so he avoided me like the plague. Not that I could blame him. The anticipation of waiting for this moment ate at me the entire day, making it so I could barely focus on anything other than him. I had to be slapped back to reality a couple of times in the form of cold water on my face between classes since a cold shower wasn’t really an option.

“Thanks again for this. We really appreciate it.” James and Liam shake hands with knowing smiles.

“Just do me a favor and don’t give me any details on what you two did over the weekend. As far as I’m concerned I’m dropping her off with a friend and then never looking back.”

They laugh and I shift on my feet, half anxious to ditch Liam and half nervous to be left alone with James. He must sense my nervousness because he grabs my hand and pulls me to him. My arms wrap around his back and I bury my nose in his neck, drawn to his masculine smell that captivates me with ease.

Liam clears his throat and my face flushes with embarrassment. I almost forgot he was still here. “Sorry.” He responds with an over-exaggerated eye roll.

“I’ll be back to pick you up around four on Sunday. Have fun.” He pauses. “No, wait, I don’t want to know.”

The two shake hands again before Liam quickly retreats back to his car. He’s anxious for his weekend to start as well. So is Penny because she hasn’t stopped chewing my ear off about it since she found out on Wednesday. At least she bought the lie of me wanting to stay home for the weekend to study instead of joining them at the ski lodge.

James shuts the door and removes my coat. He hangs it in his front closet and I place my boots on the rug nearby. I gasp when a pair of strong arms wrap around my waist and pull me into him.

“Hey,” he says with a twinkle in his eye.

“Hey,” I whisper back.

Our lips meet and whatever fears were present have vanished at the sweet taste of his mouth. My fingers find their way into his hair and glide through the thick silky strands. James’s hands have a mind of their own as well, gripping my waist tighter and pulling me flush against him as my back hits the wall with a soft thud. My heart beats a pounding rhythm in my chest, with a matching pulse between my legs, as I feel his hips press into my own.

“I’m so glad you’re here.” He nuzzles into my hair, breaking the hold he had on my mouth. He gently sucks my earlobe into his mouth. My hands run down his back, feeling each and every muscle flex and move as his hands continue their exploration of my body.

“Me too.” Higher brain function does not exist for me. The only thing my scattered mind can focus on is the need to remove the barriers between us until we are connected in every way possible.