Meeting The Unpredictable (19 page)

I shrug my shoulders.

“I’d...” Tyler clears his throat. “I’d like to come with you.” I stop walking and turn to face him. “I know that sounds crazy, but I work from home. I can pack up my computer and travel anywhere you want to go. I’m crazy about you so my plan doesn’t sound all that insane to me.”

“You don’t really know anything about me.”

Tyler shakes his head. “Yeah, and whose fault is that? I want to know everything about you, but you won’t open up.” His tone changed. He’s verging on angry, and I can’t blame him.

“Tell me why you hate your parents. Tell me why I’ve lived across from your sister for almost four years and this is the first time I’ve seen you visit. I want to know more about you, Lennie, and more than that, I want you to trust me enough to share your secrets with me.”

If I tell him, everything will change, but if I don’t, then he’ll spend the rest of our trip mad at me.

I grab his hand and lead the two of us down to the beach and sit down in the sand. Tyler quickly sits next me.

“I came to Galveston when I was nine. We spent the whole week here. If I had any idea that would be the last vacation we’d have as a family, I would have tried to bottle up the magical feeling that week gave me.” I take a deep breath, keeping my eyes on the waves in front of us. “Shortly after my tenth birthday, I got sick. There was a nasty stomach bug going around, but for some reason I couldn’t kick it. I got so weak I couldn’t even stand up. My parents ended up rushing me to the hospital. After weeks of tests, I was diagnosed with leukemia.” I can see Tyler’s face turn towards me out of the corner of my eye, but if I want to finish my story, I can’t look at him.

“For the next year, I underwent any treatment a doctor suggested. The treatments made me feel worse than the leukemia did. I was young and all I wanted was the pain to go away, but somehow luck was on my side because on my eleventh birthday the doctors told my parents I was in remission. I had a weakened immune system but for the most part, I was a normal girl, but I didn’t feel normal. My mother hovered over me constantly. If I sneezed, she called the doctor to ask if I was going to be okay.” Tyler reaches for my hand and gives it a squeeze, but I keep my eyes focused on the water.

“It came back when I was fourteen. I knew I was getting sick again, but I hid it from my parents for as long as I could. I was only in my second year back in public school. I had friends, a life, and I knew the second my parents discovered I was sick it’d all be gone, which is exactly what happened. My dad made sure I got on a list at the Cancer Treatment Center. That hospital became my home for the next ten months, until my dad found out about an experimental treatment in Germany.”

“Wow, not too many people get the opportunity for treatments like that.”

I nod my head. “That’s not even the half of it. The type of treatments and clinics my dad took me to hadn’t cured anyone with leukemia, but he didn’t care. He listened to a doctor who said there was a chance and that’s all that mattered.”

“And...it worked?”

I exhale a deep breath. “Nope. I was told I needed to return to the US and try chemo or radiation again, but my doctor in the U.S. said my body couldn’t handle another round of treatment in the near future.” I finally look over at him.

“Then how did you get better?”

“When we returned to my American doctor, he slipped up in front of my mom. Jodi...” I pause to clear my throat. “Jodi was a match for a bone marrow transplant. She was tested when I got sick the first time, but my father refused to consider Jodi as an option.”

Tyler’s eyes narrow in disbelief. “But...”

“He claimed if the last round of chemo hadn’t worked the first time I was sick then he would have considered the bone marrow transplant, but he couldn’t come up with a good reason why he dragged me around for months after leaving me in a hospital for almost a year the second time.” I sniffle. “My dad claims he was worried that he’d lose us both if he allowed the surgery to happen, but I’m not sure I believe him. Jodi was a month away from starting college. I’m sure he was more worried I’d fuck up her future too.”

Tyler grunts with frustration.

“My mom went over my dad and told Jodi she was a match. Jodi was eighteen by then, so the decision was solely hers.” Which is why I couldn’t stomach looking at Jodi last night. She’s the only person who has unselfishly put my needs before their own. “The bone marrow transplant was successful. I didn’t magically bounce back to an average teenager, but I slowly got my energy back. But I was done playing by my parents’ rules.” I glance up into his eyes that are still filled with fire. “If it pissed my parents off, I did it. On some level, I felt guilty punishing my mom. After all, she didn’t know Jodi could have saved me years of being sick, but she sided with my dad. She actually told me one night that she wouldn’t have risked both of our lives, not without the guarantee that Jodi would have been okay.”

“Shit,” he mumbles under his breath.

“The risk is minimal to the person donating, but Jodi had a severe reaction to anesthesia when she had

her tonsils removed as a little girl. That’s the reason my dad claims he wasn’t willing to risk her life.”

“Did Jodi have a reaction when she donated?”

My hands tremble. “Yes. She stopped breathing, but since they knew she was a high risk to side effects, she was watched closely. In the end, she was back home a couple of days after the surgery.”

“When did you get to go home?”

“About six weeks after Jodi.” I turn my face back towards the water. “I don’t have kids and because of my treatments I can’t have any, but I spent years of my life sick when my father held the cure the whole time. I can’t imagine making a child of mine go through that, not when I knew I had the power to fix it.”

The doctors told Jodi the risk she was taking by being put under were lessened because they knew in advance what they were dealing with, and without hesitation, she told them she’d do it. Jodi is the reason I feel guilty for how I’ve lived my life. She loves me. She protected me. She rarely judges me, but none of that changes the fact that she’s perfect in every way I’m not.

“My parents refused to allow me to return to school. Their great idea was to pay for my own personal teacher. My mother went back to hovering. They’d never allow me to go anywhere or have anyone over—not that it mattered much because I hardly had any friends—but I was going out of my mind. The second I got my driver’s license, I started taking off to different parts of Dallas. I met people who I felt understood me, but of course my parents hated them. College started consuming Jodi’s time. I saw less and less of her, so I quit making any effort to get along with my parents. I skipped out on my teacher regularly. I drank, smoked pot, had sex...hell, it didn’t matter. I was out living my life. I was making up for lost time. When you spend almost half of your childhood sick or in a bubble, you look at life differently than everyone else. The sky looks bluer. The grass looks greener. You learn to not take anything for granted.” I smile at Tyler, who’s wearing a pained expression.

“I left Dallas the day I turned eighteen. I had the money my grandparents left me, and I was determined to see the world.”

Tyler reaches over and turns my head towards him. “Thank you for sharing that with me. It actually explains a lot, and I have to say, I think I would have reacted the same way. Hell, I grew up thinking my mom’s favorite was Brandon, which she claims wasn’t the case, but if she did what your dad did...I don’t know how I’d forgive her.”

“On some level, I understand my dad’s fear, but he kept it from my mom, almost like he knew she’d want Jodi to help me.”

“Why did you come back now? From the moment I’ve met you, you’ve been counting down the weeks until you left.”

“I check in with my oncologist once a year. This year is supposed to be my huge milestone because if I can go ten years without a relapse then Dr. Ross said I don’t have to come back unless I feel there’s a reason to.”

Tyler’s face lights up. “That’s amazing, Lennie. When is your appointment?” By telling him the truth, I’ve allowed the same unrelenting question to spill over to the one relationship that’s felt easy.

“In a few weeks,” I lie.

“I want to come with you.” I chew on my lip, debating what to say.

“It’s really not a big deal,” I lie again.

“Lennie, every day with you feels like a big deal, and I want to be with you on the day the doctor finally tells you that you can relax and live your life.” A look of wonder crosses his face, which scares me, but I guess it’s better than the normal pity I see when someone discovers my past.

“Let’s go the pier. I’m ready to ride those rides,” I joke, but Tyler doesn’t seem to care.

“I’m ready for anything.”

WHILE LENNIE SHARED HER PAST
with me, there were a few times I was certain my heart stopped beating. I was angry at the circumstances. I was angry with her father, but it was the fear of how her story was going to end that kept me on edge. I’ve somehow fallen in love with her, and I’m nowhere ready to let her go. I’m starting to think I never will be.

“Let’s go out tonight.” I’m brought out of my thoughts as Lennie walks into the room after taking a shower in only a towel.

“Out?”

A smile forms on her face. “Yeah, like to a bar where we both can indulge in some adult beverages.”

“Okay, smartass. We’ll go out.” I’m positive there’s nothing this woman can ask me that I wouldn’t do. “I hope you want to go to a casual place because I didn’t pack anything nicer than khaki shorts.”

“Have I ever struck you as a formal girl?” Lennie laughs as she walks over to her bag.

“Lennie, you can be whoever the fuck you want and I wouldn’t care so long as you’re happy.”

She pauses before slowly turning her head back towards me. “Thank you, Tyler.”

“Shut it. You don’t need to thank me for crap.” And she doesn’t. I should be thanking her for not giving up on me when I thought she was nothing more than a pest.

“God.” She shakes her head and smiles. “It’s a good thing I didn’t meet you when I was a teenager.”

My eyes narrow. “Why is that?”

“Because you wouldn’t have liked the old me, and I know for a fact that I would have laughed in your face if you told me you’d accept me anyway I came.”

Lennie is already so different from me that it’s hard to imagine the teenager she’s described. “You would have flipped my world upside down, but you’re right. We weren’t meant to find each other then. Our paths were always leading us to right now.”

Her eyes flash with some unknown emotion but she quickly masks it. “I suggest we take a cab so we can both get shit faced. We can go eat something then find a karaoke bar and unleash our magical voices on the citizens of Galveston.”

I shake my head. “I have no doubt that you have a magical voice, babe, but I should probably save everyone’s ears from bleeding and watch you.”

“Tyler,” she groans. “You only live once, and what better place to karaoke then when you’re on vacation? Nobody but me will know you.”

“I could live a thousand lives and I know that I shouldn’t karaoke. Believe me, you’ll be happy I saved you.”

“Whatever.” She sticks her lip out, giving me another pouty lip seconds before she drops her towel. Our previous conversation vanishes as my cock becomes hard.

“Come here.” I motion with my finger for her to join me on the bed as my desire to make this woman mine in every way that counts takes over.

Lennie’s eyes glaze over with lust as she walks towards the bed. My hand moves down my chest until it reaches my hard dick, and I start stroking myself.

“I love watching you do that.”

I stare as her hand moves down between her legs. “That makes two of us, then.” Lennie’s finger starts moving in light circles as her hips start grinding upwards.

“As much as I like my front row seat to the show, I think it’s time I join you.” Lennie bites down on her lip.

When I’m at the end of the bed, I grab her foot and pull her closer. My hand slides down her leg before I kneel down on the bed and move between her legs.

My face instantly moves forward as my tongue darts out and licks her sex. “Umm,” Lennie moans. Her hands move into my hair as I continue to suck her into my mouth.

“Fuck yes,” she says as her hips start thrusting upwards. I add a finger as my tongue continues to work her clit, and seconds later, she starts coming.

“Shit.” I glance up as I watch her struggling to breathe. “That was amazing.” I can’t stop the smile on my face.

This is another area where I lack experience. Amber didn’t like oral sex. She said it felt dirty. And it didn’t happen often with the random women I was with after Amber. Knowing that Lennie not only likes what I did to her but got off because of it is a serious confidence booster.

I climb the rest of the way up the bed until I’m hovering over Lennie. She reaches up and locks her arms around my neck as I thrust deep inside her. I still, giving myself a second to gain some control, but Lennie isn’t having it. She tilts her hips upward before leaning up and biting my lip.