Never Gonna Tell (27 page)

I ignore him, my eyes never leaving Marco’s—who’s not the only one who’s got it bad. If we weren’t surrounded by my family about to attend the funeral for his father, I’d show him just how bad I’ve got it for him.

He takes my hand as I reach the bottom stair. “You look absolutely amazing.”

My smile stretches from ear to ear. “You’re not so bad yourself. I almost tripped down the stairs because I couldn’t take my eyes off of you.”

Kally clucks her tongue. “Okay, you two. You can coo over how much you can’t get enough of the other in the car. We need to go or we’re going to be late.”

The drive to the funeral home is mostly silent, everyone reflecting on his or her own thoughts. I keep my focus on Marco, unable to imagine how hard this day is for him. As we pull up to the funeral home, I’m surprised to see how many cars are out front. Word had gotten out about our saga and spread like wildfire through school according to Charlie, who’s back for good, but I never expected so many people—people who a few weeks ago would walk a mile the long way to avoid Marco in the hallways—now turn up to pay their respects to his father.

As we make our way to the entrance, Riley Bennett is the first to break ranks and sidle her way up to us. “Hey, Marco. I was just so sorry to hear about your dad. I can’t imagine how you must be feeling.” She reaches out her hand and rubs his arm. My eyes narrow and I grind my teeth. I mean, we’re holding hands, for crying out loud. Can’t she see that? “Anyway, if there’s ever anything I can do, you can always call me. I know you might need a distraction from all this, ya know.”

Okay, that’s it. I’m about to make it a double funeral if that skank doesn’t back off right now. I step forward, but Marco beats me to it. “I’m pretty sure Reagan here will be keeping me occupied and distracting me every night. Sometimes more than once a night.” He leans into her, lowering his voice a little. “She’s very, very good at distractions.”

I simultaneously want to puff up my chest and run and hide from the people who are now staring at me.

Marco puts his arm around me. “Trust me, Riley, I’ll be too sated afterward to want any sloppy seconds from the likes of you. But thank you for your condolences. My father, who you never even met and I doubt even know his name, would have been happy to ogle over your tits that you keep trying to shove in my face. Be sure to lean down when you make your way to his coffin, okay?”

Charlie chokes at Marco’s words, muttering under his breath. “Holy shit.”

“You ready?” Marco turns to me, smiling.

I can’t help but laugh at the outraged look on Riley’s face. “Absolutely, babe. Let’s go.”

The funeral is small. Most of the kids from school fade away after Marco’s scene with Riley and don’t bother to come inside. We are just fine with that, not wanting to play their games today of all days anyway. One person who did stay to attend was Hunter, which surprised us all.

He walks up and shakes Marco’s hand. “Hey, man. No matter what, we both lost our dads.”

Marco looks stunned but returns Hunter’s handshake. “I can never begin to tell you how sorry I am about your dad. I swear to you, I did everything I could to try to stop what my uncle did, but…”

Hunter shakes his head. “I know you weren’t responsible, and there wasn’t anything you could do really to prevent it. I talked to Charlie here, and he explained a lot. And my dad made some really bad choices that put him in those circumstances.”

“Still,” Marco tries again. “If it weren’t—”

“Don’t beat yourself up, man. Really. Trust me when I say you’re not to blame for the choices of your family. I know that more than most.”

Marco looks as if a huge weight has been lifted off him. “Thank you.”

I don’t pay attention too much to the priest’s words, instead lost in my own thoughts, remembering what Frank did for me. Marco gets up and gives a very sweet eulogy, remembering camping trips and little league games. I’m glad he focused on a lot of good things about his dad instead of the bad.

We are just about to head to his aunt’s restaurant when the door swings open, and a woman walks through, followed by Marco’s grandfather, Sal, who I met at the cabin. I’ve never seen the woman, but Marco looks so much like her, it’s not hard to guess. I turn and face him, gauging his reaction.

“Mom?”

The woman smiles softly. “Hi, baby boy.”

“Are you … are you really here?”

She takes a tentative step forward. “I am. Your grandpa found me and told me what happened. I got on the next flight. I’m so sorry about your dad. I know we’ve had our differences, but he wasn’t always such a bad man. And he loved you more than anything.”

Tears are welling in Marco’s eyes. I’m not sure if it is her words about his dad or the fact that she’s here in the first place.

She takes a deep breath. “I know you probably hate me for abandoning you, and I don’t blame you for that. You have every right to. I was selfish and regretted it instantly.” Tears are falling down her cheeks. “I tried to take you. To bring you with me. I even took you out of school early and had your bag all packed. But there were unforeseen obstacles. I had to leave right then. I couldn’t wait or Nicky,” she shudders. “It was my one shot to make it out alive. I only wish I could have taken you with me.” She pauses to wipe her tears. “I know it won’t erase what happened, but I never stopped loving you. Never. If you’ll let me, I’d love to try to explain.”

Marco looks between her and his grandfather, taking a long pause before finally nodding his head. “Yeah. I would like that. To hear your side, that is.”

The mood lightens a bit as we head out. Marco and I take a separate car from my parents to the restaurant. He was only cleared to begin driving again yesterday, and I’m happy to spend a few minutes alone. He starts the car but pauses before putting it into drive.

“You know, Reagan, I never would have survived without you. I owe you so much. My life, my future—it’s all because of you. I have hope again, and for that alone, I can never thank you enough.” He leans over, taking my hand into his own and pressing his lips to mine. The kiss is soft, but the passion behind it could fill an ocean. Every emotion he’s trying to convey in that one kiss is palpable, and it brings tears to my eyes.

My lips part, inviting him in farther. His tongue slips into my mouth, slow dancing with my own as his hands run down my body. I moan into his mouth, running my fingers through his hair.

“I love you, Reagan. I know I’ve only really known you for a short time and I probably shouldn’t be telling you this so soon, but if I’ve learned anything it’s that life is too short to play games. I love you more than I ever knew was possible and I want to spend forever showing you just how much.”

I lean back, staring into his eyes. The love and passion that’s swirling in them is almost palpable, making my heart swell. “I love you, too, Marco. So, so much.”

I crush my lips back to his, letting my body show him just how much love I feel for him. If I had a thousand years it wouldn’t be enough time to fully convey the depth of my love for him.

I lose track of time as Marco kisses and tastes every inch of exposed skin on me, and several areas that aren’t exposed. After what seems like hours just losing myself in him, I pull back, wishing I didn’t have to.

“People are probably waiting for us and wondering where we are.”

Marco kisses the slope of my neck, enticing a moan out of me. “Let them.”

Ugh. I so don’t want to protest, but I know my dad will send a search party any minute if we don’t get a move on. I sigh, sitting up and straightening my dress. “Trust me, I want that more than you know. But my dad. And your mom.”

Marco nods reluctantly. “I’m picking up right where I left off the second we’re alone tonight.”

I smile wickedly. “I’ll hold you to that.”

“Is that so? And where exactly would you like me to continue. Maybe right here?” His tongue traces the contour of my ear.

“Maybe,” I groan.

“Or right here?” He sucks my bottom lip, making my eyes close in bliss. “Tell me, Reagan. Where exactly is your favorite spot?”

“Mmm. You’ll just have to keep guessing. Because I’m never gonna tell.”

“REAGAN WILCOX?”

I step forward, smoothing my navy business skirt before extending my hand to the woman in front of me. “That’s me. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She’s only a few years older than me, but I still feel nervous.

She smiles. “You, too. We’re very excited to have you here as part of the
Mizzou Maneater
. Everyone in the office can’t stop raving about your feature in the
Chicago Sun Times
last month. I mean, for a freshman to get a front-page feature story in a major publication like that? It’s practically unheard of.”

I look down, failing miserably at hiding the blush I’m sure has crept onto my face. “Thank you. I was honored that they accepted my story.”

The woman shakes her head, leading me into an office. “Well, you had a great story to tell, and your writing was just beautiful. You’ve got natural talent. One that we hope to make great use of over the next few years.”

“I’m beyond happy to be here.” I chuckle, taking a seat. “I’ve dreamed about attending The University of Missouri since I was a little girl. Your journalism program here is the best in the country, and I’m very excited to learn from such amazing professors.”

She flips through my file. “And I hear that your boyfriend is attending as well?”

It’s odd having so many people know all the sordid details of my life, especially people I’ve barely met. After spending years in the shadows, it’s been an adjustment getting used to being in the spotlight.

After the
Chicago Sun Times
picked up my story and ran it as a feature, detailing the events of our saga, the fire was further fanned by the AP, which ran it across the country. The story went viral, making it onto the morning news programs, and we even had an invitation from Jon Stewart to talk about it on
The Daily Show
.

Marco and I declined all offers, though having been a fan for so long, turning down
The Daily Show
was hard. We decided that we didn’t want fifteen minutes of fame. We just wanted a lifetime together. I won a scholarship from my top school, The University of Missouri
,
and both Marco and Charlie also were accepted. The two have become very chummy in the months since what we’re now calling “The Incident” and even decided to room together—though Charlie knows he’ll probably be kicked out a lot if I’m coming over.

“He is. He’s going to pursue a degree in business management so he can take over his aunt’s restaurant one day.”

“That’s wonderful. You both beat the odds, that’s for sure.”

“I’m very thankful and blessed.”

She stands. “Well let’s not delay things any further. Let me show you to your desk. As a freshman, you’ll be given a lot of grunt work to start, but I have a feeling you’ll rise in the ranks fairly quickly. You ready to get to work?”

I can’t keep the smile off my face, realizing that everything I ever wanted is coming true. “I was born ready.”