Save My Soul (28 page)

He shrugged. "Gotta see if he's man
enough to date my baby girl, don't I?"

"No, really you don't. C'mon Aven,
let's go out back." He stood and kept eye contact with Adam the
whole time as he walked slowly by him.

"What the hell was all that about?" I
asked, in a firm tone, after he'd closed the back door and we were
alone.

He spit his dip out into one of my
mother's flowerbeds then took a big drink of beer before looking at
me. "Like your dad said, just trying to see if he's man enough to
date you."

"It isn't your place or my dad's to
make that decision, it's mine. I thought you were better than this,
but you're acting like a sixteen year old boy whose girlfriend was
taken away from him by another guy."

"You were!" he shouted at me. "I may
not be sixteen, but I figured that I'd be the one you eventually
got serious with, Kendra."

"You were just like me. You never
wanted anything serious, so don't give me that
bullshit."

"I did with you, but I knew it would
scare you away if I said anything about it. Now you get serious
with some guy you've known for less than a week? You bring him home
to meet your folks? We've known each other since grade school; I've
loved you since Junior High."

My eyes got wide. That was a shocker.
"You never acted like you were jealous of me dating anyone
else."

"Because I knew you didn't want
anything serious. I had to wait for you to change your mind before
I could make my move. I picked your limp body up off the ground and
I knew I couldn't wait any longer to let you know how I feel about
you. Don't do this to me." He stepped forward, and I took a step
back. He stopped and stared at me. "You're really in love with him,
aren't you?"

"It isn't that simple,
Aven."

"Either you are, or you aren't. How
complicated is that?" he said.

I didn't say anything for a long
while. I knew this night was going to turn out rotten. I finally
looked back at him. "I love him, Aven." There, I'd said it. It was
going to come out sooner or later. I'd said it last night at the
hospital, but I was betting Aven thought I only said it so my
parents would let me leave.

His face fell as he stared at me.
"Please tell me it's not true."

I nodded. "It is…I didn't plan for it
to happen. It was already planned for me." I pleaded with him to
understand, but there was no way that he could. He was not going to
understand anything right now.

"WHAT THE FUCK EVER!" he shouted as he
kicked one of my mother's flower pots off the back porch then
stormed through the back door.

I stood there for a moment, shocked by
his outburst. Then, I thought he might try to start something with
Adam, so I went through the back door after him. I heard his truck
start outside, then his tires peeled out on the street as he drove
off.

My mother came rushing to me. "I'm all
right, Mom; I'm all right." She wrapped me in a big hug and rubbed
my back.

"I can't believe you didn't know how
he felt about you, honey. He didn't try to hide it."

I shook my head. "I guess I just
didn't want to see it."

She pulled back and gave me a smile.
"Is this guy special?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, he's
special."

"Well, he is very nice, and really,
really good looking. The two of you will make very beautiful
children."

"Mom, please…you wouldn't have a
problem with me marrying him tomorrow, would you?"

"Of course not, dear. I only want you
to be happy, and I want you to have children before I'm too old to
play with them." Her smile faltered a little. "Are you getting
married tomorrow?"

I rolled my eyes. "If it were up to
Adam we would be, but it isn't, so no."

She frowned and followed me back to
the living room. I walked in, but Adam and my dad weren't
there.

"They're outside. Your father wanted
to look at Adam's car." I should have known.

My mother and I walked outside to join
the men. I shot a questioning look at Adam, but he was too busy
talking Car and Driver with my dad to notice. The hood was raised
and my dad was looking at the engine like a kid in a candy store. I
swear there was drool at the corners of his mouth. I knew how he
felt, because I'd looked at that car the same way when I'd first
seen it. Adam hadn't been as enthusiastic then as he was now. I
could tell he loved this car with a mad passion. I smiled to
myself, because I had seen an even more passionate look in those
eyes earlier today.

My dad was taking this a lot better
than I thought he would. I even heard Adam mention fishing and
hunting. I didn't know if he did any of those things, but he knew
my dad did, and I was sure he would buy a gun and a fishing pole if
he thought it would help get in my dad's good graces.

I tried to get Adam's attention a few
times, but it was like they were in their own little world; neither
of them could hear me. I looked at my mom. "Welcome to my world,
Kendra. I never thought you would find someone exactly like your
father…but I guess you have," she said with a smile.

"Adam." He looked up at me like he
just realized I was there. I pointed at my watch. "It's eleven
o'clock." I tried to tell him with my eyes, that we only had an
hour before we had to start keeping a watch out for bad shit to
happen. He seemed to get my meaning, because the excitement drained
away from his expression.

He looked at my mom. "It was really
nice meeting you, Diane." He shook my mother's hand then looked at
my dad. "Robert."

My dad shook his hand. "Call me Bobby,
Adam. You make her bring you back, all right?"

Adam smiled. "Will do,
Sir."

I gave my parents each a hug and we
said our goodbyes.

Adam was smiling when he got in the
car. "Your folks are great. And you were worried your dad and I
wouldn't play nice," he joked.

I smiled. "I am very happy with the
outcome. They both like you very much. Now, you'll only have to be
around them another fifteen times or so before you can ask
permission to marry me."

His jaw dropped, and I laughed.
"You're kidding, right?"

I laughed. "Yes, I am kidding. My
mother would have us married tomorrow if it was up to her, but you
may need to see my dad a couple more times to be on the safe
side."

He nodded. I guessed he was okay with
that. "How did things go with Aven?"

I frowned. "They didn't."

"You don't want to talk about it?" he
asked.

I shrugged. "I'm sure you saw him
leave. He confessed to me that he's been in love with me since
Junior High. It was news to me. The only reason he doesn't like you
is because I love you, and not him. He said he's been waiting for
the perfect moment to tell me. I guess he missed that perfect
moment. Not that it would have mattered."

I saw him glance at the clock again.
It was the third time in five minutes. It was 11:17 p.m., and I was
praying Murry didn't jump the gun. Or maybe I was hoping he would
so I wouldn't lose my soul, but then I wouldn't have Adam. I knew
one thing for sure; I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

I turned the radio on and he
immediately turned it off. "What if I just drove off a cliff right
now? Would that save your soul?"

The questions stunned me. I really
hadn't thought he would suggest such a thing. I took in a deep
breath then let it out. I shook my head. "If my death is
intentional, my soul still belongs to Mason. I mean Murry. I
already thought of that and asked Rhyan to do something, but he
couldn't."

He looked as though he were thinking
again. He had a far off look in his eye with his fist up to his
mouth. "Adam?"

He shook his head. "We'll go to my
apartment then. It's closer to the Trauma Center, so if something
happens, we won't be far away." He looked at the clock again;
11:20. "We have time to go by your place so you can get a few
things if you need them. You can bring Hercules if you
want."

I didn't respond; I only looked out my
window. Adam had no intention of letting me be alone. I couldn't
argue that his apartment would be the best place for me to
be.

We drove to my place so I could get
some of my own things and Hercules; I wasn't leaving without him.
When we got there, I looked at the clock as I ran through the door.
It read 11:28. Hercules was barking, and his short legs were trying
to keep up with me as I ran through the house. "Outside, Hercules,
outside!" He looked up at me and turned his head sideways. He knew
there was something wrong and he didn't want to leave me to go out
in the yard to pee.

"Adam, will you take him outside to do
his business before we go so I can get some stuff together?" I said
as he walked through my bedroom door. He didn't hesitate; he just
picked up the little dog and left the room.

I grabbed a backpack from under the
bed then went to the bathroom for my hair dryer, flat iron,
toothbrush and deodorant. I threw them in the pack and went for
underwear and clothes. After I had them in the pack and had it
zipped up, I grabbed Hercules' food and water bowl and his pet
carrier. Maybe Adam would take care of him if something happened to
me. I was counting on it.

I locked my front door then looked up
at Adam's car. Adam was sitting in the drivers' side, and Hercules
had his paws up on the passenger door, looking out the window at
me. I really wanted a photo of that, but who would develop it after
I was gone?

I heard thunder and looked up at the
sky. Streaks of lightening danced across the western horizon. I
didn't know if it was really a storm or evil coming to get me. I
didn't care if it was only a storm. Even a bad one I would welcome,
but I was leery of the evil that was lurking in the windy darkness.
I knew it was coming for me, and there was nothing I could do about
it. Adam didn't seem like he was going to do anything to stop it,
so I was up shit creek without a paddle, so to speak.

I didn't hold it against him. I knew
he was scared to death that he wouldn't be able to save me. There
was another, louder thunderclap as I got into Adam's car. The first
drop of rain hit my arm as I shut the door.

He didn't waste any time waiting for
me to secure myself with the seatbelt. He already had it in first
gear before I even shut the door. I looked at him. "I have a dying
wish."

"You're not dying, Kendra." He said
sharply, then looked at me and calmed down. I had asked for
something and he was curious now. "What do you want? I will give
you anything you ask for."

I smiled and said, "I want to drive
this car."

His eyes got a little bigger. "Can you
drive a stick?"

I gave him a look. "Does a bear shit
in the woods?"

He smiled. "Can you get us to my
apartment before midnight?"

"Faster than you can," I said with a
smirk.

He smiled and slammed on the brakes.
"I doubt that, but if you can get us there before midnight, then
you can drive my car." He opened his door and got out. I climbed
over the console and sat behind the wheel. I had to scoot the seat
up a little, then I buckled myself in. I put my foot on the clutch
then shoved it in first. I was spinning tires before Adam even shut
his door.

The rain was coming down harder and I
searched quickly for the wiper switch. I found it and put them on
high. I wasn't trying to get us killed, but I had limited time and
the rain was pouring so hard. If it happened, well, it would just
happen. I wondered if I'd go to heaven if I truly died by
accident?

"Try to get there safely,
Kendra,"
Rhyan said.

I took that as a no, or that he really
didn't know. I floored it, knowing I was a better driver than most;
I was comfortable with speed. I'd only had four speeding tickets in
the last year. I guess my profession should have been NASCAR. I
smiled as I took a sharp curve at sixty, the back end of the car
slid around and I got it under control in impeccable
timing.

"I'm impressed," he said. I looked at
him and he was smiling.

"Glad I can make you happy," I said
with a smile.

"Oh you do, Kendra, you do." He had
that seductive look in his eyes again, and I prayed Murry would
give me enough time to let him fulfill his promise to me. My heart
sped up, but I didn't have time to think about playing with Adam
with the storm bearing down on us.

"You would have really run this sweet
ass car off a cliff to save my soul?" I was smiling, but when I
looked at him, he wasn't, so I lost mine.

"Do you really have to ask me if I
would?"

"I was joking. I know you would if you
knew it would help."

He looked back out the windshield.
"Just get us to my apartment."

I pursed my lips. I'd only been trying
to make light of a bad situation. I knew he was on edge, but so was
I. Arguing wouldn't get us anywhere. I didn't say anything more. I
just drove as hard and fast as the car would allow me on the wet
pavement.