Serenity Falls (26 page)

My
legs wrap around his waist, and my hands clutch his broad muscular shoulders
that now have a thin layer of sweat coating them. My toes begin to curl when
Wes’ strong hands grip my hips tighter than he ever has before. I can tell he’s
close. Within seconds, I shatter to pieces beneath him. My head falls back as
my back arches into his unyielding body. His mouth covers mine, catching my
moans of pleasure as we come together. “I love you, Kenleigh, and I always
will,” Wes whispers against my lips.

“Kenleigh.
Wake up.” The sweet, soothing voice of my mother pulls me from my sleep.

“Mom?”
I ask with a just woken voice.

“Happy
Birthday!” she crawls into bed with me. I peek up at her as I yawn. “We have
lots to do today.”

“Why
were you made to be a morning person?” I groan and roll over toward her.
Curling into the fetal position, I place my hands under my cheek. My mom lifts
her hand and smoothes stray strands of hair out of my eyes.

“One
day, you will be, too,” she replies cheerfully. “Come on, get up.”

“Mom,
it’s my birthday. Can’t I sleep in?” I whine.

“I
guess you could, but then your favorite breakfast would get cold. And you know
it won’t taste the same if I have to reheat it,” she sighs.

With
that revelation, my eyes spring open. “You made all of it?” I arch an eyebrow.
Of course, she did. I‘m her and Dad’s only child.

She
nods. “Yep. Eggs, bacon, crispy just like you like it, hash browns, and French
toast with cinnamon.” Saliva pools in my mouth as I throw back the covers.
Honestly, she had me at crispy bacon, and she’s right, it won’t taste the same
if it has to be reheated. “But,” she says as she gets up off the bed, “if you
want to sleep in…”

“I’m
coming. Just let me brush my teeth.” I crawl out of bed, rush past my mom in
the hallway, and into the bathroom.

“I’ll
see you downstairs,” she chuckles as she passes by the bathroom.

I
brush my teeth in record time, scan myself in the mirror, and think, ‘you’re
twelve now, Kenleigh. It’s time to start growing up. I brush out the knots in
my hair and pull it back into a low ponytail.

My
parents greet me as I walk into the kitchen. The plate of yumminess stares at
me from across the room, and beckons my feet to carry me to the dining room
table where my dad sits, reading the paper. I plop down in my seat next to him.
“Hey, Dad,” I say before taking a bite of my eggs. My eyes roll into the back
of my head. My mom makes the best eggs ever.

“Happy
birthday.” He folds the paper back and puts it down on the table. I nod and
tell him thank you around a mouthful of food. “So a little birdie told me that
you wanted your room redecorated as your birthday present.”

My
eyes find my mom as I swallow some of the best, French toast in all of Conroe,
Texas with orange juice. I turn back to my dad. I know it’s a lot to ask, but
I’m sick of all the pink. It’s time to grow up. Even if that means getting rid
of all the ceramic unicorns that I love. Okay, maybe I won’t get rid of them.
I’ll just pack them up and put them in the attic. “I do.”

“What
were you thinking?” he asks.

I
look at my mom again. We talked about this. I told her I wanted to paint my
room black and make white, zebra designs. “She wants a zebra print themed
room,” my mom answers for me.

The
arch in my dad’s eyebrow tells me I need to explain further. I clear my throat
and dive in. “I want to paint my walls black, and with make zebra designs with
white paint,” I rush out before he has a chance to interrupt.

I
wait for what seems like forever for my dad to answer. I know he’s debating
this whole thing internally. He doesn’t want me to grow up. He has told me,
time and time again, that he wants me to stay his little girl. “I don’t know,
Kenleigh.”

“I
told you he wouldn’t go for it, Mom.” My voice strains with emotion as I push
back from the table.

“Now,
hold on a second,” my dad says, lifting his hand in the air to stop me. “I didn’t
say ‘no’. I said ‘I didn’t know’.”

“Please,
Daddy?” I ask as sweetly as possible with a flutter of my eyelashes.

“Oh,
come on, Mark. At least she’s not asking for a piercing or anything,” my mom
chimes in as she dries a dish.

“Well,
Dad, you know, if you don’t want me to do my room, a piercing would be an
acceptable compromise.”

“Carol,
get the keys, and Kenleigh, go get ready. We’re leaving in fifteen minutes,” my
dad replies with a shake of his head and picks up the paper again. He murmurs
under his breath, “No daughter of mine is getting a damn piercing.”

I
jump out of my seat and wrap my arms around his neck, kissing his cheek. “Thank
you, Dad. I love you.” I let go of his neck and race up to my bedroom to
change.

“Love
you, too,” he shouts back at me.

Just
as I slip my shirt on over my head, my mom knocks twice, then another two
times. It’s our code. She slips into my room, shutting my door quietly behind
her. “Nice, Mom. Real nice,” I whisper.

“It’s
all I could come up with,” she replies with a soft laugh.

“A
piercing, though? You know, it’s not a bad idea,” I reply, testing the waters
to see if she might really go for it.

“Don’t
you dare think about it. Your father would have a heart attack, and I, well, I
might be right there along with him,” she whisper-shouts, pointing her finger
at me.

“I
was kidding.” I laugh while slipping on my tennis shoes. I turn to look up at
her and tell her thank you. Sincerity pours out with each word.

“You’re
welcome, Honey.”

I
stand and wrap my arms around her waist. My mom smoothes my hair down as she
runs her hands up and down my back. “I love you, Kenleigh. Never doubt that,”
she whispers, kissing the top of my head.

“I
love you, too, Mom.”

I
wake to warm tears trickling down the side of my face, over my nose, and onto
the pillow. Days like today make me miss my parents more than ever. It’s also
another reason I do not like to celebrate my birthday. The last day of camp, which
also happens to fall on my birthday, has come too quickly. I can’t believe I’m
finally twenty, and I don’t even have my parents to help me ring in this new
journey of my life. I’m no longer a teenager. Now, I’m a full fledge adult. I
sniffle back the tears and take a couple of deep breaths. The sun shines
brightly in my room, blinding me as I roll over. A beautiful dandelion with
white ribbon and a note lie next to me, catching my attention.
Wes.
A
smile graces my lips. I lift the flower, bring it to my nose, and smell the
sweet summer fragrance. Gingerly, I open the note.

I
laugh at his note. Of course, he would find out when my birthday is. Tossing
the covers off me, I get out of bed and quickly change. I need to brush my
teeth, but I’ll forego a shower for now. My feet make quick time as I rush down
the steps. Suddenly, the breath’s knocked out of me when I see an all-too
familiar person at the table, talking with Mrs. Sandy.

Her
chocolate brown hair used to be long, but now, rests on her shoulders. Light
green eyes find mine, and a smile spreads across her face, lifting her already
high cheekbones. Her olive skin tone matches mine. This is what my mother would
look like if she were still alive.
Beautiful
. “Happy Birthday,
Kenleigh.” The woman stands from the table and makes her way to me. I’ve
already cried once today. I do not want to do it again, but damn it if they
don’t fall unbidden. The woman who is almost an exact replica of my mother
embraces me in a tender hug. “Don’t cry, Sweetie. It’s a special day for you,”
she coos in my ear.

I
return her affection as I wrap my arms around her middle. “I’ve missed you so
much, Aunt Brenda,” I reply on a shuddering breath.

“I’ve
missed you, too.” She kisses my forehead just like my mother used to do, and
steps back to take my hands in hers. Aunt Brenda holds me at arm’s length as
she looks me over. “You have turned into such a beautiful, young woman. You
look just like your mother. The only difference is you have your father’s
piercing, baby blues.”

I
smile at her, because I’m afraid if I say anything, I will completely lose it,
and that’s not what I want to happen. “Are you hungry, Kenleigh?” Mrs. Sandy
asks from the kitchen table.

“Yes
please,” I say, looking in her direction. Aunt Brenda drops one of my hands,
but laces her fingers through mine with the other. We walk into the kitchen and
take a seat at the table. Now with my composure somewhat composed, I ask, “How
did you get here?”

She
raises her eyebrows at my question, and I realize how ridiculous I sound. “I am
going to assume that you already know the answer to that question. Because, I
would hate for you to be implying that I’m old.”

I
laugh at her teasing tone. “That nice young man that you’ve been seeing called
me, and thought it would be a good idea for me to come up. I drove up last
night and stayed in a hotel.”

Wes
never ceases to amaze me. His constant surprises make me fall for him even
more, but his thoughtfulness steals my breath. I squeeze her hand. “Thank you
for coming.”

“Oh…
I see you got my note,” Wes says from behind me.

I
turn in my seat, catching him standing in the archway that separates the
kitchen from the living room. My hand slips from Aunt Brenda’s as I stand. My
steps have a purpose behind them as I make my way over to him. Normally, I’m
not this brazen with public displays of affection, but no one has ever done
something so thoughtful for me. I stop just inches away from his chest. I bring
my hand up and cup his cheek. A stray tear escapes when I look into those
captivating blue eyes of his. My voice thick with emotion, I try to speak over
the lump in my throat. “I love you so much.” Right now, in this moment, no one
and nothing else matters but him and me. Everything else evaporates around us.
My hand slides from his cheek to the back of his neck as I pull his lips down
to mine. My lips mold over his top one, kissing him once, twice, three times
before I drop my head to his chest. “Thank you. For this. For my aunt. You have
no idea what this means to me,” I whisper before I look back up at him.

Wes
tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear. His thumb rubs back and forth
against my cheekbone as he stares at me with such love and adoration shining at
me. The warmth of his touch sends a tingling sensation down my spine. “There
isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for the one person who means the world to me. I
love you, too,” he whispers, kissing me again.

The
sound of a throat clearing behind us breaks our spell. I expect my face to feel
flush with embarrassment, but it doesn’t. I am not embarrassed in the slightest
that I just kissed Wes in front of everyone. I have no reason to be. In all my
life, I have never felt the love that he continuously gives me from anyone
else. “Your plate’s ready,” Mrs. Sandy says as she places my plate on the
table. I lace my fingers with Wes’ as we walk to the table.

“Thank
you.” When I sit, I have my aunt Brenda on my left, Wes on my right, and Mrs.
Sandy directly across from me. “I’m sorry that I don’t have more time to spend
with you today, Aunt Brenda.” And I am sorry. If today weren’t the last day of
camp, I would love more than anything to catch up with her. I need to make more
of an effort to go home and visit.

Mrs.
Sandy waves her hand in the air as I take a bite of some of the best damn
biscuits and gravy that I have ever tasted. “Oh, come on, Kenleigh. Your aunt
is here. Spend time with her.”