The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller (18 page)

Just as I start to ask him if he’s all right, he whips around with a full smile on his face. A few long strides later, and he’s standing right in front of me. Raising both hands, he traces the tips of his fingers along the sides of my cheeks, leaving a scorching trail as they run down my neck and thread themselves into the hair at my nape. With his thumbs underneath my chin, he tilts my head back and looks me directly in the eyes.

“You look amazing, Sunshine. Truly breathtaking.” His head dips slightly and he runs his lips tentatively along mine, the movement so sensual I can’t keep my hands off of him any longer. Fisting his shirt in my hands, I pull him into me and press my mouth hard against his, the need to taste him overriding my caution. A whimper rises in my throat and escapes into his mouth as his tongue slides in between my lips, slowly and deliberately, taking his time to stroke and caress mine. His hold tightens as his fingers curl deeper into my hair, the tinge of pain sending shockwaves of pleasure coursing through my body until they land right in between my legs, the throbbing sensation growing with each strike.

After another gentle sweep of his tongue, he lessens the kiss and pulls back slightly. His lips brush against mine before they slide over to the corner of my mouth, up along my cheek, and then rest them against my ear as he breathes, “Happy birthday. The dress is phenomenal.”

I smile, and as his cheek presses into mine, I know he’s smiling too.

“Thank you,” I reply, my voice deep and throaty. His chest shakes as he chuckles, finally releasing me and taking a step back. His fingers are warm as they trace the skin of my neck and journey down my arm, leaving a rash of goose bumps in their wake. Once they glide over my wrist, he takes my hand into his, lifting it in the air as he twirls me around.

Silence fills the room as I spin slowly. As I finish the turn and our eyes meet, he breathes out a sigh and lowers my hand but doesn’t let go. “Damn, Bree. I just can’t get over it. You look—”

“I know,” I cut him off. “I look like Aubrey again.”

“No,” he stutters, “I mean, yeah, you do. But it’s just…the girl I lost all those years ago is standing right in front of me. It’s a bit surreal.”

A blush creeps into my cheeks as I instinctively run my fingers over the material of the dress. Fanning it out at the bottom, I respond, “I’m pretty sure I didn’t wear dresses like this when I was eight years old.”

He shakes his head and laces his fingers through mine. “No, you didn’t.”

Tightening his grip, he draws my body flush against his and nuzzles his nose into my neck. His lips tickle my skin as he adds, “But you should’ve. It would have been a nice change to see you in something other than your ratty jeans and oversized
Super Mario Bros
. T-shirt in my dreams.”

I remember that shirt. I wore it all the time.

My nose crinkles and I pull away from him as an inquisitive grin forms on my face.

“Really?” I ask. “You dreamt about me?”

He nods slightly as his eyes rake over the dress before meeting mine. “I did.”

His hand tightens around mine before he speaks. “You were my best friend, Bree. My only friend.” I watch as his peaceful expression transforms into one tinged with regret. “
That
night, the night you were taken away, wasn’t one I could forget. You just weren’t the girl I knew any more. Your eyes were so…
empty
. Not the eyes that I recognized. It was like you were gone before they even took you.”

I allow his words to flood my mind, successfully expelling the memory as soon as it emerges.

Kaeleb shrugs innocently. “I was worried about you. I
needed
to know that you were okay, but unfortunately, I never got my answer. I think a part of me held to that need because sometimes, over the many years, a little girl with blonde hair would sneak into my dreams wearing a very familiar
Mario Bros.
T-shirt, with her big blue eyes full of life and smiling like she used to. Like I remembered. Like you are now, in fact.”

Right on cue, a smile breaks across my face and I watch as his troubled features morph into a comforted grin. “
That’s
what I can’t get over. Because in this moment, you are quite literally my dream come true.”

A gasp lodges in my throat, his words stealing not only my breath, but my heart. Casting me a knowing look, he adds, “Like I said, absolutely breathtaking.”

Still unable to speak, I do the best I can to demonstrate my gratitude for his beautiful words. Pressing up on my tiptoes, I kiss him heartily on the mouth, just as another weird yip comes from the living room. I drop back down onto my heels and continue to smile as I ask, “What’s going on out there?”

Kaeleb laughs and finally releases my hand. He drapes his arm over my shoulder as he guides me to the door. As he reaches toward the handle, he leans into me, and his breath fans my ear as he whispers, “Ready for your present?”

My grin stretches from ear-to-ear as I look up at him and nod. After a quick brush of his lips across my forehead, he gives me a wink and opens the door. Removing his arm, he takes both of my hands in his, and pulls me so that I’m forced directly behind him. As we exit, Quinn’s giggles fill the air as we approach her, and Kaeleb drops his hold with a slight squeeze to indicate that I should stay put behind him.

“Boo! I wanna play!” Quinn pouts as she hands him what I assume is my gift, and I watch as Kaeleb’s head dips a bit, nestling what is now in his arms. He pivots slowly, turning on his heel, and when my eyes fall to what he’s holding, a breath stills in my throat.

Because there, cuddled up ever-so-comfortably in his arms, is a puppy.

But not just any puppy.

This puppy is the spitting image of
Walter
.

A lump forms when I try to swallow and my eyes spring tears as I look him over. Same golden fur, same deep set brown eyes, same black whiskers poking out of the fur-covered bumps on his cheeks. Same everything.

And as I stare at him, one single realization crosses my mind.

Kaeleb not only gave me life again, but it seems he unknowingly brought Walter along for the ride.

Talk about surreal.

Moisture continues to build in my eyes with the thought, causing Kaeleb’s brow to furrow deeply. “Are you okay?” he asks, as I lift my trembling hand to stroke the puppy’s soft fur on top of his head. He nuzzles my fingers with his cold nose before opening his mouth to gnaw on the tips. I wipe away the tear that runs down my face before giving a sniffle, and tear my burning eyes away from the puppy and direct them at Kaeleb. His head slants slightly to the left, clearly not understanding my reaction.

“Can I hold him?” My voice is shaky and unsure as I extend my arms. Kaeleb, still a bit thrown, silently hands him over, and once he’s comfortably situated I draw him close to my chest, hugging him back and forth as he licks my mouth and nose. A giggle escapes me and I smile back down at him.

Puppy breath.

Love.

Once the puppy is done bathing my face, I kiss him gently on top of his head and look up at Kaeleb, who’s still watching me curiously.

“He’s…perfect,” I say, waterworks still brimming in my eyes. Kaeleb’s brow dips as he wipes another tear away from my cheek.

I don’t tell him about Walter. I don’t tell him how my heart broke the day he died. The day I killed him on accident. Fear spikes in my heart and pounds against every single nerve throughout my system, but I try to push it aside. The terror gets shoved safely back into my memory bins, along with the memory of his loss. There’s too much happiness in this room right now to taint it with the past.

So, in order to move forward the best way I know how, I replace his memory with this one.

“Walter. His name is
Walter
,” I say on a breath and a smile.

Kaeleb forcefully exhales and runs his hand through his hair.

“I love it! It’s perfect!” Quinn claps. She leans into me and gives the puppy a light kiss and a stroke of his fur before leaving the living room, only to reenter with a cake containing twenty candles on top. It has chocolate frosting and “Happy Birthday, Sunshine” on the top written in yellow, with a sun covering the corner. Its rays extend across the top and as I note the shakiness of their lines, I know it’s been hand made.

Kaeleb.

My lips kick up on the sides and I glance up at him with my brows raised. “You made this?”

His face lights up with pride. “I did.”

I can’t help but smile at the excited expression on his face. “Wow, Kaeleb. Thank you for everything. You’ll never know how much this means to me.”

And he won’t.

The look in his eyes tells me he wants to ask me about it, but his thoughts are redirected when there’s a knock at the door.

“Oh! That must be Josh!” Quinn bounces excitedly, almost dropping the cake. “Hurry and blow out the candles so I can get the door!”

Kaeleb grins while watching her as I draw in a deep breath of air, curl Walter tightly into my body, and blow out the candles. One by one they’re extinguished, and when I step back, I’m gifted more puppy kisses for my efforts. Quinn sets the cake down on the breakfast table beside us before bolting to the door and letting Josh inside. He barely glances at her as he enters, too busy texting on his phone. My head jerks back with his blatant disregard for the gorgeous girl standing right in front of him. Kaeleb and I exchange stunned stares, but say nothing as he ends the text and slides the phone into his pocket.

After surveying the room, he saunters over to Kaeleb and extends his hand. “Sup, man. Good to see ya.” After shaking it, he turns to me and states, “Happy birthday.” The coolness in his tone is odd, because he’s usually much more cordial. Knowing that he’s still close with Sabrina and Candace, I’m wondering if this is about the unitard comment that Kaeleb made last night, but I guess I don’t really care too much because I can’t seem to stop myself from smiling as the memory plays out in my mind.

Kaeleb smirks back at me and I can tell he’s thinking the same thing.

Quinn bolts around the corner, pink clutch in her hand. “I’m ready, let’s go Josh.” Glancing over her shoulder at me, she adds, “Have fun you guys.”

“What? What about us?” My expression turns inquisitive as I watch her hook her arm in Josh’s, who
still
hasn’t complimented her appearance. It’s slowly but surely beginning to turn from mere frustration into high irritation.

Quinn giggles, clearly not as upset as I am with his lack of commentary. “You guys are staying in,
obviously
. You can’t leave Walter all by himself on his first night. Maybe you can give him a piece of cake!”

“NO!” I shout back, causing everyone in the room to jump. I quickly compose myself and add, “No chocolate. It’s not…
good
for dogs. Nothing other than puppy food, got it?” I glare my warning at both Quinn and Kaeleb. Their faces are full of shock as they nod slowly.

I continue staring until I feel they’ve grasped the importance of my order before my thoughts change course. Honing in on Quinn, I narrow my eyes in her direction and purse my lips. “You knew about this all along, didn’t you?” Kaeleb laughs out loud, giving me my confirmation. “Why did you make me get all dressed up if we’re not even going out?”

Quinn gives me a knowing look. “Because dummy, it’s your birthday. And your
real
gift from me was the look on Kaeleb’s face when he first saw you. For you to feel as beautiful as you are.” Her eyes dart to Kaeleb. “While I’m sad I missed it, the way he’s looking at you right now tells me that my gift was definitely delivered.”

My eyes drift to Kaeleb, standing there with a gorgeous, crooked smile playing on his lips as he lifts his hand to gently brush the hair off my shoulder, tickling my skin with the pads of his fingers.

“Breathtaking,” he murmurs under his breath. My face flushes with the potent intimacy of his stare as I’m reminded of his confession in the bedroom. I turn away quickly, self-conscious about my involuntary reaction.

Clearing my throat, I look back at Quinn, who’s smiling as her eyes bounce between the two of us.

“Thank you,” is all I can manage before she gives Walter another pat on the head and turns with Josh to leave.

Just as I’m about to speak, Kaeleb calls out to her, stealing the words from my mouth. “You look gorgeous, Quinn. You deserve to know that as well.” They both halt, turning in unison as Kaeleb’s eyes slide over to Josh, his face tightening into a sneer. Josh says nothing, but Quinn’s eyes glisten slightly as she gives us a sad smile and a shrug of her shoulders. “Thank you, Kaeleb.”

She gives him a nod of her head and then they’re gone, leaving us alone in the living room.

Before I can think any more about it, Kaeleb’s strong arms wrap around my body and pull me into his chest gently, careful to not squish dear Walter in the process. He kisses the top of my head, my temple, the top of my cheek and the corner of my mouth. But that’s as far as he makes it before Walter stands in my arms, placing his tiny paws on my shoulder to lick our faces with his own puppy kisses.

Kaeleb breaks away and pulls Walter out of my arms, propping him along his forearm and setting him on his hip.
Shaking his head, he brushes the hair from my face before curling a hand around my neck. His tongue crosses his lips as he leans in to give me a scorching kiss. My body melts into his as Walter continues whining his protest.

Our mouths border on ravenous as Kaeleb wraps his arm around my waist and urges me to step backwards. I willingly comply, retreating under his direction as he leads. Memorizing the feel of his body, my hands float along the curves of his muscles as they work their way up to his neck. As soon as my knees hit the couch behind us, I thread my fingers through his hair and pull him closer, which earns me a groan in return.

He lowers me down, his mouth continuing to work against mine the entire descent. Only after I’m seated does he break the kiss, ending it with a gentle peck to my lips and a graze of his nose along mine. I inhale deeply, savoring both his scent and his taste, as he moves to place Walter on the floor. Once his hands are free, he sets his knee on the couch and gently presses me to lie down. Lowering his body, he settles his hips between my legs, and as the warmth of his mouth trails down my neck, my body impulsively begins to grind against his. The friction of our movements shoots a powerful surge to the center of my body, and an unfamiliar yearning begins to raid my senses. My entire body starts to thrum and my heart pounds beneath my chest with nervous anxiety.