Wishing for Someday Soon (26 page)

I giggled as we weaved through the endless shelves of books throughout the library. An elderly woman frowned at me and made a production of shushing me.

“Oops, sorry,” I mouthed as Max continued to drag me to a lone table in the far corner of the library.

We ate our sandwiches and chips, talking quietly in between bites. It was by far the most romantic date I had ever gone on, and I told him so. “Well, it’s not over yet,” he said, pulling out a small wrapped package.

“You already got me a gift,” I protested.

“This is surprise number four,” he said, smiling nervously at me.

Apprehension filled me as I pulled off the wrapping paper to reveal a small jewelry box. Lifting the lid, I gasped when I saw the diamond-encrusted interlocking heart ring inside. My stomach dropped, and I looked up at him in confusion.

“It’s not an engagement ring,” he said quickly as I let out a relieved pent-up breath. “It’s a promise ring.”

“Oh Max, that’s sweet,” I said, pulling the ring out.

“Some guys use it as a kind of ‘I promise to eventually marry you’ thing, but I didn’t get yours for that,” he said. “Mine stands for something else,” he added quietly.

“What does it stand for?” I asked as he laced his finger through mine.

“It stands for all the promises I intend to keep to you. I promise to protect you from any more harm, and I promise I will do everything in my power to make sure you get your ‘someday soon.’”

“How did you find out about someday soon?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

“Kevin made a comment to my mom and dad about it last week when he was helping them bake cookies in the kitchen.”

“What did he say?” I asked, feeling my heart swell painfully.

“He asked them if this was what someday soon would be like. They were confused at first until he filled them in.”

“Oh,” I said, looking down. “I bet they thought it was ridiculous for a seventeen-year-old to make such promises.”

“Actually, they thought how incredibly brave it was,” he said, lifting my chin to meet his eyes.

He leaned over and pressed his lips to mine. I closed my eyes, relishing in the sensation of so much love flowing through me.

“How about we get out of here?” he asked against my lips as a librarian wheeled an overflowing book cart down the row near us.

“Sounds good,” I said, gathering up our trash after sliding the elegant ring onto my right hand.

“It’s lovely,” I said, giving him a quick peck on the mouth after admiring it on my hand.

“It suits you,” he said.

Max grabbed the heavy bags with my books from the elderly gentleman and we slipped and slid our way to the SUV on the now slick sidewalk.

“I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to this weather,” I complained, blowing on my cold fingers.

“You’ll get used to it, and just wait until summertime is here. We usually stay outside the majority of the day.”

“I can’t wait,” I said, still shivering as Max got back out of the vehicle to scrape the ice from the windshield.

“When does summer start around here?” I joked as he joined me several minutes later, shivering too.

“Not soon enough,” he said laughing as I cranked the heat up even warmer and switched on my seat warmer. “You just lack proper threads,” he teased, looking down at my naked hands.

“Yeah, I know,” I said, looking down at my red wind-chapped fingers.

Max turned on the radio and switched it to a station playing current hits. He sang along with the lyrics while I watched admiringly. “Pretty bad, huh?” he asked, several songs later.

“Well, it’s better than a bullfrog,” I teased.

“Gee, thanks.”

 
“Kidding,” I giggled. “You sound great, though I do find it insane that you know all the words to every song.”

“It’s a given to know all the words, they play the same songs over and over again. Don’t you listen to music?” he asked.

“Sure, whenever we have a car that has a working radio in it, but it’s usually never current stuff. Lucinda’s a stickler about the music she’ll listen to.”

“Seems like she’s a stickler about a lot of things,” he grumbled under his breath.

“You get used to it,” I said indifferently.

“Yeah, but most parents aren’t like that,” he said testily.

“I know,” I said, wondering why he was trying to pick a fight.

“If she’s so goddamn awful, why do you always defend her?”

“I don’t defend her,” I said defensively. “Why the hell are we even discussing this?” I asked, starting to get angry over his mood swing. “Everything was fine back in the library.”

Max turned off the main road onto a small snow-covered dirt road abruptly making the vehicle bounce around uncomfortably. After a few moments, we were surrounded by trees as the road behind us disappeared from sight.

Max undid his seatbelt and used the automatic switch to move his seat as far back as it would go so he could better face me. “I just don’t want to lose you,” he finally said.

“I’ll come back,” I said quietly.

“What if something comes up? What if you meet someone else, or God forbid, your mom actually kills you on one of her rants.”

“Don’t be silly, I’m not going to meet anyone else, and Lucinda’s rants never go that far.”

“Katelyn, don’t treat me like I’m stupid. She bashed your head in with who knows what a couple months ago.”

“A coffee mug,” I said simply.

He reached over and undid my seatbelt. With one swift movement he had me across the center console and onto his lap. The wide seats of the SUV allowed me to straddle him without much discomfort.

“How can I keep my promise to protect you if you won’t let anyone report her?”

“You just have to trust me,” I said, resting my forehead against his.

“I trust you. It’s her I don’t trust,” he said, running his hands through my hair before dragging my lips to his. “Do you understand how tough this is and how much you mean to me?” He asked raggedly once our lips parted.

I nodded my head. His pain was tangible and my heart ached in my inability to ease it. “What can I do?” I asked, desperate to sooth the pain he was going through.

“Stop her before it’s too late,” he begged.

“Anything but that,” I pleaded.

“Please,” he said before crushing his lips to mine. His searing kiss sparked a fire throughout my entire body. He dug his hands under my multiple layers of clothing until they found the skin they sought. I approved with pleasure as his hands moved at their own accord up over my ribcage. I could feel his need beneath me as I shifted closer, trying to consume as much of him as possible. His hands reached around behind me and fumbled with the clasp on my bra. I knew I should halt things before they could get any further out of control, but I couldn’t remember any of my reasons for waiting. Reaching up behind me, I released the clasp for him and sighed in relief when his hands finally found what they yearned for. Max’s tongue plunged deeper into my mouth as I moved against him, burning with desire. I pulled at his clothing, desperate to touch the skin beneath them. He dragged his lips and hand from me and ripped off his jacket and sweater, leaving his rock-hard chest naked in front of me. I ran my hands up over his stomach and chest, loving the way the muscles rippled beneath my fingertips. I leaned forward, sliding my tongue over his collarbone, making him moan. I smiled at his response, trailing my tongue up over his chin until I reached his lips. He rested his hands on my hips as I devoured his mouth and then slowly moved them to the hem of my clothes and started to peal the multiple layers from me. I shivered as he pulled my hoodie away leaving behind only my thin t-shirt. I pulled back and met his questioning eyes, nodding my approval as he slowly lifted my shirt upward.

The ringing of his phone broke the moment and he fumbled for his iPhone in the center console next to me.

“Yeah?” He said in his usual way of answering his phone. “Oh, hey Mom,” he said, and I instantly came back to my senses as I heard her tell him Kevin was sick. I swung off his lap and into my own seat. “Okay, we were on our way home already, we should be there in fifteen minutes,” he said. His mom talked for several more seconds. “I’ll ask her,” he said, looking at me. “My mom said Kevin is running a fever and she wants to know if she can set you guys up in the guest room so you don’t have to drag him back out in the snow.” I nodded my approval. “She says that’s fine, Mom. Okay, we’ll be there in a few minutes,” he said before hanging up.

“Wow, Kevin takes his chaperone duties seriously,” Max joked as he started the vehicle and pulled his sweater back on.

I burst out laughing, fixing the last of my clothing. “True dat,” I said in typical Kevin fashion. “You sure your parents don’t mind us staying over?”

“Are you kidding? She’s worried Kevin has a fever, but I could tell she was thrilled you guys are staying over. My mom loves having company over. As a matter fact, so do I,” he said, raising his eyebrows at me suggestively.

“Hmm, looks like I’ll be locking my door tonight,” I said now that I had come back to my senses. “I don’t think having unprotected sex is something that would improve my current situation,” I said truthfully.

“What makes you think I wasn’t prepared?” he asked.

“Were you?” I asked as my heart skipped several beats.

He nodded. “Does that bother you?”

“I don’t know. I always said I would wait since Lucinda was so promiscuous, but things look a little different now. I do know I don’t want to rush into it though,” I added, trying to express the mixed-up feelings I was having.

“So, we take things slow,” he said, lacing his fingers through mine. “Like maybe alone time in the car should be limited,” he quipped.

“Um yeah, I’d have to agree with you there,” I said giggling. “I think it’s the leather seats, they make us act like love-starved maniacs,” I said, flushing slightly as I recalled how intimately his hands had touched me just moment before.

Chapter 16

Taking things slow proved to be more of a challenge than we could have ever imagined as February faded away and March began. Even with Kevin acting as a chaperone, the air around us seemed to sizzle from the need we both acutely felt. We planned our dates in group settings to help us both behave, but that only proved to frustrate us further since even our chaste kisses made me ache. I knew Max was suffering as much as I was with the constant smoldering looks he shot my way, making it impossible to think of anything else but his lips and hands on me.

School at least helped to some degree as we prepared for SATs and our college applications. Mr. Graves and the other teachers stepped in to help me pull my transcripts together so I would at least be eligible to apply to a community college, wherever I might be. Mr. Graves remained optimistic about getting approved to become foster parents before Lucinda could move us, so he encouraged me to check out the community college in Bozeman. Max was applying to the University of Montana in Bozeman, so I grudgingly agreed, even though I still felt a long way off from being ready for any kind of college. Max and I took Kevin with us to check out the campuses on his birthday, March twentieth. We planned to take him to a local comic book store and out to eat once we were done.

Max and Kevin hung out together while I met with a counselor at the school. By the time we met back up, I was loaded down with forms and school catalogs the friendly woman had given me.

“So, how did it go?” Max asked, giving me a quick peck on the lips in front of Kevin’s eagle eyes.

“She said she felt I’d have no problem keeping up with college classes,” I said happily, sliding my arm around his waist as we headed toward the parking lot.

“See, told you. Piece of cake.”

“Well, I’m still uber nervous, but if I study hard, maybe I’ll make it,” I said, still not overly confident.

“Babe, you got mad skills. You’ve just never had the chance to fine-tune them,” he said.

“Hey, you say that to me,” Kevin piped in.

“Yeah I do, punk,” I said, ruffling his hair. “Now it’s time for some birthday fun. I have a hard-earned twenty-dollar bill with your name on it,” I said, grateful to finally have money to my name. I had been working afternoons at Max’s dad’s store, doing what Max used to do while his dad began to train him in management. Karen stepped in and volunteered to pick Kevin up each afternoon while I worked since most evenings we were at their house for dinner anyway. The new arrangement worked out perfectly since Max and I could drive to work together. I was a little apprehensive he would get sick of me, but he seemed to crave my company as much I did his.