Wait For You, Trust in Me: 2-Book Collection. J. Lynn

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СКАЧАТЬ Fitzgerald?”

      “Yes.”

      And that was all she said to that. Yes. Like it was no big deal. The Fitzgerald’s paid the Morgansten’s off and I was labeled a lying whore, but it was all good in the hood, because they all could still have brunch at the club.

      “How is school?” she asked, but she sounded bored. She was probably surfing the Internet for her next cosmetic procedure. “Avery?”

      Oh, for fuck’s sake. “School is perfect. West Virginia is perfect. Everything is perfect.”

      “Don’t you take that tone with me, young lady. After everything you put us through—”

      “Everything I put you through?” I was living in an alternate universe.

      “And still putting us through,” she continued as if I hadn’t spoken a word. “You’re clear across the country, going to some little university in West Virginia instead of—”

      “There’s nothing wrong with this school, Mom, or West Virginia. You were born in Ohio. Not that different—”

      “That is something I try not to remember.” Her huff was pretty epic. “Which brings me to the point of this call.”

      Thank God, baby Jesus, and the Holy Ghost.

      “You need to come home.”

      “What?” I clenched the pillow to my chest.

      She sighed. “You need to stop playing around and come home, Avery. You’ve made your point quite clear by up and doing something as childish as this.”

      “Childish? Mom, I hated being there—”

      “And who do you have to blame for that, Avery?” Some of the coolness slipped from her voice.

      My mouth dropped open. This wasn’t the first time she’d said something like that. Not by a long shot, but it was like a punch in the chest. I stared at the window, shaking my head slowly.

      “We only want the best for you,” she began again, regaining the cool aloofness with a line of pure bullshit. “That’s all we’ve wanted and the best thing for you to do is to come home.”

      I started to laugh, but it got stuck in my throat. Coming home was in my best interest? The woman was crazy. Just talking to her made it feel like I got the crazy on me.

      “Some things have happened here,” she added, and then cleared her throat. “You should come home.”

      How many times had I done what they wanted? Too many times, but this was one time I couldn’t back down. Going home was equivalent to sticking my head in a meat grinder and then asking why it hurt. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. “No.”

      “Excuse me?” My mother’s voice turned shrill.

      “I said, no. I’m not coming back home.”

      “Avery Samantha Morgan—”

      “I’ve got to go. It was nice talking to you, Mom. Goodbye.” And then I hung up the phone before she could say anything else. I placed the cell on the coffee table and waited.

      One minute went by, two minutes, and then five minutes. Letting out a sigh of relief, I collapsed against the couch. I shook my head, literally blown away by the conversation. My mother was insane. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. What a way to start a Sunday morning.

      A sudden knock on the door startled me.

      Hopping to my feet, I hurried around the couch, wondering who it could be. It was too early for any of my friends to have come home. Hell, it wasn’t even nine yet, which meant it was probably also too early for a serial killer to pay a visit.

      I stretched up and peered through the peephole. “No way.” My heart did a series of backflips as I yanked open the door. “Cam?”

      He turned around, lips tipped in a crooked grin. In his hand was a grocery bag. “So, I woke up around four this morning and thought I could really eat some eggs. And eggs with you is so much better than eggs with my sister or my dad. Plus my mom made pumpkin bread. I know how you like pumpkin bread.”

      Struck silent, I stepped aside and watched him carry his bag into the kitchen. The back of my throat burned, my lower lip was doing this really weird tremble thing. A knot somewhere deep inside my chest unraveled. My brain clicked off. I didn’t even shut the front door or feel the cool air washing over my bare ankles. I shot forward, crossing the distance between my door and kitchen. Cam turned just as I launched myself at him.

      He caught me and stumbled back a step as he caught me with his arms around my waist. I buried my head against his chest, eyes closed and my heart thumping. “I missed you.”

Chapter 13

      Hunkered down in my hoodie, I shivered as the cold wind whipped between Whitehall and Knutti, rattling the brown and yellow leaves above us. Several were tossed into the air and they spiraled down to the ground, joining the thick carpet of leaves.

      Brit drew in a deep drag of her cigarette and let it out slowly. “So the next time I answer a late night booty call from Jimmie and I actually go over to his place, what will you do?”

      I hobbled from side to side. “Punch you in the vagina?”

      “Exactly!” She took one last draw and then put the cigarette out. “God, why are we girls so stupid?”

      I fell in step beside her, keeping my arms wrapped around me. “Good question.”

      “I mean, I totally know he doesn’t want to be in a relationship, that all he wants is sex, and he’s usually a little drunk and yet I still go over there. Seriously?”

      “Do you want to be in a relationship?”

      Her lips pursed as she pulled her knit cap down over her ears. “You know, I don’t think so.”

      I frowned. “Then why are you so upset because he doesn’t want to be.”

      “Because he should want to be in a relationship with me! I’m friggin’ awesome.”

      Fighting a grin, I glanced at her. “You are awesome.”

      Brit smiled. I’d met Jimmie a couple of times around campus with Brit. He seemed like a pretty okay guy, but I really believed she could do better than some guy that only called her when he was drunk. So I told her that.

      “And that’s why we’re friends,” she responded, wiggling her arm through mine. “Man, where did fall go? It’s like winter came out of nowhere and bitch smacked us.”

      “I know.” I shuddered as we stopped at the intersection. “I feel sorry for the kids who are about to go trick or treating tomorrow night. They’re going to freeze.”

      “Fuck the kids,” she said, causing me to giggle. “I’m СКАЧАТЬ