A New Journey (Second Chance #3) (6 page)

The next three days passed quickly. Elliot enjoyed his time in Texas, but each time he went back he missed Tennessee more and more. Tennessee was his home now and although Texas would always be special to him and he would always go back to visit, Tennessee was home.

“I’m glad to be home.” Elliot said when they walked into the house he had called home for just a little over a year.

“Really?” Karla asked in awe. She had assumed he would miss Texas.

“Yes, really. Tennessee is my home now and you, Leslie and Andrew are my family.”

Karla smiled at her brother and started up the stairs. After she set her suitcase down she pulled out her cell phone and sent a text to Conner. When she got an immediate reply she headed back downstairs. “Mom, Dad, is it alright if I go to the Newberry’s? Conner has some notes from practice that we need to go over.”

“Sure.” Leslie told her with a grin. “Just be home by nine. School starts tomorrow.”

“Definitely.” Karla answered before she hugged Leslie, Andrew and Elliot and walked out the door.

When she got to the Newberry’s, Cain and Abel greeted her at the gate as Conner opened the door and grinned. “I have missed you.” He said as she walked up the steps and stopped in front of him.

“I have missed you too.” She responded as she stood on her tip-toes and brushed her lips over his. When he wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss she sighed.

“I love you, Karla.” He told her as he pulled away and grabbed her hand.

“I love you too, Conner.” She replied as they stepped through the door together. She was greeted by silence, which let her know there was no one else home. “Where is everyone?”

Conner looked at her for a moment before he answered. “Mom and Dad are at the movies and Callie is at the mall with Rylee. I needed a little time alone with you.”

Karla locked her eyes with his and saw the emotion shining out of his. She smiled and moved in closer to him. When his arms wrapped around her she sighed and laid her head on his chest. “I need that too.”

Conner grinned and kissed the top of her head before he stepped back and took her hand again. “Want to watch a movie? I have popcorn popped in the basement.”

“Sure.” She answered with a hint of nervousness in her voice. She’d been in their basement theater several times, but never alone with Conner.

“Karla,” Conner said softly. “Nothing is going to happen unless you want it to. All I want is to sit with my arms around you as we watch a movie.”

“I know, Conner.” She took a deep breath and smiled up at him. “What movie did you have in mind?” She asked as she pulled him towards the stairs leading to the theater room.

“You choose the movie while I grab some drinks and popcorn.”

“Deal.” She responded with a grin. When he walked away she took a deep breath and exhaled softly.
Relax, it’s just a movie with Conner.
She thought to herself and sighed again. By the time Conner walked up behind her she had a Rom-Com picked out and was getting it ready to play.

When they sat down Conner moved the arm rest and pulled Karla against his side. She laid her head on his shoulder and he sighed and pulled her a little closer. “This is exactly what I want.” He said into her hair as he placed a kiss on the top of her head. “You beside me, in my arms, always.”

“Me too, Conner.” Karla replied softly as the movie started playing. They sat there for a while watching the movie before Karla shifted in Conner’s arms and placed a soft kiss on his neck. When he groaned softly she smiled and kissed his neck again.

“Karla, do you have any idea what that does to me?” He asked breathlessly.

When she nodded and kissed his neck again he shifted away from her and turned to face her. The flickering lights from the movie played over her features and the look in her eyes matched his own. “Are you sure?”

When she nodded he groaned again and leaned in to kiss her. With his lips hovering less than an inch from hers he whispered. “You take the lead. We will only go as far as you feel comfortable going.” She nodded and closed the gap between them. When her lips touched his he framed her face with his hands and let her take the lead. 

When she trailed her hands down his shoulders to his chest he slipped his hands into her hair and deepened the kiss. He flinched a little when her hands slipped under his shirt and her short fingernails scratched across his heated skin. He groaned into her mouth as her hands gently brushed across his chest. As he broke the kiss and pulled back slightly her hands stilled. “Don’t stop.” He whispered gruffly as he pulled his t-shirt over his head. “I love the feel of you touching me.”

“I want you to touch me too, Conner.” She said softly.

“I want to, Karla, but if I do I won’t be able to stop and I’m letting you take the lead.”

Karla looked at him for a moment before she lowered her head and gently kissed his chest then she raised her head, looked into his eyes and smiled. “Then I think it’s time we stop.”

Conner nodded and pulled away from her. When he started to put his shirt back on Karla put her hand on his chest and looked at her mocha colored skin against his creamy white skin for a moment before she dropped her hand to her side and her eyes to the floor. “I’m sorry.”

Conner slipped his shirt on and grabbed Karla’s hand. “Look at me, please.” When she looked up he saw the tears shimmering in her eyes. “Karla, you never have to apologize to me for something like this. We will take this part of our relationship at your pace. I promise.”

“I love you, Conner.”

“I love you too, Karla, and I will love you no matter what. Never doubt that.” When the tears started sliding down her cheeks he gently kissed them away and pulled her into a hard hug. “I’m sorry if I hurt you.”

Karla looked up into his eyes and smiled slightly. “You didn’t hurt me, Conner. I’m just scared that I’m going to lose you because I’m not ready.”

“Karla, my heart and soul belong to you and that will never change. You are the only one I want beside me. I need you like I need air.”

“I need you too, Conner.”

Conner stood there holding her for a little while longer before he pulled away and smiled at her. “Let’s finish the movie and then we can get some dinner.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Karla answered as she snuggled back into Conner’s arms and they finished the movie.

“Conner and I almost did it last night.” Karla told Callie and Rylee in a hushed voice as they took seats at the back of the room in Latin the next morning. Since it was the first day of school most of their classes wouldn’t be doing much so they didn’t feel bad holding their hushed conversation during class.

“What?” Callie asked is shock.

“Shh.. Let her talk.” Rylee hissed.

“Sorry, but that threw me for a loop.” Callie told them it a tone that suggested she was still staggering.

“Yesterday afternoon, after we got home, Conner asked me to come over and look over some notes that he took during practice Thursday. When I got there he was home alone. Anyway we were watching a movie and things started happening. I stopped us before anything really happened, but I could see the fire burning in his eyes. I’m so scared that my inability to follow through is going to push him away.”

“Are you kidding me?” Callie asked with a hint of humor in her voice. “Conner is not going to leave you because you won’t have sex with him. He loves you too much for that.”

“I know he loves me, but you didn’t see the look in his eyes when I said we should stop. He was hurt, but there was something else there, too.”

“Like what?” Rylee asked.

“I don’t know. It wasn’t a look I had ever seen in his eyes before, but it scared me.” Karla answered.

As they continued to talk in hushed tones none of them noticed Trevor Carpenter sitting on the other side of Rylee. He was paying very close attention to what they were talking about and grinned wickedly when a thought popped into his head. He knew just what he had to do to get Karla away from Conner.

****

While the girls were talking in Latin class Conner was sitting in German. He hated that he couldn’t get the girls to choose German over Latin, but he could deal with being away from them for ninety minutes if it meant he didn’t have to learn Latin. He was deep in thought about what happened with Karla yesterday when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

“Mind if I sit here?” Travis Carpenter asked and pointed to the seat next to Conner.

“I didn’t expect to see you here.” Conner said with a grin. He liked Travis, it was Trevor he couldn’t stand.

“This is probably the only class I’ll ever have with someone as smart as you.” Travis teased before his expression changed. “I need to talk to you about something.”

“Sure. What’s up?”

“I think Trevor is going to try to break you and Karla up. He has this obsession with her that I just don’t understand. Yes, she’s beautiful and smart and a great person, but she’s also totally and completely devoted to you. He doesn’t stand a chance with her.”

“He’s been obsessed with her for a year now. What makes you think he’s going to try something now?”

“Last night I was in his room helping him finish boxing up some old things that we’re donating to the clothes drive next month and I came across this box in the top of his closet. It was full of stuff about Karla. There were pictures of her, mostly taken at school, but there were a few from various places around town. There were also clippings from all the newspaper articles that featured the academic team. He has the full article and pictures from when the school paper did a full spread on her and Rylee being named junior captains. I confronted him about it and he told me it was none of my business. I’m worried he’s going to try something and Karla’s going to get hurt.”

“Travis, I consider you a friend so I’m going to be straight with you. If Trevor does anything to hurt Karla I will kick his dramatic ass.”

“Conner, if that stupid brother of mine does something to hurt Karla I will help you kick his dramatic ass. I love my brother, but he needs to learn that he can’t always get what he wants. Also, if he hurts Karla that will hurt Rylee and I can’t let that happen.”

Conner relaxed a little at Travis’ words and grinned. “Speaking of Rylee, what’s the deal with you two? Everyone can see that you like each other.”

“I’m working up the courage to ask her out. Think she’d date a non-smart kid”   

“Definitely.” Conner said just as the bell rang. “Now I have to go find my girls. I’ll see you at lunch.”

“See ya, man. I’ll keep an eye on Trevor for ya.”

“Thanks, man.” Conner said as he headed to meet his girls in Calculus.

“Hey, little brother, how is your first day of high school going so far?” Karla greeted Elliot when he joined them at lunch.

“It’s going okay so far. I only have one class with Mallie, which isn’t cool, but at least I get to see her at lunch.”

“Here she comes now.” Conner said with a grin. His grin instantly faded when he saw who was walking over with her.

“Hello.” Trevor greeted everyone, but his eyes never left Karla. “You are looking exceptionally lovely today, Karla.”

Karla looked down at the green tank-top and denim capris she wore and shrugged before she looked at Trevor. “If you say so.”

“Karla, my dear, you could be wearing a potato sack and still be the most stunning creature to grace the earth.”

“Trevor, you’re full of crap. Doesn’t the drama department have reserved tables or something?” Madison asked as she came up behind her brother. “Now move so I can sit down.”

Once Maddie was seated Trevor looked at Karla again. “Remember what I said last year.” He told her in a soft voice before he walked away from the table.

“What was that about?” Travis asked as he walked up and sat beside Rylee.

Karla just shook her head and looked at Conner. He nodded and explained it to everyone. “Last year at Elliot’s birthday cook-out Trevor cornered Karla in her bedroom. He told her that all he wanted was a chance to prove to her that he was better for her than I am. She told him then that he would never get that chance, but he told her he wouldn’t give up until she gave him a chance.”

“What an idiot.” Malinda said in a quiet voice. “Anybody can tell he doesn’t stand a chance with Karla.”

“I can’t believe my brother is that stupid.” Travis said in a disgusted voice. “Guys, I’m sorry about Trevor and his obvious obsession with Karla. If y’all don’t want to hang out with me anymore I will totally understand.”

When Travis stood to leave Karla reached around Rylee and grabbed his arm. “You aren’t responsible for his actions and none of us blame you for what he does or doesn’t do.”

“She’s right, Trav. What Trev does has nothing to do with you.” Madison told her brother. “Furthermore, if they stopped hanging out with you they would have to stop hanging out with Mallie and me too and I doubt Elliot would like that.”

“We aren’t going to stop hanging out with any of you because of what Trevor did or didn’t do.” Karla told them all. “Travis, you aren’t responsible for his actions and I would never blame you for something he did. I’ve been on the receiving end of that kind of blame and I would never do that to anyone else. Please don’t leave.”

Travis sat back down and smiled at Karla. “Personally I don’t see what Trev sees in you. I prefer redheads.” He said and playfully flicked the ends of Rylee’s hair. Rylee blushed and everyone at the table burst out laughing.

The rest of the day passed quickly. After they got in the car Elliot turned to Karla. “I need to tell you something I overheard in the bathroom, but I need you to call Conner so he can hear it too.”

“Okay, you’re scaring me a little.” Karla told him as she pulled her cell phone from her purse and called Conner.

“Hey, Karla.” Conner answered immediately. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m not quite sure what’s wrong. Elliot asked me to call you because he overheard something in the restroom and said we both needed to hear it. Have you left the school yet?”

“Nope. I’ll meet you at the parking lot gate in just a minute. We can talk there. I love you.”

“See you in a minute. I love you too.” She hung up and tossed her phone back in her purse before she started the car and backed out of her space at the end of the lot.

When they reached the gate she pulled through and stopped her car beside Conner’s. As soon as she stopped the car Elliot unbuckled his seat belt and jumped out. “I overheard Trevor talking on his cell phone in the bathroom right after the final bell rang.” He told them as soon as Karla was out of the car.

“What did you hear?” Karla asked. He was clearly upset by it and that made her nervous.

“Trevor was in the stall and he was talking pretty loudly. I would have never listened if I hadn’t heard your names. His exact words were, ‘Sharlet, I need you to get Conner Newberry to help you in Biology. Then I need you to make people believe you are sleeping with him.’ He paused for a minute then he said, ‘No you don’t have to actually sleep with him, but you can if you want. I just want him out of the way so I can have Karla.’ There was another pause before he added, ‘I don’t care what you have to do. I promise I will pay you well for it.’ It sounded like the conversation was coming to an end so I left the bathroom before he knew I was there.”

Karla and Conner looked at each other in stunned silence for a minute before Karla spoke. “Why do I attract the crazies?”

“Hey now.” Conner said with a grin as he pulled her into his arms. “We are not going to let Trevor and his obsession come between us. I love you, Karla and nothing anyone says or does is going to change that.”

“I love you too, Conner. I’m scared though. I’m scared of what he may try when this plan fails.”

“Elliot, do you know who this Sharlet person is?” Conner asked and Elliot shook his head. “It looks like I need to call Travis, but before I do I need to tell you something that Travis told me this morning. I was going to tell you after we got to your house, but you need to know now. Trevor has a box in his room full of pictures, printouts and news articles of you. Travis found it and told me about it.”

Karla started shaking and Conner pulled her tighter against his chest. “Why me?” She asked as tears soaked into Conner’s shirt.

“I don’t know, baby, but I promise you that he will not hurt you.” Conner said into her hair before he kissed the top of her head. “Why don’t you leave your car here for now and I’ll drive you and Elliot home? I’ll come back with Andrew or Manuel later and get it for you.”

When Karla nodded Conner nodded to Elliot who grabbed his and Karla’s things from the car, grabbed the keys from the ignition and locked the doors. Once Karla was in the car Conner pulled out his phone and called Travis. “Is there any way you can come to Karla’s alone? We need to talk about your brother.”

“I’ll meet you there in a few minutes.” Travis answered and ended the call. Conner slipped his phone back in his pocket, got in the car and headed to Karla’s.