Dare (Finding Love Book 1) (15 page)

School is going fine, by the way. I passed all my finals, but that’s not what I’m really writing you about. I’ve found Mo, Mom. He told me everything. I don’t know if you were in on that night, telling me that he died or not. It was all a sham, something Steven made up when Mo chose to leave. Chose to keep us save.

He’s okay, though. A little rough around the edges, but still our Mo. I’ll look after him from now on.

Keep it up in there, I look forward to hearing more from you.

Love always,

Jennifer

I set my pen down with a sigh. There, I’ve done it. I really have forgiven her, and I’m not sure if she was in on the plan with Steven or not, but I can’t just leave it between us. If she doesn’t know about it, I had to tell her about Mo.

My phone chimes and I pick it up.
Outside! Hurry up, slowpoke :p- Mo

Shaking my head, I slip my feet into my sandals and head outside. Mo is taking me to his apartment today, wanting to show it off, the jerk. Apparently he makes a lot of money from fighting and owns a nice condo, though he rarely uses it.

I hop into his car, a dark blue Mustang that he ranted on and on about yesterday at lunch. We talk about some things, joking around with each other as we head to his place.

When he pulls up, I gawk. “You said a condo! This is a house! On the beach!”

Laughing, he gets out and waits for me. “It is a condo! Just slightly bigger and more alone.” He grins and lets me inside.

It’s pretty standard and male dominated, with rooms sparse and dull in color. I chuckle seeing the large flat screen TV and game consoles.

“Upstairs is my bedroom, a guestroom and bathrooms. Not much I’m afraid, but It’s what I call home,” he tells me, leading me out to the back deck.

There I stand in awe as I stare at his furnishings, including a covered BBQ and a hammock. One step away is the beach and the horizon is nothing but sand and blue water. “This is fantastic!”

“Right? I spend more time out here than inside.”

We stand in silence for a bit before I turn to him. “Do you want to see Mom? I don’t mean now, we can’t, but later on?”

I’ve been thinking about it a lot. I know rehab has a day where family can come. Maybe I should ask her about it in the next letter.

“Rehab, right. I guess so. I’m just nervous, to be honest. A lot can change in five years.”

I nod, agreeing with him. We don’t talk about it anymore, instead we have some lunch and play on the beach.

After Mo drops me off at home, I get a text. I pick it up and look down in disbelief.

I haven’t texted you because I don’t know what to say. I’m afraid you won’t answer me, but I need to know. If you still want this to work, meet me at the hill at five tomorrow. Please, Jennifer. I love you.

Setting my phone down without answering, I sigh in relief.
So I haven’t lost him.
I’ve already forgiven him, but I’m curious to what he’ll say. I smile confidently, choosing to be optimistic.

The next morning, I’m reading one of my steamy romances when my phone chimes. Grunting in protest, I glare at the device.
Someone has to text now. I got to the good part.

Meet me at the park- Cole

Furrowing my brows, I shrug. We haven’t seen each other in a while, even at work. I’ve been so busy with Tyler and everything with Dare, I haven’t had time to hang out with Cole. Feeling bad, I text back that I’ll meet him there, and I go change out of my pajamas.

After leaving a note for Hayley, who is at class, I close and lock the door behind me. Jaclyn is at her parents for the weekend, though she wasn’t happy to leave. I still don’t fully understand her home life, but I hope it isn’t like mine was. She’s so secretive about them all. Her father is the one paying our rent, I do wonder about him. Wouldn’t he be curious about whose living with his daughter? His only daughter, it seems?

Shaking my head to rid the thoughts, I begin my walk to the park. I’m feeling nervous about tonight, but I know I shouldn’t be. He may think he’s the one who should apologize, but
I’m
the one to do so. I pushed him away. Mo helped me see that he did nothing wrong.

Still, a small part of me is afraid he doesn’t want me back. Stupid, I know. His text said ‘I love you’ in it. He wouldn’t say that if he didn’t mean it. It’s my silly insecurities that do this. I just need to push them aside. Dare is mine and I know it.

Spotting Cole when I arrive, I head over his way. He’s sitting on one of the benches, a dog sitting in front of him. “Hey! What’s with the dog?” I ask him, sitting down and reaching out to pet the dog.

“Hey. This is Corky, I’m dog sitting for a neighbor of mine,” he explains before looking over at me. “So how are you? I’ve barely seen you around lately.”

Pushing my hair behind my ear, I make eye contact. “I know, and I’m sorry. A lot has been going on lately.”

He nods knowingly. “Life gets us busy. Especially with a boyfriend.” He chuckles.

“Oh, no that’s not all. He’s a part of it though.” Seeing his confusion, I tell him the abridged story. I’ve told it so many times, I’m tired of it, but Cole deserves to know why I’m been MIA for weeks.

When I’m done, he looks at me in astonishment. “Wow, you really have gone through a lot. How are you doing?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. Good I guess.”

Cole shakes his head. “No, how
are you?
Really?” He raises his brow at me, concern in his tone.

I sigh, really thinking about the question. How am I? I still have dreams of Tyler in my apartment, but Dare always ends up dead and I’m stuck with Tyler forever. Not to mention it’s a lot bloodier than it really was. “I’m not great, but I’m not doing badly either. I sometimes tense up when I see someone who looks like Tyler. A few bad dreams every now and then. Nothing I can’t handle.”

He’s petting Corky, intently listening to me. “Alright, but if you ever need to talk, I’m here.” I nod in thanks. “Now, how about the Dare situation?”

Sighing, I turn to face the park. Kids are running around, screaming or laughing. I imagine myself sitting here, years from now, watching my own kids run around with glee in their eyes. They would have green eyes like me and black hair like their daddy -
whoa. Their daddy?
I’m surprised at how calm I am about that, but having kids with Dare doesn’t freak me out. In fact, it excites me. I shake my head and respond to Cole. “I need to apologize to him, which is what I’ll be doing tonight. He wants me to meet him at our spot.”

“Good. You two belong together, anyone can see that.”

I raise my eyebrow at him. “You haven’t really seen us together before.” In fact, I’ve barely had him around my friends, choosing to spend all my time with him and him alone. Selfish, but I can’t help it. I don’t like to share.

“Don’t need to. You practically light a room when you think or talk about him. And the way he looks at you? Like you’re his entire world.”

My jaw drops as I realize how true his words are. Even though I’ve never really seen how he looks at me, I do know how unbelievably giddy and excited I get when I think of him.
You belong together.

“You’re right.”

He laughs, brushing his hand through his hair. “Of course I’m right!”

I shove him away and laugh. My shoulders are weightless, and I feel like a million bucks. “Okay, your turn. How are you and that girl doing? Anything moving along?”

He sighs, shaking his head. “No, nothing. She wants nothing to do with me. I just hate this; her boyfriend is a piece of shit,” he spits out bitterly.

“What do you mean?” I ask slowly.

“Her boyfriend beats her.”

Gasping, my eyes widen. “What? You’ve seen this happen?”

“No, I haven’t seen it happen before,” he admits begrudgingly. “She always has these bruises and black eyes. It’s obvious what’s happening but she always says differently.” he shakes his head angrily.

I rub his arm. “Unfortunately, that happens a lot. She’s either afraid of him or feels shameful. Men like that,” I shake my head, “they really know how to break someone’s soul. Just be her friend, be there for her if or when she needs you.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s just hard but for her, I’ll do it.”

We sit there for a while, talking about much lighter topics. His birthday is coming up in a few weeks, and since he can’t leave to see his family, I invite him over to my place.

“So I’ll see you later!” I step up on my toes and hug him.

“See ya later.” He waves as he walks away, talking to Corky.

Shaking my head with a smile, I head home, eager to meet Dare.

_*_*_*_

Before five, I use Jaclyn’s car and head to the hill. My grip is tight around the steering wheel and my insides shake as I listen to the calming voice of
Frank Sinatra
playing on the radio. Anxiously, I tell myself that it’s going to be okay.

Parking across from the fence, I breath out, relaxing my body and glance over to where Dare is, leaning against the fence. He looks worn down, his clothes disheveled and hair messy. This is about as good as I feel. Stuffing my hands into my shorts pockets, I slowly walk over to him.

Without saying anything, he reaches into his back pocket, withdrawing a key. My eyes pop open.
Since when does he have a key?
He pulls the gate open and waves me through. We still haven’t said anything, and it’s not helping my nerves any. I follow him up the hill, watching my shoes sink into the ground. When we reach the top, I turn to face him.

The view is still breathtaking, even after seeing it many times. “So?” I drag the word out. I’m curious, that’s for sure.

Dare tilts his head to the side. “Not here. I have somewhere new to show you.” He starts walking to the left, where we haven’t been before, and rounds the corner. I run to catch up with him. As I turn the corner, I gasp.

“How haven’t I seen
that
before?” I ask, coming to a stop by Dare. Before us is a mansion, its gravel front drive circling around a giant statue. I can’t tell who it is though. The house looms behind it, a large tan and white structure with a ton of windows, bedrooms most likely. The large front door boasted a golden knocker. On either side of the house, green grass seems to stretch forever.

“It’s hidden by the hill. There is a trail near the spot at the top, and he didn’t want anybody locating this,” he quietly explains, watching me.

Arching a brow in question, I ask, “He?
He
who?”

“Marvin. You know, the one that died?” He doesn’t say it rudely, but I wince anyway. How could I have forgotten that? Looking down, my mood changes as his hand slips into mine. Peeking up at him, I smile.

Then he leads me around the house, my eyes nervously dart around.

“It is okay to be here, right?”

“Yes, don’t worry. I have a key, remember?”

“Right. So how did you know this man? I don’t think I asked before?”

He smiles. “He helped me out a lot when I was younger. The first day I met him, I was sure he would call the cops and have me sent back to foster care, but he didn’t,” his last words sounding faraway. “He fed me, let me shower, and gave me some money. I never came to him, he came to me. I don’t know, he was just always there when I needed help the most.” He shakes his head. “I owe my life to him.”

“Wow!” I wish I could have met this man; he sounds sweet and amazing. I want to be able to thank him for helping Dare out when he needed it.

“Yeah, he was.”

Absently, I nod as we round the house. Then my eyes widen. The backyard is huge. There is a patio with a large table and matching chairs, a big BBQ off to the side. But what has my attention is the garden. With a step off the patio, we’re instantly on the green path. Oak trees run down each side of the grassy path, bushes of flowers around the tree trunks. Wonder fills me as Dare walks me down the path, and when we reach the end, it opens up to reveal a white gazebo with ivy clinging to it. Benches sit inside, more flowers surrounding the area.

“I’ve never seen so many flowers!” I say, walking around and smelling them. After a few minutes, I remember why I’m here in the first place and turn to Dare, walking over to sit down on the bench across from him. I wait for him to talk, knowing that he’s wanting to hash everything out now. “I know I already said it, but I really am sorry, Jennifer. I knew I shouldn’t have kept it from you, but I had to. I’m sorry.” He’s looking at me beseechingly.

Leaning forward, I grab his large hand with my smaller one, loving the differences between the two. He’s big and strong, but gentle and loving. “I already forgive you, Dare. You did nothing wrong. I’ve had my pity party long enough.” I stand up and walk over to him, leaning down to kiss his cheek. “I love you. You aren’t getting rid of me that easily,” I tease.

He chuckles and stands up, causing me to crane my neck back. His arms link around my back, encircling me and pulling me closer. “There is no way I’d ever get rid of you. I love you.”

He leans down as I stretch up, my arms winding around his neck. Our lips finally meet, and I sigh in happiness. I feel his hands moving up and down, underneath my shirt and causing me to shiver as his warm fingers trail along my cool skin. My hands move along his arms and over his chest, wrapping around his back to pull him even closer. I just
want
him with every fiber of my being.

His tongue slides against my lips, and I slowly open my mouth, welcoming him. Our tongues dance together in harmony, and I groan into his mouth.

Dare’s hands reach down to my thighs and tug, gripping my ass as I jump up and wrap my legs around his waist. He moves to sit back down on the bench. I’m sitting on his lap now, feeling everything and it causes my want to increase - I didn’t think that could happen more.

A few seconds later, we both draw back, in need of air.
Stupid oxygen.
We stare at each other, and he leans forward, kissing my forehead before setting his chin on the top of my head, pulling me into his warm embrace. We sit like this for a while, lost in our thoughts.

“Why do you have a key?” I ask.

I sit back as he sighs, worry rushing through me. “I went to the reading of his will. All of this,” he sweeps his gaze over the land, and I do the same, “is mine now.”

I gape at him. “All of
this?
Wow,” I whisper.

He nods, looking a little uncertain. “I’m not entirely sure what I’m doing here, but with you at my side, I can only go up.”

I smack his chest and laugh with him. “That was cheesy, sir, but I love you anyways.”

He leans in and kisses me once again. “Good, because I love you.”

We spend a few more hours together, sitting in the garden and talking. There is nothing hidden between us now and I feel happy. Finally, after everything I’ve gone through, I can say I’m good. My life has shaped me to be who I am, and though it wasn’t what I wanted, I’m grateful for those I had.