Taking Chances (Blackrock Book 2) (13 page)

Opening
my backpack, I look inside just now realizing I didn’t bring
lunch. Throwing it onto the table, I cross my arms and lie down on
them. My eyes close briefly until I am jarred awake by a shove.
Cracking an eye open, I spy my moody boyfriend standing behind me.

“Did
you eat?” he asks.

Shaking
my head, I turn the other way and settle into another nap. A few
minutes later I feel another push on my shoulder.

“Jesus
fuck,” I moan. Opening my eyes, I find cold hard green ones
looking disapprovingly at me.

“Here I got you a burger,
fries and a soda.”

Sitting
up, my stomach twists from hunger. “Thank you,” I mumble,
reaching for my burger.

“You
look like shit,” he says biting his own burger.

“Yeah,
I was told that already.”

He
smirks. “By who?”

I
roll my eyes and immediately regret it because my eyeballs hurt.
“Paige.”

Knox
chuckles, then rubs his hand across my shoulders and back. He takes a
deep breath. “Did you not sleep?” I shake my head no. “Do
you want to talk about it?” he asks shoving fries into his
mouth.

“Nope,”
I reply popping the P.

He
growls at me, pulling me closer to him and kissing my head. “Darlin’,
about yesterday…” he starts but I pull back.

“I
don’t care Knox just leave it. Do you have any regrets?”
I ask. Looking at him, he schools his face quickly before answering,

“About what?”

I
shrug. “About anything, us, life?”

Knox
scrunches up the wrapper from his burger, throwing it into the air it
lands in the trashcan. “Why do I get a feeling I’ll have
a broken heart by the time this conversation is over?” he says,
looking into the distance.

“Sometimes I regret moving
here, thinking I could run away from my problems but in the end you
can’t really run from your own mind, can you?” We both
sit quietly for a moment.

“That
stung Bailey. I don’t regret us but if you need to be alone
then just tell me. Don’t sit here and mind fuck me. I am a guy
after all, and we need to be told in plain English.” He still
looks off in the distance, not moving a muscle. His jaw is clenched,
giving his handsome face a statue like appearance.

Putting
my head against his arm I sigh. “I don’t regret us for a
minute Knox,” I say as he coughs.

“But?”

Shaking
my head I look up at him. “No, no ‘but’ where we
are concerned. I was thinking all night and ever since I came here
it’s been one drama after another. I thought life in Grove was
full of drama but this place puts it to shame.”

Turning
to face me I see his eyes are big and glassy. “Then why did you
come here?”

“To
escape from Summer’s death, to pretend it didn’t happen
and my best friend would be waiting for me when I decided to go
home.” I shrug, not really understanding all of these dark
feelings lurking within my soul again.

Knox
puts his arm around me. “I think you and I have some talking to
do, darlin’. Otherwise, we will go around in circles.” I
nod my head in agreement. “After classes, meet at the
apartment?” he asks, looking down at me.

“Sure
okay” I yawn. “I think I might head home to sleep. I
don’t think I’ll make it through the rest of the day.”

Knox
reaches into his backpack; pulling out a small rectangle box he gives
it to me.

Opening
it I see a purple key.

“It’s for the
apartment. Why don’t you sleep there and I will bring your car
later?”

“Thanks.”
I give him a quick peck on the lips.

Grabbing
my bag, I walk through campus to the apartment. I feel weird walking
in alone but I am tired so I quickly strip out of my clothes. Opening
the drawers, I find Knox’s t-shirts. Taking one, I smile as I
pull it over my head smelling him on it. Climbing into bed, the smell
of his cologne wraps around me like an invisible shield making me
smile knowing I am safe and, at least for now, subsiding the darkness
within me.

Knox

Watching
Bailey walk off campus stirs up some pretty deep feelings. I have
tried to keep down since Lindsey fucked me over. I don’t know
what’s going on in her head anymore. I decide to take her car
and visit Max, needing my brother to vent to.

Walking
into his room, he smiles at me. “Hey bro.”

I
can’t help but return his smile and grab him for a man hug.
“Hey you got your casts off.” I notice, pointing at his
exposed legs.

He
nods. “Yeah, feels weird not to have that weight on them.”

Sitting
in the chair beside his bed, I lean closer inspecting the scar below
his right knee.

“They
look like wet noodles,” I joke, slapping him.

“Fuck
off, asshat. Why are you here and not in class?” Shrugging I
lean back in the chair, resting my hands against the back of my head.
“Chick trouble?” Max nods his head smiling like a douche,

“What
else?” I answer, just about to break into my thoughts but he
holds up a finger to me and reaches into a drawer beside his bed he
takes out a notepad and pen.

“Now
begin” he grins.

“You’re
a dick.” I laugh at him. “I don’t know, Max. Bailey
has me all fucked up. One minute we are doing great the next she
quits on me, and now she is asking if I have any regrets.”

Max
looks confused and scribbles on his note pad before holding it up to
me. “You’re screwed,” he wrote and we both laugh.

“Max,
come on help your brother out here. Tell me what I should do.”

He
gives me a pitying look and frowns. “Does this have anything to
do with those flowers she’s been getting?”

My
interest is piqued as I look at him. “How’d you know
about that?”

“She
came in here last Sunday crying and shit. Told me about them. I think
she is scared but won’t say.”

I
watch him for a minute as he looks at me. “What else? I know
you’re holding on me, Max. I know by your face.”

He
laughs, but not in a funny
ha
ha
way but in an,
awe
shit I was caught
,
kind of way. “I just think the bar fight frightened her and it
didn’t help that uncle George went off on her in the street.
What’s up with that anyway?” He catches me off guard with
that last bit and I make him tell me exactly what Bailey told him. I
am so annoyed I want to punch the shit out of something. Pacing the
room, I exhale a long slow breath trying to regain some composure
before I go do something really stupid.

“Hey,
if it isn’t my two favorite sons,” my dad says, walking
into the room.

Max
and I look at each other. “We’re your only sons.” I
roll my eyes, continuing my pacing.

My
dad looks between us a few times. “Girl trouble?” he asks
and Max laughs so hard he cries out in pain.

“You deserve it.” I
grin at him.

My
dad calls a Porter conference, making me close the door to the room
and sit down as he stands on the other side of the bed. He takes off
his suit jacket, rolls up his shirtsleeves, and loosens his tie. Max
and I exchange glances and I raise my eyebrow “Okay then,”
my dad says, clapping his hands. “Who did what and who was left
crying?”

Max
points to me. “He did it and Bailey was cryin’.”

I
punch his arm. “No asshole, why are you lying?” I feel
like we are ten years old again and Max is blaming me on breaking the
garage window.

“Okay
give it to me,” my dad says, making Max chuckle again and I
really want to deck him because this is not funny. This shit is my
life. I tell my dad about the fight, the flowers, and the whole break
up, make up thing that just happened. He rubs his jaw for a minute
and I can hear the coarseness of the hair against his palm “Shit,
I’m stumped,” he announces.

Max’s
eyes go wide before laughing again. “Holy fuck! Stop making me
laugh, it hurts!” he yells at us.

“You
two are total shit. I wish mom was here,” I moan.

Falling
back into the chair, my dad smiles at me. “I know son. We all
do but we will have to figure this out together.”

Max
shrugs his shoulders. “It’s easy, bro. You love her and
she loves you. Go home nail her and it’s all good.”

Now
my dad laughs as I gape at Max. “Who the fuck are you? And
where is my twin brother?” I shake my head, annoyed with both
of them.

“Okay,
wait now. No fighting.” My dad holds up his hands but Max and I
never fight. “Knox why did you blame her for the fight?”
he asks as if he were a judge in a court- room.

“Because,”
I answer and he waits for me to elaborate. “Because she is
crazy enough to fuckin’ start one, there I said it. My
girlfriend is crazy and a bit wild.”

Max
holds out his fist and I bump mine on it. “Fuck yeah she is,
but that’s what makes her cool,” he says.

My
dad looks at us. “So do you like her like that?” I can’t
help the big ass grin on my face as I nod. “Now you’re
talking.” My dad smiles, this whole Porter conference thing is
weird as fuck but at least we are laughing together. Even if it is
about me, and my love life, it feels good to have us all together
again. “Okay, so tell me what you like about Bailey?” my
dad, the judge asks.

Pursing
my lips, I think back to when we first met. “She is fun, smokin
hot, a little crazy but in a good way and she always keeps me
guessing.” I shrug, thinking that’s what he wants to
hear.

He
nods at me, crossing one arm over his chest and tapping a finger
against his lip.

“Okay,
so now tell me why you love her?”

I
frown because I thought I just told him that. He watches me raising
his eyebrows; it must be a Porter trait. “Well,” I say,
trying to think what makes me love her and how I won’t sound
like an ass answering. “I miss her when she is not around. I
want to protect her all the fuckin time and I can only see her when I
think of the future.”

My
dad smiles at me with a proud look in his eyes, like I’d just
won a spelling bee or something. Max whistles.

“Damn Knox, you really do
got it bad.”

I
run my hands over my face trying to think straight but I can’t.
All I can think about is Bailey asking me about my regrets and the
sad look on her face when she said she regretted moving here.

“Oh
Max, I knocked Sean out,” I say remembering earlier today.

Max
frowns. “Why?”

I
look at him from the corner of my eye. “He had his arm around
Bailey and he bet two hundred bucks that he’d be fucking her by
tomorrow.”

My
dad nearly chokes “What on earth kind of people do you two
know?” Max and I grin, making him laugh.

“Okay
folks, I’m out. I have a chick I need to check on,” I
say, standing.

“I’ll
walk you out,” my dad says as I hug Max goodbye.

Walking
out to the parking lot, I stop when I reach the Camaro. “Get a
new car?” my dad asks, running his hand along the roof.

“No,
it’s Bailey’s. She got for her birthday last year.”

My
dad nods in approval before stopping beside me and leaning against
the door.

“Knox, if you love her then
you need to tell her. I know I said it already but the greatest love
is the one you have to fight for and if you feel she is the one then
do everything you can without pushing her. You are both young,
although you don’t want to hear it she may not be the one.”

I
scuff the loose gravel with my boot pushing my hands into my pockets.
“Yeah I know I’ve been thinking about that too, but every
time that thought crosses my mind I feel like I’m having a
heart attack,” I say, rubbing my chest as if a physical pain
was there.

“You’re
just like your mom. You love with all of you and that can be scary
and hurt like hell if it doesn’t work out. Be careful, son.”
He gives me a hug and walks back into the hospital. I take my time
driving home, thinking about Bailey and wondering what is really
going on inside her head, and if she has any intention of ripping out
my heart whether it’s intentional or not. I park the car beside
my Harley and look up seeing the apartment in darkness. Taking the
stairs two at a time, I open the door and quietly walk inside
flipping on the light. I kickoff my boots before walking over to the
bed seeing a mess of blonde hair spread out over my pillow, which
makes me smile and my heart flip. I brush my thumb across her lower
lip, wanting nothing more than to climb on top of her and bury myself
deep inside of her sweetness.

“Darlin’,”
I whisper, brushing the hair off her face. She mumbles something but
I don’t catch it and she rolls over. I chuckle and run my hand
down her back feeling that the t-shirt is soaking from sweat I frown.
“Hey darlin’, wake up.”

Her
hand flies up trying to move me away. “Summer,” she
mumbles. “Summer no, wait,” she breathes hard and tears
fall from her sleeping eyes.

“Shit
Bailey, wake up!” I shake her as tears continue to fall.

“Summer!”
she screams as she jolts awake looking around the room in a panic.

“Hey
darlin’, chill out,” I say holding her close to me she
cries onto my shoulder for a while and pulls back wiping her face
with her hands. “Come on.” I help her out of bed and
bring her into the bathroom. Turning on the shower, I peel the sweat
soaked shirt from her body she looks scared and pale.

“Jump
in darlin’, I’ll be here.”

I
sit on the lid of the toilet as she showers. I hear soft muffled sobs
coming from her and it tears at the very core of me, but I leave her
for a minute while she gets it out of her system.

“You
okay, Bailey?” I ask.

Waiting
forever before she answers, “Yeah,” but it’s a
nothing more than a whisper and then the water turns off. Springing
into action, I grab a towel and wrap it around her when she steps
out. Running my hands up and down her back, she rests her head
against my chest holding my t-shirt in her fist trying to breathe. I
scoop her into my arms and kiss her head as I walk back into the
bedroom. Not wanting to let her go, I sit her on my lap wrapping my
arms around her and rock gently just like my mom used to do when I
was a kid and had a bad dream.