University Park Series Box Set: Books 1-3 (21 page)

“Huh?” Trey looked up for a quick second
before placing the game on hold.

“Get over here now,” she scolded.

Trey rose from the couch and slowly made
his way toward us. “Hey, what’s up?” he mumbled, nodding slightly

“Hi, I’m Lexi.” I shook his limp hand.
“And this is my friend, Delaney.”

“How’s it going?” She shook his hand and
gave him a big smile.

A timid smile formed across his face but
he didn’t say anything. He casually walked back to the couch and plopped down,
grabbing the remote for his game. Like Raven, I could tell there was more to
his story.

“We brought dessert. Apple pie and ice
cream.” Delaney pointed at the bag in Raven’s hand.

“Thank you.” Raven handed his mom the
sack. “You girls want to help me in the kitchen?”

“Sure.” Delaney and I followed her into
the kitchen.

“I’ll be playing a game with my
brothers.” Raven touched the tips of my fingers while winking at me.

“Okay.” I held on to him, keeping a
steady gaze as I walked toward the kitchen until the space separated us. I was
pathetic. And no matter how hard I tried to fight the feeling, I couldn’t. He
was like a drug that I wanted more of. Being around Raven was exhilarating and
I wanted to spend every passing minute with him.

Black appliances and bright red
decorations gave life to the slightly outdated kitchen. It was apparent that
Raven’s mom took pride in her small home, giving it a warm, homely touch with
each item she had hung.

“If you girls would set the table, that
would be a big help.” She pointed to one of the cabinets.

“Of course.” I opened the cabinet,
removed a stack of crimson ceramic plates, and handed them to Delaney. We
continued removing the dishes, glasses, and eating utensils from the cabinets
and drawers and then worked on setting the table in the kitchen.

“Raven tells me you’ve been helping him
with his writing.” Trish glanced at me as she placed rolls on a tray.

“Yes, that’s right. I work in the
writing lab and Raven was assigned to me. I’m an English major studying to be a
teacher, so I enjoy tutoring people.” I stopped, momentarily thinking about
what I had just told her. Aside from the slight lie about still working in the
writing lab, I contemplated if I really wanted to be a teacher. Growing up, I
always liked helping people and teaching others came naturally. As I recalled
that Collin and my parents planned for me to homeschool our children, I began
to have second thoughts about being a teacher.

“That’s great. No wonder he’s doing so
well.” She smiled at me.

“He’s been working really hard.” I
wanted to reassure her that I wasn’t writing his papers for him.

“Thank you for helping. Writing has
never been a favorite subject for Raven.” She tossed the empty plastic wrapper
in the trash. “So, you two are roommates?”

“Yes.” Delaney filled each glass with
ice and then handed them to me to pour the tea. “We’ve been rooming together
since last year.”

“How nice. Are you studying to be
journalist or something?” Trish removed a roast from the oven and placed it on
top of the stove. Then, she placed the tray of rolls on the rack and closed the
oven door.

“No, I’m actually working toward being a
professional photographer.” Delaney closed the freezer door.

Looking over her shoulder, Trish
replied, “Okay, that make sense. Why you needed old pictures of Raven, that
is.”

“I really appreciate it. I had no idea
who to base my project on until he agreed,” Delaney said. “Do you mind if I
take candid pictures of everyone today?” She picked up her camera case sitting
on the hutch.

“No, not at all.” Trish gave a slight
pose and I could immediately tell that she was fun to be around. Unlike my mom.

“You didn’t have to make us dinner, but
we appreciate it.” I leaned against a chair, unsure of what to do next.

Trish waved, holding a carving fork in
one hand a knife in the other. “It was no trouble. These boys were complaining
that they didn’t want any more turkey leftovers. Besides, I really wanted Raven
to eat a nice, home cooked meal since he didn’t get to go to New Orleans with
us for Thanksgiving.”

“It’s very thoughtful of you,” Delaney
added.

“To be honest, Raven’s never brought
home any girls from college. So when he told me he had a friend that wanted to
tell his life story and needed pictures, I figured it was the least I could do.
Then when he said he wanted me to meet the girl that had helped him improve his
writing, I knew I had to make a nice meal.”

My stomached fluttered at the revelation
that Raven had at least told his mom something about me. “Thanks, Trish.”

 “Do you need help with anything else?”
Delaney glanced around the kitchen.

“The rolls will be ready in a few
minutes. Can you tell the boys to wash up so we can eat?” She smiled and then
returned to her task of cutting the roast.

“Sure, no problem.” Delaney and I walked
to the living room where Raven and his brother’s stared intently at the TV screen,
ranting and cheering as they played Madden NFL, one of my brother’s favorite
video games.

“Time to eat,” I announced. They nodded
but kept playing. I shot Delaney a questioning look.

Delaney placed her hands on her hips.
“Your mom said to go wash your hands. Now.” They all turned to look at her
before scurrying to place the game on pause.

“Why do they jump when you tell them to
do something and do nothing when I asked?” I smirked.

Raven leaned forward and kissed me on
the forehead. “You just need to add a little oomph to the request. That’s all.”

I rolled my eyes and made a mental note
to mimic her if the opportunity presented itself again.

We sat around the small kitchen table,
elbow to elbow, enjoying the savory pot roast, mashed potatoes, and corn that
Trish cooked for us. Trey eventually warmed up and told us how proud he was of
Raven and how he hoped to follow his brother’s path and play for a major
university. Ashton treated us as if we were his sisters, joking with us
constantly. His laugh was contagious. Raven beamed with pride. I knew he cared
for his brothers and truly wanted the best for them.

“Trey, Ashton, do me a favor and clear
the table while I get the pictures,” Trish instructed her younger sons to help.

“Can I help with anything?” I started to
stand.

Trish motioned for us to stay seated.
“No, you girls have done enough. The boys can wash the dishes.”

“Who wants dessert?” Raven looked at
each of us.

“I’ll take a slice with ice cream,” I
told him.

“Do you want your pie hot?” Raven cocked
a brow and his words teased me in all the right places.

I cleared my throat, but before I could
respond, Delaney spoke up. “Of course she does. Who wouldn’t? And make mine
hot, too.”

“You’ve got it.” Raven turned around and
walked toward the refrigerator. His hips swayed to the left and then to right,
and I swore I saw his butt cheeks tense and then release under his jeans.

Holy crap! Why is he teasing me in front
of everyone?

I inhaled a silent breath, trying to
calm the tension building quickly as Delaney nudged me under the table. I
didn’t know how much longer I could handle his flirting. Every part of me
screamed his name and he hadn’t even touched me. The guy was blessed with sex
appeal and I was ready to take our relationship to the next level. Whatever
that was.

Raven returned with our apple pie
alamode, followed by his mom with several picture storage boxes covered in
different colors.

“Can I help you, Mom?” Raven asked
before he sat.

“Nope, I’ve got it.” Trish made a few
more trips before placing the last box on the table. She blew her bangs away
from her face and sat in front of us. “Do you want to see pictures of Raven
from birth until now?” She moved around the boxes, reading a label on each of
them.

“Yes, please. Pictures from pivotal
moments in his life would be awesome.” Delaney moved closer, eager to see them.
I did the same.

Trish thumbed through several pictures
from one box and then laid them on the table. “Here are a few from when he was
born.”

“Wow, you were a big baby.” Delaney
picked up the picture and showed me.

“How much did you weigh?” I eased the
photo from her hand.

Raven turned toward his mom. “Like ten
pounds, right?”

She nodded. “He was nine pounds, seven
ounces, and twenty-three inches long.” Her voice cracked and tears formed in
her eyes. “Born at five fifty-five in the morning on September twenty-ninth.”

     Before Raven picked us up, I asked
him if he was okay with Delaney telling his life story. He reassured me he was
and I suggested that we tell Delaney that he didn’t know who his father was.
Then maybe he could let his mom know that he disclosed how he was conceived,
just to make it easier on everyone. He agreed and said that he’d tell his mom.
Before we left, I told Delaney that vital piece of information. It wasn’t easy
repeating it and she felt horrible for him.

“Don’t cry, Mom. It’s okay.” Raven
wrapped an arm around Trish. She cradled his face and kissed him on the cheek.
Delaney snapped a pic. It was touching to see how close they were after
everything they had endured over the years. No one should have to endure such
pain and tragedy.

“Do you mind if I borrow this?” Delaney
pointed to the picture in my hand.

“That’s fine.” Trish wiped her eyes and
Raven released his arm from her. She continued searching through the boxes,
pulling out several pictures in the process. She showed us several shots of
Raven playing peewee and little league football, followed by middle school and
then high school. She had so many photos of him winning district and state
championships. It was obvious as to why he was a strong contender for a pro
football contract.

Like a proud mom, she took us to the
living room and showed us all the trophies he’d won over the years. Raven tried
not to boast about his winnings, but eagerly told us about each of them.
Happiness flickered within his eyes and it was obvious how much he enjoyed
playing football. He had worked hard his entire life and I really hoped he
landed with a good team. He truly deserved it.

“It hasn’t been easy. Raven’s had some
tough times, but he’s pulled through every time.” Trish patted her son on the
back while giving him a meek smile. “Isn’t that right?” I wasn’t expecting
Raven’s mom to be supportive or loving toward him, but she showed just the
opposite.

Raven shuffled his feet and crossed his
arms. “Yeah.” He stared at the floor and for the first time, I saw the regret
and condemnation etched deep in his face. Raven might have pulled through the
tough times, but he hadn’t learned how to forgive himself.

Delaney took a couple of shots of the
trophies before we returned to the kitchen.

“Who’s this with your boys?” Delaney
pointed to a tall, dark man leaning against a car with the boys standing in
front of him.

Trish took the picture from Delaney.
“Oh, that’s Trey’s dad.” She shook her head and a twisted expression formed on
her face. “You don’t want that picture. Believe me. He’s a no good, lazy,
lying, cheating piece of shit.”

“Mom.” Raven motioned with his head
toward the living room where Trey and Ashton were.

“What? Trey knows it. He can’t stand him
either.” Trish didn’t hold back when revealing her family issues to us. “I’m
sorry, girls. We’re not the Cleavers and I won’t pretend to be.”

“It’s okay. My family’s not perfect
either. Even though they pretend to be.” I tried to ease the thick tension in
the room.

“No family is perfect.” Delaney shuffled
through a couple of photos scattered on the table and made a stack. “My parents
were killed when I was little and I was put up for adoption. I didn’t have the
best childhood, but I’m trying to make the most of my life now. Which isn’t
much.” She took a deep breath and her eyes watered. Delaney never talked much
about her past and she still had quite a few demons she was battling. She
blinked rapidly, trying to keep the tears at bay.

Trish wiped her eyes. It seemed that our
confessions were helping her. “My parents try to rule my life,” I added
quickly, trying to take the pressure off Delaney. “I was homeschooled and
sheltered from almost everything. I always did everything they asked of me.” I
sucked in a quick breath. “It wasn’t until recently that I decided I needed to
live my life for me. I was tired of living to please them,” I openly admitted.

“See? We don’t come from picture perfect
families either. And we aren’t here to judge.” Delaney smiled at Trish.

“Thanks. I appreciate that…it’s just
been tough. Not only for Raven, but all of us. Especially after Ashton’s dad
died... I haven’t got back on track with life.” She sniffed and wiped her eyes
again, smearing mascara in the process. “You know what I mean?”