University Park Series Box Set: Books 1-3 (36 page)

“Do you want me to hold the bags?” I
asked, motioning to the two large Victoria Secret sacks.

“I got it.” He winked and then walked
off with his brothers.

“I never get to shop with any females
unless I’m with my sister and mother.” Trish smiled and I could see the
excitement in her eyes. “Let’s go pick out a couple of different shirts and
pants for Raven.”

“Sure.” I followed her to the men’s
section.

We talked while we searched for a few
outfits for Raven. She shared stories with me about Raven when he was a child
and how hard he worked at becoming a great football player. The pride in her
eyes told me how much she loved him and cared about him. It was evident that
whatever had happened in the past and the bad choices he had made, she had
forgiven him and stood by him regardless.

An hour later, Raven and his brothers
returned with a few more bags.

“I guess you’re done with your Christmas
shopping,” his mom commented, looking down at her two bags.

“Yes, I am.” He sat his bags down and
took an interest in the clothes I held in my hands.

“We picked out a few things for you to
try on.” I showed him a couple of the shirts.

“I like them.” His surveyed them quickly
and then turned toward his mom. “You did good this time.”

“Maybe because I had help from your
girlfriend.” Trish gathered them from my hands. “Now, go try them on.” She
urged him toward the dressing rooms and I followed. Raven tried on all the
outfits we had selected for him. It was fun watching him model them because every
inch of his body was perfect from top to bottom. Raven practically looked good
in anything he put on.

“Are you going to check that?” Raven
looked at my purse and I knew he was referring to my phone. It had gone off at
least three times since he had stepped in the dressing room.

“No.” I stood on the tip of my toes and
helped him flip down the collar of his shirt.

“Why not?” He adjusted the sleeves one
at a time, buttoning them.

“Oh, you look so handsome in white.”
Trish commented and I couldn’t deny how sexy Raven looked.

“Because it’s probably my mom,” I said
in a low voice, trying to keep his mom from hearing me.

“Don’t ignore your mom,” she scolded,
“we worry about our children and not answering your phone or texts makes it
worse.”

Grudgingly, I reached into my purse and
retrieved my phone. She didn’t know my mom and I was sure she wasn’t unaware of
how controlling she was or why I was better off ignoring her.

To my surprise, it was Luke.

Luke: Great job, genius. Mom and Dad
know about Raven and they are pissed. You better tell him to bring you home
NOW.

“Oh no,” I muttered under my breath as I
typed the obvious question.

Me: What did you tell them?

“Is everything alright?” Trish asked.

“Um…” I avoided her question and kept my
eyes glued to my phone. I could feel Raven’s stare radiating through me and I
prayed Luke responded quickly.

A few seconds later, Luke’s message
popped up.

Luke: I didn’t tell them shit. Mom saw
the pictures on Facebook and the change in your status.

Shit.

Me: Since when is Mom on Facebook?

Luke: I don’t know. I’m just telling you
what’s going on so be prepared. Later.

My phone rang and I silenced the call
from my mom. There was no way in hell I was talking to her in front of Raven
and his mom. She’d be irrational and I knew the only way to get through to her
was to talk to her in person. I had to introduce Raven to my parents and tell
them that I was with him now and it was my decision, not theirs.

A short tone sounded, telling me I had a
voice mail. I also noticed that I had seven missed calls and voice messages,
all from her. I cringed. This wasn’t going to be easy.

“What did she say?” Raven leaned
forward, trying to read my phone upside down.

I pulled it closer to me, embarrassed
about the situation. If only my mom could be understanding like his. My phone
chimed and another message from my mom appeared.

Mom: If you don’t get home now, I’m
calling the cops.

“Fuuuu—” I stopped before cussing in
front of Trish. “I’m sorry, it’s my mom.” I quickly typed a message, telling
her that I was at the mall and would be leaving ASAP. “She wants me to come
home now. She’s freaking out over stupid stuff.”

“Oh. Raven better take you home.”

“What did she say?” Raven reached for my
phone and I quickly dropped it in my purse. If he saw what she typed, he’d
freak out.

I turned toward Trish. “I’m sorry. I
know you’re right in the middle of Christmas shopping and—”

“Don’t worry about it.” Trish placed her
hand on my arm. “I can finish up later. Besides, I think we picked out a few
things for Raven, Ashton, and Trey. I just have a few more things that I can
buy later.”

“Are you sure? I’m so sorry.”

She waved a dismissive hand in the air.
“Don’t worry about it.

Trish purchased the clothes for her sons
and we left the mall. The entire way to his mom’s house, Raven was abnormally
quiet. I knew he was disappointed that he had to take me home. I didn’t want to
leave either. I had gotten so used to being with him that I wasn’t sure how I’d
make it without seeing him every day.

We pulled up to his mom’s house and
dropped everyone off.

“Wait just a minute,” Trish said before
Raven shut the door. “Delaney stopped by and left something for you.”

“Okay.” Raven removed his hand from the
gearshift.

My heart stopped for a second, but I
reasoned with myself that there was nothing to be alarmed about. Delaney had
done that class project on him and I knew it was probably something related to
that.

Trish returned with a large silver bag
and handed it to Raven. “Be careful, Raven. The roads are still icy.”

“Don’t worry, Mom. I will.” Raven tried
to ease the fear in her voice.

“Lexi, it’d be nice if you could join us
Christmas evening for dinner. My mom and my sister, along with her family, will
be coming in town. I’m sure Raven would like to introduce you to them.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that.” I turned to
Raven and waited for his response.

“If it’s okay with her parents, I’ll
pick her up,” Raven told his mom and I smiled.

“See you soon.” Trish went inside and I
waved bye.

Raven looked at the bag in his hands and
then at me. “Should I open it?”

“Yes, I want to know what she bought
you.”

Raven plucked out the purple tissue
paper and removed a large black portfolio. I sighed under my breath in relief
that it wasn’t anything more and wanted to punch myself for thinking it might
have been. He untied the ribbon binding the thick stack of cardstock boards.
Delaney had laid out Raven’s life in a variety of pictures. Each one of them
depicted him in a variety of different poses with different headings.

“Wow. These are awesome,” he sighed.
“She really did a great job.”

“Yes, she did.” I looked over his
shoulder as he flipped through them. I sighed when I saw the picture of us on
the lawn playing football together. It was a black and white photo that focused
on our faces. The contentment in both of our eyes was evident.

“I’m framing this one,” he said with a
smile.

There were a few more photos of us
together and several with his mom and brothers. In all, Delaney had captured
highlights and low points in Raven’s life, telling his story through vivid
pictures that made me want to laugh and cry. The expression on his face
indicated that he was more than pleased and maybe a little dissatisfied with
some of the twists and turns his life had taken.

“Will you send her a message and tell her
I said thank you?” Raven’s voice cracked and I could tell he was holding back
his emotions.

“Yes, of course.”

He stacked the boards evenly together
and placed them in the sack. “She’s an amazing photographer and storyteller.”

I nodded and took the sack from his
hands, placing it on the floorboard next to me. “Yes, she really is.”

Raven drove off slowly and headed toward
his apartment. We didn’t say anything and I think it was because neither of us
wanted me to go home. The mood between us had turned somber, a stark contrast
from the past week. After the quiet walk up the stairs, we reached his door. It
creaked opened and our small Star Wars Christmas tree twinkled in the darkness.
I placed his gift under the tree and trudged to his bedroom to pack my stuff.

“Can I help you?” Raven voice was thick
and the sadness was audibly present.

I didn’t want to leave, but I had to. My
face became wet with moisture and I quickly patted it dry with the back of my
hand. Keeping my head down, I focused on my task.

“Yes, can you please get my stuff from
the bathroom?”

“Sure.” Raven walked slowly out of his
bedroom. In the silence, I could hear him gathering my bottles of shampoo,
mousse, and hairspray. I don’t know why, but it felt like I was leaving for
good, even though I knew I wasn’t. “Here you go.” He placed my toiletry bag on
his bed. I checked to make sure everything was there and slowly zipped it up.

“Thanks.” I closed my large duffle bag
and he helped me pick up the other one. I stuffed my shoes and dirty clothes in
it, but before I could close it, he motioned for me to stop.

“Please take the things I bought for you
today.” He darted out of the room and returned with the two Victoria Secret
bags.

“I can leave them here. Unless you don’t
want me to come back.” I hesitated to take them.

“Of course I want you to come back.” He
pulled me into his arms and I draped mine around his neck. “I haven’t changed
my mind, unless you have.”

“No.” I shook my head. “Just because I
have to go home sooner than we planned, doesn’t mean my decision has changed.”

A smile stretched across his face from
ear to ear. “Good. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”

His lips met mine and my eyes fluttered
to a close. He kissed me with so much passion and intensity, my knees weakened.
I was completely and utterly swallowed up by his emotions that I ignored my
phone ringing in the background. Being with Raven made the world around us
disappear. There wasn’t anything I wanted more than him. Nothing mattered to me
any longer.

Our lips parted and I rested my head
against his chest. His hand stroked my hair and I let out a heavy sigh. I held
him close to me, listening to the beat of his heart. I missed laying my head on
his bare chest and listening to his ragged breathing. My eyes watered and this
time, I didn’t bother to wipe the evidence of my torment away.

My phone chimed and Raven kissed me on
the forehead. “Come on, I better get you home before your parents send out a
search team.”

I let out a nervous laugh, hoping that
wasn’t the case. “I know.” I sniffed and Raven moved his head back, capturing a
better glimpse of me.

“Don’t cry, baby.” He pulled me tightly
in his arms and I wrapped myself around him, not wanting to let go. “I’ll see
you in a few days. Or, if you want, I’ll pick you up tomorrow and we can spend
the day together.”

“Okay.” I nodded and wiped my eyes. “As
long as you promise.”

“I promise, baby. I promise.”

∑

Raven drove me to Dallas and we spent
the entire time laughing and talking. Thankfully, the roads weren’t as bad as
we had thought and we made it there without encountering any incidents.

Raven pulled up to my house just as the
sun was beginning to set. “Promise me you’ll go straight home?”

“I will.” He gave me confused look.
“Don’t worry.”

“It’s hard for me not to,” I admitted.

“Well, I don’t want you to.” He took my
hand in his and kissed the top of it.

I closed my eyes, committing the
softness of his lips and the strength of his touch to memory. It was something
I never wanted to forget. He turned my hand over and placed something in my
palm. When I opened my eyes, a flat burgundy box was in the center. My heart
rate picked up and joy overfilled me.

“What’s this?”

“An early Christmas present.” He smiled.
“Open it.”

“Raven,” I said, trying to conceal the
happiness bubbling up inside of me. Aside from receiving an engagement ring
from Collin, which I had given back, and some jewelry when I was younger from
my mom and dad, I’d never been given jewelry as a present. “You already bought
me enough from Victoria’s Secret.”

“I know, but when I saw this today, I
just had to get it.”

I opened the box and my eyes
automatically filled with tears. A silver dove with a small diamond for an eye
was attached to a dainty chain. “It’s beautiful.” I swallowed a few times,
trying to free the lump in my throat. I carefully removed it from the box.
“Thank you.” I pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“I’m glad you like it.” Raven motioned
for me to lean forward so he could help me put it on. “It’s a dove, you know.”

“Yes, I noticed that. I guess you have a
thing for birds.”

He laughed. “Maybe, but do you know why
I chose it?” He clasped the chain around my neck and I looked at it, touching
the wings with the tips of my fingers.

“No, why?” I pulled down the visor and
admired it through the vanity mirror.

“Because doves are pure and innocent.
Just like you, Lexi.”

“Raven…” I closed the visor and fought
the tears once again. “You’re going to make me cry.”

“Don’t cry, baby.” He cupped my face
with his hands and tilted my head back as he pressed a soft kiss to my lips.
Tears seeped from my eyes onto my temples and into my hair. “I’m so grateful to
have you in my life.” His eyes drifted downward and he smirked. “I just don’t
know why you want a guy like me. I’m a raven, tarnished and dark. You’re the
exact opposite of me.”

“Look at me, babe.” I lifted his chin so
our gazes aligned. “You’re not tarnished and dark. That’s just a name your mom
gave you. A pretty cool name, if you ask me. In fact, did you know that ravens
mate for life, just like doves, and defend their territory?”

“Really? I didn’t know that.” He wiped
the tears from my face.

“Yes, so see,” I sniffed, “a dove and
raven go perfectly together.”

“It’s hard to picture that. All I know
is that I can’t be without you, Lexi. You’ve trapped me for good.”

I laughed. “It’s about time, because I
got caught in The Raven’s trap a long time ago.” I wrapped my arms around his
neck. “And there’s nowhere I’d rather be.”

He kissed me again and just as his hand
eased to my breast, a knock startled me. Raven pulled back and we immediately
stopped kissing. I turned to see my mom and dad standing outside. My heart
thundered in my ears and I turned hot and sweaty.

I unlocked the door and opened it. “Hey,
Mom… Dad, um this is Raven and—”

“Get out now.” My mom grabbed my arm and
yanked me out of the car.

“Mom!” I fell to the ground and heard
Raven call my name.

“Take her inside,” she demanded. Before
I knew it, my dad was pulling me inside.

“Dad, no. Wait!” I tried to stop him,
but didn’t want to physically start a fight.

“Get inside, Lexi.” His voice was deep
and firm. I’d only experienced that side of him on a few occasions and I knew
he meant business.

“But, Dad…” I resisted, trying to pry
his hands off my arms. My feet stumbled as he dragged me across the sidewalk.
Anger tainted my blood and I couldn’t believe my parents were treating me that
way in front of Raven. “Stop! Please.”

As soon as we were inside, my dad
released his firm grip. He slammed the door shut and stood with his arms
crossed and his legs spread, barricading it. “Where the hell have you been?
With that guy?” Dad pointed outside.

“Um…yeah, I’ve been with him the entire
week.” I decide it was time I stand my ground. My decision had been made, I
wanted to be with Raven, and I wasn’t going to let them take that away from me.

“Do you know anything about him?” My dad
huffed, clamping his hands around his waist. I’d never seen my dad so upset. It
was usually Mom that did all the disciplining while Dad just stood by and
agreed with whatever she did. I couldn’t even imagine what my mom was telling
Raven at that moment. Thinking that my parents would have accepted Raven was a
total disaster. I should’ve never went home.

“Yes,” I straightened, “I do.”

The whites of my dad’s eyes bulged. “And
you want to associate yourself with that type of person?”

“And what’s wrong with that?” My blood
boiled and my fingers tightened into tight fists. I seriously needed to punch
something before I exploded. “No one’s perfect, Dad. Not you, not Mom, Luke, or
Ashley.” I made sure to bring attention to my sister that they constantly
reminded me did no wrong.

“No, we’re not perfect, but Lexi,” his
voice lowered, and he neared me, “that guy has been involved with drugs and who
knows what else.”

“How do you know that?” I took a step
forward, pressing my position.

“Because it’s public information. And
don’t question me. I’m telling you that guy is no good for you and you need to
stay away from him.”

“What?” My breath hitched and it felt
like I’d been jabbed in the stomach. “You can’t tell me not to see him.”

“I’m your father and I have every right
to tell you who you can be with.” He pointed outside. “And you will not be with
that guy ever again!”

Rage ripped through me and I had to take
a deep breath before I completely lost it. I couldn’t believe my dad was acting
that way with me. The best thing was for me to leave and never come back. “I
knew it was bad idea for me to come home. I should have just stayed with
Raven.”

With determined purpose, I shuffled past
him. I had had enough of their shit. As I reached for the handle, the door
flung open and hit me in the arm. I stumbled back, clutching my forearm. My mom
pushed through the entrance with my bags and purse in tow.

“And where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m leaving.” I reached for my purse
and bags, but she jerked them away before I could grab them.

“I don’t think so.” Mom had a stunned
expression on her face, as though completely surprised that I would even
challenge her orders. “You’re staying right here.”

“No, I’m not.” My breathing increased
and I gritted my teeth together. I was a grown woman and it was time I made my
own decisions. Good or bad. “I’m leaving and never coming back.” I latched on
to the handles of my purse and tugged hard.

“You will do no such thing.” She dropped
my bags, wrapped both hands around the handles of my purse, and pulled hard. I
tightened my grip as I fought to keep hold.

“Let go, I’m leaving. And no one can
stop me.” We continued struggling to claim the rights over my purse. The next
thing I knew, the handle snapped and the contents of my purse spewed on the
floor. “Great. See what you’ve done!”

I dropped to the floor and began shoving
my stuff back into my purse.

“What are you doing with these?” She
bent down and picked up a string of condoms. Her eyes widened with disbelief
and her bottom lip trembled. The color drained from my face and my mouth fall
open. Could things get any worse?

“What the heck?” Dad took the plastic
packages from her hand and stared at them for a moment.

“Oh my God.” Mom covered her mouth and
her eyes filled with a look of devastation. “Did you have sex with that boy?”
Her hand shook and her nostrils flared.

The words caught in my throat and I
didn’t know what to say. Without much thought, I said, “It’s none of your damn
business.” I yanked the condoms from my dad’s hand, tossed them into my
one-handled purse, and flung it over my shoulder.

“You will not talk to me that way. You
hear me, Lexi Ann Thompson,” my mom scolded, shaking a finger in my face.

“I can’t believe you did that.” Dad
shook his head. “Did we not teach you anything?”

“I’m sorry, but I’m an adult and my
choices are for me to make, not you.” I bent down to grab my bags and my mom
kicked them out of my reach.

“You’re not going anywhere.” She
snatched my purse from my arm, snapping the other strap. My hand flew to my
shoulder, trying to ease the pain that shot straight to my bone. She grabbed my
backpack and bags and went to the kitchen. I followed her, yelling along the
way, “What are you doing? Give them back to me.”

Dad remained silent as he watched my mom
toss my stuff on the kitchen counter. Nothing had changed. She was still the
overbearing, overpowering, and controlling mother that I had grown to hate. She
unzipped one of my bags and flipped it over, empting the contents onto the
marble. All my personal items were in clear view. Clothes flew up in the air as
she dug through my stuff as if in search of something.

“What are you doing?”

“Search her purse.” She shoved my bag in
my dad’s hands. My dad let out a heavy sigh and set my bag on the counter.
Unlike her, he slowly went through every pocket and compartment. I couldn’t
tell if he was afraid that he might find something he didn’t want to or if he
was frustrated that things had gotten to that point.

“What are you looking for?” My eyes
darted between them.

“Drugs!” My mom’s voice shook and her
eyes narrowed. The demon in her was coming out. “Are you doing drugs?”

“What? No! I’m not doing drugs. Why
would—”

Suddenly, it was clear to me. They
thought I was strung out on dope and had lost it. “You two need to chill.”

I reached for my clothes when my mom
yelled, “Don’t touch anything.” I retrieved my hand, terrified that my mom was
the one on drugs. I watched my parents investigate my personal items and I
wanted to cry. I crossed and uncrossed my arms, unable to stop them from
ripping through my things. I’d never felt so violated in my life.

“What the hell?” Mom exclaimed when she
opened my second bag that had the Victoria Secret undergarments that Raven had
bought me. With the tips of her fingers, she held up the black nightie that had
the thong attached. “Did you buy this?”

“Mom!” I snatched it from her hands and
stuffed it into the other bag. “Quit going through my stuff.” I reached for the
sack and her eyes widened. Her hand flew back and I braced myself for what was
to come.

“Olivia, don’t! Dad caught Mom’s hand a
few inches from my face.

The last time she’d hit me was when I
was little, but based on the way her body was trembling and the wrath
circulating in her eyes, I didn’t trust her. I took a step back. Slowly, she
lowered her hand and looked away. Fear pulsed through my blood and my throat
tightened. The threat of tears hit my eyes and I blinked them away.

“Did he buy these for you?” She held up
the bras and matching panties that Raven had picked out for me. “Answer me,
Lexi. Did he buy these for you?”

“Yes. Yes, he bought them for me,” I
admitted, not knowing what else to say. What the hell was her problem? Was it
so wrong that I had spent a week with a guy that truly cared for me and wasn’t
afraid to show it? Unlike Collin.

“That’s it.” Mom gathered all my
lingerie in her hands and marched to the living room.

“Wh-what are you doing? Where are you
going with my stuff?” I followed her, picking up the trail of panties and bras
she dropped along the way.

She flung open the glass doors to the
fireplace and I screamed, “No, Mom! Don’t!” I tried to stop her from tossing my
brand new underclothes into the blazing fire, but she was like a mad woman on
mission from hell. Tears streamed down my face as I watched her throw
everything that Raven had bought me into the flames.

Pain and sadness pounded at my heart. I
felt like I had lost a piece of Raven. Even though they could be replaced, it
upset me because he had helped me pick them out. He had bought them for me.
They were gifts from him. And now they were gone. I slumped to the floor as the
flames consumed all of the fun memories I had shared with Raven earlier that
day. Tears dripped from my eyes as the material turned to ash. They were gone.

Burned.

“Hand me her backpack.” I heard my mom
tell my dad.