University Park Series Box Set: Books 1-3 (6 page)

My phone chimed and I rolled over,
reaching for it.

Collin: I’ll be there in thirty minutes
to pick you up.

Blinking a few times, I struggled to see
the time. Seven-thirty flashed on my phone. Collin was picking me up to attend
weekly church service and I had over slept. Crap!

Me: Okay, I’ll be ready.

I flung the covers off the bed and ran
to the shower. Grabbing a hair band, I twisted my hair up in a messy bun and
bathed as fast as I could. With little time to spare, I found a shear blouse
and matching skirt that didn’t need ironing and put it on. I applied a little
makeup and ran downstairs. A few minutes later, my brother pulled up in his
black 1969 Chevy Camaro.

The door opened and Collin stepped out
of the car. “You look pretty in that skirt.”

“Thanks,” I said, ducking to get into
the back seat. I didn’t even try to kiss him. With my brother around, I knew he
wouldn’t be responsive.

“Hey, Bro, didn’t know you were coming.”

“Yeah, me either.” He looked into the
rearview mirror, brushing his thick, brown hair with his fingers. “Mom called
and said they hadn’t seen me in a while and… well, you know the drill.”

I sighed and relaxed against the cold
vinyl seat. “Yep, know all about that. Glad they’re bugging you instead of me.”

He laughed while peeling out. “Don’t
hold your breath too long, you’ll be next.”

“You know your parents mean well,”
Collin chimed in.

Luke’s laugh deepened. “I can’t wait to
see what happens once you two get married.”

“Oh, I don’t think they’ll continue to
be overprotective. I know they want what is best for Lexi so they are willing
to do whatever it takes to ensure she makes good decisions.”

“Yeah, you don’t know my parents as well
as you think you do,” I informed Collin.

“You might change your mind after a few
weeks of my mom’s nagging,” Luke added.

“I think you two are wrong.” Collin
adjusted his seat belt but kept his body perfectly straight. “Not to be vain,
but they know I’m a good choice for Lexi. They’ll give us our privacy.”

I had to bite back a laugh. Collin
sounded so confident and cocky. If he only took that confidence into the
bedroom, I might agree with him.

Luke slowed to a stop. “You might be the
best guy for Lexi, but my parents will soon be telling you two how to live your
lives. Trust me.” Luke hooked his iPod up to his radio and turned on the music.
The sounds of One Republic blared over the speakers.

The rest of the drive to Dallas remained
quiet. I reclined my head, nodding in and out of sleep. My mind drifted off to
Raven and our last tutoring session, but I forced the dangerous thoughts out of
my head.

Reason number six: I can’t stop thinking
about him.

Church service seemed to drag and my
stomach twisted with hunger pains. Since I was running late, I didn’t have a
chance to eat. The service ended and we made our way to the front entrance.
Members gathered with their families, talking and smiling. Kids screamed and
chased each other as their parents demanded they stop. I wondered if Collin and
I would end up that way or if my display of marital bliss would be fake. Whether
or not he was good for me, I was convinced that I needed someone who wasn’t
afraid to show me how much they loved me.

“Sweetie, how was your week?” Mom asked,
smothering me with a hug.

I shrugged, hugging her back. “Okay, I
guess.”

“Collin, you always look so handsome.”
Mom gave him one of those hugs where she patted his back and kissed the air
around his cheeks.

“Hello, Mrs. Thompson. You’re looking
younger every time I see you.”

“Oh, thank you.” Mom touched her hair
and flashed a girlish smile.

Collin’s phone chimed and he pulled it
from his pocket.

“Lexi, my dad needs help with something.
I’ll meet you at the restaurant.”

I nodded, “Okay.”

“Excuse me, Mrs. Thompson,” Collin
gestured before fighting his way through the crowd.

“No problem.” Mom waved but Collin was
already deep in the throngs of people.

 “You should have taken the time to fix
your hair.” Mom tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “We’re meeting the
Norris family for brunch,” she whispered. “You want to look your best.”

“Sorry, I didn’t have time.” I adjusted
my skirt, knowing she was checking to make sure I looked presentable. Whether I
was fifteen, twenty, or forty, Mom would always nag about my appearance.
“Where’s Dad?” I asked, rising on my tiptoes to see over the crowds of people.

“He went to get the car. I told him I
wanted to arrive at the restaurant early since they don’t take reservations.”
Mom flipped her hair. “What do you think about this color? It’s not too blonde,
is it?”

Mom had light brown hair that was
turning gray so she was testing different colors, claiming she had to have one
that didn’t make her appear too young or too old. “I think it looks natural.”

“Good. It will be perfect for the
wedding.” She smiled and then her gaze darted behind me. “Luke! Oh, baby, come
here.”

Luke strolled behind the waves of
people, in no rush to meet Mom.

“Hi, Mom.” He embraced her while she
planted a big kiss on his cheek.

“Sorry, baby,” she said, her red lips
staining his face. She licked her thumb, determined to rub it off. “When’s the
last time you got a haircut?” She immediately started messing with his hair.

Luke swatted her hand. “Stop, Mom. Leave
my hair alone.”

“Well your hair looks like that guy from
Twilight.”

“No it doesn’t.” Luke rolled his eyes.

“I think it does, so get a trim. And
next time, don’t forget to shave and iron your clothes...” Mom repeated her
repertoire of dos and don’ts. It was nothing new and we were used to
withstanding the brunt of her torture.

Luke managed to break away from Mom when
she saw Dad pull up to the curb. “See you at the restaurant and hurry.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay,” Luke replied.

“We’re right behind you and Dad,” I
assured her.

Luke and I walked to his car, taking the
time to enjoy the nice, warm weather.

“Wow, it feels great out here.” I took
off my sunglasses and let the Texas sun beat down on my face.

“Better enjoy it now. It’s supposed to
get cold this afternoon.”

“Darn, that sucks. I hate walking in the
cold to class.”

Luke unlocked the door for me. “Well,
it’s our last year so enjoy it before it’s all over.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right about that.”

Since we were alone, I decided to ask
him about Delaney. I waited for him to start the car and quickly took control
of his iPod, turning down the volume.

“Hey, turn it back up. I like that
song.”

“I will in a minute, I just want to ask
you something.”

Luke’s head tilted back and he rubbed
his forehead. “Damn, Lexi, Mom’s already beat me down today and I got an earful
last night from Dad.”

“About what?” Luke looked wiped and I
questioned whether I should ask him about Delaney.

“Nothing.” He pulled a cigarette from
his visor and lit it. “Just baseball stuff… that’s all.”

I rolled down the window. I hated when
he smoked, but I knew he did it to relieve stress. “If you need someone to talk
to, I’m here.” I swiveled in my seat, turning in his direction.

He flashed a quick smile. “Thanks, Sis,
but its sports, and I doubt I’d hold your attention for more than a minute.”

He was right about that. “Well, talk to
Collin, I’m sure he’ll be happy to listen.”

He nodded, “Yeah, I will.”

Turning up the volume to the music, I
decided to give my brother a reprieve. We both needed a break and any extra
crap could wait.

We walked into the restaurant and found
Mom and Dad sitting at a big table. It didn’t take long for the rest of the
crowd to arrive. I greeted Collin’s family and another couple my parents knew
from church and their kids. Eager to distance myself, I sat at the very end of
the table, opposite our parents. Collin sat next to me and my brother took a
seat across from us. I listened to my mom make excuses as to why my sister and
her family weren’t at church, stating they had a mini-vacation to the Caribbean
with some bigwig Dallas millionaire, and the kids stayed with their nanny. Mom
always made it a point to talk about their rendezvous and whom they were
rubbing elbows with if they weren’t there. It was sickening.

Before I had met Collin, we only went to
church on Easter and Christmas. When I started dating him, my mom made sure we
were at service every week since Collin’s dad was the pastor. Once we were
engaged, Collin expected me to attend with him. I didn’t mind, I just didn’t
prefer to wake up early on Sunday when I had to get up early the rest of the
week. Saturday’s were my only days to sleep in.

The waiter came by, took our drink
orders, and informed us we could head to the buffet line. I ordered the usual,
a Mimosa with an orange slice and cherry on the side. Mom and Collin’s mom,
Suzanne, did the same. Mealtime was the only time I was allowed to drink any
type of alcohol. Collin’s family only drank alcohol with their meals and my
parents quickly adopted that same etiquette. Funny thing was, I remember Mom
and Dad being big drinkers when we were smaller, but one day, they stopped
drinking in front of us and taught us to drink only in moderation.

We hit the glorious layout of the New
Mexican style food, loading our plates with various options. That was my
favorite part of Sunday, great food and a nice, spritzy drink to melt away the
week’s worries.

“How’s your food?” Collin wiped his
mouth before taking a sip of his water. Collin rarely drank alcohol and if he
did, it was a glass of wine.

“Good. How’s yours?”

“Really good. The Adobe Pie is
delicious.”

I moved my fork toward his plate. “Can I
try it?”

Collin moved his hand in front of his
plate, guarding it. “I’ll get you a fresh piece.”

Seriously?

After all this time, he still refused to
share his food with me. Yet he was preparing to share his bed with me. What the
hell was wrong with him? What if he wanted us to have separate bedrooms like
they did when my grandmother married?

“Sure,” I said. Collin returned to the
buffet line and I flagged the waiter. “I’ll have another Mimosa, please,” I
said in a hushed voice. “And, can you bring it in a regular glass and not this
fancy one?” I knew I wasn’t supposed to drink another one, but since my parents
were too busy chitchatting to notice, and Luke was engrossed with texting
someone, I figured what the hell.

Collin returned with a fresh slice of
Adobe Pie, but I didn’t want it. I had wanted to taste his, but sharing food
with me was something he obviously preferred not to do. Whatever the reason, it
hurt my feelings. I kept to myself, not saying much of anything as my mind
analyzed why I wanted to marry him. To make matters worse, Collin didn’t even
bother talking to me. He and my brother chatted the entire time about baseball
season. Four Mimosas later, I felt numb and didn’t care if we got married or
not.

A cell phone chimed, and Collin asked, “Is
that your phone or mine?” He lifted his phone out of the pocket of his blazer,
giving it a quick glance.

I hiccupped and then flopped my purse on
the table, searching for my phone. “Yep, it’s mine,” I roared. Several people
turned and stared at me, including my mom.

Clutching my napkin, I covered my mouth,
hiding the distracting noise that was a telltale sign that I probably had too
much to drink. I didn’t care. I liked the way the alcohol made my head feel,
not to mention how it melted every muscle in my body. I made a mental note to
drink at least two next time, but stop before four.

I held my phone close to my face and
then moved it back, trying to focus on the text message.

Delaney: So what happened? I’m dying to
know.

Me: Shjt

I set my phone down and flagged the
waiter. Collin’s eyes widened. Before I could say anything, he said, “Please
bring her a big glass of ice cold water.”

“Sure,” the guy responded.

“How many Mimosas have you had?” Collin
asked through gritted teeth.

I grabbed a fistful of his shirt,
pulling him toward me, and planted a big fat kiss on his lips. “Enough to pull
you into the bathroom and give you the ride of your life.”

“Lexi,” Collin muttered between our
lips.

Luke started coughing and chortling as
soda fanned across the table. “Darn ice… went down the wrong way.” He pounded
his chest, but the stunned expression on his face told me he must have heard
me. I didn’t care.