fantasty kiss, raj say hello [bill gates best books .TXT] 📗

have me?” Jack asked wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
“Ecstatic.” I half smiled.
I hadn’t told Marina about what happened in second period, though she kept asking. Apparently she was supposed to attend the party and knew earlier that it was going to be canceled. I wished my father would have let me in on it so I could have at least made other plans. But Marina had given me my gift, an ipod she’d gotten off ebay for a little less than nothing because of a penny auction, and I hugged her like five times. I would use it when Murphy had us running laps, or in the car, or hell anywhere. I was just glad I finally had one that actually worked.
Just like Jack, Devin wasn’t too pleased with my parents at the moment either. He couldn’t see the logic in their moving my birthday because Rebecca had an important meeting to attend to.
“It just seems like they would have tried to reschedule or something. I’ve been to some of Rebecca’s meetings, actually with her. So I know they give her weeks of advanced notice.”
“Wait, so…you think she did this on purpose?” I asked watching him as he straightened some of the desk.
“No, that’s not what I’m saying. Something could have come up last minute that made her have to reschedule. I’m just saying there was no need for your father to attend.”
I looked at my hands that were placed in my lap, then put them on the desk as I shook my head.
“Don’t even worry about it, love. You know that you’re father loves you. He doesn’t have to say it every day or on your birthday for you to know that. Besides, you’ve got me. And I tell you constantly how much I’m in love with you.”
Yeah, but that wasn’t the same as hearing it from my father. He didn’t have to say it every day but I did want him to at least acknowledge my existence. Since Rebecca had shown up I felt like we were competing for my father’s attention which was something I didn’t like to do. She was the new woman in his life. He had no blood ties to her. The only reason he fell for her good looks was because he of the death of my mother. He was still going through shock at the time. We both were.
When I didn’t answer Devin, he came to stand in front of me.
“Layla, don’t worry about them. Don’t give them a second thought. They are idiots if they can’t see that they hurt you.
“He’s still my dad, Devin.” I wasn’t trying to mope, I promise. I just felt…hurt. It was the first time my father hadn’t done anything for my birthday.
“Meet me at the docks tomorrow night,” He said cupping my face. “You need a vacation from all of this. I’m going to take you somewhere special for your birthday, alright? Somewhere where it’s just the two of us. Where we can go anywhere you want and you don’t have to worry.”
“You don’t-”
He gave me a stern look before I could finish my sentence. “You will let me do what I have had for weeks, Layla.”
I smiled and nodded meekly. “Yes, sir.”
“And be prepared to stay the weekend. So…you know. Come up with something to tell your parents.”
“Where are we going?”
“I can’t tell you, it’s a surprise. And then there’s another surprise when we get there.”
I nodded not wanting to ask any more questions so I wouldn’t ruin what he had planned.
“Would you like to see one of your surprises now?”
I nodded noticing his raised eyebrows. He was doing his best to hold back his smile so I knew he was excited about whatever it was. Biting my lower lip, I waited as he went to the other side of his desk and retrieved a little, worn blue box.
“Oh, God. You didn’t.” I mumbled before I could stop myself.
He rolled his eye and said, “Don’t freak out.”
“So…it’s not a-”
“Oh, no, it’s definitely a ring.” His dazzling smile spread across his face as he lifted the lid revealing a gorgeous diamond ring.
Over a dozen tiny diamonds circled a larger one in the center as they sat on a silver band. The diamond in the middle was possibly three times the size of the fourteen surrounding it causing them to look like petals on a daisy. A very sparkly, diamond covered daisy.
I was speechless, which judging by the sly look on his face was exactly what this ring was supposed to do.
“It’s beautiful.” My voice was barely audible but with him being so close, I didn’t have to worry about him not hearing me.
“It was my grandmothers. She passed it down to my father who then gave it to my mother who passed it on to me so I could give it to you.”
My smile dimmed a bit. His mother didn’t give this ring to him so he could give it to some teenage girl he barely knew for a little less than four months. She’d given him this ring hoping he’d fall for a woman who he’d known for a while. A woman who he could actually get married to in a big fancy church with all of their closest family and friends watching.
“I can’t accept this.” I croaked out. “It doesn’t belong…I just wouldn’t feel right accepting this.”
He took it from the box and slipped it onto my ring finger delicately. It accentuated my finger beautiful, almost making me reconsider my thoughts. Almost.
“You can and it does.” He told me cupping my chin. “I don’t think you’re understanding me, Layla. I’m not going to leave you. We are not your parents. I don’t know what happened when your mother passed but I’m not her, if you can’t already tell. I’m certain, and I can’t make any promise, but I know I would never leave you willingly. I think I started falling for you the first time I saw you.”
This time his smile dimmed for a fraction of a second and I could see that emotion reappearing in his eyes again.
“What’s wrong?” I asked slipping the ring off.
He took it from my hand, placed it back inside it delicate case and mumbled a nothing. He wouldn’t even look at me as he took my hands within his and stroked my wrists.
“I know that’s a lie.”
The half smile I liked reappeared on his face as I cocked my head to the side and pursed my lips.
“No, really,” he said kissing my forehead. “It’s nothing. But…shouldn’t you be getting home? We don’t want to worry your father.”
Now I really knew something was up. He was never concerned with my father’s worries. That was always my job.
But I didn’t push him on it for fear he’d snap and shut me down. Instead I kissed him deeply before leaving.
I wouldn’t say I was dreading going but I sure as hell wasn’t liking it. The only thing I was really looking forward to now was the weekend. Tomorrow night to be exact. I wasn’t sure what Devin was planning but was sure I’d like whatever it was. I found that just being around him made my day a bit brighter.
That feeling didn’t wear off even as I had made it home and realized that only Rebecca was there, fixing herself something to eat.
Yes, herself. Not dinner for the whole family or even just for her husband who had to be on his way home sometime soon. I didn’t blame her though. She wasn’t really a cooker. She was more of a privileged girl when it came to things around the house. Cleaning and dishes were normally things I did since my mother had passed.
I didn’t speak to her when I got home and I didn’t expect her to either, so I headed straight up to my room.

Chapter Thirty-One
I watched as the dark trees blurred together outside of my passenger window. The highway had gotten extremely dark since the sun had set a couple of hours ago making it hard for me to see what was outside my window.
Though I didn’t mind. I didn’t need to see what was outside to know that I was safe with Devin. I wasn’t concerned with if he was taking me away to marry me against my will or if I refused him, to cut my head off and bury me where no one could find me.
Okay, so I had watched a scary movie last night and that happened to the girl. I wasn’t scared. Okay, so I was a little scared. But that wasn’t the point. My point was that I wasn’t scared that Devin would hurt me and I liked that. He was trying to give me a weekend away from all the issues at home.
But just because Devin was taking me away from the problems at home didn’t mean that I could stop thinking about them. I’d still be moving away from the man that I loved, Miller still needed to be dealt with and Jack, oh god I needed to find away to break it off with Jack before he asked me for a quickie under the bleachers again.
Miller needed to be dealt with because if he did anything else to me I was certain Devin would snap. Which was why I’d kept his latest act to myself. Devin didn’t need to know that Miller had made a vulgar gesture towards me at lunch with a room full people who could have seen him. I knew he’d flip his lid if he found out.
Not to mention the fact that my father had brought home boxes from different warehouses today so we could start packing things away. The only thing that made up for him bringing the empty boxes was him bringing home one that held a laptop. He had apologized for not being able to do anything the day of my birthday or the one after. He had been busy with things he didn’t want to worry be about. But he didn’t want me to feel like he didn’t care or that he didn’t have anything planned because he did. Other things just got in the way.
“What are you thinking about?” Devin asked placing a hand on my thigh.
I turned my head in his direction, giving him a half smile, and shrugged. “Nothing in particular. Why?”
“Just wondering why you had suddenly gone quiet on me.”
I had forgotten what we had been discussing in the first place.
“Are you alright?” He asked concern leaking through his voice.
“Yeah, just wondering when we’re going to get to wherever you’re taking me. We’ve been driving for hours.”
I could see the silhouette of his head shake as he laughed in the darkness confined in the car. “No, we have only been driving for about two hours. We should be there in maybe another hour, hour and a half.”
“Do you mind telling me where you’re taking me?”
He thought about it for a moment and when he finally spoke he sounded serene. “I’m taking you to my parent’s home town.”
“I’m sorry, what? You’re taking me to meet your parents?”
“Oh God no.” He laughed. “That wouldn’t be very romantic. But you’ll see when we get there. I think you’ll love it.”
“What’s there?”
He looked over at me once more though I couldn’t see his face. “You’ll see, but in the mean time why don’t you find something to listen to on the radio to pass the time.”
As I turned on the radio on Devin removed his