“You don’t know that,” he said, sounding uncertain.
“I do,” I said in a flat voice. “You don't know how it works, you've never seen it. I have. I’ve met plenty of kids over the years that were placed in foster homes, and in almost every case they were separated from their families. Plus, I’m too old. I'll just wind up in some state facility.”
“You don’t know that,” he repeated in a defeated tone.
“Trust me, they would,” I said softly. “Look, I’m just waiting until I’m legally an adult. I have less than one year to go and then I can take Kevin with me.”
“So you expect me to turn a blind eye and let her do this to you?” Max said in a loud voice, clearly frustrated at the hopelessness of the situation.
“If you want to be with me, then yes, I need you to turn a blind eye.”
Max dropped his head into his hands.
“I’m sorry,” I said, feeling sick that my home life was causing so much havoc.
“How often?” he asked.
I knew what he was asking. “Not that often.”
“How often?” He repeated, looking at me.
“A couple times a month, sometimes more.”
“I want to kill her,” he said, reaching over to drag me into his arms.
I sighed, as he kissed me gently. He pulled back slightly, but kept me firmly locked in his arms. “I’m not sure if I'll be able to handle it if she does this again,” he said, lightly pressing his mouth to the tender skin of my eye.
“You have to,” I said, pulling back so he could see I was serious.
“Katelyn, it rips my heart out to think of anyone hurting you, let alone your own mother.”
My heart swelled at his words. The fact that we had only known each other a few weeks seemed insignificant. He knew my every secret and his acceptance of my life had created a bond that I had never shared with another person. I pulled him close and rested my lips on his.
“We better get to class,” I finally said, pulling back.
“We could skip,” he said, enticing me with his sexy voice.
“Hmm, that could be dangerous,” I said, confused at the emotions he was able to evoke in me.
“Only if we do it right,” he said huskily, nipping on my bottom lip gently.
My pulse raced, sending liquid fire coursing through me as his teeth pulled gently on my lip.
“Um, class,” I said, finally finding the will to pull out of his arms.
He chuckled and released me. “Okay, class it is.”
We walked through the quiet hallway toward our class. Before I could turn the knob, Max turned me to face him and eyed my injury critically. “If she does this again, it won’t go unpunished. You got me?” he said.
I opened my mouth to argue.
He shook his head to halt my words. “Look, Katelyn, as long as we’re together it’s my job to make sure no one harms you, including your mom. I’ll let this time pass, but it kills me.”
I mulled over his words as he pulled the door open, but any retort was halted when every eye in the room swiveled around at our entrance.
“Max, this is getting a bit ridiculous….” Mr. Graves started to say until he took in my swollen eye.
“Katelyn, are you okay?” he asked, stepping in between Max and me.
“Yeah, I tripped at home,” I said, embarrassed at the attention I was getting.
“Tripped?” he asked, looking at Max who merely shrugged his shoulders.
“Um, yeah, I tripped in my room,” I said.
“Did you ice it?” Mr. Graves asked.
I nodded. “Most of the day,” I said.
“Hmm, maybe your mom needs to take you to the doctor to make sure nothing is broken.”
“I’m sure it’s fine,” I said, trying to imagine telling Lucinda she needed to take me to the doctor. I nearly laughed out loud at the thought.
“Are you sure?” he asked, still not looking convinced.
“Positive,” I said, glaring at Max for leaving me hanging.
He smiled at me and I could see he had been expecting this kind of reaction. I swallowed a groan. I was going to have to be extra careful not to set Lucinda off. It was becoming quite clear that it wouldn't be as easy to hide things from the administration at this school like I had been doing for years at other schools.
Chapter 9
The rest of the week passed by relatively drama-free, with the exception of Max studying me critically each time I climbed into his SUV anyway. By Wednesday, unease had crept in and I could tell Max meant his threat. He would not hesitate to turn Lucinda in. We discussed it endlessly throughout the week and I tried to get him to see my side, but he was convinced that if we were taken away, a judge would keep Kevin and me together. I knew it was highly unlikely, but Max remained optimistic.
Scared of giving Max the incentive he needed, I catered to Lucinda’s every whim throughout the week. She drank up my attention, creating relative harmony throughout the trailer. By the time Max picked me up for the Halloween dance, I was confident with my ability to keep the peace.
Max knocked on the door at precisely six p.m. on Saturday evening. His eyes brightened when he saw me.
“You look beautiful,” he said as he helped me into the vehicle.
“Thanks, even with this?” I asked, pointing to the somewhat faded black eye I was still sporting.
“Well, I'd prefer that you weren’t someone's punching bag, but it doesn’t take away from how nice you look,” he said, looking at me appraisingly. “I like this too,” he added, twirling a small lock of hair that had escaped my French braid.
“Thanks,” I said shyly. “Lucinda was in a good mood so she fixed it for me,” I added, trying to come up with something to say.
His face took on a pinched look at my words and he dropped his hand.
I grimaced at my mistake. Max hated it when I mentioned Lucinda since he found out she liked to take her frustration out on me. “You look pretty snazzy too,” I said, trying to change the subject.
He took my hint and smiled at me. “In this old thing?” he asked, indicating the tailored black suit that fit him to a tee.
“Old, huh? I'm sure.” I said, raising my eyebrows.
He laughed. “After the countless fittings my mom made me suffer through, believe me, I feel like I know this suit better than my own skin.”
“Well, kudos to your mom because it looks quite yummy on you,” I said brazenly.
“Yummy? You think I look yummy?” he asked suggestively, placing a warm hand on my knee.
“Well, it’s the first word that comes to mind,” I laughed, blushing slightly as I looked down at the fingers massaging my leg.
My gaze left his hand when I felt the vehicle abruptly turn off the road.
“Are we here?” I asked confused as he pulled the vehicle into a narrow opening that looked like it had been notched out of the forest as an afterthought.
Max unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to face me. “Yummy?” he asked again, making me giggle when I realized why he had pulled over.
“Um, you could say that,” I said just before his lips claimed mine. I shivered in anticipation as he deepened the kiss and explored my mouth with abandon.
“Give me your tongue,” he begged against my slightly parted lips.
I succumbed to his demands, giving myself to him as he moaned against my lips. He released my seatbelt and dragged me across his lap in one fluid movement without ever breaking the contact our lips shared. I ran my hands up under his suit jacket, feeling the soft skin of his neck under my fingers as I anchored him more firmly against me.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered, pulling back slightly to gaze at me hungrily.
“You’re just biased because your choices have been limited here. In a school of a couple thousand kids I'd be lost in the crowd,” I said, not used to compliments.
“It could have ten thousand students and I'd still think you were the most beautiful,” he said before crushing his lips
once more on mine.
I was the one to moan this time as his tongue met mine. I felt his hand on my ribcage, slowly caressing me through the velvety material of the dress. I shifted closer, yearning for his touch like none other. He understood my unspoken plea and adjusted me so I was straddling his lap, bringing us together intimately although we had layers of material between us. His hand continued slowly up my side until it rested just below where I wanted it to be.
“Max, we should go,” I finally said, dragging my lips from his. He nodded, but shifted slightly to bring us even closer.
I fought back a groan, trying to control my exaggerated breathing.
“You’re killing me,” he said, planting one last kiss on my lips before deftly moving me off his lap.
My senses slowly returned, and I was mortified at how out of control I had allowed the situation to get. I acted like Lucinda would have. I felt color creeping up my cheeks as I thought of how close I had come to letting him do whatever he wanted. Had Lucinda been right in all the years that she had been telling me I was just like her? Was I really no better than she was? Giving up my virginity in the front seat of a vehicle with a guy I had only known a couple weeks would have definitely painted me that way.
“Katelyn, are you okay?” Max asked as I studied my hands, mortified.
I remained silent as I struggled with the inner turmoil boiling through me.
“Katelyn?” he said again, more insistent this time.
“I’ve just never acted like that,” I finally muttered, thankful the interior of the vehicle was too dark for him to see my face clearly.
“Katelyn, neither have I,” he said, taking my hand into his. “I know things got a little intense there, but we can slow things down.”
“I just always said I'd wait,” I said too quietly for him to hear clearly.
“What?” he asked, rubbing the inside of my wrist with the pad of his thumb.
“I said I always planned to wait. I don’t want to turn out like my mom.”
“Katelyn, you're nothing like your mom,” he said forcibly.
I remained silent, knowing he was wrong on this point. Our out of control breathing and fogged up windows were all the proof I needed.
“So, we'll be careful not to let things go so far next time,” Max finally said, trying to ease my mind.
I gave a shaky laugh. “Like never being alone?” I said.
Max barked out a laugh. “Well, that might help for a while,” he said, pulling my hand up so he could kiss the sensitive skin of my wrist.
“Um, just so you know, that so doesn’t help the situation,” I said, giggling breathlessly.
“Slow then, we can do this,” he muttered to himself as he slowly backed the vehicle back up onto the main road.
“Slow,” I repeated, looking at him dubiously.
“Hey, you just wait, I'll become the king of slow,” he said, noting my doubt. “You might want to fix your hair, though,” he added, turning down a graveled driveway.
“Oh no, what did you do?” I complained, looking at the disheveled mess my hair had become. I had been so lost in the moment, I was unaware he had obviously sunk his hands through my hair sometime during his assault on my lips.
“Guess you'll just have to wear it down,” he said winking, implying he had done it purposely.
“You did this on purpose?” I asked.
“I'd rather see you wear your hair without ‘her’ help.”
I sighed, not needing to ask who he was talking about. I felt conflicting emotions over Max’s obvious distaste for Lucinda. His protectiveness over me was unlike anything I had ever experienced from anyone, but his dislike for Lucinda was a little unsettling. For all her faults, she was still my mom, and she and Kevin were the only family I had.
Max came around to open my door as I was running my fingers through my now wavy hair.
“Ugh, it’s a mess,” I complained, studying my reflection in the mirror.
“A mess?” he asked incredulously. “Are you looking at the same thing I am? You look great.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, still unsure as I smoothed out my dress.
“Absolutely,” he answered, tucking me in under the crook of his arm so I was firmly anchored to his side.
The party was in full gear by the time we approached the oversized barn where it was being held.
“This is amazing,” I said, taking in the hundreds of orange twinkling lights that had been draped over bales of hay that lined the walkway.
“Yeah, Alicia’s parents love Halloween,” he said, chuckling as he pointed out an old-fashioned looking cemetery off to the side of the barn.
“I guess so,” I said, admiring the endless rows of uniquely carved jack-o-lanterns that bordered the outside of the rustic building.
Max pulled the large door open, and we both stepped into the surprisingly warm building. The inside was decorated just as elaborately as the outside with sconce lighting fixtures on each pillar, holding flickering bulbs made to look like candlelight. Fake cobwebs and spiders covered the rafters, and fog machines created the illusion that we were in some creepy haunted house somewhere.
“This is incredible,” I said, trying to take in all the decorations at once.
He laughed. “Well, it should be. I know my mom and Alicia’s mom have been working on it for months,” he said, talking loudly so I could hear him over the loud music being pumped out of speakers spread throughout the massive space. The music stopped midway through his statement, making everyone suddenly focus on our arrival.
Looking down, I brushed at the skirt of my dress, wondering if I had missed a stain or a tear. Seeing nothing, I looked at Max who shrugged his shoulders, equally puzzled. I patted my hair uncomfortably, wondering if they suspected we had been making out since my hair was now down, although there was no way they could know it was braided originally.
Max grabbed my hand as we approached our friends who slowly began to talk again, recovering from whatever had triggered their silence.
“You look nice,” Rebecca said, coming over to give me a brief hug.
“Thanks,” I said, still feeling uncomfortable.
Rebecca’s greeting seemed to break the ice as a new song started and the chatter once again rose loudly throughout the space.
Max kept my hand firmly wrapped in his, obviously still puzzled over the strange reception we had gotten.
I pushed my unease to the side, deciding to enjoy the luxury of being around Max. Glancing around the space, I saw Max’s mom and another lady I didn’t recognize refilling snacks on a long makeshift table that was resting on two giant wooden barrels. My eyes moved on, taking in the small dance floor that was empty as everyone stood around talking. I had been to a few dances over the years and was used to seeing the dance floors overcrowded as the entire student body bumped and grinded against each other. Since I had no rhythm, I usually avoided the dance floor like the plague, but I allowed Max to pull me to the empty floor when a slow song began to play. He looped his arms around my waist, interlocking his fingers together so I was pulled snugly against his chest.
“Hmm, this is nice,” I muttered as I rested my head against his heart.
“Yeah, I could definitely get used to this,” he said, pulling me more snugly against him.
I sighed with pleasure. Taking things slow would be a chore considering being in his arms felt so right.
“I think I should use the ladies’ room,” I finally said, pulling away reluctantly when the slow song ended and a faster one began.
“Okay, it’s inside the house. Do you want me to walk you in?” he asked as Clint called his name across the room.
“Nah, I got it. You go join your friends.”
I pulled the heavy barn door open, stepping into the chilly night air. I immediately began to shiver, missing the warmth of the space I had just left. Hurrying up the path, I entered the house without bothering to knock. The interior of the house had a classic feel to it and I instan
tly felt out of place, passing expensive antiques as I hunted for a bathroom. Coming up empty after passing several doorways, I sighed in frustration. I heard voices coming from the back of the house and went searching for help before my bladder got the best of me. I paused outside the large swinging doors as I heard my name mentioned, recognizing Max's mom's voice.
“She seems like a sweetheart,” I heard her say. I smiled at her words, pleased that she seemed to like me.
“And she’s quite pretty,” a voice I didn’t recognize said. “But I almost died when I saw her wearing the same dress Alicia wore last year. We had it specially, made so I know it’s the same one. The poor dear must have gotten it from the thrift store we donated it to when we did that big spring cleaning last year. Thank God all our kids have the couth not to mention it.”
Mortified by her words, I looked down at the dress I was wearing and began to feel sick at the ramifications of what she said. No wonder everyone looked at me like I was a leper when we walked in. They all knew I was wearing a used dress. I couldn’t help wondering if that’s what Clint had wanted to tell Max so badly. I slowly started to back away from the door until their words once again stopped me in my tracks.
“Well, it’s only to be expected. As sweet as Katelyn is, her mother is some piece of work,” Max’s mom continued.
“What do you mean?” the other voice asked, their enjoyment for gossip obvious.
“Well, she tried to buy cigarettes with her food stamp card a couple days ago. When Patty informed her it wasn't allowed, she went ballistic. Patty tried to explain that it was all computerized and that the transaction wouldn’t be approved anyway. She caused such a ruckus that Maxwell, who happened to be there, had to step in. He took her to the side to explain the situation, and if you can believe it, she tried hitting on him.”
“Oh my God, you're not serious?” the other voice said incredulously.
“I kid you not. I guess she thought she would be able to charm the cigarettes out of him.”
“And her daughter is dating your son?” the voice I was slowly beginning to hate asked, making her point clear.
“Well, we had our reservations at first, especially after this incident, but when we tried to talk to Max, he wouldn’t hear any of it. He seems to have an unnatural hate for her mom and told us in no uncertain terms that Katelyn is nothing like her. We’re going to trust his judgment, but this is one time that I’m hoping the apple does fall far from the tree, because if she’s like her mother she could have a hidden motive.”