Free Too Far 02 - Never Too Far by Abbi Glines

me. I closed my eyes.

    “Easy, sweet Blaire. Your head is falling over and you’re gonna have one helluva cramp in your neck. I’m just laying your seat back.” A deep warm whisper tickled my ear and I shivered. I turned toward it but I was still so sleepy I couldn’t wake up completely. Something soft brushed my lips then I fell back into my dreams.

    “You need to wake up, sleepyhead. I’m here but I have no idea where to go,” Rush’s voice accompanied by his hand gently squeezing my arm woke me. I rubbed my eyes and opened them. I was laying back. I looked over at Rush and he smiled.
    “I couldn’t let you jack up your neck. Besides, you were sleeping so hard I wanted you to be comfortable.” He unbuckled and reached across me to fiddle with a button on the side of my seat. It slowly eased back up and I could see the one traffic light in Sumit, Alabama in front of me.
    “I’m so sorry. I slept the whole way. That had to be a boring ride.”
    “I got to control the radio so it wasn’t a bust,” Rush replied with a smirk and then looked back at the traffic light. “Where do I go from here?”
    “Straight until you see the large wooden sign that is painted red and says “Fresh Produce and Firewood for Sale” and then take a left. It’ll be the third house on the right but it’s about a mile and a half down that road. The road will turn into gravel after about a quarter mile.”
    Rush followed my directions and we didn’t say much. I was still waking up and my stomach was feeling queasy. I hadn’t eaten yet and I knew that was the problem. I had saltine crackers in my purse that Bethy had given me but popping one of those in my mouth in front of Rush was a bad idea. Saltines were a major giveaway.
    By the time we pulled into Granny Q’s driveway I had broken into a cold sweat. I was going to be sick if I didn’t eat something. I opened the door to get out before Rush could see my face. I was probably green or pale at the very least.
    “You want me to go with you or is it best if I stay here?” he asked.
    “Oh, um… maybe you should stay here,” I replied. Cain’s truck was here so that meant he probably was too. I didn’t want Rush and Cain getting into any more fights. I also didn’t trust Cain to keep his mouth shut about the pregnancy tests. I closed the car door and headed for the house.
    Cain opened the screen door and stepped outside before I even made it to the bottom step. His face was a mixture of worry and anger. “Why’s he here? He brought you home, now he can leave,” Cain snarled, looking past me toward Rush. Yeah, it was a real good idea for Rush to stay in the car. My stomach rolled and I fought back the nausea.
    “Because he’s giving me a ride back. Calm down, Cain. You have no fight with him. You’re my friend. He’s my friend. Let’s you and I take this inside. I need to get my things.”
    Cain stepped back and let me pass him then he followed me inside letting the screen slam shut behind him.
    “What do you mean you’re going back with him? That test come back positive? You running back to him now even though he broke your heart so bad you came here three weeks ago a mess? I’ll take care of you Blaire. You know that.”
    I held up my hands to stop him. “This isn’t about me being pregnant, Cain. He is a friend who gave me a ride. Yes, we were more before… things happened but now we’re not. I’m not running to him. I am getting my job back in Rosemary and living with Bethy for a while. Then I’ll go somewhere else and start over. I just can’t keep staying here.”
    “Why can’t you stay here? Hell Blaire, I’ll marry you today. No questions asked. I love you. More than life. You gotta know that. I messed up when we were younger and that thing with Callie, she don’t mean nothin’. She’s just a girl who distracts me. You’re all I want. I’ve been telling you that for years. Please listen to me,” he was begged.
    “Cain, stop this.