Free Forever by Karen Kingsbury Page A

serious, aren’t you?”
    “Yes.” He mumbled something. “Bailey, I want you to be my girlfriend. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
    She hadn’t thought she was ready to have a serious boyfriend, and her mom agreed. “Better to be friends for now, Bailey,” her mom always told her. So that’s what she told Tanner. But he had been adamant. He couldn’t be her friend, not anymore. Not when every time they passed in the hall or hung out with the same group of friends all he could think about was her.
    His revelation had caught her off guard, and by the end of that week she agreed to be his girlfriend. They could say they were going out, but he had to promise that things wouldn’t get too serious. “No matter what happens in the future, I want to be your friend, Tanner. That matters more than anything.”
    They’d been an item since then. Not like her friends who were getting so serious with their boyfriends. So far Tanner hadn’t even kissed her, and since they’d had their driver’s licenses for less than a year, neither of them was allowed to have other teens in the car.
    But she sensed Tanner getting anxious. The last time they hung out at her house, he took her up on the back balcony once
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    It was dark. They held hands and talked about his football camp. Before he hugged her good night, he asked if he could kiss her.
    “I’m not ready,” she told him. “Not yet.”
    The truth? She didn’t want to disappoint her parents, and even more, she was afraid. Afraid she’d make a mockery of what she stood for. Her faith and her decision to wait until she was married. But she was also afraid of her feelings.
    Once she kissed Tanner, everything would change. Maybe she would feel obligated to him, or maybe she’d fall so hard for him there’d be no turning back. Already their phone calls weren’t as fun as before. He spent ten minutes every time asking her who she’d talked to, who’d been texting her. That sort of thing.
    Whatever kissing him might do to their relationship, she wasn’t ready to find out.
    Bailey glanced out the window just as her dad pulled into the driveway of the Baxter house. She hadn’t been here before, but the house looked warm and inviting, right in the middle of an enormous grassy yard. They parked and went inside.
    Dayne gave her a big smile when he saw her. “How’s my favorite CKT dancer?”
    She opened her mouth, but it took a few seconds before she found her voice.
    “Good, thanks.”
    “Katy tells me you’re going to drama camp in August.”
    “Yes, sir.” She felt herself settle down. “Maybe you can come to the show.”
    “I’ll be there.” He shared a private look with Katy. “I already promised.”
    Bailey wanted to keep the conversation going. How many kids at school could say they’d actually talked to Dayne Matthews? “When you move here, maybe you could give me and Connor tips. You know, for acting and stuff.”
    Katy nudged Dayne. “Tim Reed’s still talking about the compliment you gave him when you were here on location.”
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    “Definitely.” Bailey raised a single eyebrow at Dayne. “He used to be humble, but now …”
    The three of them laughed. Someone called Dayne into the kitchen. Bailey watched him go, and only then did she exhale. Katy was right. Around them, Dayne was like any other guy. Except he was the country’s most famous movie star. She stifled a giggle as she took the seat across from him at the table. No matter how down-to-earth he was, her friends would never believe this.
    Over dinner, she studied the interactions between the Baxters and Katy and Dayne. John Baxter seemed proud of his oldest son, anxious to help him find a place in the family. Katy had told them that, and from the way John asked about Dayne’s latest film it was clear she was right. Ashley Blake was the same way.
    She sat on the other side of Dayne and hung on every word he said.
    But most of all Bailey got caught up in watching Katy and Dayne. They