Free Scarred Asphalt by Blue Remy Page B

Butterflies fluttered in the pit of her
stomach as Thorne debated silently about whether or not to see if he wanted to
work out with her. She wasn’t so sure she would be able to even pay attention
to lifting weights. He was a distraction. Always had been when she had seen him
in the gym.
    May as well invite the ass.
    She made her way toward his room, busily putting her hair up
into a ponytail, when she was hit by a piece of her past that was so private,
she had locked it up in her garage away from herself and her broken heart.
    She could feel the heat of anger rising quickly to the
surface. Her face grew hot and her vision blurred as her brain tried to deny
what she was seeing before her. Thorne couldn’t even find her voice as the
emotions ripped through her when she saw Dalton holding the one precious gift
from Maggie that she had cherished since she was fifteen years old.
    It had been the day of her Quinceanera , a celebration
of her rites of passage from being a child into young adulthood. It was an
all-day event and celebration for the Latin community. Every member of the
family, along with their friends and godparents were invited to witness the
spectacular event. It started out bright and early in the morning, with a Misa
de accion de gracias , or mass to give thanks for a completed childhood,
where she was dressed in an elaborate pale pink formal dress that could be
misconstrued as a wedding dress. She was presented with gifts as she sat in the
front pew with her damas and chambelanes , young ladies and
gentlemen that were close friends.
    The mass was a solemn ceremony for Thorne with a baptism
welcoming her into adulthood. Thorne then presented a colorful bouquet of
flowers to the Virgen de Guadalupe , where in turn, she would present her
friends and family with gifts of remembrance.
    That was when the party began.
    Thorne had been upset because Maggie had not given her a
gift and tried her best not to show it. She was a junior model and Elks Rodeo
Princess; she was capable of keeping her feelings hidden, right?
    She had waited patiently all night for her sister, who she
had looked up to her whole life, to give her a gift, but it never happened.
    Finally in bed, she couldn’t sleep, wondering what she had
done to Maggie for her to wish her such ill will in her journey, to not give
her a present into her new passage of life. A quiet knock on her door drew her
attention, and she jumped out of bed and raced to throw open her door.
    It was Maggie and she was holding a beautifully wrapped gift
in her hands. She had apologized for not giving it to her sooner, but she
wanted Thorne to pay special attention to her gift, not have it lost in the
hundreds of other trinkets she had received.
    And now Dalton was holding that gift in his hands.
    Finally finding her voice, though it sounded strained and
full of pain, she managed to choke out her question to him. “Please, please
tell me you didn’t open that.”
    The inflection of her question must have startled him as he
looked up to her, his eyes widened slightly. “No, I didn’t. Why was it hidden
in the garage? It’s beautiful.”
    His admission to being in her garage was enough to get her
feet moving. Thorne snatched the box out of his hands and cradled it
protectively against her chest, snarling at him. “Don’t you Kilpatrick boys
ever mind your own fucking business?” That was when she caught her profile out
of her peripheral. “Why the hell is there a mirror in here?”
    “Whoa there, Thorne. Chill the fuck out.” Dalton rose up,
his brows furrowing as he settled his crystalline blues on her. “You may be
able to function without a mirror, but I can’t. Besides, that is just a damn
jewelry box. I was just curious why you had it boxed up. Not that big of a
fucking deal.”
    Not that big—oh yeah, Romeo was about to get a fucking
earful. This shit was not going to work out.
    “Maggie gave me this, and I will never be able to open it
because of your fucked