Free Fix Up by Stephanie Witter Page B

hope he'll never shave it off.
    "My sister is very emotional. She hides it under her tough behavior sometimes, but she's got a soft heart. Once she sees you and sees us together, she'll get over her guilt."
    "You sure?" I ask him as we stop at his car.
    He cages me against it and leans his forehead against mine, his thick and now too long hair brushing my face. "I'm sure." He kisses the tip of my nose, and when I think he's about to give me a proper kiss now that we're mostly alone, he opens my door and chuckles. Giving him a dirty look as I climb in, I don't like it all that much when he makes fun of me.
     
    *  *  *
     
     
    SKYE
     
    "I'm so glad to see you're fine, Skye," Duke's mother, Mrs. Ashdown, tells me as soon as the door opens. She takes me in a huge hug before she even glances at her son.
    "I see you've got a new favorite. Nice, Mom."
    She glares at him and shakes her head, her thick black hair flying everywhere around her soft-looking heart-shaped face. Her thin arms release me. Her embrace was very soothing, almost like my own mother's hugs. God, I miss my parents. I can't wait to see them again. They should be here in a couple of weeks to meet with my lawyer and see what happens after having my complete statement. Apparently, they want to know more about the battle to come. A weird kind of funk overwhelms me, but I push it away and walk inside to let mother and son properly embrace.
    Mr. Ashdown walks toward me with a kind smile, but he doesn't try to initiate any kind of contact. He's very perceptive, and I don't think he's the kind of man to push someone if he's not sure of the person’s reaction. Once again it hits me to see how much Duke looks like his father. Both are very tall, well-built with thick dark hair quite unmanageable. Same perfect nose, same full lips, but I don't dare think the word sensuous when I'm currently looking at Duke's dad.
    He stands in front of me with a nervous smile, his eyes wandering between me and Duke. Duke is situated behind me, answering all his mother's hushed questions with a calm temperament I'm jealous of.
    "How are you, Skye? We wanted to come see you at the hospital, but Duke told us it'd be best to wait until you recovered," he says finally, his voice not as deep as his son's, but even softer in a way.
    "I'm better. It's not always easy, but Duke, my friends and my parents help me."
    Duke's hand comes to my shoulder, and he leads us all to the living room, which is not different from the last time I came here. It's not long ago, just a few weeks back, but since then many things have changed. So many that it feels like an eternity since I met Duke's parents for the first time.
    "And your therapy," adds Duke as he takes a seat beside me on the couch, his thigh touching mine. He immediately takes my hand in his, and both his parents are beaming. It's great to have them so glad to see me with their son. They could have been more cautious like his sister was at first, but they're just happy and proud to see Duke finally moving on and opening his heart to someone else after all the drama they went through after Juliet's death.
    I entwine my fingers with his, securing my lifeline. "Is Alana coming?" I ask, looking back at Mrs. Ashdown about to go check dinner in the kitchen.
    "Yes, she should be here any moment."
    As soon as she finishes her sentence, knocking at the front door preceded the sound of the door opening and closing loudly. Alana hurries in to the living room, spots me and runs to hug me with all her strength. Not only is it unexpected, it's also kind of painful and freaking me out.
    I'm frozen, my hands squeezing Duke's way too hard. Consequently, I don't move. I'm not sure I'm even breathing, and my ears are buzzing. It's just a hug from someone I know! I shouldn't still be so messed up when someone I know is initiating body contact.
    "Alana, that’s enough. It's too much," Duke says, his strong free hand now forcing his sister away from me.
    From the