Free Keeping Her (The Lexington Series Book 2) by Belle Winters Page A

light, had it been anything else I’m not sure I would’ve
been able to keep it down. Lucy and I stayed holed up in her room for the most
part and Max was there with us constantly. I would wait until they were both
asleep before I let my emotions get the best of me. Lucy was a softy and I
didn’t want to continue to get her worked up along with me as she’s been going
through it herself. Truth be told, I preferred some time to mourn in peace. I
was staying awake or zoning out for hours replaying all of the years in my
head. My dad was the constant. I remember when my mother got sick, my father
was so sad it was constantly written on his face. I remember a time when my mom
would smile and my father’s eyes would light up. That’s how I knew for so long
that Lucy was it for me. The first time she smiled at me it’s like all of that
cliché stuff happened. You know, birds chirped, the clouds opened up and the
light was only shining on her. I won’t forget how her hazel eyes glittered and
she had all of those small straight white teeth on display for me, and all I
did was offer to catch her if she fell off the monkey bars because she was so
afraid.
    Watching my parents growing up, I
knew that’s what you needed out of life when it came to love. They truly loved
each other and us. It wasn’t something you observed, you felt it. You sit in
the room with the two of them and it’s practically radiating off of them to
fill the entire room. I hugged Lucy closer to me and she tightened her arms
around me and took in a deep breath like she was sniffing me then sighed, her
entire body relaxed and her breathing evened back out. I kissed her forehead as
I thought about the years I spent telling my mother about her. She would give
me this knowing smile and just nod to what I was telling her. On the last few
days I really had with her before her sickness completely took over and
she needed life support I asked her if she sent Lucy to me. She shook her head
and told me that god sent me an angel because I deserve her and I need to make
sure she knows how much I appreciate her. I readjusted Lucy so she was lying on
her side and I spooned her and let sleep come. Right before I fell out I
whispered softly in her ear, “I love you always Lucy.”
    To my surprise she answered me in a
voice thick with sleep. She might’ve been sleep talking. “You too Landon.”
    James and Sam got us all clothes for
today. No one has been out or really doing anything. The only time I saw the
others was in passing to get food from the kitchen. Lucy hasn’t been in the
mood to cook, however she’s been at least making sandwiches or quick things and
making everyone eat. She’s also been making sure that there was lemonade or
something to drink in the house. She didn’t want to go to the supermarket so
how she did it was beyond me. She was resourceful that’s for sure; it makes me
think about how she learned all of this. I had asked her before and she told me
that when she was younger and lived with her mother, sometimes she wouldn’t
come home or would forget to cook or bring in food. After a while she became
self-sufficient otherwise she would have had a lot of hungry days. The thought
twisted my stomach. Even when I hated her, if I had known that her mother
didn’t feed her that day I would’ve taken her food. I won’t say I would have been nice about it but I would’ve made sure she got it and ate it. Deep down
I never really wanted her out of my life. She told me she was worried before
she met my dad that maybe her mom met someone that lived far and she’d be
moving to another City or something. Right, over my dead fucking body. Even
back then, my dad probably would’ve had to check me into a mental institution
had that happened because I would’ve lost my damn mind.
    Lucy showered first and got dressed
as I went to get myself cleaned up. I’m not going to lie this was my first
shower since we got back home it’s probably everyone’s