Free Back to the Top (Ross Records) (3) by Jl Paul Page A

over. Relieved, I thanked Mildred again as we all walked to the parking lot. Brad opened the door for me and I carefully folded my short legs into his Mercedes. Once he was inside and the engine purred, he turned to me with a satisfied smile.
    “You did well tonight, darling. George and Mildred are enamored with you.”
    “Thank you,” I said, feeling like a prize poodle in a dog show.
    “Father agreed,” he continued. “He confided in me that we should set a date immediately.”
    My heart stilled in my chest. I didn’t want to set a date. I just wasn’t ready for this. But what was I to do?
    “Okay,” I muttered. “Let’s talk about it next week when you have a little free time.”
    “We will,” he said, smug.
    When he dropped me off, he walked me to the door. As he had an early morning the next day, I was hoping he wouldn’t expect me to invite him in. Luckily, he didn’t.
    “I can’t wait until we’re married,” he breathed as he drew me into an embrace. “I respect your decision to wait until marriage but you drive me out of my mind.”
    I kissed him back and then drew away, fumbling for my keys. “I know. I’m sorry. But I think it’s appropriate to wait until marriage.”
    He yanked me to his chest. “I love that about you. What other man can say he had a pure bride?”
    Cringing inside, I wondered how he was going to react when he discovered I wasn’t as pure as he thought. But that was a worry for another day.
    “Good night,” I said as I opened my door. “Call me tomorrow.”
    With one last peck on my cheek, he waited until I closed the door before he left.
    I headed directly to the shower, hoping to scrub my lies and guilt off of my skin.
    ***
    Late Friday afternoon, Jenny called my cell, asking if we could get together. It was a welcome excuse to not see Brad so I accepted, inviting her to my apartment for pizza and chick flicks.
    When she arrived, we ordered a pizza and then popped a movie into the DVD player. She explained that since she was coming over to my place, Kevin had invited Brad over for a friendly poker game that would likely take most of the night.
    We watched some of the first movie before we burst into conversation.
    “So, Kevin said that you and Brad are going to announce a wedding date soon.”
    “Yeah,” I said, turning my eyes to the television screen.
    “Is that what you really want to do?”
    I wasn’t prepared for that question. Even though I’d gotten to know Jenny a little bit better since she’d been volunteering at the Center, I still didn’t know her that well.
    “Sure. I mean, that’s why we’re engaged.”
    She sighed. “I don’t know you or Brad very well, but I can tell that you’re not really in love. I mean, he treats you like a possession.”
    “He was there for me when I needed him,” I said through clenched teeth. “Unlike someone else.”
    “Jake,” she said.
    I nodded, my anger at him still there.
    “What happened?”
    I didn’t want to get into it but I figured that maybe it was time to unload. I took a deep breath.
    “He pushed me away,” I said, my voice not as strong as I would have liked. “He got hooked on coke and pushed me away.”
    She nodded. “I remember reading stories about him.”
    I sat back, closing my eyes. “He was always so strong, but his dad died unexpectedly. They were so close. His dad was a wonderful man.”
    I teared up thinking about James Johnson and how he’d always been there for me even though I wasn’t his kid.
    “Jake took it bad, huh?” Jenny asked.
    “Yeah,” I said. “He loved and respected his father over anything. At first, we thought he’d be okay. He had to look out for Greta, his sister. But then, he changed. Nick finally figured out what it was. We confronted Jake but he denied it. Finally, he pushed me away.”
    Jenny was silent for a second as she took a sip of her drink. “You still love him.”
    I turned my moist eyes in her direction. “I don’t want to, but I do.