Free Her Dad's Friend by Penny Wylder Page A

up to me.
    His breath grows heavy and I think he’s falling asleep, but instead, he says. “I’m in love with you, Rachael.”
    I’m frozen in his arms and it takes a minute for me to find my words. “I love you too.”
    At this moment, I can’t think of a time I’ve been happier. The fantasy is definitely not better than the reality. The reality is better than the fantasy ever imagined being.

Chapter 6
    “ I should probably get back to your parents’ house before they start to get too curious about where I’m spending all my time. Your mom is a worrier.” Paul says. We’re still in bed.
    We’ve had sex two more times and it’s starting to get late. I don’t think I have a fourth one in me. I’m exhausted.
    “Welcome to my adolescence,” I say.
    I don’t want him to go. I love sleeping in his warm, safe arms. But he’s right. My parents—especially my mom—don’t know how to mind their own business. They also have a bad habit of showing up places without being invited or calling first. Might look bad if they show up in the morning and find his truck in my designated parking spot after he didn’t come back to the house last night.
    He kisses me before he leaves. I want to tell him I love him again before he goes, but I’m not entirely comfortable just throwing those words around. They weigh a ton and mean everything to me.
    My neighbors are outside again, watching him leave. It’s late and they’re all in their pajamas, holding cups of coffee. It’s almost as if they’ve been waiting up to hear our bedroom theatrics and to catch a glimpse of the man behind all that pleasure. By their swooning smiles and quiet titters, they like what they see.
    I shake my head and go back into the apartment. As soon as my head hits the pillow, I fall right to sleep.
    In the morning I wake up to the scream of my alarm. I’m feeling a little queasy and think it might be best to stay home from school, but I can’t. More exams. At least this is the last day.
    It was supposed to be Paul’s last day in town. He texts me to tell me that. I’m almost in tears and I’m afraid I’ll be too sad to concentrate on my school work until he texts back saying he’s extending his stay. He doesn’t say for how long. I know my dad will be happy about that, and my mom will be happy to have my dad out of her hair.

    * * *
    P aul has been in town for a little over a month now and I’ve had more sex in those weeks than I have in the last two years. Seems longer with everything that’s happened between us. Every day he comes to the school and takes me to lunch. After school he picks me up and we spend time together until he goes back to my parents’ house at night.
    It’s fine for now, but we’re in love and eventually it won’t be enough. Luckily he talks about moving back to town and getting a place of his own. I can’t believe he’s willing to drop everything and move back. I’m so happy I can hardly stand it. If only we didn’t have to hide our relationship from my parents, then everything would be perfect. I’m terrified at the thought of telling them, but if I want to be with Paul, they have to know. I need to tell them soon.
    Saturday morning, I wake up before the sun is even up. I have to work at the coffee shop. The moment I stand up, the room tilts sideways and the temperature spikes to two-hundred degrees—at least that’s how it feels, anyway. My stomach wrenches as if it’s being turned inside out. I run to the bathroom and make it to the toilet just in time to vomit. I must be coming down with something. I think about calling in sick, but once I have it out of my system, I’m fine and decide to go in.
    The bus ride to work seems more tedious than usual. Watching the lights flash by makes me car sick. I’ve never been car sick before, but I’ve been on a charter boat in the middle of the ocean and had gotten sea sick, and it felt a lot like this.
    The lights in the bus seem too bright and someone has a