Free Light (The Shadows Series) by Amber Lacie

I’m talking about. How long?”
    “Mom, please, less riddles.”
    “How far along are you, Eve?”
    My eyes go wide when she guesses my secret. I don’t know why I’m surprised. I know I can’t lie to her. “I don’t know.”
    “Okay. So, what’s the plan?”
    “Plan? My plan right now is to stop throwing up every five minutes. I also want to stop crying all the time. I want to feel like myself again.” My eyes water and I refuse to blink. I’m not going to cry, damn it.
    “Evelyn, you won’t ever feel like you did before and that’s okay. You are going to grow and change with this baby. You are going to experience and learn things you never knew were possible. Now, for the sickness you can either take some ginger pills or drink some rosemary tea. The tea always helped when I was pregnant. The crying, I can’t fix. Your hormones are all over the place right now, and you are under a lot of stress. My suggestion would be telling Theron as soon as possible.”
    “I know. I will. I just…I’m afraid I’ll lose him. What if he leaves me?”
    “I don’t know what has happened between you two, but I know he loves you. I can tell by the way that he looks at you when you are not paying attention. He’s completely aware of you at all times. Someone doesn’t search for someone they met over fourteen years ago because they just want to be friends, Evelyn. That’s what you call love.”
    I sit up and take the cup of tea that Kayla has made me. This girl is a fucking saint. My drama keeps spilling over into her life and she doesn’t even bat an eye. She’s right there with me, taking on everything as it comes. I love her so much. She’s such an incredible friend. Kayla sits down across from me, and eyes me over her cup of tea. I know she has questions too, so I don’t hesitate to go first. “Mom, how did you know Theron and I met before.”
    “I had a hunch because I recognized his face from somewhere, but I couldn’t place it. That night his grandma came over with her gentleman friend, asking for your number so she could call you, put all the scattered puzzle pieces together. I recognized her instantly. I remember sitting off to the side, reading my books in my lounge chair, and watching you guys play on the beach. When Theron came around, you were so enamored with him. You looked at him as if he walked on water. I knew then, he would be someone special to you, but then his dad sent him away.” She wrings her hands in her apron, and tucks a few stray strands of my hair behind my ears. “You were so heartbroken; you couldn’t understand why he wasn’t coming back. After he left, you sulked in your room for a couple of weeks before Matt came and forced you to go back to the beach. You were so young, and your life was in front of you. I told you to forget about him. I just didn’t think you would actually forget. Do you still dream of him?”
    “How did you know about the dreams?”
    “At first, you would cry in your sleep, but then you started waking up talking about a boy in sunglasses. I convinced you it was just a dream, and you would fall back to sleep. I never thought you would see him again. I think after a while, you blocked it out of your memory, so you wouldn’t feel the pain anymore.” She sweeps her hand across the table, wiping away imaginary crumbs and completely avoiding eye contact.
    “Wait, I remember him now. He always wore those black sunglasses and board shorts. He used to show us tricks on his skateboard. I had no idea that was him. Did you know, Eve?” Kayla watches me intently, making circles with her fingers along the edge of her cup, waiting for my answer.
    “No, well not at first. I started figuring things out, but then I found out about him and Bridgette. I kind of flipped shit and ran.”
    My mom stands and sets her cup in the sink. She looks over at me, as if this is all my fault. “Like you’re doing now?”
    Not being able to ignore her accusing look, I fire back