Change of Heart - By S.E. Edwards Page 0,77

becomes like a drug. You become addicted. You need more. More cars, more houses, more things.”

Rich grimaces. “That’s how my father treated everyone around him. Not like a person. Like a thing to be used and exploited for his own personal benefit. Even his kids weren’t immune to it.”

Rich takes my hand and squeezes it gently. I love the warmth that flows from him. “And I hated that, Penny. I hated it more than anything in the world. It was no way to live. So call me spoiled or entitled. Call me whatever you want. Call me the brat who doesn’t know how good he’s had it. I don’t care. Possessions aren’t the important things in life.” He tightens his grip on my hand. I look over, and he meets my eyes in an unwavering gaze. “People are. People you care about.”

Oh, wow. For a moment, things get way too intense for me. Like an idiot, I jerk my hand away.

I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but for the blink of an eye, Rich looks incredibly hurt. Then he keeps talking, and seems all right. “That’s why I drive a truck instead of some fancy Lamborghini or Porsche. My dad dumped a bunch of his money into my bank account when I turned sixteen. Probably so he wouldn’t feel obliged to give me anything else. I try not to touch it. Living frugally keeps me grounded. As does knowing about all the other things you mentioned.” He pauses. “What about you?”

I blink. “What about me, what?”

“What about you, in general? We’ve spent all this time together. After last night, it’s clear we both have feelings for each other. But I barely know a thing about you. You,” he points at my face and draws a question mark in the air, “are an enigma.”

“An enigma?” I laugh. Then I shrug my shoulders uneasily. “There’s not much to know, honestly. My life was always incredibly boring. Until I met you . . .”

I keep speaking, totally on autopilot. Inside, my thoughts are reeling. ‘We have feelings for each other’? Is that what last night meant to him?

That scares me. I don’t know what to make of it. I’m a confused wreck.

Rich evokes feelings in me that I’ve never had before. I hate the warmth that blooms in my chest when he holds me, hate the way my heart flutters when he whispers my name. Most of all, I hate how naked I feel around him. Stripped down. Bare. Like there isn’t a thought I can have without him knowing it.

It’s a terrifying feeling for a girl who had lived her whole life avoiding intimacy.

“…Penny?”

“Huh? What?” I’d totally zoned out. I realize belatedly that he’d asked me a question, but for the life of me I can’t remember what it was. “Can you say that again?”

Rich smiles. The expression looks so incredibly sweet I don’t know what to do with myself. “I asked you what that is.”

“What what is?”

“The pendant around your neck. You didn’t have it on when we met. But I haven’t seen you without it since you put it on in my apartment.”

My hand clutches the little metal locket hanging between my breasts automatically, protectively. “Oh.” Suddenly, I feel short of breath. I’ve never shared what’s inside that locket with anyone. I didn’t think I ever would.

But with Rich’s sincere, shining eyes on me, I feel like I can. I owe him that much after everything he’s revealed about himself.

I force my fingers to relax the death grip they have on the locket. I pull it out from under my sweater and scoot closer to Rich, cradling it in my palms. I take a deep breath and press the little pin on the side. The locket pops open.

“That’s me,” I explain. For some reason, my voice is shaky. “And my… dad.” The last word comes out in a near whisper.

Rich looks at the old photograph. “May I?” he asks. When I nod, he picks the locket up and brings it close to his face. A little bit of terror erupts inside me at having someone else handle it. I’m very tempted to snatch it back. Instead, I force my hands into my armpits.

“You have his feature,” Rich says finally, his tone gentle.

“What?” I feel somehow offended. I take the locket back and stuff it under my shirt. “How can you even tell? You can’t see anything in the picture!”

“I could see his nose,” Rich says, bringing his hand