Unraveling (Second Chances) - By Micalea Smeltzer Page 0,71

as he took a deep breath.

“Katy, I’ve told you before. You’re special and I don’t want any lies or demons in the closet, between us. I want everything in our relationship to be based on the truth. I want you to know everything about me. How about we use today to further our ‘get to know’ session? Would that be good?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

He grinned crookedly. “Forget about getting a car today,” he said, hopping up from the bed. “Let’s be spontaneous.”

25

“WHERE ARE WE GOING?” I asked Jared, with a mystified tone to my voice.

“Spontaneity, Katy. I have no idea, that’s the point of this. If we see somewhere we want to stop, we’ll stop. Until then, we just drive,” he shrugged.

I settled back into the seat and watched the streets flashing by.

“What about Karlie? Will we be back before she gets home?”

Jared rubbed his chin. “Katy, chill, okay? Karlie’s sixteen years old, she’ll be fine.” He glanced at me and winked.

“Is this like a road trip?”

“No,” he shook his head, “a road trip would mean we’d be gone for a while. This is just for today. We’ll be back home tonight. I’m not kidnapping you,” he peeked over at me. “Stop biting your finger.”

“Sorry, nervous habit,” I blushed, dropping my hand to my lap.

“I’ll add that to the list,” he chuckled, making a right turn.

“What list?” my voice came out all panicky. List for reasons why I was crazy?

He grinned at my reaction. “I’m just filing away things I learn about you.”

“Oh.” That wasn’t so bad.

“Did you ever have a pet growing up?” he asked.

“No,” I snorted. “My mom would have been afraid it might destroy her precious floors. Did you?”

“Dan and Patsy had a dog, it was some kind of mutt, but she was the sweetest thing ever. If you could have a pet, what would it be?” He asked, turning the volume on the radio down.

I thought for a moment. “A cat. I’ve always wanted a little gray cat. They’re so cute and fluffy.”

Jared shook his head, a laugh escaping from between his lips. “You just sounded like a normal girl.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re mean.”

He laughed. “What? It’s true. You’re voice went all girlish and high when you said, ‘cute and fluffy.’”

“Don’t mock me,” I blushed, crossing my arms over my chest.

“I’m not,” he said, “it’s nice to see that side of you.”

Wanting to steer the topic away from me, I asked him, “Besides fighting, what’s your favorite thing to do?”

“Um,” he mused, “a few months ago, I would’ve told you hanging out with Holden and acting like a normal twenty-four year old. Sometimes, I need a break… from Karlie. It gets a bit exhausting raising your kid sister, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. But now… my favorite thing to do… is spend time with you,” he glanced over at me, gauging my reaction.

“Oh,” was all I could say. I wasn’t expecting that.

He leaned his back against the seat. “I noticed you the moment you walked into that club. It was your beauty that first caught my eye,” he looked over at me with a grin and then turned back to the road. “I’m a guy. I couldn’t help it. But then, I got a good look at your eyes and I saw…” he took a deep breath. “I saw something in your eyes that I’ve only seen in my own. I knew then, that something bad had happened to you. I wanted to talk to you but I didn’t want to come off as creepy. So, I stayed back and I watched you-”

“Which isn’t creepy at all,” I interrupted him with a laugh so he’d know I was joking.

He chuckled, running a hand over his short hair. “I was mesmerized by you. I sat at the bar, sipping my beer, trying to think of some way to introduce myself without making you flee.” Jared’s hands suddenly tightened on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white, his jaw clenched. “And then that fucker put his hands on you and I saw your face, your fear. I would have gladly beaten him to a bloody fucking pulp, but I didn’t think that would score any points with you,” he winked. “I put my hand on you and damn,” he shook his head, “it was a jolt to my system. I asked you if you needed a ride, even though I knew you’d say no. Then I offered to help you find your