His Unplanned Lesson Read online

  This man, whom I didn’t even know, kept shooting me funny lines to keep me laughing. I know he was just doing it to distract me from thinking of my arrogant boyfriend. As soon as I realized my mind had completely drifted from Bobby, I stopped laughing and stared at this stranger. The way his teeth lined up perfectly with his drop dead smile, and his downright perfect form swayed when he sipped his beer. He was a beautiful man with a wonderful soul.

  “Thank you.” I smiled at him, staring into his coffee colored eyes.

  He laughed, never letting go of that smile plastered to his freshly shaven face. “See, usually when someone says thank you, there’s something I did to be thankful for.”

  I touched his leg and patted it in a friendly way. “It’s just thank you.” It was a silent agreement between us that he knew exactly what I was thanking him for. We held each other’s gaze, before Bobby interrupted it.

  “You cheatin’ on me, Sade?” He slurred, wobbling in the backroom. Our eyes darted to Bobby.

  “What? Bobby? No. I can’t have a conversation?” I rose up to my feet, grabbing my purse from next to me.

  “Nope.” He shook his head stupidly. The other man rose, and I never even got his name.

  “Everything okay here?” He butted in.

  “We’re fine, thank you, again.” I smiled at him and grabbed Bobby’s arm while I forced myself through the party, humiliated, and towards the door. Once I got Bobby in the car, he’d pass out, and I’d go back in to say goodbye to Ava. Night ruined.

  After he smacked his head on the door getting into the truck, he laid the seat back and passed out right away, as I suspected he would. He was being a jack hole and I wasn’t ready to go home. I didn’t want to, but knew the night was over. The weekend was now ruined, too.

  I hurried back into the house to find Ava with Daryl, who once again, didn’t leave much to the imagination as his hands roamed her body freely.

  I gently placed my hand on her arm, taking her attention off Daryl for a minute. “Ava, I have to get going. Bobby is pretty wasted and passed out in the car. I am sorry we have to leave so soon.”

  “Well, if you’re up for breakfast, we should go before you guys head out!” She hugged me tightly and I returned her welcomed hug. It was nice to have a friend like Ava. I cherished our friendship greatly. After I agreed I’d try for breakfast, I turned sadly, and headed back to the truck.

  The ride home was obviously quiet. The wind blew through the trees and the summer breeze felt refreshing blowing through my hair as we headed home. I helped Bobby inside the house and into the bed. I left him dressed, I didn’t care at this point. He had hurt me tonight, and my hopes for a good weekend were shattered. Fucking alcohol.

  After getting undressed and realizing how much money I wasted on this stupid dress,-I was even more irritated. Everything I had hoped to happen this weekend I knew wasn’t. In fact, I didn’t even want to waste my breath and try talking to him. I was that mad. Whoever that man was, he was a welcome distraction that allowed me to enjoy my evening a little before I had to leave.

  I propped the pillow behind my head and let myself just fall asleep.

  The morning came quickly and when I rolled over in bed, Bobby’s body was nowhere to be found. I looked around the room, squinting my eyes at the bright sun and nothing. He wasn’t in the bathroom, nor the bedroom. Maybe he had crawled to the living room? I got up and lazily walked into the living room to finally smell something cooking. I turned to the kitchen and Bobby was fully dressed in front of the stove making pancakes.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, still squinty eyed and nowhere near awake.

  He walked over to me and grabbed my hand, dragging me to the kitchen table. Before pulling out the chair, he pulled me into his arms, hugging me tightly. “I’m so sorry for being a dick last night,” he whispered into my ear, “I ruined your night, and I’m going to make it up to you. I don’t know what in the hell came over me, but I was in the moment with that beer bong and I wasn’t thinking clearly. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” He kissed my cheek and begged for me to accept his apology. Clearly, making me pancakes was the way to go, and admitting he was wrong, was even better.

  “You really hurt me, Bobby.”

  “I know, I’m so sorry, baby. Please forgive me.” He pulled out the kitchen chair for me and hurried back to the pancakes, scooping them off the stove and onto a plate before quickly coming back to the table and setting it down. “Let’s eat. I’ll do whatever you want to do today before we head back.”

  I grabbed my phone and texted Ava that Bobby made me breakfast, and we’d have to get together next time. I looked at Bobby and saw the emotion laced in his eyes. He was being sincere and that made me easily forgive him. It wasn’t like him to act that way and I don’t know what came over him, but I’m glad he remembered it, and decided to fix his wrongs.

  “I just wanted to relax on the beach for a bit before we head home. I accept your apology, but please, no more drinking like that. No more acting like that, I can’t take that. It’s rude and everyone saw it.”

  “Promise, cross my heart.” He leaned into kiss me again. “I could think of some other things that involve you and me while we lay on that beach.” He winked at me, eyeing me back and forth. I knew exactly what he was talking about.

  “Oh yeah? You still think I want that sexy beast you speak of?” I giggled, unable to laugh at his silliness.

  “All of this.” He mouthed every word and gestured to himself in a circular manner. He was so damn funny sometimes that I just couldn’t help but let the stupid shit go in life and focus on the now. I loved this man, and there wasn’t anybody in the world that could take his place. He was my forever.

  “I love you, Sadie Simpson.”

  “I love you, too.”

  .

  Chapter 1

  3 years later

  The sun was setting far in the distance, casting just a little light into the house. That beautiful orange peeking through the curtains was my favorite sight to see as it shined on my chimes in the window, creating rainbows all over my walls. I had an amazing summer ahead of me before college once again started. Having no clue what the future held for me, I decided to go back and get my degree. My first and only boyfriend in high school passed away during my first year of college. I dropped out because I felt crippled. The pain in my stomach, that never quite left, hovered over me like a dark hole in my life. Focusing on anything but my thoughts of him was not even an option. My mind would just buzz and spin round and round thinking of Bobby Donovan. Nothing got accomplished and not one person could make me feel any better about my situation. My situation? It felt so awful to think it was a situation for me, when I had no clue how he was feeling. Committing suicide and not telling the one you love what was going on or why he was hurting broke my heart even more. We had the best communication, or so I thought. The best man to ever walk into my life and the only one I ever loved. Three years later, I had to stop sulking. Getting up and on with my life and moving forward was my only option. Knowing it would be the hardest thing I’d ever have to do, I knew Bobby would want that for me.

  There was a party tonight at Ava’s and I’d be damned if I wasn’t there. She’s been my rock since Bobby died. Even more so now that I moved out here. I wasn’t much for parties, but this was me stepping out of my shell. The shell that’s been so closed up for too long. This was me starting my life over. I looked in the mirror and remembered some wise words that I heard the other day. The mirror doesn’t reflect the beauty in your soul. I struggled with my image for some time, especially after Bobby. I had to step out of my comfort zone and try to love myself. I pulled my wild, curly, black hair into a sleek ponytail. I tugged on my green button down blouse, hoping it would grow an inch longer before I had to leave. Wearing clingy clothing, especially shorter shirts, wasn’t my style. I sucked in my belly while I pulled up my jean shorts and ripped the tags off. I ran my hand down to the hem and pulled down on it, trying to make
it an inch longer. Ava insisted that I purchased these at the mall. This was the new me and it would make me feel beautiful. I had lost so much weight after Bobby’s death by falling apart at the seams that I had to buy new clothes or I’d look like a bum on the street. Plus, she said there was a guy coming tonight that I wasn’t sure I was ready to meet yet, but she once again, insisted I be there. I agreed, and bought these clothes and tried to look decent. I eyed the clock and noticed that I had about twenty minutes till she came to pick me up.

  In that short period of time of stressing over how I looked, I noticed the sun went down. I turned a few lights on in the house and hurried into the bathroom to slap on some make-up. At least enough that I was pretty comfortable wearing. Looking at myself in the mirror, I reiterated that same phrase over and over, as I wasn’t happy with what I saw. My cheekbones showed on my thin face and my double chin was no longer visible. These were the things most women craved to see, but it just didn’t look like me. I didn’t look sickly, but I didn’t look like me. I had to believe that my soul was beautiful and that’s what they would see. My kind hearted, deep inside beauty clawing to be released again. I did another once over and took some water to wet down the sides of my hair to make sure I had no straggler hairs floating around. Slipping on my black flip flops, I headed to grab my purse hanging by the door. I locked the house up and sat on my old wooden porch, waiting for Ava to come get me.

  Red haired, silly Ava pulled up in her expensive Mustang and beeped her horn till she realized I was sitting outside. I heard the music blasting and then gently being brought to a normal level. I giggled, knowing she was having a girl moment. She smiled and waved at me and I grabbed my purse and skipped to her car, showing her my excitement for the night. Even though I was dead terrified.

  “Are you ready to party hardy?” She laughed and handed me a small bottle of vodka. “Drink up, sister! If I can’t drink and drive, you can do it for me!”

  “Already? We’re not even there yet!” I giggled.

  “You look hot!” She laughed. She revved the engine and backed out of the driveway.

  “I’m really nervous. So, what’s this guy’s name again?”

  “Rylan Cane.”

  I took a deep breath and opened the liquor bottle. I downed the liquid in one gulp, feeling the burn all the way down my chest. I shook my head fast and let out a laugh. Well, this was me stepping out of my comfort zone. I needed this night to be fantastic. I needed to get out and meet new people. I wasn’t making any promises, though. I grew up in this town, coming out here every summer; I never made any friends besides Ava, so this was my opportunity.

  She drove down the road a few minutes before arriving at a gorgeous Colonial. That was the thing about living near the hills. You lived near some really wealthy people with ginormous houses. I lived on the outskirts of town in a small cottage that got passed down to me when my parents passed away. Another life altering thing I had to overcome after Bobby’s death. They had a cute little house as a summer home that was in the family for some time. I decided to make it my own since it was paid off and all I had to do was maintain the upkeep on it. These houses, I couldn’t even imagine how much people spent on them; I honestly didn’t even want to know. Millions probably. Ava was super wealthy, mostly coming from her parents but she’s following in their footsteps. It was really exciting to get to go to one of these parties. I’ve only been to one other party at Ava’s, I thought back on. They were huge from what I’ve been told and if I didn’t have a good time, I was told I wasn’t partying hard enough.

  She swung the door open to her car and stepped out. I followed her into the crowded house full of people. Some had their lips locked to one another and others were playing drinking games, while some danced to the DJ that was spinning in the corner. Ava grabbed me a beer and handed it to me while I followed her to the kitchen, where her group of friends were hanging out. I immediately felt out of place. My heart was beating out of my chest. Parties like these made me nervous. I’d never dealt with this kind of thing. Bobby and I were home bodies. I was that calm girl reading a book by the pool. Now I’m surrounded by drunks drinking and dancing.

  “Party’s here! Everyone this is Sadie, Sadie this is everyone.” She giggled. “Just kidding!” Pointing to her left, she pointed to another woman with a short, bob-like haircut and a smirk across her face. If I had to judge, she seemed snotty. “This is Manda.” Then she pointed to her right and a guy smiled sweetly. He was tall, had shaggy hair and was wearing just a t-shirt and jeans. “This is Rylan.” Rylan immediately flashed in my head as the name she said in the car. That was Rylan? Totally not the type that I usually found attractive but the smile he was flashing me was genuine. His eyes were pinned to me. I wasn’t sure if he was impressed or disgusted.

  “Nice to meet you all.” I waved my hand awkwardly, trying really hard not to be shy but failing miserably. I took a sip of my beer. The God awful taste swam down my throat while I tried to look like I enjoyed it. My hand went down to my shirt and I nonchalantly pulled it down, realizing it wasn’t ever going to stay down where I wanted it. Where it felt comfortable. The music blared through the doors while they all chugged on their drinks and started dancing in the kitchen. Watching their hips swaying back and forth and their bodies popping to the music made me feel uncomfortable. I’ve never danced like that and seeing it made me stare. I wasn’t even sure I had the rhythm. But I envied it in a sense. I leaned up against the counter and Rylan moved closer to me.

  “Hey, having a good time?” He asked politely.

  I looked at him and smiled innocently. “I’m having a blast.” I somewhat lied. I was having a good time, but I wasn’t in my zone. I was out of my comfort level and wasn’t sure I’d be able to get there.

  “So, how do you know Ava?” He chugged down his beer, not really paying attention to me. I didn’t feel a vibe from him. He didn’t make me nervous. He didn’t make the butterflies flutter in my stomach. I could tell, I wasn’t going to be into him.

  “Ava and I had been friends for years. We met when we were kids and I used to come up here for the summer. Our parents knew each other.”

  “Oh, cool.” He looked around, seeming to not be interested in what I had to say. His eyes wandered the room and I noticed exactly what he was looking at. Manda’s ass must have been more appealing then what was coming out of my mouth.

  I mumbled, “Go get her, I’m sure she’s asking for it.” Without him even noticing, I slipped away, grabbing a shot of something. If I was going to enjoy the rest of the night, I had to do my own thing. Drinking beer definitely wasn’t it. I made my way outside for fresh air. Who would have thought nobody would be outside on this star gazing evening. The stars were so bright you almost didn’t need any lights on to see where you were walking. This was my kind of party. A bonfire type, not that many people to worry about or have to try to act like I liked people that I didn’t. It’s not that I didn’t like people but these people only seemed interested in one thing, hooking up. I wasn’t really about that and with losing Bobby, I wasn’t ready for that either. I just came to have fun and do something out of the normal. I thought Rylan could have been a good friend, but it turned out he didn’t seem to care. Was it the way I looked? Was my hair a mess? These awful clothes made me look slutty? Well, if it looked slutty somehow I would think that would have made him happy. But he didn’t see it.

  I sat down next to the huge pool with the amazing ambient lighting. It switched colors from purple, to blue and to pink over and over. You could probably fit the whole town of people in this pool. I kicked my flip flops off and dropped my feet in the water. It was nice and cool and felt relaxing. I leaned back on my arms and stared up at the wide open sky full of stars. It was my favorite thing to do, stargaze. My heart started to calm down and I went back to my comfort zone. My mind started thinking of Bobby but I softly reminded myself I had to let it go.

  “Not enjoying the party, I take it?” I was startled from a voice behind
me. I quickly pulled my feet out of the water and turned around, embarrassed that I got caught out here all by myself. The second his body came out of a shadow I admired his looks. It was like a soul searching stare down I was having with this man. Why does he look so damn familiar?

  “No, I just needed some fresh air, that’s all.”

  He placed his hands on his hips and grinned. “You’re a horrible liar.” He offered me his hand to help me up. I placed my hand in his and the touch sent a chill up my spine. His grip was firm, but gentle at the same time.

  “I’m Jake.” He helped me up and I stood to my feet.

  “Sadie.” I smiled nervously. This absolutely beautiful man made me anxious. My heat picked up between my legs and I had no control over it.

  “Ava’s parties can get a little crazy. I don’t blame you for being out here.” He smirked. His lips were so full and wet, they made my mouth water.

  “I’m just not into parties, that’s all,” I shyly admitted. Why did I even give him that information? What girl wouldn’t be into parties?

  “Me either, really.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Want to take a walk?” Asking awkwardly, you could tell that he didn’t know what to say to me. I thought quickly before I agreed. What could I lose? A walk with a handsome man, could just turn out to be a walk to remember.

  “Sure.” Even though I had no clue who Jake was, I was hoping he wouldn’t turn out to be some creeper. We started to walk outside the gates of the backyard and I followed him. We got a little ways down and I realized that I haven’t drank in a really long time and I wasn’t feeling too well. My head felt like it was spinning and my heart kicked up a notch. Although, I wasn’t sure if it was from drinking or Jake next to me. There was just something about this guy. An instant attraction that drove deep into my veins, made my blood flow and gave me that warm feeling that radiated all over your body.