Kaleb has his own dark secrets. He lives each day as
if it’s his last, and refuses to spare a moment of his time to play the part of
a knight in shining armor—especially for someone like Lexie . . . or so he
thought. Now, his head and heart are at war, and his soul is screaming she is
exactly what he needs.
Will Lexie be the only one that can save him in the
end? Or will he instead succumb to the darkness threatening to consume him?
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Excerpt
“So how long have you been a nurse?”
“I’m
going on five years now.”
“I
can tell you love doing it,” he expresses. “You’re good with the kids.”
Staring
down at my meal, I attempt to hide my emotions. “I guess I was destined to do
it,” I lie, fighting back the tears from the true reason why I chose to become
a nurse.
“How
long have you been a rock star?” I’m quick to ask, wanting to change the
subject.
He
looks to me as if I’ve lost my mind. “You really don’t know?”
“Should
I?”
With
a shake of his head, he gives me a chuckle. “You sure do surprise me, Pixie.”
“Well,
excuse me for not being one of your humble servants who knows every detail
about you, Mr. Rock Star.” This turns his chuckle into a full-blown bout of
laughter.
Bringing
his fork up, he uses it to point at me. “I really do like you.”
It’s
meant to be a compliment. Oddly, though, I feel as if it’s some sort of
acceptance from him.
Trying
to further explain myself, I say, “I only know minor details about your band
because of Ben. That boy worships you.” I may not be able to see the blush on
Kaleb’s cheeks due to the poor lighting, but from his bashful smile, I know
it’s there. “But give it time and I’ll most likely know what size underwear you
wear soon.”
I
had meant it to come out as a joke since Ben would most likely feed me every
unwanted detail, but Kaleb has thought otherwise. “So you are trying to get
into my pants?”
Appalled,
I say, “No! Ben has not stopped feeding me information about you guys since the
morning you showed up. If it wasn’t for him, I would have demanded he stop a
long time ago.”
“No
other reason?”
Rolling
my eyes at his egotistical thoughts, I say, “Nope. I couldn’t care less who you
are.”
His
hand spreads over his heart. “You wound me.”
“I
see you don’t take rejection well,” I tease.
“It’s
been a while since I’ve been rejected.”
“The
mighty king has fallen from his pedestal,” I mock, earning another chuckle from
him.
“You
don’t sugarcoat anything, do you, Pixie?”
With
a sorrowful shake of my head, I say, “You’re wrong. My career is nothing but
sugarcoating reality for these children. It’s what gives them hope. It’s why I
do what I do. They deserve to smile,” I state, looking up to the sky to
distract myself.
Sadness
looms between us for a brief moment. “When’s Ben’s next treatment?”
I’m
amazed he’s even asking, but his interest seems sincere. “Tomorrow. He’s almost
done, though. But I’m having trouble convincing him to follow through with
chemotherapy. He has seen the side effects it can cause with other patients and
he doesn’t want anything to do with it,” I disclose.
Kaleb
grows silent with a heavy frown before his eyes peer up to gaze at the stars
above us. Understanding what he is feeling, I do the same. At the precise
moment my eyes seek the sky, a shooting star streaks across the sky. An ache
forms in my chest. Kaleb must have seen it as well. His deep voice asks from my
side, “Did you make a wish?”
“You
don’t honestly believe in them, do you?” I test, wondering what his answer will
be.
He
grows serious. “It’s one of my fondest memories of my mother. But I stopped
making wishes a long time ago because of her.”
I
can hear the sorrow in his response and it reminds me of Dani. My chest
tightens and my throat constricts as I understand exactly how he is feeling.
“And
you?” His eyes intensely peer over to me. “When was the last time you wished
upon a star?”
Without
hesitating, I reply, “Four thousand three hundred seventy-six days ago. It was
the day she died.”
He
looks baffled by my answer. “Who?”
“My
sister,” I confess in a whisper.
I
wasn’t prepared to disclose any information about her tonight, yet with Kaleb,
it feels natural to tell him. Nonetheless, the reminder of my loss has the
pressure of my threatening tears building. The lump lodged in my throat becomes
larger, and my chest grows heavy with grief. Panic that I will break down sets
in. “I’ve got to go. Thank you for dinner,” I blurt out as I begin to stand
before I risk making a fool of myself in his presence.
He
doesn’t stop me, nor does he follow as I make my escape. It leaves me to
question why, yet I’m also grateful at the same time. The pain of knowing I’ve
lost a piece of my heart is still a fresh wound, regardless of how long it’s
been. The fury still courses through my veins and I’d most likely take it out
on him, which is unfair. He’s taken enough of my wrath for one night. He’s
nowhere close to the true asshole I once resented. The only asshole in this
world is cancer and there is nothing that can ever compare to it.
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4 comments:
this looks and sounds awesome! thanks for sharing :)
Loved today's review so much; I've added Wishful Thinking to my Amazon wish list.
This looks like a wonderful read.
Love the excerpt! Can't wait to read the rest.
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