She curled her hands into fists so tight her nails dug into her soft skin. Did he realize how much those words meant to her? “Okay. Have a happy birthday.”

His lips twitched, and his eyes met hers. They were empty. Completely empty. “I’ll try.”

And with that, he left. She stared after him, unable to shake the complete and stark loneliness she had seen in his eyes. Something told her she didn’t have the whole picture. That she was missing something important.

So she did the only logical thing for a teenager to do.

She followed him home.

“I’m going to bed.” Anna stood up, her eyes on the front door.

If she sneaked out the back, she could follow him and make sure he was okay.

Forcing herself to walk slowly into the kitchen, she took off at a run once she rounded the corner. She closed the back door quietly behind her, flinching at the squeaking hinges. Creeping across her lawn, she climbed the fence that separated their lawns and tiptoed up to the bay window by their living room.

As she watched, Brett walked in and said a few words.

Neither his aunt nor his uncle bothered to lift their heads or reply.

Brett’s shoulders drooped for a fraction of a second, but then he straightened up and headed into the kitchen. She crept along with him, anxious to see if his birthday dinner waited for him. Or a cake. Hiding behind a huge oak tree, she peeked into the window. He opened the cabinets and the fridge, and made himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. There wasn’t a cake in sight.

Of course there wasn’t.

Why would they care enough to make him a special meal if they didn’t care about him at all? How could she have been so foolish as to believe him? He cleaned up his mess, even going so far as to wipe the crumbs from the bread off the counter, and sat at the table. Alone. On his birthday. With a sandwich.

It was so wrong.

She pressed a hand to her aching heart, the tears blurring her vision and soaking her cheeks. No wonder he looked so lonely. He was.

She didn’t move the whole time he ate, offering him a silent sort of company. Even if he didn’t know he wasn’t alone—he wasn’t. Not when she was around. She would never let him be alone again. She watched him eat his sandwich, not leaving her hiding spot until he switched off the kitchen light and went upstairs.

When a light turned on upstairs, she set her plan into action. She sprinted across his lawn, hopped the fence, and crept into her kitchen. One there, she peeked into the living room. No Christopher—which meant no questions.

Thank God.

Grabbing her messenger bag off the dining room chair, she dumped her books out onto the table and grabbed some cookies. Cookies weren’t cake, but they would have to do. Opening the fridge, she reached for two bottles of Coke, but hesitated.

Did she dare?

Heck yeah, she dared.

Shoving two bottles of fruity wine coolers into the bag, she closed the fridge. She escaped back outside and onto his lawn without being spotted.

As she stood under his balcony, she swiped her sweaty palms on her shorts. She’d never been good at climbing rope in gym class, but this wasn’t rope.

It was a tree.

Should be easier, right?

Lifting her hands up, she clung to the lowest branch and swung up. By some miracle, she made it. Yet when she pulled herself up to the next branch, a wine cooler slid out of the bag. Scrambling to catch it before it hit the ground, her grip slipped on the branch.

Her heart thudding, she tumbled off the branch and hit the ground with a soft cry—and a slice of pain shooting through her hand.

“Anna?” Brett asked, his brow furrowed. “Are you okay?”

Tearing herself from the past, she met his eyes. She would always relive what happened next in her memory. The smell of his cologne as he pulled her into his arms. The look in his eyes as he held her close and…

Nope.

She wouldn’t go there again.

“I’m fine. But no, I didn’t tell them. Why would I? I mean, it’s not like they’re going to ground me now, right? It doesn’t even matter anymore.”

His eyes darkened. “It matters to me. It’s still the nicest thing anyone ever did for me.”

Her heart twisted. “That’s kind of sad, if you ask me. You didn’t even get to eat the cookies. They were covered in glass, dirt, alcohol, and blood.”

“It might be sad, but it’s true.” He shrugged. “Can’t change the past.”

No, but he could change the future.

She said nothing.

At her silence, he dropped her hand, and she curled it into a fist. She felt empty without him holding her. “Anyway, yeah. Thank you, again.”

She raised a brow. “You’re thanking me for climbing your tree, falling, and bleeding all over you—almost ten years ago?”

Tags: Diane Alberts A Hamilton Family Billionaire Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net