All the Pretty Lies Page 23
“Just exploring,” I say innocently.
“Is that right?” His eyes close for a brief moment as I start to pump my hand up and down over his now rock-hard erection. “Fuck, P,” he groans. “I think you’re trying to kill me.”
“Kill you, no. Pleasure you, always.” I give him a seductive smile, sitting up before throwing a leg over his middle, straddling his stomach.
Before he can say anything I lean forward, kissing his neck. Then his chest. Slowly, moving lower and lower with my lips.
“P.” He fists the sheets below him.
I’m teasing him. He knows it. I know it. And while I fully intend to follow through, I’m quite enjoying this little game.
“What?” I drag my tongue slowly up his shaft.
He groans loudly.
“You like that?”
“Fuck, yes.” He hisses.
I wrap my fingers around the base, licking my lips as I inch closer. My mouth has just closed around the head when there’s a knock at the door.
“Shit,” I squeal, jumping back up next to Callum.
He quickly tosses the cover over us as the door swings open.
“Poppy?” My mom’s voice is full of shock.
I hesitantly peer out from underneath the covers.
“Hi, Mom,” I say awkwardly, my cheeks feeling like they’re on fire.
“What the hell is this?” She crosses her arms in front of herself, the familiar look of disapproval taking over her face.
“Well, um...” I laugh nervously.
“Hi, Ms. Harris.” Callum slides his hands behind his head and addresses her casually like this is an everyday occurrence.
“Uh, hi.” She seems thrown off by his nonchalant demeanor. “Poppy,” her gaze swings back to me, “can I please see you downstairs?”
“Yeah, sure,” I squeak, a feeling of dread running through me.
Awesome. Of all the times for her to be home and awake by ten on a Sunday morning. Just my luck.
She pulls the door closed behind her without another word.
“Busted.” Callum chuckles, rolling me over top of him so that I can easily slide out of bed.
“I can’t believe...” I slip on my panties and shorts. “That my mom almost walked in with your...” I gesture to his groin area, “in my mouth.” I snag my bra off the floor and slide it on before grabbing my tank top and slipping it over my head.
“Too bad she couldn’t have waited ten more minutes. I was rather enjoying that.” Callum grins at me, way too relaxed for the fact that my mother caught us in bed together.
“Why are you not more worried?” I hiss at him.
“What’s she gonna do?” He shrugs. “You’re eighteen. You’re graduating high school in like two weeks. You worried she’s going to ground you?” He gives me a knowing smirk.
“That’s not the point. You know how my mother gets.” I step to the side of the bed and lean down, dropping a quick kiss to his mouth. “Wish me luck.” I straighten, turning toward the door.
“Hey, P.” Callum’s voice stops me just as I tug open the door. “Regardless of what happens, it was worth it, wasn’t it?”
“Every single second.” I smile so wide it takes over my whole face. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” He winks.
Pulling the door closed behind me, I head down the stairs, finding my mother in the kitchen with her usual cup of coffee in her hand.
“Since when is it acceptable to have boys spending the night?” she demands before I’ve fully entered the room.
“You do it,” I point out.
“I am a grown woman.”
“Are you though?” I fire back.
“This is my house.”
“That my father helps pay for,” I counter, refusing to let her steamroll me.
“So, now that you’re having sex you think you’re the adult, is that it?”
“Mom, I’ve been the adult my whole life.”
“Don’t be dramatic.”
“Dramatic?” I choke out. “Seriously? Do you not see what’s been going on here my entire life? You’ve never been a mother. You’re out more than you’re home. We never spend any time together. I cook. I clean. I do the laundry. Hell, most of the time I’m the one that does the grocery shopping. You have never been a real parent and you know it. So please, do not start trying to parent me now. Not when I’m old enough to make my own decisions.”
I don’t know if she respects me for standing up to her or she doesn’t want to argue, but she doesn’t react as I’d expected her to.
“He can’t stay the night here anymore. You may be eighteen, but you’re still in high school and it’s not appropriate.”
I bite my tongue, tempted to tell her what I think isn’t appropriate, but I refrain.
“I don’t care if he comes over, or if you two are doing whatever it is that you’re doing, as long as you’re being safe. But I expect him to be gone no later than nine each evening. Think you can manage that?”
“I can do that,” I agree, thinking this has gone a hell of a lot better than I’d expected it to.
No lecture about repeating her mistakes.
Not even a mention about what happens if I end up pregnant, which has been the ongoing theme since I was fourteen.
Nothing.
Maybe she’s finally seeing that I’m not a little girl anymore. And I’m certainly not her.
“Good. Now, please send him on his way. I can’t imagine Diane would be too happy to learn that her son is currently naked in my daughter’s bed.”
I snort out a laugh.
“Anything else?” I ask.
“That’s it.”
Without giving her a chance to say more, I turn and quickly sprint back up the stairs. When I enter my room, Callum is sitting on the edge of the bed, and to my disappointment, fully dressed.
“Well?” he asks.
“You’re not allowed to stay the night anymore,” I tell him. “But that’s really all she had to say.”
“You seem surprised.”
“I am. My mom never misses an opportunity to lecture me.”
“Maybe she’s finally seeing that even though she wasn’t around much, you’ve turned out pretty damn good.” He grins.
“Yeah, and finding me in bed with my next-door neighbor made her realize this?” I roll my eyes on a laugh.
“Your boyfriend.”
“Huh?”
He stands, crossing the room toward me.
“Not your next door neighbor. Your boyfriend.” He tips my chin, leaning down to lay a soft kiss to my lips.
“My boyfriend.” I smile. “Oh, and she said you have to leave.”
“It’s cool. I should be going anyway. My parents are probably wondering where the hell I am.” He kisses me again. “But don’t think that gets you off the hook. You started something that I intend on having you finish.”
“I like the way you think.” I press up on my tiptoes, wrapping my arms around his neck. “To be continued?”
“To be continued,” he agrees, kissing me again, this time slow and deep, making sure he leaves a lasting impression before he goes. Not that he hasn’t already.
“I’ll see you later?” I ask as I release him and step back.
“Yes, you will.” He gives me a smile before heading toward the door.
“Hey, Callum,” I call after him as he tugs it open.
“Yeah?” His gaze comes to mine.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.” His smile is breathtaking as he backs into the hallway.
“I’m never going to get tired of hearing you say that.”
“Good, because I’m never going to stop saying it.” He winks, turning and disappearing down the hall moments later.
EPILOGUE
POPPY
“YOU’RE SURE YOU HAVE everything you need?” Callum’s dad asks as he loads the last of our bags into the van.
“Pretty sure.” Callum turns toward h
is father. “If we forgot anything, I’m sure we can stop and pick it up somewhere.”
As a graduation gift, Callum’s parents rented us a van for our two-week road trip. We were originally planning on taking the Jeep, but this works so much better. It’s really more like a small bus than a van. There’s a row of bench seating and a small bed in the back, so we don’t have to find hotels to stay at. I can already imagine us snuggled in the back, the doors open as we stare out at the night sky.
To say I’m excited would be the understatement of the year.
This is the first time Callum and I will be on our own, just the two of us, and I know it’s only going to bring us closer.
The girls were excited for me, albeit a little bummed we wouldn’t be doing our traditional girls’ week that we’ve been doing at the end of every school year since freshman year. But once I’m back, we are going to spend the rest of the summer together. Well, that is if I can get them away from their guys.
April and Brock are still going strong, and despite Camila’s insistence that she didn’t want a relationship, not long after Callum and I officially started dating, for real this time, she and Tripp announced that they were together. Not that we didn’t all see it coming.
The six of us have been inseparable these past few weeks, and I hate that it’s all coming to an end.
Callum is set to leave for school two days after we return from our trip. Summer workouts start at the end of June. If he wants a shot of making the starting roster, he has to go. And while the thought of being away from him is terrifying, we’ve already made plans to see each other every weekend. He’s going to come to me when he doesn’t have football, and I’m going to go to him when he does. Being a couple hours apart isn’t ideal, but I know that if anyone can make it work, we can.
“And you’ll call and check in every day?” Diane steps up next to her husband.
“We will.” Callum pulls his mom into a hug, kissing the top of her head.
I already said goodbye to my mom, which consisted more of a, see you in two weeks, than an actual goodbye. As much as I wish we were closer, I’ve come to accept that my mom is who she is, and I can either spend my life resenting her or I can make peace with it.
My dad left two days ago. He was in town for my graduation, though we didn’t get to spend nearly as much time together as I would have liked. I guess that’s just how it goes sometimes.
I’ve always been envious of Callum’s family. Two loving parents both living under the same roof. It’s every child’s dream. I’m so grateful that he has them. And that I do too.
“Sweet girl.” Diane turns to me as she steps out of her son’s embrace. “You take care of my boy.” She cups my face in her hands.
“Always,” I promise, meaning it with my whole heart.
Things have progressed quickly between us since prom. All the uncertainty that had surrounded us was gone and for the first time, I felt free to love him with my whole heart.
Who knew that some ridiculous idea to start a fake relationship would turn into this? I still can’t wrap my head around it. It sounds insane. Callum laughs it off when I bring it up. Says it will be a good story to tell our kids one day.
I guess he’s not wrong there.
“We really should be going,” Callum says as Diane releases me and takes a step back. “We’ll be careful,” he reassures her when tears fill her eyes.
“I know. It’s just...my baby is all grown up,” she chokes.
“Mom,” he groans playfully. “I thought you got all this out of your system at graduation.”
“One day, when you have kids of your own, you’ll understand,” his father says. “Now go. You two have fun.”
“We will.” I smile, throwing up a small wave as I climb into the passenger seat of the van. Scooting to the middle of the bench seat so I can be closer to Callum, I lock my seatbelt into place.
Callum slides in next to me, closing the door before leaning in to lay a soft kiss to my lips.
“You good?” he asks.
“Better than good.”
My answer brings a smile to his face.
Turning his attention forward, he starts the van, latching his own seatbelt before dropping it into gear.
“And so our adventure begins,” he says as he pulls out onto the street.
“The first of many.” I take the hand he extends to me, entwining my fingers with his.
“The first of many,” he agrees.
Life has a funny way of taking you exactly where you’re meant to go. And through all the back and forth, ups and downs, and lost years, I feel like I’m finally where I belong.
With Callum.
My next door neighbor.
My ex-fake boyfriend.
My best friend.
The love of my life.
It doesn’t matter how we got here, all that matters is that we did...
THE END
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Melissa Toppen is a USA Today Bestselling Author who specializes in New Adult and Contemporary Romance. She is a lover of books and enjoys nothing more than losing herself in a good novel. She has a soft spot for Romance and focuses her writing in that direction; writing what she loves to read.
Melissa resides in Cincinnati Ohio with her husband and two children, where she writes full time.
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