“And the truth shall set you free.” His face lit up, making the entire world brighter.
“I’m tired of hiding, so let’s be honest. Right now.”
“I can handle that.” His mouth smashed into mine as he tightened his hold. Then he murmured against my lips. “This is a much better way to study your visions.”
“Quiet, you.” I kissed him back, wriggling in his arms. Those candy-cane lips made my insides spark to life. Yep, I was exactly where I needed to be. When he pulled back, I stared up at him. “I can’t wait to meet your parents.”
Puffs of laughter blew into my face. “Not exactly what I wanted to hear right now. Does that mean you’ll come with me?”
I met his eyes and nodded. “Absolutely.”
His hands clamped on my waist, and he hoisted me into the air again. We spun around and around, snowflakes dancing along with us. “She wants to meet my parents. You hear that, New York?”
“Yeah, yeah, get over it,” a cabbie yelled out the window as he passed.
Bryan lowered me back to the snow. “I don’t think so, buddy. Never going to get over this one,” he yelled at the yellow car as it zoomed past.
My plan was already working out beautifully. Pennsylvania would be even better.
~
An hour later, the arctic wind bit at my cheeks as a bus sped by the condo. Shanda didn’t notice, her arms squeezing around me. “I can’t believe you won’t be here for the next two weeks. What am I going to do without you?”
I patted her dark braids. “Plot some grand scheme to get back at the blondes.”
Her shoulders bobbed as her breath puffed out. “Ha, intriguing idea. Diabolical even. I must be rubbing off on you. What would your parents say?” She pulled back, a gigantic grin plastered on her face.
“I think my Dad would approve. My mom, not so much. But I’m sure she said the same thing about Seer Training with the Coopers.” We glanced at each other and busted out laughing.
Mr. Jones loomed large over his daughter. “Don’t worry about your parents. I called them and took care of everything.”
His hand clamped down on Shanda’s shoulder and she hugged him. Such a Kodak moment. They looked like the perfect family.
“Really? Thanks, Mr. Jones, I’m surprised they caved so easily. Who did you talk to?” I watched Bryan stuff my luggage into his tiny trunk, hoping Shanda’s dad wouldn’t read too much into my question.
“Your dad.” His deep voice rumbled over the traffic noises. “He sounded like he already knew about the change of plans, but you’re supposed to call him as soon as you arrive in Pennsylvania.”
“Of course.” I exhaled, my breath steaming out in a cloud in front of me. I didn’t even want to imagine the tantrum my mom was having right now.
“Go on. Get out of here.” Shanda tapped my shoulder, pushing me to the car. “I’ve got tons of scheming to do. Don’t worry, I’ll come up with something. Trust me, it’ll be good.”
“Better be.” I pulled her in for another hug. Behind me, the trunk banged, and we both flinched.
Bryan wiped the snow off his gloves. “All set. You better get back inside. Have a merry Christmas.”
She leveled her gaze at him, hands on her hips. “Now it’s my turn to tell you to take good care of her.”
“Don’t worry, I will.” He opened my door as if to prove it. She nodded at him, grabbing her father’s hand.
“You kids drive safe. Call if you need anything.” Mr. Jones waved as they crunched toward their condo.
“Goodbye.” I cupped my hands around my mouth. “And thanks for everything.”
Shanda turned and waved, eyes glistening. No way. Was it the frigid wind, or had I imagined her crying? My tough roomie with a hidden soft side disappeared through the front door. Tears welled up in my eyes as I climbed into the car.
Bryan shut the door, and I reached for a tissue. I hated goodbyes. Hard to believe I’d made such amazing friends like Shanda in only a few months.
The engine sputtered, roaring to life after a few seconds. “You ready for an adventure?”
“You sure this old girl will make it all the way to Pennsylvania?” I patted the tan dashboard.
“You betcha.” He smacked the steering wheel. “It’s my sisters you’ll have to worry about. They’ll want to hear every little detail about everything, especially Abby.”
“I can handle it. Can’t wait to meet her.” I swatted the cardboard cutout of Betty Boop. “By the way, where’s Brooke?”
“Abby picked her up on her drive in. She thought we might need some time alone.” He reached across the gearshift, clutching my hand.
“What an angel.” That expression took on a whole new meaning now.
My mind flashed back to that night. The lightning man was no sweet little cherub. He was sheer strength and pure power, fending off hundreds of shadows right alongside me. Was I really an angel conduit now? What if I hadn’t chosen the light? A shiver ran up my spine. I didn’t even want to think about it.
“Speaking of angels, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.” As the car slowed to a stop, he turned to me. “What happened that night on the quad? Did you see any angels, or anything else?”
“You didn’t see it the last time we kissed?”
“Nope, just what happened at the Hard Rock.” His head snapped forward when the light changed to green. The piles of white outside the window outlined his jaw, more relaxed than I would’ve guessed. “Looks like I’ve got some catching up to do.”
Maybe my visions weren’t such an enormous deal any more. Maybe he would help me make sense of what I’d seen, if that was even possible.
“After Will abandoned me, I ran into Jake.” I clamped my
