The one person I wish I could talk to about this is Mom. But she’s also a no-go, for a multitude of reasons. Maybe I should think about talking to my dad?
Staring at the ceiling, I let out a sigh.
“What’s wrong, beautiful?” Wade says, propping himself up on his left arm.
I switch to a seated position. “Was it that obvious?”
“Maybe a little,” he laughs, sitting up, too.
“It’s just—I’m starting to get nervous about Windhaven Academy. I don’t want to be kicked out for being the powerless kid. At this point, it would be sorta devastating,” I say.
“Well, what do you know so far? Has anything unusual presented itself? I mean, more than the other kids at school behaving oddly,” he says, shrugging.
I shake my head. “No, not really…” I drift off, thinking back to the bizarre flame that ignited when Colton touched my hand. Was that crossing a line? I mean, I never should have held my hand there so long, but it was like I couldn’t help it. What would Wade think?
“Not really? That kinda sounds like a maybe.”
My eyes flit to his gorgeous face and I melt inside. “Well, I guess maybe…but it’s not really a good thing, if you know what I mean.”
Wade lowers his dark eyebrows. “Go on.”
I clear my throat, shifting in my seat. “Well, er, I think I may have seen my dead ancestor, Abigail Blackwood, in the main entry of the house.”
There’s no way I could tell him about Colton’s touch. Not yet.
“Really? Well, that’s something. Good or not, that could mean you sense the past. Maybe you can see through the veil or, heck, talk with ghosts,” he says, excitement tickling at the edge of his tone.
“Oh, don’t sound so excited about that prospect. I’m not about to become the ghost whisperer,” I laugh.
“Now, see, that’s a show I didn’t watch,” he says, smirking.
“Then how did you know it was a show? Hmmm?”
He raises a knowing eyebrow. “Woman, who do you take me for?”
I pause, then raise my right hand in acceptance. “Fair enough.”
“So, what if you can talk to ghosts? I mean, didn’t you say that you heard a woman say welcome home?” Wade says, shifting on the bed.
“Oh yeah. I totally forgot about that,” I say, my eyes drifting down to the bedspread.
Could that be it? Could I really be able to talk to ghosts?
A shiver races down my spine and goose bumps flash across the backs of my arms.
“We could be on to something here… it would explain why you’ve never experienced anything unusual at school. Wouldn’t it? Well, unless there are ghosts at Windhaven, which wouldn’t surprise me.”
“Me neither, actually,” I say, unable to stay seated. I uncross my legs, standing up beside the bed as I start to pace.
“Okay, so tell me—how do you know it was this Abigail?” He says, scooting to the edge of the bed and reaching for my hands. I take his offering and he pulls me closer to him until I stop right before him.
“Well, I stumbled on some town histories the other day…” I say, tiptoeing to the edge of honesty. “I found a picture in there showing our home when it was built, and the woman in the picture was my super-great grandmother. But when I saw her here, it was strange. I was talking to my dad the other day, at the top of the landing. When I looked over the railing, I swore I saw a woman in a white dress laying on the ground, only she looked funny. Like her body was bent at an odd angle. It freaked me out.”
“What did your dad say?” Wade asks, his silver eyes burning into mine.
“Didn’t tell him,” I say sheepishly. “Is that bad?”
“Well, no, but it might help if you did. Maybe he knows what’s going on. This is his house, after all. And who knows, maybe he knows more about your family legacy than you realize. Have you ever talked to him about it?”
“I haven’t, actually. He really hasn’t been around as much as I thought he’d be. I did ask him if he’d be here this weekend so he could meet you and he said yes. But here we are…” My words fade out as I shrug.
“Right? You know, I’m starting to get the impression he’s avoiding meeting me. Am I being too paranoid?” Wade asks, narrowing his eyes.
I laugh. “I don’t think so. He’s kind of an introvert. He’s probably just giving us space so he doesn’t have to face the reality that his twenty-year-old daughter is having sex.”
Wade’s eyes widen and he quirks an eyebrow. “She is?”
I reach around him, grabbing my pillow and throwing it at him. “You know what I mean.”
“Do I?” he says, wrapping his arms around my waist and tugging me to the mattress. “Is that an invitation, then?”
“No invitation necessary, Mr. Hoffman. Unless of course you’d like one. In which case, consider your invitation formally served,” I purr, running my fingertips through his dark locks.
“Well, Ms. Blackwood, I may just take you up on this…” he whispers, bending in and letting his lips graze the side of my neck.
The hairs all over my body stand on end again, but this time, for far more enjoyable reasons. However, he stands back up and gently pulls me to my feet.
“What are you—?” I begin, dazed.
“Oh no…we’ll get there, trust me. But you deserve more than convenient-whim sex,” he says, flashing me a mischievous grin. “I have plans for you, Dru.”
Butterflies erupt from deep inside my belly and I blink back my surprise.
He does sexy soooo well.
“So, if not now, when?” I ask, unable to help myself.
“You’ll just have to wait and see,”
