The Dare (The Bet 3)

I ordered black coffee and stared mindlessly into it while he ordered breakfast for both of us.

"A month ago," Dad stirred some milk into his coffee, "I had a nice chat with Travis."

Not what I expected. Warning bells went off in my head.

"He was worried about you, said you'd been drinking more and acting careless. I immediately assumed it was all that Kerri-business coming back to haunt you. Then Travis said something interesting."

"I'm sure he did." Numb. I was so damn numb.

"He said, you'd drunkenly told him about the best night of your life."

Well, hell.

"And imagine my surprise when it wasn't the night of your election, but the night you took your cousin to prom."

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

"A girl with green eyes and dark hair had captured your attention, and for some reason, maybe it was the kiss, or maybe it was the way she fit perfectly into your arms, you fell."

I rose to get up.

"Sit down."

I sat.

"Funny," my father nodded, "because I remember the story a little differently."

I looked out at the crashing waves and waited.

"Your mother and I forced you to take your cousin to her senior prom. You fought us on it until I finally put my foot down. She didn't have a date, after all. A few hours later, you came back to the house in such a frenzy I thought something had happened."

Squinting, I looked up into his eyes. "I never came back to the house, Dad."

He sighed. "You did. The therapists said that telling you about what you didn't remember could cause emotional damage, so we kept it quiet. Never in my life did I think it would be so important."

"I don't understand." I scratched the back of my head, feeling the scar from the surgery.

"Of all the things to forget, you forgot the accident and things leading up to it, but you remembered that damn kiss you shared with that girl, and it wrecked you."

"You're telling me this now because?"

"Because it will help. I hope to God it helps, because I'm about at my wit's end with you." He smirked lovingly. "You ran into the house and said, 'Dad, I've met the girl I'm going to marry.'"

Suddenly, I was in my parents' living room again.

The memory hit me full force. I tried to stuff it back into my mind. I tried to ignore the pain in my chest as it sliced me completely in half.

"Dad!" I ran into the house. "I need the cell phone, and I'm going to take the car."

"You're back already?" He straightened his tie. "You sure are in a hurry, son."

"I met her," I said, grinning like an idiot. "You and mom were right. It happened just like you said it would. It was like… it was magic!"

"What was?"

"The kiss!"

"You kissed your cousin? Son, sit down…"