“But I want to play with her...Santa brought her to me.”
“I’m very aware of that. I’m also aware of the fact your sister is upset and crying on Christmas. You being stingy with a silly toy isn’t helping matters.”
“But Momma...”
Her tone grew angry and demanding as she ordered, “Give your sister the damn doll.”
My heart immediately dropped into my stomach as I watched Kate hop up and rush over to me. She extended her hands and greedily wiggled her fingers as she waited for me to hand over my precious doll. Knowing there’d be a huge argument if I didn’t give it to her, I handed my sister the doll and pleaded, “Please be careful with her.”
Without responding, Kate snatched the doll from my hands and raced to her room, leaving her mountain of toys behind. I gathered the few gifts I’d been given, and as I started towards my room, I glanced over to my parents. They were both talking amongst themselves and never even seemed to notice when I left. I carried my things to my room and put them away, then lay across the bed and cried for what seemed like days. I probably would’ve stayed there all day if Mom hadn’t called us all in for dinner. Reluctantly, I pulled myself out of bed and made my way into the dining room. Just as I’d sat down, Kate came be-bopping in with my doll in her hand. She dropped it into my lap with a huff.
“It’s broke-d.”
“What?” I looked down at my prized possession and was devastated to find the nipple piece of the bottle broken off in its mouth. And not only that, but there was also something wrong with its eye. “What did you do?”
“Nuttin’. It just broke-d.” She pulled herself up in the seat next to me and shrugged. “You can have her back now.”
“Mom! She ruined my Mommy and Me doll!”
“I’m sure she didn’t mean to.” Mom placed the turkey down on the table as she said, “We will get you another one.”
“You promise?”
“Yes, Marlie. Now, stop whining and let’s get ready to eat.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I’d like to say my mother kept her word and got me another doll, but sadly, she did not. In fact, she wouldn’t even discuss it with me. The memory of that night might seem trivial to some, after all, it was just a silly doll, but for me, it was the realization that I lived in my sister’s shadow—making me invisible to everyone around me, especially my parents.
I would remain there in her shadow until the day I packed my bags and left. I’d never regretted my decision to leave. In fact, I think it was the best decision I’ve ever made—even more so now that I’d found myself on the back of Rafe’s bike again. When we pulled up to my apartment, Rafe got off his bike and followed me up to the door. He stepped over to me as he asked, “You okay? You seem a little distracted or something.”
“Sorry about that. I guess I had a lot on my mind.”
I wasn’t surprised when Rafe pushed, “You guess?”
“I have a lot on my mind.”
“I know how that can be.” He leaned in a little closer. “I’ve had something on my mind all damn day to the point it’s become a problem.”
“Oh, really? And what, might I ask, would that be?”
“That kiss last night.” A spark of mischief flashed through his intense green eyes as he continued, “It’s had me all messed up. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it and being with you tonight has only made it worse.”
“Oh, wow. That is a problem.”
His voice was low and raspy as he replied, “It certainly is.”
“Well, what are we going to do about it?”
I was waiting for his answer when he slipped his hand behind my neck and pulled me forward, crashing his mouth against mine. His warm, wet tongue ran across my bottom lip as his hand snaked down my back and pulled me even closer. His touch. His scent. His taste. Everything about him had me craving more. Like him, the kiss we’d shared the night before had stirred something in me, making me fantasize about the possibility of another chance to be close to him. It was all I could think about as my fingers raked through his hair, and I moaned against his mouth.
Without warning, he leaned back, breaking from our embrace. “You can trust me, Marlowe. With anything. You just have to be willing to let me in.”
“I want to, I really do, but it’s complicated.”
“It always is.” Those gorgeous green eyes never left mine as he whispered, “Just know I’m here whenever you decide to let me in on what’s going on with you.”
Without giving me a chance to respond, Rafe lowered his mouth down to mine and kissed me softly—so gentle and sweet. His scent circled around me, a mix of cologne and leather. Just being close to him engaged all my senses. I couldn’t resist him, even if I wanted to. The pull to him was just too strong. I was starting to fall for him, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to stop it. As soon as I brought my hands up to his chest, the kiss changed, becoming more intense and heated. Goosebumps swept across my flesh as he delved further into my mouth, exploring every inch with his tongue. His fingers dug into my hips as he pulled me closer to him, forcing a light moan to vibrate through my chest. I was about to completely lose myself in him when someone in the parking lot honked the horn and shouted, “Damn. Get a fucking room!”