My First - Jason & Katie by Melanie Shawn Read Free Book Online Page A

transpired. But she simply couldn’t.
    She knew that he MUST think awful things about her, though. And deservedly so – he had every right to! Not only for her actions that night, but also for the way she had behaved in the weeks before Nick’s funeral. When he had been constantly trying to connect with her, trying to get her to talk to him, trying to get her in a place where they could lean on each other like they always had...and all she had been able to do was shut him out.
    Shaking her head as if her brain was an Etch-a-Sketch and her painful memories were as easy to clear away as the thin grey lines on its screen, she ordered herself to put a stop to this line of thinking.
    This was NOT the time to embark on a trip down memory lane. No need to dredge up the past. Moving forward. Onward and upward. Here and now, that’s all she had any control over.
    Her priority this weekend was to be there for Sophiebell, focus on the wedding, and be the best damn maid of honor she could be.
    As they were crossing the yard to the Hunters' house, Katie felt Jason’s arm wrap around her waist. This caused a shiver (or rather, a NEW shiver!) to run from her head right down to her toes, one so powerful that it almost caused her to break her stride. OK, come on, who was she kidding? It almost knocked her flat on her ass.
    Good night nurse!
    What, was he? Electrically charged or something?
    She felt her body go tense at his touch and hoped that he would just get the drift and release.
    Instead, he leaned in and whispered in her ear, the condescension coming through loud and clear even without his tone of voice to assist in conveying it, “Not a big blog reader, huh? You get ‘really emotional.’ Good save, Kit Kat.”
    Immediately Katie’s body relaxed, irritation seemed to have that effect on her. She was a lawyer, she was at home making an argument, it was where she shined. As soon as annoyance began to flow through her and a retort began to form in her mind, her body reacted like an athlete about to run out onto the court. She was ready.
    Who did he think he was? He hadn’t seen her in ten years, he had no idea what was going through her mind. She really HAD meant what she had said to Aunt Wendy!
    She opened her mouth to give Jason a piece of her mind when she realized that they were standing at the front door of the Hunters’ home, and that realization derailed her rant.
    She looked around at the porch, the door, the yard from this perspective. She felt like she was having an out-of-body experience.
    It was surreal how familiar and yet how completely foreign this place felt to Katie.
    The last time she had stood at this door was after the funeral. Nick’s mom, Grace, had given Katie Nick’s football jersey. She had handed it to Katie wordlessly, the weight of grief etched on her face. Katie had taken it in her hands reverently, like a talisman, tears streaming from her eyes. She had turned and walked down the porch steps without a word, the entire ceremony conducted in silence. The two women could feel how sacred it was, words were not necessary. In fact, they would have cheapened it.
    She hadn't known it as she walked down those steps, but by the next day, she would be gone. It was the last time she would stand on that porch.
    Until today.
    This realization hit her all at once, like a ton of bricks. She tried to move her feet but she couldn’t.
    “It’s okay, I’m here. We'll go in when you're ready,” Katie heard Jason's voice say behind her, and she felt his arms wrap her tighter. Her knees were so wobbly that it felt like he might be the only thing holding her upright.
    Katie took a deep breath. Her palms became clammy, and her feet felt like someone had dipped them in cement...but she knew she had to do this. She just needed to push forward. Yep. Forward momentum was the only thing she could count on to get her through this door. Through this WEEKEND, if it came down to that!
    Plus, she REALLY needed to get out of