Whispering Minds by A.T. O'Connor Read Free Book Online Page A

years I’d known him.
    “No. It’s about you.”
    “Hmmm.” My eyes closed. “I remember virtually nothing before I moved in with Granny. I don’t even know how old I was. In my mind, I’d always lived there.”
    “And you don’t know why?”
    I shook my head against his arm, releasing the unique scent of Travis. I breathed deeply and snuggled in a little more, too tired to support myself and completely immersed in the head rush of feeling him in every nerve of my body. That very question of why had been tugging at the corners of my mind, right behind the ever-present headache, since Granny’s death. “I don’t honestly know. I don’t even know why I moved back in with my parents. Granny’s cancer, maybe. I think she got too sick to take care of me.”
    His hand found the back of my neck. Gentle. Sweet. A perfect fit. “Maybe she just wanted us to be together.”
    “She didn’t know you, silly.” My words came out slurred. Half-formed by the sleep that threatened to over-take me. I closed off my mind to the pain above my temple and reached up to lace my fingers in his. He squeezed them in return, sending hot fire down my arm and into my heart.
    “Gem, I…”
    Love you.
    The words wrapped around me like a blanket.
    “Hey, Gem.” Trav’s voice mingled with the classical music lilting from the speakers, waking me up. I hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but I seriously couldn’t keep up with the emotional roller coaster ride since Granny’s death. Maybe tomorrow would be better.
    He handed me a plastic bag. “Don’t forget your phone.”
    “What pho…?” My words broke at the spark in his eyes. Panic stirred in my chest. I must have blacked out again. “Aah…thanks.”
    Travis pulled me to him, his grip on my wrist not hard enough to hurt, but enough to hold me. “What’s going on with you?”
    “Nothing. I just forgot is all.”
    “Forgot that you just spent forty minutes in the store picking out your new phone?”
    Heat burned my cheeks, and frustration welled at my inability to remember anything lately. I tried the easy route. “You know me. Miss Forgetful.”
    Trav’s jaw tightened. Easy wasn’t going to cut it. His voice came out raw. “This isn’t a basketball score this time, or forgetting the name of a movie we just watched. It’s not even forgetting what you got for Christmas last year. You took so long finding the perfect cover I left you there and ran errands of my own. How do you forget that?”
    “Sorry. In case you didn’t know, I’ve had a lot on my mind.” I pulled away and reached into my left pocket—the only place I carried my cell. It came out empty. I searched in my head for something—anything—that would help me not feel so helpless and terrified. The vision of my phone plunging into the toilet at the church popped into my mind. Relief followed this small snippet of memory.
    Travis sighed. “Your old one is in the bag, along with another new phone number. You know you can keep the same one so I don’t have to keep changing your info.”
    I grimaced, not quite sure of why I switched numbers, and settled on a reason I knew he’d believe. “My dad got a hold of the last one. Again.”
    Concern of a different kind crossed Trav’s face. His eyes glinted with something feral. “Come home with me now. Stay with me.”
    I wanted to. I’d never been more tempted in my life to accept the safety and love he so readily offered, but something held me back. Something always held me back. “Travis, you are the most amazing person I know. I wouldn’t survive without you. Honestly. But I can’t live with you, as nice as that offer sounds.”
    His face softened. “Do you want me to come in?”
    Into the kitchen with plate shards still on the floor? Rae’s quiet voice of reason.
    “No thanks. I’ve got it covered.”
    But he wore his worry in the lines across his forehead. He didn’t believe me. I reached up and ran my fingers down his cheek, along the firm line of