Higher Ground Read Online Free Page B

asked, only half-joking. Ronnie had just finished her second year of college, and a baby was the last thing they expected.
    “Would it be a double homicide if they did?” he countered.
    “Probably a triple. Bryan’s as good as dead.”
    No one died that night. The only casualty had been my parents’ dream for my sister’s future. Bryan was in the Navy and had just gotten word he was being transferred to Fort Worth. Ronnie had agreed to marry him and was leaving. Van and I sat at the top of the stairway and listened to life as we knew it blow up around us. Again.
    “Who did you run into?” Van whispered during a lull in the shouting. The look I gave him was blank enough that he felt a need to continue. “During dinner, you were saying you ran into someone today.”
    “Just an old friend.” I shook my head when the voices below us rose again. “It doesn’t matter.”
    He didn’t push. None of them ever did. In the grand scheme of our family, I was the boring one. Nothing I did really mattered.

Chapter Three
    Wade helps me up, leaving the mess on the floor and the book in the center of it. He guides me to the bed and lies down next to me so we’re facing each other. My cheeks ache, and my breath is halted by sniffles every so often. Silently, he stares and waits for me to say something more.
    It’s rare for me to talk about my past, so when I do, Wade clings to every word. Before tonight, I’d never spoken to him about what happened to my brother all those years ago.
    “Van called today.” My voice is rough, nasally, and sounds like it belongs to someone else. “He and Corey got married in Chicago this past weekend.”
    Wade smiles and lifts a hand to brush my hair away from my face. “That’s good.”
    “Mom’s throwing a reception next Friday… in New Orleans.”
    “Okay.” He nods, running his finger down and across my jaw. “I’ll see what I can do. I told you earlier that we’re short-staffed, but I’ll try to switch my vacation days around.”
    I glance at the clock on the bedside table behind him and see it’s a little after 8:00. “What happened with Kevin? Is everything okay?”
    “Everything’s fine.” He gives me a small smile and glances at his watch. “It’s late. We should eat.”
    I let him tug me closer for a hug. His lips rest against my forehead, and I take a moment to breathe him in—soap, cologne, and vanilla mint gum. My fingers twist in the back of his shirt.
    Maybe if I can keep him here, skin to skin, we’ll be safe in our bed, in our home, in this world we’ve made together. Atlanta’s the only thing that matters. New Orleans was a long time ago.
    “We’ll stay here,” he says. “We have stuff for sandwiches and salads, or if you still want to catch the movie, we can grab something to eat at the theater.” He shrugs. “It’s up to you.”
    “I want to stay home, maybe hear more about this mysterious meeting.”
    He glances at the closet. “Do you want me to…?”
    “I’ll get it later.”
    He gets up first, prompting me to follow. Hand in hand, we walk down the hall to the kitchen. None of the lights are on, but I can see his backpack is next to the door, the keys are on the bar, and the beloved Braves coat is hanging haphazardly from the back of the couch.
    “I got worried when you didn’t answer your phone or any of my texts,” he says, hitting the switch on the wall next to the stove. We’re bathed in soft light, a contrast to the espresso-finished cabinets. He goes for the plates, takes two, and sends me to my favorite stool at the bar.
    “I turned it off. I wasn’t in the mood for my mom or Ronnie.”
    He nods as he cleans fresh spinach and slices tomatoes. He then finds the bread before taking deli meat and condiments from the fridge. “So…”
    I don’t want to answer questions about Oliver or what I just told Wade in the closet. “Yeah… The meeting. How did it go?”
    He stops what he’s doing to give me a long look. I’m