Coming Home Again (A Coming Home Again Novel Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

of those stupid antique couches
that seemed to be made for petite people. It’s funny that a family full of
above-average height members would have such a piece of furniture. It never
made sense to me.
    Evan sat
sprawled out in loose jogging shorts and a snug tank top. He patted his lap as
I stood there, trying to figure out where I wanted to sit. “Just sit in my lap,
little miss.” He grinned mischievously at me.
    I hesitated
long enough for Julia to jump at the opportunity. We both had schoolgirl
crushes on Evan. With me being only ten, I had a hard time trying to understand
those feelings. Julia was fourteen and more comfortable with them, I guess.
    We sat
there watching music videos for a while. I kept glancing out the corner of my
eye to Evan and Julia with uneasiness. He had started out rubbing her
shoulders, but had moved to her lower back. I guess there was no harm in that,
but what I found a bit weird was his hands were under the back of her shirt.
This continued until Evan couldn’t sit still any longer and decided it was time
to dance.
    Grabbing me
by the waist, he murmured, “You’re dancing with me first, little miss.” We
walked like an Egyptian before a slow song took over. He pulled me close and
whispered in my ear with his humid breath uncomfortably hot. “I saw you
watching earlier. Don’t be jealous.” With that, he placed a soft kiss on my
neck, causing my gut to twist in discomfort. Evan plastered my unwilling body
tight against him. His invasion was wrong. In that moment, my innocent crush on
him crashed to the floor and shattered to millions of sinful shards. At only
ten years old, I didn’t like his groping hands trespassing where no grown man
should on a child, or his probing lips. It felt gross, as though each touch
tainted me. I wanted no part in it.
    I tried to
wiggle free that horrible day, but Evan seemed to only get more worked up—heavy
breaths and continuously pressing body. I hated the feel of him, and my skin
crawled with disgust. My chest felt like it was being pinched in a vice grip,
and I could hardly breathe. It all felt dirty. I was scared and confused. As I
stood in my family’s den, life began to descend a dark, slippery slope, and I
began to lose myself.

 
    ~ ~ ~

 
    Tap, tap, tap…
    Tap, tap, tap…
    The tapping
on my driver’s side window startles me out of the nightmare and brings me back
to the now. I try to focus on what’s causing the tapping, but it takes me a
while to regain my composure. The tap picks back up, and I finally notice a
police officer peeking through the window at me. Looking around, I notice I’ve
parked on the side of the interstate without really realizing it. Thank
goodness, I got off the road…
    “Ma’am, are
you okay?” He taps again when I don’t respond. “Ma’am?”
    I finally find
enough sense to power the window down, but say nothing. The humid air rushes in
and caresses my cheeks.
    “Do you
need some assistance?” the concerned officer asks.
    I clear my
throat. “No sir.” My throat feels constricted, and I try to clear it again. He
stands cautiously with his head slightly bent towards the open window, waiting
for more. “I’m heading to South Carolina for a family emergency. I think it
just all got the best of me. I… I just need a minute to pull myself together,”
I stutter. I try to reassure him with a smile, but can’t. My lips fail me and
continue to grimace. I see my dazed weariness reflecting off his aviator
shades.
    “Please be
careful.” He tips his hat in a courteous manner. After a lengthy moment of
hesitation, he finally leaves me alone.
    I press my
head to the steering wheel and force deep breaths in and out. I don’t have the
gumption to get back on the road just yet, so I sit a while longer and work on
conjuring up a good memory—something that will encourage me to keep moving forward.
If I don’t, I know I will be heading back to Rhode Island and the comfort of
Lucas. And deep down, I know