Shattered: A Salvation Society Novel by Bella Emy (pdf to ebook reader .TXT) 📕

I chuckle at her comment. “Maybe I’ll be the one to give him that reward.”

She laughs. “Yeah, you better. Because if you don’t, I’m sure there’s a line of girls out there ready to do so.”

I scoff. “They’d better not count on it… he’s mine. All mine.”

We open the door and exit the room with Kennedy and Tisha by our sides.

I’m last to walk out, and once I do, my eyes lock with Kalen’s. His smile makes me forget everything that just happened.

“Love, can you walk us home?” Erin asks Jason.

He nods and steps away from the wall. “Of course, babe. Let’s go.”

Tisha and Kennedy follow Erin after she says, “Hey, we’ll see you guys tomorrow. Lex, I’ll text you later.”

I wave as the four of them leave, and Kalen comes up to me. I tilt my head up as my eyes flit to look into his and a small smile pulls on the corners of my lips. Then I wrap my arms around him. “That was a very brave thing you did, Mr. Starling.” I lift up onto my tippy toes to plant one on his lips.

As we pull away, he smiles and shrugs. “I did what anyone would have done.” He pulls me closer, motioning for another kiss.

Instead of giving in, I shake my head. I need to let him know what he did was admirable. He needs to hear it. “No. You did what no one else did. There were plenty of people around aware of the situation, but not a single one of them did a damn thing about it. You’re a hero, Kalen.”

He chuckles. “Thanks, babe.”

“You’re making me fall faster and faster for you with each day that passes by, Mr. Starling,” I confess, reaching up onto my tippy toes and finally kiss him again.

As we pull away, I see the biggest smile forming on his lips.

“Wow, you completely caught me off guard, but in the best possible way. I’ve been feeling the same way for a while now. I think I’m possibly already in love with you, Lexi.”

I want to tear up at his own confession. I want to tell him that I’m so happy to hear those words leaving his lips. Instead, I look at him with an adoring gaze. “I will always be yours, Kalen Starling.”

He smiles. “I adore you, Alexa Alderidge.”

I smile back at him as he places a soft kiss on the top of my forehead. This guy. This absolutely amazing man makes me feel like I’m on top of the world, and I don’t ever want to come back down.

As we pull away from the wall, he grabs my hand, and we make our way down the stairs and finally out of the house.

Chapter Fourteen

“I thought we were going to your house?” I follow Kalen as he tugs on my hand, and we walk down a deserted street.

I’m not surprised there’s no one around. With it being after eight in the evening on a Thursday night and the weather already starting to cool off for the season, most people are at home relaxing after dinner.

But me? I’m out with Kalen after telling my parents I was meeting Erin at her house for some dessert and a movie. Typically on a school night, that would be a no-no, but since tomorrow is Friday and Mom knows I’ve been doing well in school, as usual, she and Dad are not giving me a hard time. Plus, my parents were very familiar with Mr. and Mrs. Cole, and they were fond of Erin.

Not to mention that the two of them have been in their own world lately, fighting on and off.

So, leaving the house after we finished the macaroni and cheese casserole had been a breeze.

Kalen turns to face me as we come to a corner and smiles. Man, he’s so cute. “We were, but there’s something I want to show you.”

I raise an eyebrow tilting my head to the side as he pulls me into him and embraces me on the corner. “Another surprise?”

He chuckles. “Maybe.” The light changes from red to green and he gently pulls me forward. “Come on, we’re almost there, babe.”

We walk hand in hand on Main Street until we get to a small shop. Miller’s Boats and Water Adventures.

As he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a key, he then places it into the lock. I stand behind him and wrap my arms around his waist as he then turns the knob, unlocking the door.

“Why do I have the feeling we’re not supposed to be sneaking in?” I ask.

He pulls me around to meet him with a kiss, allowing me to step in first. “We’re not sneaking in if I’ve got the keys, silly. One of my dad’s friends owns this place. Come, I want to show you something in the back though. Let me just hit the code.”

He walks over to the alarm pad and disarms it with the touch of four numerical buttons. Flipping on the light switch, he stands back and says, “Check it out,” pointing up. “And it’s not even real.”

A large makeshift plastic boat hangs over our heads; it’s massive and it looks so real. It’s got a white base with light blue stripes running in squiggly lines down each side.

“Wow!” I announce, taking in its size. The white sails emerging from the middle section make it exactly like one you’d see sailing offshore.

He stands behind me, and as I dart my eyes to where he is, I see him with his arms across his chest, admiring the same boat. “Isn’t she something?”

I nod, averting my attention back to the sailboat up above. “Yeah, I can’t believe how real it looks.”

“That’s not what I wanted to show you though… come on,” he says and grabs my hand once more.

Kalen leads me to the back of the shop where we’re met with another door. Once more, he inserts the key with his free hand into the lock, and it