Young Love Dies Hard: The Young Brothers, Book 1 by Nikki Lane (best memoirs of all time txt) 📕

on,” Jacob said. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

I felt a warm drip from my mouth. When I dabbed at my lip, my finger had a slick spot of red on it. I must’ve bitten my lip and didn’t even notice the pain.

Jacob reached for my hand, and this time I took it without a second thought. He led me to the bathroom and grabbed the first aid kit from the bottom shelf of the cabinet.

“Maeve?” Kasey peeked around the threshold of the bathroom door. A light whistle escaped from her throat with each strained breath.

“Kasey?” I kneeled down in front of her and grabbed a hold of each shoulder, having trouble catching my own breath.

“My chest feels tight,” she said.

“Sit down,” I said. “Jacob, will you go find her inhaler? I think I saw one in the kitchen.”

“Yeah, sure.” He dodged around us and sprinted off.

Kasey’s eyes got wider with each restricted inhale.

“It’s going to be okay,” I said as soothingly as possible.

“I’m so sorry,” she mumbled. “I saw everything through my bedroom window.”

I brushed her hair away from her face, feeling the tear that had escaped down her cheek.

“Hey,” I said, stroking her head. “It’s okay.”

Jacob came racing back to the hallway with Kasey’s inhaler in his hand.

“Thanks,” I said to him.

He slouched down and sat next to Kasey.

“Here,” I said to her.

Her small fingers brought the inhaler to her lips. She gave it a couple of pumps.

“Deep breaths,” I said.

She leaned her head back against the wall and looked up to the ceiling. “I still can’t breathe.”

“Just try to relax,” I said. “Let the medicine help you.”

The wheezing persisted, and I tried not to panic. If the rescue inhaler didn’t work, then I’d have to rush her to the E.R.

“I used to break out into really nasty hives when I was younger,” Jacob said. “All over my body. Red, blotchy bumps everywhere. Even my face.”

I looked at him and raised my eyebrows a little. Why was he bringing this up now?”

“Do you remember, Maeve?” he said.

“Yeah, I do.”

“It was usually when I was really upset about something,” he said.

He’d caught Kasey’s attention.

He scooted up one knee and rested an arm. “And my mom took me to the doctor one day because it’d gotten so bad.”

“What did he say?” Kasey murmured. She continued to quietly gulp the air.

“Have gave me some skin cream so it wouldn’t itch anymore. And he told me to try and meditate to handle the times when I was feeling upset.”

“What’s meditate mean?” she asked.

“I’ll show you,” Jacob said with an eager tone. “Close your eyes, both of you.”

Kasey shut hers along with Jacob. I was too enamored to close my own.

“Now, imagine yourself on the beach. The warm sand. The hot sun. Can you feel it?”

“Yeah,” Kasey said.

I shut my eyes. I wanted to feel the sand between my toes, too.

“You walk up to the edge of the sand and the water falls over your feet,” Jacob said. “You take a big breath and smell the salty ocean. The broken seashells crunch under your feet.”

“I hear a sea gull,” Kasey said.

I cracked an eye open, then two. What I didn’t hear was the wheezing in her breathing.

“Now open your eyes,” Jacob said.

Kasey took an unbridled deep breath. “It worked.”

I smiled. “See that?”

She wrapped me in a hug. “That was so scary.”

“It’s over now.” I could hear the tone Aunt Meg had used with me in my own voice.

“But you’re hurt.”

“I’ll be okay.”

“I’m going to fix her right up,” Jacob said.

We all stood up, and I ignored the pain.

“I’ll never let anyone hurt you like that. Ever,” I said to Kasey.

She nodded.

“Why don’t you go in the kitchen. I know Aunt Meg has a plate with your name on it.”

“Thanks, Jacob,” Kasey said.

“No problem,” he said with a smile.

She swiped another lone tear with the back of her hand before going on her way.

I sat on the sink as Jacob wet some toilet paper and dapped at my lip. I winced.

“Sorry,” he said.

I sniffled. “It’s okay.”

He tossed the reddened toilet paper into the trash and then crouched down to work on the scrapes on my knees. He cleaned them with peroxide and then pursed his lips to lightly blow on my skin.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

I shook my head. “It doesn’t hurt when you do that.”

“Not for this.” He peered up at me, unwrapping a bandage. “For what happened with your…Doug.”

I shrugged. “Wouldn’t be a true holiday.”

He gently set the bandage on my knee and then reached for another one.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing,” he said.

“Not just for this…but for what you did outside, standing up for me. And for helping Kasey. I think that was the first time she’d visited the beach in years.”

“Well, we’ll have to do something about that.” He set the bandage on my other scraped knee and gave me a soft smile. “Besides, I promised you, didn’t I?”

I squinted my eyes.

He stood straight up. “That night, in the tent, that I’d always protect you. I’m just sorry I didn’t get there faster.”

He ran his thumb over my dirt-smeared face. It was just my cheek, but I felt it throughout my entire body. Tears prickled my eyes, and the back of my throat thickened. His fingers held my chin as he leaned toward my face. A single tear stained my cheek as his lips met mine.

I let the kiss warm my body, let it erase the last twenty minutes.

Jacob pulled away and tenderly wiped the tear. “Let’s get you home.”

* * * *

The first thing I did back at the apartment was head for the shower. I closed the door to the bathroom and peeled off my dress, panties, and bra.

I turned on the hot water and stood in front of the mirror, examining my reflection through the steam. The bruises were already starting to darken the skin around my arms and a few places around my thighs. My lip was a little swollen. Fuck…I looked like her.

Doug had rarely touched me when I