Young Love Dies Hard: The Young Brothers, Book 1 Nikki Lane (books for students to read .TXT) 📖

course I’d get a seat next to a nun. I’d been convinced she was staring at me the whole flight, shaking her head and tisking through her teeth. Did she know of my sins? I’d avoided all eye contact with her just in case.

It took me a minute to adjust to the warm weather when we got outside. Seventy-three degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Not bad for December.

“He should be here,” Jacob said, checking his phone. “He texted and said he was waiting outside.”

I scanned the faces around me but wasn’t sure who I was looking for. I knew his brother was picking us up, but I hadn’t seen him in ages. I was sure he wasn’t wearing a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles t-shirt anymore.

Someone was waving over on the other side of the drop-off area. He was tall with darker hair a little shorter than Jacob’s.

When Jacob smiled and waved back, I knew it had to be Noah. We waited for a few cars to pass before attempting to cross the street. The relief I felt to be off the plane was short-lived. For the next few days, I would not only be introduced as Jacob’s girlfriend, but I would be meeting his family. Technically not meeting. Not for the first time, anyway. But it’d been so long, it might as well had been.

Noah and Jacob did some manly handshake and gave each other a few stiff pats on the back. I took a few steps back, pulling my hair around my neck.

“Noah,” Jacob said. “You remember Maeve, right?”

He smiled with pearly white teeth. “Of course I do.” He wrapped his arms around me for a hug. “It’s good to see you, Maeve. How’ve you been?”

“Good, thanks.” His hair smelled so different than Jacob’s. “I didn’t even recognize you. You’re so grown up.”

Noah had the same angled jaw as his older brother, but his deep brown eyes set them apart. Time had been good to the Young boys. Maybe it was the Florida weather.

He smiled, which only added more proof that he and Jacob were brothers. “You two ready to go? Mom’s been texting me every ten minutes since your plane landed.”

“Yeah, thanks for teaching her that by the way,” Jacob groaned as we followed Noah to his car. “She just loves to send me texts every chance she gets. Like a phone call a day wasn’t enough.”

Jacob always grumbled about his mother’s daily phone call ritual. Sometimes, he would go days without answering her calls. I never said anything, but deep down I’d think about how lucky he was to have someone willing to go so far to be a part of his life even though she lived over a thousand miles away.

Noah unlocked the car and opened the trunk. “Just be thankful she hasn’t learned how to send email yet.”

When we got in the car, Noah rolled down the windows. I sat in the front, while Jacob took the back seat, and watched the palm trees glide past my window, the wind blowing back my hair. For the hour drive to the house, I listened to Noah and Jacob catch up with each other. I didn’t say much. And that was on purpose. The more I could I sneak through the next few days, the better.

The panic started to settle in when Noah made one final turn and then slowed the car in front of a large house. I heard the car doors open and shut. But I just sat there, staring. Unable to move. My fingers were clutched to the door handle.

“Coming?” Jacob asked after opening my door.

He held out his hands to help me out of the car. Or maybe it was to pull me out since he probably sensed my reluctance. I stretched my tight fingers, took a deep breath, and unbuckled my seatbelt.

Jacob pulled me in close and brushed the hair off my shoulder. “Don’t worry,” he cooed. “Everything’s going to be fine.” He sealed his prediction with a kiss.

I broke away when Noah closed the trunk of the car. Jacob grabbed both of our bags, and we all headed toward the house. I lagged behind. Every step felt like the earth could open up at any moment and swallow me whole. Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad. At least it would get me out of this trip.

Noah punched in the code to the garage door. It rattled open, revealing two cars parked in the other bays.

“Brace yourselves,” Noah muttered before we walked through the door to the house.

The kitchen was clean and bright. Jacob set our bags on the tile floor.

“Mom,” Noah yelled. His voice echoed through the large house.

The bandages I’d put around my thumbs were the only things keeping me from shredding my cuticles.

Jacob reached for my hand as I heard Noah and his mom meet in the foyer.

“There she is.” Jacob’s mom came toward me with open arms and a wide smile. She pulled me into a hug, forcing Jacob to lose this grip.

“Hi, Mrs. Young.”

She squeezed me tight, still smelling of the same perfume. “Carol, honey. Mrs. Young is that crabby old woman who keeps calling.”

“How is grandma, by the way?” Jacob said.

I stifled a laugh.

She pulled away and held out my arms. “My God. Look how much you’ve grown. You’re not the little girl I remember.”

I took a few subtle steps closer to Jacob when she let go. “You look exactly the same.”

She threw her head back and laughed. “You’re so sweet. And pretty.” She turned to Jacob. “How come you never told me how pretty she is?”

Jacob rubbed the top of his head. “Mom—”

“She’s hot, dude,” Noah muttered, looking a little surprised we all heard him.

Jacob gave him a small shove and ordered him to shut up.

Carol gave a disapproving shake of her head. “Meg had sent me a few pictures, but it’s been a while.” She gently held my face.

My cheeks must have turned crimson. “Thank you.”

Jacob cleared his throat. “Mom…”

“Hi, sweetie.”