RYDEN

 “Mom, do you remember Amelia?”

 My mother smiled and squeezed her hands. “Of course. How can I forget? You used to tease her and call her ladybug.”

 Amelia’s cheeks turned red, smiling at her. Nothing could be more beautiful than her smile. “Hello, Mrs. Braxton.”

 I couldn’t deny our bond, our attraction to each other no matter how hard we fought it. One of these days, it would ensnare us and fall us both hard into our own most profound and frightening ...