Love Lessons (3 page)

LESSON FIVE

Love makes the world go round,

but when yo
u combine love with friendship,

you get the most precious gift of all.

A soul mate.

TGIF? Not today. I entered my classroom on Friday afternoon, depressed about Gavin leaving and frustrated that I hadn’t figured out who my secret admirer was, but I
had pretty much given up hope.

Setting my purse on the edge of my desk, I stared down at a box beautifully wrapped in my favorite lavender colored wrapping paper. I ran my fingertips over the silver satin bow taped cockeyed to the corner and noticed the paper was a bit wrinkled and uneven. I couldn’t help wondering if my admirer
had wrapped this gift himself.

I smiled, touched in spite of my frustration. A bit rough around the edges, but maybe this guy wasn’t so bad after all. I chewed the inside of my cheek as I noticed gift number five came with a card. Tearing the paper open, I studied the oddly familiar handwriting, but I was too shocked by the words to try to figure out who it belonged to.

My dearest Mandy,

This is it. Your final clue. If you finally figure this
out, you’ll know where to find me. If not, it’s been fun.
Keep it real and loosen up a little, would ya. Have some
fun.

Forever, your secret admirer.

I tore open the gift and held it up to study it. It was a paperweight in the shape of an ancient Egyptian pyramid. I frowned. This wasn’t one of my favorite things. In fact, this was more up Gavin’s alley than mine. I blinked. Gav
in’s alley.

Gavin???

Well, Duh! I slapped my palm to my forehead. Figuring out Gavin Malone was my secret admirer didn’t require any calculation whatsoever. How could I have not have known? How could I have been so blind? How could I have been so stupid? Of course Gavin would know all my favorite thing
s. He knew everything about me.

I laughed, elated at finally coming to the proper conclusion, but then my heart started pounding and my palms began to sweat. Solving this puzzle didn’t bring on a feeling of satisfaction like it normally d
id, it brought on sheer terror.

Oh my God, my sec
ret admirer was my best friend!

What was I going to do? I sat down hard on my chair. Gavin meant the world to me. I couldn’t lose him, but what if a romantic relationship ruined our friendship? My heart felt like it was breaking in two. I tried to think of Gavin in a different light and realized I’d noticed on several occasions how handsome he was, how big and m
asculine, how great he smelled.

How I always felt safe and protected when I was with him.

I already knew we got along fantastically, but was it enough? I wanted the fairytale, the happily ever after, the butterflies in my stomach, and I wouldn’t settle for anything less. I was scared to death, but I knew there was only one way to find out. Picking up the paperweight, I headed down the hall to his room, more nervous than I’d ever been.

His door stood ajar, and he had his back to me as he filled his leather satchel with papers, getting ready to head for home. Head for Egypt for two whole weeks. Head away from me. What I had to do couldn’t wait two weeks. In fact, i
t couldn’t wait another second.

I took a deep breath and knocked.

He turned around and froze when he saw me, his hand hovering above his satchel. I held up the paperweight, and his eyes narrowed, studying me for a minute. He simply said, “Took you long enough, Einstein.” He slowly lowered the papers to his desk and started walking toward me. “For someone who’s so brilliant with numbers, you can’t put two and two together, babe.”

“H-how long have you felt this way?” I asked as he drew closer.

“Since the day I met you.” His eyes filled with raw emotion, and he looked vulnerable for the first time ever.

I sucked in a breath, wanting desperately to hug him, but terrified to do so. “W-why me?”

“Why not you?” He stroked my cheek so tenderly I wanted to cry. “What’s not to love?”

I swallowed, my throat clogged with my own emotion. “Did you just say love?”

His eyes burned a path straight to my soul. “Yes, Amanda Renee Winters, I love you. I have for a very long time.”

“But--” A tear slipped down my cheek.

“Shhhh.” He pressed his finger to my lips, wiped away my tears, and took me in his arms. The strongest sensation that I’d come home settled over me, and I melted into him, letting out a soft sigh. “No buts, no doubts, no second guesses, and for God’s sake, no logic. I don’t give a damn if this makes sense or not, just open your heart and let me in.”

I looked into his eyes and wanted nothing more than to do just that, but we’d been friends for so long, I wasn’t sure it would work. What if we didn’t add up? “What if I don’t know how?” I asked in barely more than a whisper.

“I’ll teach you.” His head dipped lower, his eyes never breaking contact even after his lips touched mine, and the butterflies began to dance.

My eyelids fluttered closed and I moaned, then he wrapped his arms around me tighter. Plunging a hand into my hair, he loosened the knot at the back of my head until the strands tumbled out of the clip and spilled free. A fire like I’d never known licked my insides, warming me to the core, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, trying to get closer, needing to be one
with him. With Gavin. My Gavin.

An eternity later, we broke apart, chests heaving for air.

“H-How’d I do?” I gasped.

“A plus. Was there ever any question?” His eyes teased.

“Well, you’re a great teacher. It worked.” I smiled, pushing my doubts aside and letting my heart fill my eyes. “I’m pretty sure I love you, too. By the way, you’re not going to Egypt without me. In fact, you’re not going anywhere without me.”

His gaze softened, and he tweaked my nose. “Right answer again, genius.”

“I always was a quick study, but um ... I think I might need another lesson.” I licked my lips.

He stared at my mouth and groaned. “Baby, I don’t think we can survive another lesson. I mean, we are still in school.”

“Extra credit maybe?” I bit my bottom lip.

He chuckled. “God, I thought you’d never ask.” His mouth swooped down over mine as he kicked the door closed, but my heart was wide open, and class was most definitely in session.

The End

About the Author

Kari Lee Harmon lives in central NY with her own hero of a husband, her three strapping boys, and her little Darling Diva. When Kari's not writing about heroes, she's playing the role herself, for it takes someone pretty heroic to handle her wild crew.

Fun Facts

▪Kari is a closet karaoke wannabe singer.

▪She is an adventure addict and isn't afraid to try anything daring like parasailing, scuba diving, zip lining, etc. Next up on her list is hand gliding and bunji jumping.

▪She is deathly afraid of rodents of any kind.

▪She loves country music.

▪Her first job was in an ice cream shop, followed by a grocery store and then a waitress.