Love Me Always (Top Shelf Romance Book 8)

He has to hold it with a pair of tweezers when he pees.”
Her comebacks would shut him up temporarily, but when he found his voice again, it was frequently used to take a shot at me. I was his sister’s nerdy, awkward best friend who became his favorite punching bag for five grueling years. I grew some thick skin and became used to the torment, but my insecurities were always there. He’d never let me forget about them. He was the spawn of Satan, the biggest jerk on the planet, and I’d hate him for the rest of my life.
Benjamin Kelly was the worst thing to come out of Alabama. And if I never saw him again, that would be fine by me.

Mia
“I don’t have to go. If this is too much on you, I can stay here. It really isn’t a big deal, Aunt Mae.” Closing the door to my mother’s bedroom, I walk down the hallway into the kitchen behind my aunt. “Really. I mean it. Just because she’s doing okay right now doesn’t mean it’s a good idea for me to leave the state.”
My aunt places her hand on my shoulder, squeezing it gently. “You need a break from all of this, sweetie. You’ve been taking care of her twenty-four hours a day for the past nine months. Everyone needs to take some time for themselves.” She tilts her head, her expression softening with a smile. “She wants you to have fun, Mia. Go enjoy your summer and leave all of this to me.”
Sighing, I shake my head, not fully committed to the idea of leaving. “What if she gets really sick and I’m not here? What if she needs me?”
The thought of my mother calling out for me while I’m four hours away is enough to cancel this whole trip. She loves my aunt, but I’m the one that’s been here. I’m the one that’s been doing everything for her since she fell ill. She’s used to me, not Mae. I know the look she gets when she’s really feeling bad, but won’t admit it. I know how to get her to eat when she refuses. Me; I don’t need a break, let alone an entire summer off from taking care of my own mother.
“If anything happens, even the slightest change in her condition, I’ll call you.” Her hand cups my face, her thumb stroking the skin of my cheek. “Promise me you won’t let all of your worrying prevent you from having an amazing summer with Tessa.”
“I just don’t know if this is the best time. She hasn’t had her strength back for that long.”
Aunt Mae issues me a look, indicating that she’s not letting me back out of this. “This is the perfect time. And like I said before, she wants you to go. If you try and stay home now, I’m afraid you won’t only be getting an earful from me.”
I smile and nod in agreement. My mom does enjoy laying into me when I deserve it. She’s stern but sweet at the same time, always following up a punishment with a hug.
“All right, I’ll go. But you need to promise you’ll call me if there’s any change. Even the slightest.”
“I promise.” She drops her hand and steps around the counter, digging into the pile of dishes that has accumulated in the sink.
I’ll be staying with Tessa at her parents’ house for the summer while she looks after it. I have a ton of memories at that house, considering the fact that I practically lived there for five years. I’d always go to Tessa’s house after school, staying there until my mom would pick me up on her way home. Tessa was like the sister I never had, and when my grandmother got sick and we had to move to Fulton, Georgia the summer before ninth grade, I cried for weeks. We kept in touch over the years, and now I’ll be spending the entire summer with her just like we used to. And as long as her pain-in-the-ass brother stays as far away from me as possible, it’s going to be the best summer of my life.
Benjamin Kelly. World’s biggest dickhead.
I head back to my bedroom, needing to finish up my last bit of packing. Tessa is expecting me tomorrow afternoon sometime, but I’m not waiting until then to get into Alabama. There is something I want to do before I start my summer break. Something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. If I’m really going to enjoy myself this summer, I need to let go of all my inhibitions. This will not be the summer of hang-ups or shyness. I’m not the same girl that left Ruxton nine years ago. That girl has been gone for a long time. The braces came off first, followed by the weight and the glasses; which were exchanged for contacts. My hair is no longer a wild mess of curls now that I’ve learned how to manage it. My skin cleared up in tenth grade, and that wasn’t the only big change to my appearance that year. My breasts came in overnight it seemed, and they are definitely my best asset, if I do say so myself. And with the help of the volleyball team I joined in high school, my body got tight and stayed that way. The new Mia Corelli is going to let loose and experience everything an Alabama summer had to offer. But in order to do that, I need to handle something first. And that thing is going to be handled tonight.
I grab my phone, falling back onto my pillow after pushing my suitcases to the floor.
Me: All packed up! I’ll call you when I’m on the road tomorrow.
Tessa: OMFG I’m so excited! Your ass is mine for the summer! I have so much planned for us already. :)
Me: Yay! I can’t wait to get there and relax by the pool for three months.
Tessa: That’s not