Consequence Read Free

we go home. We will figure this out. There's got to be a reason, there always is, and I'll find it."
                  Ashlyn…the previous Visionary. Maybe she had something to say about this.
                  He chewed on his lip and sighed through his nose. "Baby," he complained in a low voice. "I hate this."
                  "I know."
                  He sucked his lip into his mouth, which let me know he was really thinking about it. He was remembering the first time he saw me at the stoplight. How he knew that I was going to be his that day, and he'd do anything and everything to make sure that I was safe and sound and happy.
                  "You're not failing at any of it," I assured him and leaned up on my toes. I draped my arms over his shoulders and pressed my nose to his, just like he used to do to me. "Now if you'll feed me, I'll be completely fulfilled."
                  He managed a small chuckle at my joke, but I knew it was just for my benefit. He pulled me up the rest of the way to meet his lips and the gruff display did nothing to reassure me that he was actually fine.
                  I let it slide.
                  Linking our fingers, we joined Kyle and Lynne again who seemed way too worried for my liking. When Kyle's mind floated his thoughts back and forth, worrying about his Visionary, I knew he'd crossed sides and was now a traitor—no longer my friend who worked beside me and called me Maggie, but had reverted back to a Virtuoso member who was in reverent awe of his Visionary. And right now—worried sick.
                  “I'm fine,” I assured them all. “Don't make me pull rank on y'all. We're going to have a great day with no kids and no council and no gnats, right? Come on.”   
                  Caleb sighed and looked over at them. His grip tightened on my fingers, but they didn’t say anything. He gave me a smile. One of those dimple smiles that I loved so much. I guess they figured they’d rather stay silent than lie.
                  I knew they worried about the Visionary. I knew I was more than just a person. I was a symbol. The Visionary was important. That was the real reason they were freaked. Who knew when the next one would come again, and I hadn’t gotten half of the things done I wanted—
                  “Don’t.”
                  I looked over to see Caleb’s smile long gone. “What?”
                  “How could you say that?” he asked, the hurt in his eyes was so evident, it stung my own to feel it through him. “After everything, after all these years and everything we’ve been through, you still think I look at you as the Visionary first?”

 
     

     
     
     
                  My breath eased out slowly. I had hurt him.
                  “Don’t you know?” Lynne asked and flicked her nosy eyes between us. “You’re in each other’s minds all day and night.”
                  “We leave a few stones unturned,” Caleb answered gruffly. “We like to leave some mystery. We like to talk about things instead of just always knowing everything.”
                  She glared at Kyle—just a small flick of her eyes. “This big dork won’t stay out of my head.”
                  Kyle ignored her and squinted at Caleb, shaking his head a little. “You don’t see her as the Visionary first? Really?”
                  “She’s my significant first,” Caleb said harder.
                  I was a little surprised by it. No, I hadn’t really thought much about it. I had always assumed the two things were neck and neck but Visionary was probably winning. He had just stolen me from a meeting though, hadn’t he?
                  “But you weren’t that way in California,” Kyle reminded him. “When we