Crossing the Barrier Read Online Free

mother’s inheritance, on the other hand, had been significantly less, and she would have had to find a job and abandon all her charity work if the trust hadn’t allowed her to live in the house until Lily turned eighteen. The court had extended this privilege until it reached its decision concerning the trust, which her mother was contesting. In her mother’s mind, Lily didn’t deserve to receive anything from her father. After all, Lily had been a surrogate child, and it hadn’t been until much later that her mother had officially signed the adoption papers.
    Lily’s father had also made sure Charlie—who loved her as much as her father did—was managing her trust, which had irked her mother to no end. Lily was glad of her father’s foresight as she was convinced her mother would have found a way to burn through the money within a year.
    A soft knock on the doorframe brought Lily’s attention back to the present, and she looked up. She had been so immersed in the hospital misery, and her own, she hadn’t felt the new, worried presence approach her door. Her jaw dropped when she saw who was standing there, and she quickly tried to comb her hair with her fingers.
    “I’ll head to the cafeteria to get something to drink,” her uncle said, standing with an amused smile on his face. “I’ll be back shortly.”
    Lily watched her uncle walk around the boy who was still standing in her doorway, looking for all the world like he didn’t know what to do next.
    Malakai Thomas.
    Lily had noticed him during her freshman year while she was waiting in line at the cafeteria. She had bumped into him and apologized profusely. He had only smiled at her, telling her it was okay.
    Lily had never been able to forget those green eyes. They had looked so genuine, and when she had touched him, she had felt something she couldn’t quite describe, something profound, something that moved her all the way to her soul. Ever since, she had felt a pull toward the boy, and every time she saw him in the school corridors or on the football field, her heart raced.
    But she wasn’t the only one with a crush on him.
    Since he joined the varsity team in sophomore year, half the girls in school daydreamed about him, and Lily was a realist. She didn’t think he would ever know who she was, let alone have any kind of relationship with her.
    But now he was standing in her doorway, and it took all her willpower not to pinch herself. As she stared, she felt his worries being replaced by nervousness, and he scratched the back of his head, looking around the room.
    Why the hell was he visiting her in the hospital for? How in the world did he even know she was here to begin with?
    Suspicious, Lily extended her sense deeper and didn’t find any bad intentions coming from him. In fact, behind his nervousness, she felt only shyness and guilt.
    “Hi,” he finally said, looking at her, then at the floor in front of him.
    Lily thought Malakai was one of the most gorgeous boys in school, and right now he was totally adorable. He had wide shoulders and muscled arms under a school T-shirt. He had a narrow waist and muscled legs covered with faded jeans. He had a round face with full lips, and his light-brown curly hair was cut short. Lily envied him his golden complexion, which she heard he had inherited from his father, who was biracial. He had a nice smile and even white teeth.
    “I…I came to apologize,” he said, keeping his eyes firmly on the floor.
    Not knowing what he meant, Lily frowned. Quickly, he glanced at her, then looked to the side.
    “You don’t remember, do you?”
    “Remember what exactly?”
    “I was running inside the school this morning, and I ran into you. That’s why you hit your head and ended up in the hospital,” he explained quietly in a slightly accented tone, looking down at the bed.
    Lily was puzzled. She couldn’t understand why he felt so guilty. She thought he was overreacting, and his deep emotions were beyond the