Chapter Twenty-Two
Xander
There’s a pounding on the door, and I’m unsure whether or not I should answer it. I mean, Kate asked me to move in, but I’m not entirely comfortable answering the door after my first night here.
Kate is in the shower, and I don’t want whoever is at the door to wait, or leave. What if it’s something important? It’s not like I can act like I didn’t hear them. The TV is on, and these walls aren’t very thick. They know someone is home.
Setting down the remote, I stand from the couch. Hopefully, it’s not Kate’s parents because I feel like that isn’t going to go over well. A night isn’t long enough for them to cool down. Kate has experienced years of disappointment from there, it’s going to take time.
I can hear the shower turn off as I open the front door, and I hope Kate gets dressed before she comes in here. Kai is standing there with coffee and donuts. At least he knows the way to his sister’s heart.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize you’d be here.” Kai looks nervously inside the apartment, “is my sister around?”
“Yeah, she’s getting out of the shower.” I open the door wider, “come in.”
“Thanks. I didn’t want to wait to get my tongue lashing from her. Knowing her, she’d draw it out for days just to make sure I’m as uncomfortable as possible.” I close the door behind him.
He’s not wrong. I’ve seen glimpses of how petty she can be. I don’t wish that treatment on anyone. “I think she’ll appreciate you coming with an offering. I’ll go get her.”
“Thanks, man.” He sets the box of donuts on the coffee table and looks around, eyes rolling at the tree still up in the corner. Before I can move toward the hall, he says, “when I was hinting at you meeting our parents, I didn’t mean for you to confront them. You have more balls than I ever could. Hell, the only reason my mom met Vivian when she did is because we ran into her at the holiday festival.”
“It needed to be done, and I didn’t appreciate the way your dad was talking to Kate when he showed up at the shop,” I shrug it off as if it’s no big deal. Truth be told, I was terrified. I fully expected the cops to show up, but I’m glad he heard me out.
“Either way, kudos to you.”
Nodding I move down the hallway to the bedroom. Kate is standing by the bed in a robe, drying her hair. “Hey, um, your brother is in the living room.”
She drops her towel and tightens her robe before marching out of the room. I wonder for a split second if I should follow after her before I decide I probably should…for Kai’s protection.
“You have some nerve showing up here this morning,” Kate yells. I wince as the words ring out around the apartment. The neighbors have to be able to hear her.
“I’m come with gifts,” Kai says quickly. He points to the box of donuts on the coffee table as I enter the living room.
“I don’t care what you brought. What gave you the right to mention Xander to our parents? I told you numerous times I would tell them when I was ready. It was my choice to make, not yours. I don’t have the picture perfect relationship that you have with them. They’ll be lucky if I allow them to stay in my life after that stunt Dad pulled.”
Kai jumps into the argument as she takes a breath, “I said I’m sorry. It slipped. I didn’t do it intentionally. I also didn’t tell Dad to go by the shop. I don’t know why he did that.”
“It doesn’t matter,” she shakes her head. “I basically kicked him out. But from now on, try to keep from slipping them information about me. If I want them to know, I’ll tell them. Do you think you can handle that?”
Kai glances over his sister’s shoulder at me. Little does he know, I won’t be much help. “Um, I think so.”
“Well, I thought you could before, and yet…”
“No,” he stands taller. “I know I can. I promise I won’t screw it up again, and I’ll stop bugging you about Mom and Dad.”
“Good. Now, I need to finish getting ready for work.” She turns back to the hallway.
“I’m just going to leave all this right here,” he sets the coffee he was holding on the table. “I’ll see y’all at the shop.”
He doesn’t wait for a response and rushes out the door. I don’t blame him. Kate is the most amazing woman I’ve ever met, but she can be intimidating. I’m also glad I don’t have siblings.
“Want me to bring his peace offering to the room while you get ready?”
“That would great,” she calls back. “Hopefully we won’t have any more issues about my parents.”
For Kai’s safety, I hope not. Work is going to be interesting today.
Waking up next to Kate is something I’m already passed used to. Except when I roll over, she isn’t in bed. What the hell? It’s unlike her to wake up before me. I pull the comforter off me and grab my sweats from the floor.
