“Oh, that’s what the planners and construction people are for. Like I said: we generate ideas and throw money at them, then approve their final drafts.” He chuckles. “And do our best to not throw in any last-minute changes if we have yet another brilliant idea.”
We turn a corner, and the forest opens up to reveal a large clearing. My jaw falls open when I realize this isn’t a small road. This is Kai’s driveway.
And his house. Just…wow.
I expected a regular house. Brick or siding, windows, a few shrubs out front. This is…a sculpture. Massive windows are clad in what looks like black iron and are softened by rugged, dark red brick and wide beams of wood. The black corrugated steel roof makes it look both modern, and kind of like a barn. It suits Kai perfectly.
"I know, I got a bit artsy with the house," Kai laughs, pulling up beside another truck in the driveway. There's also a Jeep, and who-knows-what hiding in the three-car garage.
"I just really love the forest," he explains, coming around to my side to hug me close while helping me out of the vehicle. "I wanted to see trees all the time."
My heart swells at how sentimental this enormous man is about nature. Just as he's kissing the top of my hair and wrapping an arm around me, two huge men come barreling out the front door.
"Hey! Oh—” The first one stops in his tracks. "Crap, sorry to interrupt."
"Thesehaveto be your brothers," I laugh.
"Yeah, a couple of them. Guys, this is Leah. Leah, this is Kellen and Kingston."
They both shake my hand gently, then Kellen explains, "We have an ongoing rotation for swapping out the main algorithm backups." He waves a small hard drive before slipping it into his pocket. "The five of us each keep one in our basement."
"Is this a weekly thing?" I ask.
Kingston chuckles. "Nah. It's part of our chaotic natural system. Someone feels like going for a drive, he just jumps into a truck."
Kellen's eyes sparkle as he asks, "Are you the girl with the RV downtown?"
"Yes."
"Cool." He nods seriously. "I like it when women drive honking big vehicles. Dunno why."
Kingston elbows him. "Because you like tough chicks, dummy."
"Oh! Right." Kellen nods to himself, chuckling. “Hey, thanks for getting Kai to go to New York. I had to go last time. Thetraffic?—”
This feels like a great opportunity to drop a casual question. “How often do you guys travel for work?”
The brothers look at each other and shrug. “It feels like one of us takes off every…three or four weeks, maybe?” Kingston says. “But we take turns, so it spreads it around.”
“Plus we do plenty of online video calls,” Kai adds. “Like the one you helped me with.” He winks.
“But when one of us is in the mood to go somewhere we’ve never gone before, it can be fun.” Kellan grins. Wow, his eyes are nearly as striking as Kai’s. “We’re spoiled rotten, really.”
“Although sometimes it’s a ten-hour flight, not a quick chopper ride,” Kingston chuckles. He glances back and forth between me and Kai, then smacks Kellan’s arm. “We’re interrupting, dude. Let’s go.”
“Right. Sorry!” Kellan waves as they jump into their truck, then they leave.
Kai murmurs, "They're probably shocked to see us together, since I haven't really, ah, mentioned you yet." We pause on the front step, and he waits until the truck is gone before kissing me gently. "I want to keep you all to myself just a bit longer."
“Plus, the whole…you know…not knowing each other very well yet.”
His face falls briefly. Then he smiles, swings his arm around my waist, and marches us into a vast living room.
We sit facing each other on the couch as he takes my hands, inhaling deeply. “I’m an open book to you, Leah. I mean it. Thepassword on my phone is currently 567387. I change it every month. You can go search my bedroom right now. The entire house. I’ll tell you anything you want to know. You can even call my mother.”
Where is he going with this? I’ve never seen him this serious before. Yet he’s still got that self-assured smile.
I’m actually melting. The protective forcefield of tension I’ve been holding around me starts to dissolve as I realize I could tell Kai anything under the sun and he would just want to help me.
