“Things just went a little off thisevening.”
“No problem. And you don’t owe me an explanation. I trust you. You’re a smart, independent, and trustworthy woman, despite your pathologicallying.”
“Pathological? I don’t think so. It was a few little talltales.”
“That’s how it starts. Next thing you know you’ll be in jail for falsifying documents or something.” Kevin patted my hand. When he placed his hand back on the steering wheel, I wasdisappointed.
We bothlaughed.
“Boy, my sisters are going to be ruthless when they find out aboutthis.”
“It’s your life. No one else can make decisions for you.” Kevin merged onto the highway. “I do have one problem with this,though.”
“What’sthat?”
“I don’t ever want to meet this Edward character. If I did, I’m not sure I wouldn’t put him through a wall for abandoning you,” Kevin said in a deep, commanding, and serioustone.
I wanted to argue that I hadn’t been abandoned, that he was called away and I was sure he’d come back for me, but deep down I wasn’t suremyself.
“Kevin?”
“Yes?”
“You’re a real gentleman. Thankyou.”
When we arrived home, I reached for the door, but Kevin touched my forearm. “I’ll help you. You’ve had enough excitement this evening. You don’t want a broken ankle trying to get down out of my truck in thoseheels.”
He opened the door for me and slid his arms under my knees and behind my back, lifting me into the air and then setting me on my feet. His strength, protection, and the short trip from truck to standing jolted me with more excitement than a ride on Goliath at Six Flags OverGeorgia.
“Here, take my hand. There might be some icy patches on the way to your door.” Kevin wrapped his arm around me and held me tight to him. He led me up the front steps and stopped at the front door. “If it makes you feel any better, you are beyond breathtaking in that dress. I think that man must be insane to have not been so mesmerized that he didn’t see anything else butyou.”
I realized I didn’t have a key to get inside, so I knocked on the front door. “Edward is just more about an intrinsic connection than about externalbeauty.”
Kevin knocked louder on the front door. “I’m not a violent person and he can be about what ever he wants, but if he ever leaves you like that again, I’ll play linebacker and he’ll be part of the front line of the opposingteam.”
Footsteps sounded inside toward the frontdoor.
Kevin headed down the front steps. “Good night,beautiful.”
The front door opened to both Sadie and Avery with open arms, and I fell into them. “I don’t want to talk aboutit.”
Sadie tugged me inside, and my sisters surrounded me. After many hugs, I changed into comfy jammies and met them in the living room, where they waited with Chunk Chocolate Extreme ice cream and three big spoons. I sat between them and dug into the sugarygoodness.
“Spill it,” Averysaid.
I sighed, not sure I wanted to share that much about my relationship. “It’scomplicated.”
Sadie patted my hand. “You’re safe here. Avery will keep her comments to herself, but you need to talk. I can see it’s weighing on youheavily.”
“Fine.” I took a large scoop of ice cream for courage. “I met Edward at our normal restaurant in Decatur, the one that I met you both at that one time forlunch?”
Avery and Sadie nodded inunison.
“Well, he picked me up from there and swept me away to a party. Unfortunately, he was called away. I’d left my purse in his car, so I had no phone orkeys.”
Avery’s phone rang. She picked it up and then looked at me with a strange, raised brow look. “Um, how can you be callingme?”
I waved my hands in front of me. “If it’s him, I don’t want to talk to him rightnow.”
