“Wow, that screams I want to marry you.”
“She’s fucking awesome.” I laugh and pick up a jacket. “Never met anyone like her before.”
“I want to say that Lexi is one of a kind, and she is one thousand percent that, but Kylie…” His voice is filled with love and pride. “She really is one of a kind.”
“Yeah,” I agree with him while silently saying, she’s going to be fucking mine.
thirty
Kylie
“Okay, I’m out.” Lexi sticks her head in my office. “Your brother should be home in less than thirty minutes and I?—”
I lean back in my chair and rock. “And you want to greet him wearing nothing but a smile.” I grin big at her.
“No,” she denies and I see her blush, “I just missed him.” I swear she sighs out and if this was a cartoon I would see hearts flying out of her eyeballs.
“Aww.” I sit back up, putting my elbows on the desk and folding my hands together, “isn’t that cute?”
“One of these days, you’re going to be going through the same thing, and I’ll be the one making fun of you.” She points to me, and I bark out a laugh.
“I’ll hold you to that,” I say, the lump in my throat going from the size of a golf ball to a baseball, and it’s making it hard to swallow and breathe. I clear my throat as the tightness in my chest forms. “Have fun,” I tell her as she turns to walk out the door. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
She stops and turns around. “I’ve heard the things you’ve done.” She shakes her head, and I put my hands on my cheeks.
“I haven’t done everything,” I defend myself. “I just say no to anal.”
“Good to know that’s where you draw the line.”
“I didn’t say I draw the line at that. I’ll do anal if I can do them first.”
“You mean you would peg a guy?” The look on her face is priceless.
“If he wants to stick his dick in my ass. Yes.” I nod. “You bet your fucking ass, or his ass, I’m fucking it.”
“If you ever do that,” she holds the door open, “I never want to hear about it.”
I laugh. “If I do that, everyone is going to know. I’m taking out a billboard in Times Square. Hiring planes to fly across the sky with a banner in the back: I pegged and add his full name. Might even add his social media handle.”
“See you tomorrow.” She heads out, rolling her eyes at me, and I look back at my screen and see the cursor blinking in the middle of it.
I take a deep breath in and let it out slowly through my mouth. It’s been four days since Knox has tried to call me and FaceTime me, and each time I declined the call, letting it go to voicemail. He would then send texts, and I would respond the next morning.
But today, I blink and look out the window as my eyes start to sting from the dryness in them. Today is going to be different. After today, the only time we will see each other will be at a game or if we are all out together. I spent the last four days thinking about how I’m starting to fall for him. That I can’t let this go on any longer before we pass the point of no return. It has to be like this. It has gone on longer than it should have, longer than I ever thought it would. I’m already in too deep and I can’t let myself fall in love with him and then have him rip it away from me. I’ve learned from a very young age that love comes with strings that can be taken away in a blink of an eye, leaving me shattered. I can’t do it. I won’t do it.
I stay at the office longer than I need to and by the time I get in my car, I already have two missed calls from him. I close my eyes and head home, and I don’t know why I’m expecting him to be there waiting for me. The disappointment rushes up my veins with just enough time for me to shut it off before it hits my heart.
I walk into my house and undress, putting on a pair of pink lounge pants and matching tank top. I’m pulling open the fridge, trying to muster up the energy to eat something, but my stomach is in such knots that I just close it back up.
I head to the couch and turn on the television, but the whole time my mind is whirling around. He probably has the kids tonight, I think to myself. The more the minutes tick by, the more sick I start to feel. “After it’s done, you’ll feel better,” I tell myself.
The doorbell rings right after eight. I close my eyes and feel my heart about to come out of my chest. Tossing the blanket off myself, I get up and make my way to the door.
I grab the door handle in my hand. “You’ll be fine,” I whisper to myself and pull open the door.
The heart that was beating ridiculously fast in my chest feels like it’s now sinking down to my feet. He’s wearing jeans and a T-shirt, very casual. His hands are on the door frame as he waited for me to open the door. “She’s alive.” His face beams with a smile.
He pushes off the doorjamb and comes into the house. His hand goes around my waist, pulling me up against him. “Hi,” he says softly.
