“Knox,” Lexi says to him, “how about you help me in the kitchen and let the brother and sister talk?”
He looks at me, waiting to see what I’m going to say. “Are you going to be okay?”
“Is she going to be okay?” Kirby snaps. “Are you kidding me right now? She’s my sister,” he huffs, “of course, she is going to be okay.”
He bends to kiss my lips before he walks with Lexi into the house and I watch him. “Okay,” I turn back to Kirby, “where do you want to do this?” I ask him, getting nervous all of a sudden. He walks toward the living room that is off the front door and sits down on one of the couches and I follow him to sit on the other one, facing him. I put my purse on the table. “I know what you are going to say,” I tell him, and he raises his eyebrows at me.
“Do you now?” He leans back into the couch. “I don’t think you do.” I put my hands on my knees. “Are you sure about this?” he asks me softly.
“I am.” I nod my head.
“You’ve never dated anyone,” he points out the obvious to me, “in your whole life.”
“I’ve dated.” I roll my eyes. “I just never got involved with anyone before,” I confess to him, “but with him it’s different.” I look at him. “He’s different.” I blink rapidly to make the tears go away. “I don’t know how it happened. I don’t know when it happened. I…” I take a deep breath in. “I didn’t even want it to happen, and I don’t know what I’m doing, but I know I don’t want to be without him. I know he makes me happy. I know he makes me smile and for the first time in my whole life,” I swallow the lump, “he makes me feel safe.”
“I don’t want him to get hurt,” Kirby says when he scoots to the edge of the couch. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I don’t want that either,” I admit to him. “I’m so scared, Kirby,” I say softly. “I don’t know what love even is.” His face turns white. “I never had anyone besides you who cared about me before. No one who loved me and treated me the way I should have been.” I shake my head. “Then this thing sort of started and…” I shrug. “I just?—”
“You are one of the best people I know. He’s also one of the best people I know.” He stands up. “But if he hurts you…” I smile at him. “Or if you hurt him,” he comes to stand next to me and holds out his hand for me, “it’s not going to be good for anyone.”
I put my hand in his and get up as he takes me in his arms and hugs me. “I love you, Kylie.” he states, putting his cheek on the top of my head, “and if anyone deserves to be happy,” I close my eyes and the lone tear escapes, “it’s you.”
I wipe my cheek. “He makes me happy. I mean, he aggravates me as much as he makes me happy,” I tease and he laughs, letting go of me. “The first clue that I liked him was when I answered his phone call after taking me to a wellness retreat in the fucking mountains without cell service.” I make a joke about it, the beating of my heart going a million miles a minute. “I’m going to do whatever I need to do to not fuck this up.”
“The good news,” I hear from behind me and turn to see Knox standing there, “is we are going to work on not fucking this up, together. I just came to make sure you were okay.”
“I told you they were fine.” Lexi comes waltzing in. “I told you to give them a minute.”
“It was two,” Knox retorts, “so I gave you double.”
He looks at me and I nod to him, silently telling him I’m okay. He wraps his arm around my shoulders, and I wrap my arms around his waist—one in the back, one in the front. “We should eat.” I look up at him. “He needs to eat.” Then I look at Kirby. “Thanks for having my back,” I tell him.
“Forever,” he reassures me, and I watch as Lexi walks to him and they share a look. “Let’s get these two fed.”
“Yes,” she agrees with him, “then we can ask all the questions we want.” She looks back at us. “We want to hear all about how this even started.”
“Well, he thought I wanted to suck his dick,” I reply, and Lexi’s eyes go big while Kirby’s face goes rigid, and Knox throws his head back and laughs.
“Of course you would start with that,” he says.
The tightness and nervousness about the conversation leaves the minute that the laugh escapes him. “Is that not how this thing started?” I look up at him and he looks down at me.
The lightness in his eyes and the smile on his face makes me feel like this is how it’s supposed to be. This is what love is. “I would do it again in a heartbeat if it means I’m standing here with you.” He bends to kiss my lips. “But she was also very mean to me.” I’m the one gasping out now. “Let’s eat.”
thirty-five
Knox
I feel the bed dip and the coolness from the covers being moved then placed back on me. I hear Kylie moving about the room as my eyes fly open. The room is still dark as I turn my head on the pillow. I’m in the middle of the bed on my back, my chest still warm from where her head was lying on it not too long ago. One arm is outstretched to the side, while the other one is over my head. Movement from the side has me turning my head to see her walking out of the bathroom wearing the yellow robe she wore yesterday. “Morning,” I mumble as she walks in front of the bed toward the bedroom door.
Her hair is pinned on top of her head. “Morning, did I wake you?” she asks me, coming to the side of the bed and putting one knee into it.
“What time is it?” I ask.
“A little after seven. I didn’t set the alarm because I didn’t want the noise to wake you up.” I smile at her thoughtfulness. “I’m going to go and make myself a coffee. Do you want one?”
“Yeah,” I tell her, “that would be good.” She nods as she comes onto the bed for a quick kiss before walking out of the room. I toss the blankets off me, going to the bathroom and slipping my boxers on before I walk in, wash my face, then head back out to the bed. I get back into bed, propping the pillows behind me and sitting up. My phone on the bedside table starts to ring. I reach over for it and see it’s Josephine. “Hello,” I answer in the middle of the second ring at the same time Kylie walks back into the room.
