“I see. Well, if you don’t want him, is he single?” She wiggled her eyebrows and laughed.
A scowl slid onto my face for a split second.
No. Kansas was mine.
“He is, I think. But that doesn’t matter because this weekend he’s all mine.” We reached our cars, then hugged each other.“Plus, you’re with Micah.”
“Yeah, but who wouldn’t want two hot men fawning over them?” She nodded, and when I gave her a blank face, she rolled her eyes. “You have too many secrets. I demand you introduce us.”
Oh, she had no idea how many secrets I kept.
“Fine. Maybe Saturday night. I want a little time with him alone first to catch up.”
She gave me a knowing smirk and winked. “Sure.Catch upand then text me.”
It was getting dark and I was ready to go home. I drove back to my two-story house I’d inherited from my foster mother. We’d grown close and when she passed away, I was left everything.I pulled into the driveway and parked. I reached for my seatbelt and then froze.Someone was sitting on my porch.
Rule 3 - Kansas
Be her friend.
Eisley’s maroon, rust-covered, hatchback pulled into the driveway. She parked and stared at the porch.I stood and started down the steps.
A huge smile spread across her face and she threw open her car door. “Kansas! You’re early!” She ran across her lawn and launched herself at me.
I wrapped my arms around her and spun her. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“Well, it worked!” Her giggle made my mood soar.
I set her down, and she chastised me by smacking my chest. “You nearly made me pee myself.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time you’ve been that scared.” I reached for her hips and pulled her back into my embrace. God, she was so beautiful. Time had only made her more desirable. I leaned down and tried to kiss her, but she turned her head and my lips touched her soft cheek. Both of us tried to pretend that the blunder didn’t happen. I let her go and reached for the back of my neck, rubbing it awkwardly.
She forced a light chuckle and stepped back.
“I like the new glasses.” She tapped her nose. “And the septum piercing? Where is the man I waved goodbye to last year?”
I tapped the side of my glasses. They were large, with half wire, half thick black frame on top. “I’m an educated man now.”
“I see that. And you’ve bulked up. You’re huge!” She squeezed my forearms with a grin.
Pride swelled in my chest, and I flexed my pecs under my shirt. I’d specifically chosen a tighter-fitting one today to show off just how much work I’d done on myself. “There’s a free gym on campus. It helps me blow off steam.”
“Well, college is doing wonders for you. You look great, Kansas.”A cold gust of October wind swept through the trees, and she shivered. “Why don’t we go inside? I can give you a tour of the house. You haven’t seen it since I redecorated.”
“I can only imagine how spooky you’ve made it.” I took her hand, and we walked back to her house.
The walls were brilliant maroon, and everything on the wall was black, creepy, or both.
“It looks like The Addams Family moved in,” I teased her as she pointed out a few items.
“Good! That’s the aesthetic I was going for.”
“And the house is all paid off?” I paused near a picture on the wall. It was us at senior prom. We had worn black and red and looked every bit the gothic couple everyone thought we were. Only we knew the cold, hard truth of our relationship.
“I just pay taxes on it. My foster mom left clear instructions in the will about it when she died.”
“That’s great! I mean, not great about her dying,” I amended. “But great for you!”
