Dev wanted to go with them. He couldn’t hide it. His posture fairly vibrated from the desire. But he also didn’t give in to his desires. He’d swallowed it away and chose to stay behind with her. To protect her.
Was he doing so because he had feelings for her or was he doing it because she was his sister’s best friend? Kinsley honestly didn’t know, but the intensity of his behavior led her to believe he had feelings for her. Or was that just wishful thinking?
Jada returned from tucking her mother into bed and linked her arm in Kinsley’s to draw her into the family room. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I can talk about this anymore and still be able to sleep tonight. I need some downtime.”
“Agreed. What do you suggest?” A good question, but could Jada come up with anything to take Kinsley’s mind off Huff’s glaring looks at his trial?
Jada pulled Kinsley closer. “Why don’t we take your box to the bedroom and spend some time looking at more of the fun things you brought for our week together?”
The perfect solution. If she didn’t mind goofing off while these men were working so hard on her behalf. But she had Jada to think of, too. Her friend was asking for help, and Kinsley could provide it. Especially if she wasn’t needed out here.
She dredged up a smile. “Let me ask Dev if there’s anything else he needs from me.”
She started for him, but Jada held her back by the arm. “Do you like my brother?”
Kinsley worked hard to keep her mouth from falling open and came up with an appropriate answer. “Of course I like him. I like all of you. You’re the family I never had.”
“That’s not what I mean, and you know it.” Jada ran her gaze over Kinsley’s face. “I’m asking if you like him. As in romantically.”
“And if I did?” She extracted her arm from Jada’s hold. “Would that be such a bad thing?”
Jada scowled. “Only if things went badly between you, and I ended up losing you as my best friend. I couldn’t risk that happening. So promise me you won’t go down that path with him.”
“I don’t even know if he wants to go down that path.” Kinsley was fishing for any knowledge Jada might have, and she instantly regretted her behavior.
Jada’s eyes darkened. “He’d go down that path with you in a heartbeat. He’s only too ready to do it. He’s had a crush on you since we were young, and it hasn’t let up.”
A crush? Really? Did Jada know what she was talking about?
Kinsley took a long look at her friend’s face to see if she could gain any answers, but Jada was staring across the room at her brother.
“How do you know that?” Kinsley asked.
“He told me.” Jada swung her gaze back to her. “Several times.”
Interesting, but… “Then why hasn’t he done anything about it? He hasn’t even said a word to me.”
Jada took a wide stance, planting her sneakers on the floor as if ready to do battle. “Because I made him promise not to.”
“You did what?” Kinsley couldn’t control her surprise and her voice shot up, drawing the brothers’ attention. She lowered her voice and took a step closer to Jada. “When did you make him promise that?”
She rested a hand on one hip and jutted the other one out, her defensive posture that she’d had since a little girl. “Back in high school and again just yesterday.”
Kinsley’s heart sank. Yesterday’s exacting of a promise from Dev truly meant Jada believed they shouldn’t be together. “You shouldn’t have done that. We’re adults now.”
“I’m sorry.” Jada grabbed Kinsley’s hands and held them tight. “Don’t be mad at me. I know I was being selfish. If you want me to tell him it’s okay to pursue you, I will, but promise me, you’ll never let him come between us. Never.”
Kinsley couldn’t promise such a thing. She would like to, but she knew how romantic breakups could destroy all the relationships around the couple if they split up. If she dated Dev and they parted under difficult circumstances, Jada would have to support her brother. End of story. No matter how much she loved Kinsley, she had to side with her blood relatives, leaving Kinsley out in the cold.
And just like that, Kinsley remembered her tenuous hold to this family. She wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize it. Even if this fine man had feelings for her for years, there was no way she would pursue them.
