This time when Bailey kisses me, he takes his time, as if savoring the moment. Like we have all the time in the world, and damn, if the thought doesn’t make me smile.
“Gross! You’re making babies!” Javi yells behind us, and Bailey springs back as I tug my shirt back into place.
“Javi, you can’t sneak up on us like that,” Bailey says, his face bright red as he turns away, adjusting himself. I hold back a laugh because it’s actually better Javi walked in now instead of a few minutes earlier, but I’ll cut him some slack.
“That’s not how you make babies, buddy,” I say, stepping forward to give B a second, and the little boy squints.
“Well, that’s what Henry and Mirabelle told me when I caught them doing the same thing. How are babies made?” he asks, tilting his head.
A cough lodges in my throat, and now I’m out of my depth because I feel like five is a little early for this conversation. I look over my shoulder to Bailey for help, and he’s dragging a hand over his face while he turns our way.
“I think Bailey should tell you,” I say, throwing him under the bus.
His jaw drops, and I shake my head, catching a glimpse ofthe radio on the shelf that was the real reason I was out here in the first place. “Kait, come on.”
I grab the radio, trying to ignore the desire for Bailey’s hands to touch me everywhere. “I’m going to take this inside and look for batteries like I planned to before you distracted me.”
“Before I distracted you? Let’s not forget who was distracting on who,” Bailey says, arching an eyebrow at me. I look at Javi standing there, his gaze bouncing back and forth between us.
“I guess we’ll have to try again later, so why don’t you tell Javi where babies come from, and I’ll do anything else but that.” I offer him a cheeky smile as Javi nods, ready for answers I know Bailey doesn’t have to give him. If I didn’t think he’d try roping me into it, I’d almost consider sticking around to hear what he’ll come up with. Hopefully something more creative than the birds and the bees.
There’s a funny feeling in my chest, and for a second, I think something’s wrong. But then it dawns on me that I’m just excited. I can make myself happy, but this is the first time in a long time I think I’ve been sure of what I want. There’s a lot to figure out still, but I’m excited.
I’ve missed that feeling.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Bailey
NOW
My blood has been humminglike I’ve been struck by lightning since I kissed Kaitlyn.
I couldn’t stop staring at her as we built a fort with Javi, and all I can think about is how much I want to kiss her again. The little sounds Kait made when I pulled the braid she’s been teasing me with all summer.
We didn’t have a chance to talk about where we’re going from here, but I’m assuming there’s nothing for me to worry about since she asked me not to stop.
“B, you okay?” Mirabelle asks, pulling my attention from Kaitlyn readingThe Velveteen Rabbitto Javi.
I clear my throat, rubbing the back of my neck. “What? Yeah, I’m fine,” I say, and Kaitlyn looks at me, giving me a knowing smile.
The storm hit an hour ago, and the constant pounding of rain against the windows has been relentless in addition to the howling winds. Javi was worried at first by all the lightning, so Mira suggested playing in the fort. Javi had a lot of fun bossing us all around on where to put the blankets, and I got stuck doing a lot of the heavy lifting, including bringing all theblankets back downstairs because he said the living room was better. It’s a complete disaster now, but that’s a problem for later.
Since he’s still not supposed to be exerting himself while he recovers, Mira took Javi to the nursery to pick out some books. We’ve all been taking turns reading them to him inside the fort.
“I’m only asking because the laptop screen turned off a few minutes ago, and you didn’t even notice,” she says, and I know I’ve been caught staring.
“I just really likeThe Velveteen Rabbit,” I say, and Kaitlyn chuckles, turning the page.
“Do you think Monkey can come to life too?” Javi asks, giving the stuffed animal a squeeze.
“Absolutely,” Mirabelle answers, smiling at him. Mira told me this morning that she and Henry were going to talk to Javi about adopting him when Henry was done with training camp because they wanted to make sure things were as normal as they could be for the transition if he says yes.
I tap on the mouse pad, and the screen of the laptop I’m borrowing from Mom shows the pictures I took with her when we went hiking the day before my parents left for California.
We drove to a nearby state park, and she showed me the different lenses she prefers to use depending on what she’s trying to capture. I’ve messed around with photography in the past, so it wasn’t totally new information, but I was just happy to be there with her.
The marshes were so full of life, and it was really cool getting to see her in her element.
