“What? Why not?”
Is Hunter going to kiss me? Do I want him to kiss me?
“I think about you all the time, Kait. More than I should, and definitely in ways I shouldn’t. It’s complicated, and I don’t know what things are going to look like in a year, but I know my feelings for you aren’t going to change.”
“Hunter . . .” I trail off, utterly speechless, because as awful as it was to be rejected by Bailey, it’s nice to be wanted. Could I have feelings for Hunter?
“Just give me a chance,” he says, lowering his head to close the gap between us. I could pull away if I wanted to, but I’m not sure I do. He stops just out of reach, his nose brushing against mine, and my lashes flutter shut.
I can’t promise I’ll feel the same way about Hunt as I do for Bailey, but I can give him a chance.
“Okay,” I agree, tipping my chin up.
And then, for the second time in a month, I’m kissing one of the Walker twins.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Bailey
NOW
We’re goinginto the second hour of Javi’s surgery, and the tension in the air has me ready to climb the walls, but at least I’m sitting still.
Mirabelle started pacing a few minutes after they took Javi back, and Henry’s tried asking her to sit down a couple of times, which doesn’t seem to go very well. She just glared at him and asked if he was trying to tell her what to do. I got a kick out of it, and my mom was amused as well.
Kaitlyn’s sitting as far away from me as she can get, on the other side of the small private waiting room we’re in. Dad and Hunter were here until Javi went back, but now they’re waiting at the house with JJ and Marley.
JJ pulled me aside this morning to let me know he wanted to be here for Javi, but the thought of going to a hospital brought up memories of the accident. I hadn’t even thought of that as something he might struggle with, but I could tell he didn’t want to disappoint me. I told him I loved him, and I understood. He made me promise to keep him updated on how Javi’s doing, but there hasn’t been any news yet.
Javi wanted to call Luna before the surgery, and it wasgood to hear her voice, but with everyone around, it wasn’t a good time for us to catch up on everything. I can’t imagine what she’d say if I told her everything with Kaitlyn, but especially this morning.
Stressing about Kaitlyn is distracting me from worrying about Javi, though, even if I didn’t do anything wrong.
She looked like she needed a hug, and I wasn’t trying to pull anything. It was innocent. Just a friend hugging a friend, but maybe I took it too far by telling Kait I missed her too.
“Mira, maybe Henry’s right. You should take a break to rest your feet,” Mom suggests, and I drum my fingers on my knee.
“I don’t need to rest my feet,” Mirabelle protests, resting her hands on her stomach.
Henry sighs, dragging a hand over his jaw. I think she’s driving him as nuts as she’s driving me with her pacing. Kaitlyn hasn’t looked my way once, and I don’t know how to fix this. It’s awkward, but I’m hoping everyone else is too focused on Mirabelle to notice.
Fuck this. I stand, taking a few steps toward Kaitlyn, but it’s only when I’m a few feet away that she looks at me. I sit in the seat next to her, and Henry raises his eyebrows, clearly intrigued by my move.
Instead, he stands, wiping his palms on his thighs. “You know, I think I’m gonna find the cafeteria.Mon cœur, are you hungry?”
“Do you think they have ice cream? Oh, and pickles! God, that sounds so good right now,” she says, and I think that sounds fucking disgusting together. Henry doesn’t school his reaction fast enough, and she glares at him. “Don’t you dare make a face. I’m carrying not one, but two of your children. Knowing my luck, their heads are going to be as big as yours,” she snorts, and Thalia chuckles.
“Mirabelle, you are my whole life. You’ve made me thehappiest man alive, so you can eat whatever the hell you want,” he says, and I think I’m a little impressed with how fast he pulled that out of his ass. I guess they are married, so I’m sure he has more shit like that in his arsenal.
She sniffles, pulling her long hair over her shoulder. “You could have just said sorry for making a face. You didn’t have to make me cry,” she mumbles, and he stands up, pulling her in for a hug.
“I’m sorry for making a face. Let’s find you some ice cream and pickles. Thalia, do you want to come with us? Bailey and Kait can keep us updated if the doctor comes before we’re back.”
“I could go for a coffee,” Mom says, standing up to join them. I think she’s just trying to make sure Henry lives long enough to meet his kids.
Henry presses a kiss to the side of my sister’s head before resting a hand on her lower back to guide Mira out of the room. I feel like I should be wishing him good luck or something.
Before the door closes, he glances over his shoulder, making eye contact with me. Henry winks, but I feel like I’ve imagined it. There’s no way Henry would purposefully leave me alone in a room with his little sister to give us a chance to talk? I didn’t think he even liked me after what I did.
