Page 60 of Some Kind of Forever
“Baby? Did you just call mebaby?” Kayla hasn’t used a pet name with me before, and hearing her saybaby, knowing it’s just for me, gets my stomach fluttering.
“Is that okay?” She lifts her eyebrow.
“Why don’t you say it again and we can find out together…?”
She bites her lip and looks at me through her lashes. Leaning up, she grazes her nose against mine, whispering, “Chase, baby,” and the shiver that runs through my body short circuits my brain. Her nails graze against my scalp as she lays her head back down to look at me, smiling like she already knows she’s left me speechless.
She pulls me down into featherlight kisses, and slowly, my brain comes back online.
I love you.
Those are the only words I can think of right now. It’s too soon to say anything, and I’ll need to keep this to myself for awhile. I told her I was falling for her last night, but I’ve already fallen, splattered on the ground at her feet. I’m done for. But she’s about to have a life-altering dinner with her dad and new brother and sister, and I don’t want to add to the overwhelm.
To keep the words from spilling out, I bury my head in her neck and pepper kisses at her pulse. She moans as I maneuver down to her shoulder, and I cross her clavicle before she stops me again.
“We really do need to stop. I already have to fix my hair…and makeup.”
“You’re welcome,” I say with a wink and a smile. She rolls her eyes but gives me one more peck before getting up.
Moving back to the large mirror on her dresser, she smooths out the lines in her dress and swirls the front of her hair into a twisted knot. I could watch her get ready for an eternity and be just as mesmerized as I am now. The way she sweeps the bottom half of her hair across her shoulder, the swipe of her finger under her lip after reapplying lip gloss, the vanilla perfume… I’m completely spellbound.
I love you.
It hangs off my tongue, and I bite down on my back teeth just to move past the urge to say it.
We walkthrough the door of Kendall’s rental, and Artemis charges toward us. Kayla gasps as Artemis wraps her arms around her waist, giving her the tightest hug a ten-year-old can muster. “You came!” She holds on tight, and Hunter moves toward us, flowers in hand. My parents stand together in the kitchen, while Kendall settles in front of the dining room table.
“Artie, we said, ‘Be cool.’ In what world is thiskeeping it cool?”
“Shut up, Hunter. I’ve always wanted a sister, and now I finally have one!”
“Well, give her a little bit of space. Personal bubble.” He breathes heavily, trying to pry Artie off. Stepping in between them, he hands Kayla the bouquet of pink lilies with a handwritten card hanging from the top that says Welcome to the Family.
“Hey.” He gives a sheepish grin. “We got all of your favorites.” He steps from the entryway to showcase the food spread out in the kitchen right as my sisters emerge from the loft upstairs.
“I…wow. This is…wow.” Kayla’s mouth gapes as she takes in the assortment of food.
“Ashlie and Chase told us which places you liked, and Christine made it look all fancy,” Hunter continues. “But Dad and I were the ones who put everything together.”
“We wanted a glimpse into your life here and thought there was no better way to start than for us to experience some of your favorite things for ourselves.” Kendall’s wide grin shows his excitement, but he stays in the kitchen. Kayla turns toward me, mouth still open, her feet never having left the entryway. I squeeze her hand and nudge her forward.
Mom comes from the kitchen and gives her a side hug before setting the bouquet on the counter. “Welcome to the family. Now where should we start?”
“Um…definitely the crab cakes from Nando’s.” Kayla smiles, taking a breath and grabbing a plate. We load up and move to the table.
I drop a peck on her shoulder as I slide into my chair, and she gives a small grin. Wanting to feel close, I place my hand on her knee under the table. When I look up, I catch both my mom and Hunter watching us. Hunter sits with his tongue pushing the inside of his lip, trying to hide a smart-ass smirk, and Mom’s eyes twinkle as she nods anI-told-you-soat me.
“So, Kayla, I know you’re at Salima State, but I don’t think I know what you’re studying,” Kendall says from across the table.
“Oh, my degree will be in event management. I’m hoping to land an internship at the end of summer to give me some experience in the catering world.”
“Ooh, event management sounds right up my alley!” Mom chimes in cheerfully. “Is your focus more on the management or the planning side?”
“Planning, I think. I kind of do a little of everything right now, but I really like watching the details come together.”
“When does your internship start?” Hunter asks between bites.
“If I get through the interview, it will start in October and run through May, with another full year after graduation.”
