Page 59 of Kissing Kayley
“You named him ‘Glitter Bomb,’ huh?” I asked.
She diabolically grinned. “Well, Master Derek told me no glitter bombs.” She hooked a thumb at the horse. “Didn’t say we couldn’t name it that, though.”
I spotted the twinkle of evil amusement in her gaze and had a feeling she enjoyed and likely excelled at bratting.
“He’s… colorful,” I noted.
“Isn’t he pretty?” She reached out and stroked his mane. “He was just a plain disco horse until we fixed him up. We couldn’t let him be all lonely andblah.”
Yes, because a disco ball is soblahto start with.But I didn’t say that.
If I’m honest with myself, a huge chunk of my hesitation to have any kind of “party” dated back to when I was a kid. I wasn’t popular—Leo was. I have hazy memories, more due to pictures and old videos, of parties when I was little.
But when I was still a kid, maybe sixth or seventh grade, I remember inviting a few girls from my class to my birthday party.
They spent most of it trying to talk to Leo, who hid in the den playing video games to escape girl cooties. I later found out from others that the only reason those girls came to my party was to see Leo.
From that point on I didn’t want parties.
I got a few of them anyway, mostly due to friends or coworkers who legit surprised me with a cake or a night out at a bar or favorite restaurant.
Leo always took me out somewhere nice, if not on my birthday then close to it. Sometimes flying me to DC if he couldn’t make it to California. A couple of times surprising me by showing up at my work or house just to take me out.
We could annoy each other the way only siblings can but I had no doubt if anyone tried to hurt me or broke my heart, my polyglot brother would bare-handed drive their head down between their shoulders while cursing them out in several languages.
Maybe that was one of the big reasons why I’d stayed with Vic for so long. Not just because he was hot and hung and hankering to make me speak in tongues while he used his tongue on me, but because he wassafe.
He reminded me in non-creepy ways of my brother. Not because he was a highly trained Secret Service agent, either.
Because he dealt with those he cared about with the utmost integrity and would metaphorically—or literally—burn the world down by any means necessary to protect them. He was intelligent and funny and did I mentionhot?
I let the giggle of Littles engulf me and take over. There were at least twenty of them, girls and boys, and even some who, based on their outfits, I guessed were Middles and not Littles.
One of them propped a handmade tiara covered with ridiculously large and sparkly rhinestones on my head while another draped a rainbow-colored feather boa around my neck. They’d organized a good old-fashioned princess tea party for me.
Vic even played along, laughing when one of the Littles positioned a blue, homemade leather crown on his head.
I was surprised at the small pile of gifts with their colorful, hand-drawn wrapping paper, but first we had to play games, eat, and have cake.
Pin the Tail on the Donkey, Twister, and a relay game involving balloons and stuffed fish that I wasn’t sure I understood but the Littles squealed with laughter over.
Their laughter alone was worth the confusion. At some point in my life I’d felt like I’d lost the ability to laugh with abandon like that, and I’d be lying if I said a small part of me didn’t envy them.
No, being a Little wasn’t my thing, but the joy they reveled in and the laughter they brought was something I enjoyed. I would stand up and defend any of them and their choices without a second thought.
Only after the games wound down was it time to have tea and eat, with macaroni and cheese as the main dish,obviously.
I mean,duh.
And somewhere around the third course, which consisted of what were healthy and also Little-approved lightly breaded chicken—excuse me,dino—nuggets, I found myself… smiling.
Laughing.
Even Vic laughed at the Littles’ antics and banter.
When our gazes met, I felt a catch in my heart, in my soul.
In that deep, dark place no one had ever truly touched before.
