Page 97 of Kane's Awakening
There was barely a cloud in the blue sky, and the pastures we passed were a thriving green. Flowers sprouted up along the fence line, and the sun bounced off the rolling hills. Cows grazed in one field to the right and a herd of horses was gathered at the other end. It got me thinking about country life and how amazing it would be to find a house with maybe ten acres of land and settle down. Somewhere that was still close enough for me to see the twins and to drive to work every day.
In that vision, Kane was with me, but I knew it waswaytoo soon to mention anything like that. So, I remained quiet and studied the landscape as we drove. However, as my thoughts went wild, something occurred to me and I looked at him.
“Your parents are religious, right?” I asked, feeling my ears heat. He nodded and gave me aso whatlook. “Do you think they’ll mind that I’m not?”
The center of his forehead dipped. “Huh. Good question. Honestly, I don’t know. I mean, when I kinda rebelled and went through that phase of questioning my faith and all that shit, they let me sort it out myself. Yeah, they voiced their concern, but in the end, it wasmychoice.”
He veered left and we went down a long dirt road. A white house with a dark grey roof came into view, and for the first time that day, I was nervous.
“Parents usually love me,” I said before swallowing the small lump in my throat. “What if yours hate me?”
Kane chuckled as he found a spot in the grass to park. “Rye, they’ll love you. But fair warning, my dad says grace before every meal and we bow our heads. Is that okay?”
“Not a problem,” I answered. “It’s his home and I’m a guest.”
“Yeah, but I don’t want you uncomfortable.” He slid out of the truck, let Molly out, and closed his door.
Molly took off running toward the back field, and he watched her for a few seconds.
“I won’t be.” I joined him at his side, taking a big breath as I viewed the farm house. “Well, here goes nothing.”
We approached the front door, and Kane took my hand. The action shocked me, and I looked at him. We’d held hands plenty of times, but not ever so openly. He hadn’t ever hid his affections for me in public, but he’d been more hands-off and only allowed for small contact, like a brushing of the cheek or a quick kiss.
Meeting his parents was pivotal, and he held onto me like it was the easiest thing in the world.
A smile turned the edge of his mouth, and he gave my hand a small squeeze. “Breathe, Rye.”
I nodded and did as he said.
The front door flew open and a pretty older woman with dark-brown hair stepped out onto the porch. She was petite and wore white capris pants and a yellow blouse.
“Hey, Ma,” Kane greeted once we were on the porch. He hugged her before pulling back and motioning to me. “Ma, this is Ryker.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said, not sure whether to stick my hand out for a shake or just stand there. I did the former.
“I’m Tracy, and Scott should be around here somewhere. I’ve heard so much about you,” she said, swatting away my hand before leaning in to hug me. I returned the hug, feeling my nerves start to dissipate. Her brown eyes darted to Kane and she gently slapped him on the shoulder. “Not enough, though.”
“Give me a break,” he whined. “I’m relationship challenged, okay?”
She put a hand on her hip. “Why do you wear your hat like that? You look like you’re up to no good.”
I thought he looked sexy as hell with a backward cap, but I pressed my lips into a line and kept that to myself.
Kane grabbed the bill and flipped it around. “Better?”
We went into the house and I was hit with the aroma of cooking food and also something sweet, as if she was baking a dessert, too. The rustic décor gave the place a homey atmosphere, and I relaxed even more.
Kane’s school pictures lined the walls. The kid in the photos didn’t even look like him. When I stepped closer, though, I recognized his smirk in one photo, even if the boy wearing it was skinny and on the scrawny side.
“See? I was a dork,” Kane said, stepping up beside me.
“You were cute. Not dorky at all,” I disagreed.
He grinned and turned away.
“So, this is the infamous Ryker,” a deeper voice spoke from behind me.
The nerves sprang back to life. Meeting his mom was easy, but his dad? That was always the part that freaked me out most. In the past, I’d excelled in meeting the parents, but Kane meant more to me than any man before him and I had an added pressure for them to like me.
