Page 4 of Waiting Forever
She snorts and pulls a crumpled tissue from her pocket to wipe her nose. “You will. You like big boobs, too.”
My eyes widen with my shock.Boobs?I lower my hand to rest behind me on the rock. “What do you care about boobs for? You’re too young to worry about that.”
“I am not. I’m fourteen, Nathan, but I still have the chest of a twelve-year-old.” She glances down at herself. “And Alex only likes girls with boobs.”
“Oh. Okay. He said this to you?”
“To my friend.” She wipes her nose again and pockets the tissue as if she decided she’s cried enough.
Knowing her like I do, I bet she has. Growing up, she learned to control her emotions the same way I did. Being raised by Navy SEALs will do that to you. Our dads served together for six years and our moms were military wives, although my mom married in at the end of Dad’s service. Emotional control is a family trait I happen to love.
“What did he tell your friend?” I give her a little nudge to her arm with mine.
She inhales a deep breath and stares at the tall leafy trees ahead. “He said, ‘Kensi will be pretty when she grows up, if she grows boobs. Then I’ll date her, no problem, but right now, I’m looking for a woman.’ Can you believe that? Like anyone in my grade can be considered a woman. He’s a jerk. And if I do grow boobs one day, I’llneverdate him.”
“That’s the fierce little tiger I know and love.” I give her a sideways hug and kiss her temple.
She laughs, but it’s halfhearted. “Doesn’t change the fact that I’m pathetic.”
“You’re not pathetic! You’re the only girl who can keep up with me.”
She rolls her eyes and then pushes back her shoulders and lifts a stubborn chin. Her turquoise gaze bores into mine. “Tell me the truth. Will I ever be pretty enough to get a boy like Alex, not that I want Alex, if I don’t grow boobs?”
“Of course you will. You’re the prettiest fourteen-year-old I know.” Truth. She’s unique—a true blend of her parents. Gets her features, hair, and eyes from her English-born mom, and her sun-kissed skin from her Italian dad. “And if Alex can’t see that now, then he’s not worth your time.”
She forces a smile. “You sound like my mom.”
“If I sounded like your mum, I would talk like this.” I fake a female voice and speak with a British accent.
She doesn’t giggle at my bad impression. She just sighs and frowns at the woods. “It’s a cousinly thing to say.”
“Only I’m not your real cousin.”
“Yep, and that makes your placating comment even worse.”
“No, it doesn’t—wait! Did you say placating? Where’d you learn that word?”
“Mom.” She shrugs. “She says it to Dad a lot when she’s not happy with him.”
I give a good belly laugh. “I bet Uncle Bryce loves that.”
“If you didn’t have to say I’m pretty because I’m your pretend cousin, would you for real date me? If you were my age, I mean.”
“Yes, and I’m telling you as a guy, not as a family member or pretend family member. With or without boobs, you’re dateable.”
She raises a brow, a shrewd glint in her electric eyes. “Now I know you’re lying, Mr. Only-Dates-Girls-With-Double-Deckers.” She stands on the rock and wipes off the back of her shorts. Tear streaks stain her pink cheeks. She jumps to the ground, straightens her spine, and brushes the hair from her face. “I’m tired of talking about this. Let’s go have some fun. Race you to the cabins.”
She takes off before I can respond. I laugh. Whoever she ends up dating in the future will have his work cut out for him.
* * *
Four years ago– Nathan
“WHERE’S KENSI?” I ask my mom. She sits at a table under the shade of an umbrella, at one of the beach resort’s outdoor restaurants. A strawberry daiquiri chills in her hand.
“Last I saw her, she ran out there.” Mom points across the white stretch of sand to the ocean in the near distance. This spring, our parents changed things up and picked Clearwater Beach for the company retreat.
“Thanks, Mom.” I walk toward the exit gate that separates the pool area from the public beach.
