Page 189 of We Shouldn't Be Together
I giggle and play with a curl. “Are you hinting for me to take you out to dinner?”
“I was hoping you’d be free.”
“My parents are used to my brothers texting at the last minute that they’re skipping dinner. It Won’t be a problem for me to do it. Besides, Dad’s working at the hospital, and it’s no fun when he’s not home to play buffer.”
“Your mom is still intense?”
“She’s more on edge at the moment. There’s this society event coming up, and she roped me into being on the planning committee with her.”
Kai grimaces. “Eww. Are you planning asnobfest?”
I giggle behind a cupped hand. “Pretty much. But you know, it’s Ashworth adjacent. Didn’t you want to get in with them?”
“Not at the risk of going to a society event. Although, maybe I’ll see an Illuminati cult ceremony behind a velvet curtain.”
“Oh my gosh.” A hearty laugh rolls out of me. “There’s no cult. No bunnies are being sacrificed. Just a nice garden party.”
His lip upturns. “Eww.”
I giggle again, leaning into him. “Life would be simpler if you didn’t keep searching for the conspiracy.”
“And just go through life blind?”
“It’s all just made-up stories.”
Kai groans. “Man, I gotta get you into the light. You’re living with your eyes shut.”
There’s no stopping my laughter from spilling out. “Oh, you’re such a goner. No one can deny Kai Nelson has passion.”
He winks. “It’s simply a hunger to uncover the truth.”
“Whatever you say.” I pull out my phone. “I’ll just text my mom before I forget.”
Kai fishes his phone out of his pocket. “Speaking of forgetting, I felt my phone buzz a few times earlier.” His eyes grow circular, and then he snorts at the screen. “Oof. I’m in trouble.”
I lean in to check it out. “Why? What happened?”
Kai locks the screen and pockets the phone. “Mom’s going off. I’ve been ignoring Milo’s calls, and Mom has to pick him up from Jamie’s.”
“Oh. That’s no biggy, isn’t it?”
Kai grins. “That’s what I thought. So what if James’s place is all the way on the outskirts? Mom’s coming in from the city, anyway.”
I cuddle into him. “So we still have more time to hang out?”
“I’m free. My brother is at my friend’s house. Side note; Jamie’s gonna kill me.”
My heart flutters with victory. “She’ll get over it.”
Kai laughs. “We’ll see. I can already feel the bruise on my arm from the next time I see her. But, I’ll focus on the wins. Milo’s occupied, Dad’s working late, and Mom’s still traveling back from the city. Your boy is all yours.”
His arms envelop me, and I sigh out happily. “My boy. I like that.”
“Oh, yeah?”
Here’s my shot. I've gotta hint harder. “I like labels.”
His head tilts, and his jaw flexes with hesitation. “Labels, like girlfriend/boyfriend labels?”
