by Lila Rose
My heart beat wildly as I shook my head, and then whispered, “No.”
He bent lower so our noses touched, and I watched his eyes crinkle as he smiled. “Because I love you.” And then he kissed me.
In front of everyone.
Cheers started, along with whistles and shouting. But I ignored it all and was swept away with the moment.
He was right. We had a long way to go before things were great between us, but I knew that I would enjoy working it out along the way.
I had the chance to hide from Kane for two weeks because I hadn’t gone to school. My teachers understood that I wanted to be at home with Momma. It wasn’t that he didn’t try to come around. He did, multiple times, and once Momma knew I wasn’t going to answer the door or speak with him, she, in her polite way, told him to give me time, that I had a screw loose.
Even when I told her after the first time he came, it just wouldn’t work between the two of us because we were from different worlds. She scoffed and told me to get my head out of my butt.
It was good to see her back to normal. I have never been worried like that before in my whole life, and I never wanted to be again.
The one great thing that did come from the accident was Alex. She’s like the sister I’d never had. Every day we talked over the phone. What was also great was that Momma had her first date in…well, a long time, with Alex’s dad, and I couldn’t have chosen a more perfect guy for her.
It was great to see her fuss, and be shy and embarrassed over her first date. It gave me a lot of ammunition to tease her with.
But what was more than great, better than anything so far, was to see my momma happy.
“Skylar, will you get that damn phone?” Momma yelled from the living area.
Honestly, I hadn’t even heard it. I got up from my bed and took the seven steps out into the kitchen to grab the phone on the wall.
“Hello?”
“Hi, is this Skylar?” A deep male voice asked.
“Yeeeah?”
“Oh, good. Skylar, this is Mr Stanley, Dommy’s father.”
My heart jumped into my throat, and I gripped the phone harder.
“Is everything all right? Is Dommy okay? Kane?”
He chuckled. “Yes, sorry to scare you after everything you have been through. I was only calling…you see, I have to be at a meeting soon, and Rosa has a doctor’s appointment, and Kane is at school. He mentioned you hadn’t been attending, so I was hoping you would be able to mind Dommy for me?”
I deflated my tense shoulders and said, “Oh, um…I think I can make it. Let me just check with my momma.”
“Of course.”
I covered the mouth piece and turned to Momma, who was sitting on the couch watching Dr Phil. “Momma—”
“Go, get.”
“But you don’t even know where. For all you know, it could be some drug dealer on the phone asking if I’d sell crack to school kids.”
“And I’d be fine with that if it got you out of this house. You’re driving me crazy.”
I sighed and put the phone back up to my ear. “Mr Stanley, I would love to come and play with Dommy.”
“Great. Do I need to send a car for you?”
And there we have yet another reason why Kane and I were worlds apart.
“No thanks. The bus should be past here soon. I’ll just catch that. Only if that’s okay, I mean, can you wait until I get there for your meeting?”
“Yes, I can wait. See you when you get here, Skylar.”
He hung up and left me thinking he was nicer than what I had first thought. Maybe it was just Kane’s mother who hated me and thought I was a nobody.
*
Standing out the front of Kane’s house for the first time since that night sent chills down my spine. I looked up to the shining sun and was thankful once again that everything was good.
Walking up the drive, I suddenly felt nervous. I could only hope that Mr Stanley would be home before Kane had the chance to get home from school. I looked at my watch. Three hours should be enough for a meeting, right?
I knocked on the front door, and it opened quickly to a smiling Mr Stanley.
“Skylar, thank you very much for coming.” He gestured for me to enter, so I stepped in.
“Not a problem. I think Momma was actually starting to get sick of me at home anyway. She’ll probably have me back at school next week.”
He laughed. “I’ve got to head out now. I think Dommy’s in the library.”
“Okay, thanks.” I moved off towards the library.
“Skylar?”
I turned. “Yes?”
“Mrs Stanley and I are no longer…together. So I hope to see you here more often. I know Dommy has missed you.”
Oh. Wow. That was nice of him. Strange, but nice.
“Um, I guess…I…Dommy could come to my house anytime to see me. Anytime you need her watched, I’d be more than happy to see her.”
He smiled and nodded. I turned back around and walked off once again. I heard the front door open and close before I reached for the door handle to the library.
Opening it and stepping through, I couldn’t see Dommy anywhere. Maybe she was playing hide-and-seek. So I called to the room, “Come out wherever you are.” Smiling to myself, I started looking behind chairs.
When I was down on my hands and knees looking under the large table and chairs where Kane and I studied, I heard the library door open.
The little sneak was playing me.
I jumped up, ready to run after her, only to stop, my hand flying to my chest as my heart sped when I came face-to-face with Kane.
“W—what are you doing here? Where’s Dommy?”
He smiled down at me. “Dommy’s out with Dad for the afternoon.”
I scowl at him and placed my hands on my hips. “What do you mean she’s out with your dad? I’m supposed to be minding her.”
“Sky, don’t be too mad. This was the only way I was going to get to see you.” He took a step closer. I backed up one.
“Your dad was in on this?”
His smile widened. “It was his idea. He was sick of seeing me mope around.”
“Why? Why would he do this?”
I didn’t understand.
“He knows who would make me happy, so he’s gone about to…hopefully, fix this—us.”
“Us?” I shook my head. “There is no us.”
He stepped closer again. “I want there to be,” he uttered.
Looking at the floor, I whispered back, “No. You don’t. You can’t.”
“I do and I can. Donna and I are never getting back together; she isn’t the one that plays on my mind constantly. She isn’t the one for me. Even my dad knew this.”
“Don’t you see the trouble you’ll get if you rock up to school…with me at your side?”
“Is that the only reason holding you back? Because I don’t give a shit what everyone thinks, and I thought you were the same.” He reached for me and placed his hands on my waist, pulling me closer so our feet touch. “I only want to be with you.”
My heart felt like it was thumping so hard in my chest it would burst out. Did I want this? Hell yeah. But I was scared that this—us, being together, would come and bite us both on the ass and cause us nothing but trouble.
So was I willing to take the risk? For us to come together and give…a relationship with Kane a go?
Yes!
I looked up into his eyes, and whatever he saw in my own eyes had him smiling so wide I thought his face would crack, and then he was kissing me.
No matter what anyone would say. No matter what anyone would think. This was worth it. He was worth it. Because Kane could certainly kiss.
t-filter: grayscale(100%); -moz-filter: grayscale(100%); -o-filter: grayscale(100%); -ms-filter: grayscale(100%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share
