“Mm,” he mumbled beneath me.
I glanced up at him and wondered if I had ever watched him wake up, as his brows knitted together slightly, and his head jerked, before his warm brown eyes slowly opened to quickly glance around the living room. Piecing together the night before in quick succession, and his hand squeezed around mine.
“The world is different today,” was the first thing he said as he glanced down at me with a smile.
I nodded, returning the smile. “Yeah, it is.”
“It’s beautiful.” The fingers of one hand grazed over my cheek and into my hair. “And so are you.”
My giggle was cut with the full lift of my heart. “Are you going to write a song about it?”
He chuckled, awakening every happy nerve in my body. “I’m always writing a song about you,” and he sang a few sleepy lines of my favorite of his songs, “Daisies & You.” He wrapped his tattooed arms around me, ensuring my body was sufficiently imprinted to his skin.
Tears accompanied my smile.
Happiness and serenades. I realized there was no better way to start the day with the love of my life.
“I’ll give you one last chance to turn back. We’ll chalk it up to a vulnerable drunken night and never speak of it again.”
“We weren’t drunk.” My eyes narrowed, and I tugged my lower lip between my teeth.
“If we lie to ourselves long enough, we might believe it,” he said with a quick jump of his eyebrows.
I smiled with everything I was, my eyes crinkled and watered, and I scooted up over his body until my lips were over his. “There’s no going back from that, Dev,” I said, tugging at his hair. “I don’t want to.”
His smile was softer, as he gazed into my eyes. “Good, then I’m going to tell you something.” His voice was gruff, lazy with sleep, and sexy in a way I had never noticed before.
“What’s that?” I asked, grazing his nose with mine.
“I love you, Kylie,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around my waist as my lips parted with a gentle gasp. His smile widened, and his teeth scraped over his full bottom lip. “I’ve never said that to anybody before.”
I pulled a hand from his hair to touch my lips, to allow myself a second to get teary-eyed. “Well …” I said sniffling, “I’m glad I could be your first, because I have been in love with you since college, and … fuck, why didn’t you kiss me that night by the lake?” I laughed, smacking my hand against his shoulder as I blurted out a question I had harbored for years.
“Well, first of all …” He pressed his lips against mine, and he smiled. “Thank you for loving me back. That would’ve been really awkward,” and I laughed, pressing my hands to his chest and pushing to sit up, straddling his waist. He smiled up at me. “You are fucking gorgeous, you know that?”
“You told me three times last night,” I teased, and his hands slid over my thighs and up over my waist as he also sat up, pressing his chest to mine.
“Well, prepare to hear it a lot, because it’s true,” he said softly, before whispering his lips over mine. “And, second of all, I was going to kiss you that night, if my fucking cousin hadn’t called me and ruined it all. I had it all planned: I was going to sing to you, confess my undying devotion, and steal your virginity.”
I giggled wildly. “I wasn’t a fucking virgin!”
“Yeah, well, whatever,” he laughed. “Anyway, I kind of took it as a sign that maybe it wasn’t meant to be. Like, maybe I was destined to be that weird guy friend you cuddle with and use to scare other guys away.”
I nodded, laying my hands over his shoulders, feeling oddly and suddenly emotional. “I wish I hadn’t been so distracted then. I would’ve … I would’ve made a move, if I wasn’t so focused—”
He shook his head. “You’re never allowed to do that, okay?”
I pulled my lips between my teeth and nodded. He never liked me to dwell on memories with anything other than fondness and love. My eyes looked over his shoulder to the daisies on the table, and I bit back the tears.
“KJ,” he said, running his hands through my hair.
My lips parted with a water-logged sigh. “I’m sorry. I’m happy, I really am, but … I just wish you could have met him. He really would’ve liked you. So fucking much.”
Devin nodded, tucking strands of my hair behind my ear. “I know,” and then, he faltered, hesitating before asking, “Did he ever know about me?”
I lowered my gaze, smiling a little as I nodded. “Yeah, he did. I told him I’d met a guy. He assumed immediately that you were my boyfriend and I never corrected him. He would ask me questions about you sometimes—how you were doing, how you were treating me, and when was I going to—” The sob bubbled up unexpectedly and I clapped a hand over my mouth.
He kept combing his fingers through my hair. “Oh, come on, Kylie … it’s okay.”
I shook my head and lowered my hand. “I was so fucking embarrassed. I thought you’d judge him, and—”
“I know, baby,” he said, and through my bout of sadness, the pet name still touched my heart. “I know.”
“I will always regret that, Devin,” I said with an affirmative nod. “I will always regret being too ashamed of him, to let him get to know you.”
With a sigh, I smoothed my hands over his hair and stepped off the couch, walking toward the kitchen. Feeling sad, and feeling amazing. Feeling like a whole new person. I spotted the bouquet of daisies, still lying on the counter, forgotten with a dirty vase standing next to them. I grabbed it and turned on the sink, when I felt warm hands slide around my middle and a pair of lips nuzzle against my neck.
“God, I could get used to doing this,” he muttered against my skin, his stubble awakening every nerve in my body. He raised his head, pressed his temple to mine, and his mouth to my ear. “Please don’t go to work today,” he said in a low voice, wrapping his arms around me. “Stay home with me.”
“I have to work,” I said regretfully, soaping up the sponge and putting the vase under the faucet.
“No, you don’t. You’re the boss.”
I giggled, washing years’ worth of dust off the etched glass. “Yeah? And what about you? Your dad wouldn’t be thrilled if you called in sick.”
He chuckled against my ear. “I won’t have to make any excuses. I can just tell him I finally made you mine and he’d encourage me to lock us in here for the next week.”
I rinsed the vase and tipped my head back against his chest. I sighed, succumbing to the comfort of his arms around my waist, the sturdiness of his body pressed to my back. “I’ll tell Brooke to come by for the keys.”
He smiled against my ear.
♪
Brooke knocked on the door a half hour later and I sprang from Devin’s lap, breaking the never-ending make-out session we had found ourselves in. I practically skipped to the door, feeling lighter and happier than I had in … I don’t know how long. Years, maybe.
I threw the door open. “Hey, I’m—”
“You know, Kylie, when you texted me, my first thought was that you were sick, because why else would you take off? So, I rolled out of bed and came over—without showering, mind you. But then, I show up and you look pretty damn healthy to me,” she said in a teasing voice, pushing past me to step into the apartment. “So, since you’re not sick, you better have some juicy—oh, hey, Dev.”
She threw him a quick wave before crossing her arms, and I immediately felt my cheeks set themselves on fire. My teeth bit at my lips and my eyes shot toward Devin, as I watched him stand up.
“Hey,” he said with a quick smile, and he jabbed his thumb toward his room. “Uh, Kylie … I’m just gonna call my dad, okay?”
“Mm-hmm,” I said, nodding, and he made his exit. Leaving me alone to make the grand announcement to Brooke. I took a deep breath, readying myself as he closed his bedroom door. “So, uh, I—”
“You guys boned.”
“W-what?” I stammered, my jaw dropping. “And who the fuck says that?
”
She shrugged as the corners of her mouth tugged into a consuming grin. “Please, Kylie, I can tell. Your hair has that just-fucked thing about it, your chin is blotchy, not to mention your …” She gestured to my chest. “And Devin? He has a hard-on that would make Trent jealous—congratulations, by the way.”
“Oh my God.” My hands blocked my eyes, shielding myself from the embarrassing flush that encompassed my face and chest.
“See? I can tell.”
I dropped my hands, unable to control my stupid smile. “Well, you’re wrong. We didn’t have sex.” She raised her eyebrows. “But, um … we did do stuff.”
And with that little confession, I dropped to one of the dining chairs and gushed with all of the secrets from our night. The bombs he dropped, the magic of his fingers.
“He loves me,” I told her, my eyes brimming with tears. “I guess I knew that already, but … he told me this morning, and, oh my God, I just … I never thought I could be this happy.”
Teary-eyed and beaming with selfless joy, she pressed her fingers to her lips. “Oh God, I told you. Didn’t I tell you?”
“Yeah, you told me,” I conceded, rolling my eyes and grinning.
“And that is the hottest thing I’ve ever heard, by the way. You are one lucky fucking bitch, I hope you know that. Every girl wants a guy like him.” She slumped into a chair, flickering with obvious envy, and I had to admit, I loved it. “But you guys are good, right? This isn’t too weird?”
“I thought it would be,” I confessed. “I almost feel like it should be, but …” I shook my head. “It’s not. Not at all. It feels so fucking right, I almost don’t even know what to do with myself.”
She nodded and as if on cue, Devin walked out of his room. Brooke eyed him, cocking her head. “Oh, hello Devin. I hear you’re good with your hands.”
“I heard,” he grumbled, shooting me a look of playful disapproval. “Thin walls.”
“Well, if I hadn’t been hoping for this forever, I’d want to kill you both right now for making me get up early. But,” she grinned, clapping her hands over her chest, “I’m just so fucking happy. Oh God, you guys … come on, kiss or something. I need to witness this firsthand, just so I know you’re not fucking with me right now.”
“Oh my God,” I groaned, tossing my head back to find myself staring at Devin. Looking down at me with his upside-down, lopsided smile.
“Can’t let her leave disappointed,” he said with a slight shrug. “I mean, she didn’t even shower,” and with that, he pressed his hands to my cheeks, bent at the waist, and touched his lips to mine.
I wondered if my heart would ever get used to this. His gentle affection and the honest rejoice of my soul. I could barely hear Brooke’s squeals of glee over the humming that coursed through every bone in my body, every vein and nerve-ending, and when he pulled away, I took a moment to open my eyes. To focus on not being too disappointed as he stood up and away.
“Oh God,” Brooke gushed, her fingers flying over the screen of her phone. “I’m sending that picture to Trent. You guys … oh my God, you guys are the most adorable thing ever. I can’t believe this is finally happening. Trent is going to lose his fucking mind.”
Devin laughed. “Oh, great. Guess I’ll expect that phone call in about five minutes.”
She stood up and grabbed the store keys from the table. “Okay, I’ll go open up. You guys can be free to consummate this thing, create beautiful babies, plan the wedding of the century, whatever you gotta do, but I’m warning you; you better be in work tomorrow. Trent just grabbed us a new kitchen table from a worksite and I need my day off to break that thing in.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Devin
“So,” I said, after Brooke left, “what do you want to do today, on our first official day of being a couple?”
The thought felt strange and fresh: us, a couple. It was good, and nothing had ever felt better.
Kylie shook her head, crossing her arms. “No, we’re not allowed to be like that.”
“Be like what?”
“Like things are different between us,” she said, looking up at me, and I laughed.
“Baby, whether you want them to be or not, things are different.” The pet name rolled so easily off my tongue.
“Actually, the only thing that’s changed is that you only kiss me now, nobody else,” she argued, and without a moment’s hesitation, she stepped forward and stood on her toes. Silently asking with her head tipped back, and my mouth obliged.
I would never deny her again.
I snaked my arms around her waist. “So … since nothing has changed, I guess we’ll sleep in separate beds?”
Her features wrinkled with uncertainty. “I haven’t even thought about that. I mean, I haven’t even thought about what I was going to eat for breakfast, let alone where I was going to sleep tonight.”
I chuckled. “That’s fine, because I already know where you’re sleeping. One less thing you have to worry about. But can I make a suggestion?”
Her cheeks flushed with excitement and the sweetest smile stretched over her lips as she tipped her head back further, those gorgeous blue eyes meeting mine. “What’s that?”
“I want to buy a new bed,” I confessed, one side of my mouth lifting into a sheepish smile. “If we’re doing this, I want to start fresh. I don’t want to sleep with you in a bed where I’ve been with other women, or in your bed, where other assholes have done the things I want to do with you.”
Her eyes warmed with her affection, her arms wrapped around me. God, being held by her was a powerful thing. “Wow,” she said breathlessly, stepping forward to press her cheek to my chest. “You don’t waste any time, huh?”
I questioned momentarily if I had pushed too much, too soon. It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours and I was already professing my love and demanding we buy a new mattress to sleep on together. My chin touched the top of her head and I considered backpedaling. Giving her time to adjust to the knowledge that she was it for me—this, this was it for me. It was my dream to be hers, and I was done living half a life.
But before I could take it back, I felt her smile. She squeezed my waist, and said, “We’ll use my room. It’s bigger, and we can get a California King bed. Then, your feet won’t hang over the—”
My chuckle interrupted her, and she took a step back. “What’s funny?”
“Nothing,” I said, kissing the top of her head. “I just love you.”
Those little words slipped past my lips. They felt more natural than breathing. They fed my soul, fed my voice, fed my lyrics and the strings on my guitar. She exhaled softly, melting against my chest.
“I love you too, Devin.”
♪
I was handing the salesman my credit card when Kylie’s phone rang. She pulled it out of her messenger bag and checked the Caller ID.
It took three seconds for her face to drain of color.
“KJ?” I asked, urging the concern to stay out of my voice.
“It’s my mom,” she said tersely.
“You sound thrilled about that,” the salesman mentioned, making casual conversation as he swiped my card. “Okay, will you be pickin’ it up or should we have it delivered?”
“I’d really like it tonight,” I admitted.
He nodded sympathetically. “I understand, but it’s just that we don’t actually have it in stock at the moment. We can have it to you by the end of tomorrow night, if that’s okay.”
I opened my mouth to protest childishly, when Kylie put her hand on my arm. “Dev, it’s one night.” She turned to him and smiled. “Tomorrow’s fine. Thank you, have a good day.”
“You too,” he replied with a small nod as he handed back my credit card.
“Thanks, man,” I said, threading my fingers with Kylie’s as we walked to the elevator. “Are you going to call her back?” I asked, and she sighed.
“Yeah, but later,” she replied.
Kylie’s relationship w
ith her mother had been on rocky ground since she moved out, shortly after we bought the store. They had maintained a civil bond, but the lines of communication were minimal at best, and I struggled to remember the last time Kylie had mentioned visiting her.
“Maybe you should call her from the truck?” I offered, stepping out of the elevator with my hand in hers. “Just to make sure everything is okay, you know?”
“Devin,” she said with a melancholy tone. “I just want to enjoy today without other stuff interfering.”
“I know, but …” I proceeded with caution, pushing the department store’s door open. “I just think you’ll regret it if something turns out to be wrong. Remember, things might be rough between you guys, but you still care about her.”
With a weighted sigh, Kylie nodded her agreement as we walked through the sunny parking lot to my truck. I opened her door, helped her climb in, and shut it behind her before rounding to the driver’s side. When I got in, she had her phone out and pressed to her ear, looking at me with those “are you happy?” eyes. I flashed her my best cheesy grin.
“Hey Mom,” she said, rubbing her temple as though a headache was already piercing through her skull. “Yeah, I know. I saw your call, but we … I … um …” I glanced at her as she struggled through her explanation.
She was hiding what was happening between us, and I knew exactly why.
She felt guilty.
“Uh, yeah, actually. I was with Devin … Yeah, he was buying a new mattress,” she said, turning to me with a grimace and a shrug. “Oh, uh, my mom says hi.”
“Hey Mrs. James,” I shouted toward the phone and Kylie playfully shoved against my shoulder.
“Um, well … no, actually, Nate and I broke up,” she said, laying a hand over her face. “Uh-huh … yeah, I know, he was all wrong … am I seeing anyone now? We only just broke up, Mom …” Then she looked at me, eyes open and jaw slack, as though she was realizing how quickly this was already moving. “But, um …” She pinned her lips between her teeth, pleading with her eyes for assistance, but I only shrugged, leaving it to her own discretion.
Daisies & Devin Page 16
