Bed Buddies

by St. Klaire, Stephanie

  At a loss for words, all Kinley could do was look at JT and begin to laugh. The mess was fairly isolated to a two to three-foot radius around them, but they were each covered in cake and bright colored frosting. JT’s adorable little belly laugh kicked back in and Jace joined them.

  “Bud,” Jace said, “let’s get you in the bath! I better carry you or this is going to get everywhere.”

  The tot got to his feet, but before leaving the kitchen for his much-needed bath, he ran to Kinley, launching himself into her arms. “This was a good cake, Ms. Kinley. It tasted good dis way. I’m gonna take a bath. Can we still snuggle when I’m done?”

  Hugging him back, her heart felt full, leaving her speechless, her eyes filling when he cheered at her nod. Kinley had no idea why or how he was having such an effect on her, but he did…he had a little piece of her heart. There it was again. Kinley hadn’t just fallen for the dad…she was falling for the kid too.

  Kinley warmed the soup and had it waiting when her guys made their way back to the living room where she was resting on the couch. “There you are. You guys hungry?”

  “Actually,” Jace said, “I am. Hey, aren’t you eating?”

  That was all it took to boost her to her feet, jetting to the bathroom. The flu had its hooks in her now.

  Jace insisted she stay with them, where he could keep an eye on her, and JT did the same. With cool rags on her head, pillow fluffing, and plenty of kisses, they took care of her until they all crashed for the night. Jace held Kinley close while JT camped out at the foot of the bed.

  Flu be damned, they were happy…

  Chapter 13

  Cool brisk fall days were threatening to turn to winter, but as long as the sun was out and rain was kept at bay, playdates at the park were still on. That was where Kinley and JT were headed, to spend time with Sadie and Cooper. Kinley had become a more permanent fixture around Jace’s house. More time was spent with JT during the day, and her nights with Jace.

  Something had changed. Who knew a food fight with cake and a stomach flu had such power, but it did. It had been a turning point for them. Her dreams were still up in the air, where to go next with her passion for dance was still a mystery, but her heart felt at home in Pine Valley with Jace. She was content, happy, and no longer at war with all things happy and heartfelt.

  Kinley zipped up JT’s jacket for the second time in a handful of minutes, and said, “You know the deal, dude. Jacket stays on, zipped, and cozy, or we’re out of here. Right?”

  “Yes, Ms. Kinley.” Batting his long lashes and giving her a glimpse of his big, smiling dimple, he charmed her yet again before running off with Cooper. “Race you to the slide!”

  “Wow, sis. You’re like, really…good at this,” Sadie offered in surprise.

  Kinley turned and gave her sister a questioning look. “What do you mean? Good at what?”

  “This,” Sadie said, waving her hand between Kinley and JT in the distance, “with JT. He even listens to you.”

  “Oh, he listens because I give him cake.” Kinley snickered.

  “Cake?”

  “Well, cake, or sometimes gelato when that cranky old guy with the truck comes around. He really has good gelato, you know. Both JT and I have a sweet tooth, so he makes for a good little partner in crime,” Kinley admitted.

  “I’m not sure it has much to do with the junk food, Kinley,” Sadie pointed out. “That little boy adores you.”

  “Ehhh, I kind of like him too.” She laughed, playing down the emotion JT generated in her. It was one thing to recognize it on her own and let her heart open to the idea, but it still sounded odd out loud.

  “C’mon, you adore him just as much. I can see it. You are not the same angsty, world’s out to get you girl you were just a few months ago when I picked you up at the airport,” Sadie went on. “You don’t even get pissed at Mr. Moretti’s ice cream truck music anymore. This looks good on you — really good.”

  Kinley’s eyes were on JT as she listened to her sister’s words and felt them to the very core of her heart. A sweet, loving smile came over her as she said in a near whisper, “It feels good too.”

  Bolting to her feet, Kinley took off at a run after JT took a fall rushing from the slide to the swings, leading him to tears. In a panic, she crouched down beside him, inspecting his wounds thoroughly, questioning where it hurt the worst and where it hurt the least. Brushing off the dirt and debris, all Kinley could find were a few superficial scrapes — nothing too dramatic. What was dramatic, however, was JT wrapping himself around her neck in a tight hug while he cried.

  A few snuggling moments passed before JT finally pulled away, stood in front of Kinley, and asked, “Are you going to be my mom? You are a very good mom and I want you to be mine.”

  Cooper and Sadie were kneeling next to the two, witnessing the conversation in play when Sadie gasped at JT’s sweet sentiment.

  “Yeah, Aunt Kinley, you’re like a mom, just not a mom yet. But you should be a mom ’cause you’re kinda like my mom and it’s really good,” Cooper rambled in support.

  Kinley didn’t know what to say. She was stunned speechless, slightly frightened, and overcome with joy all at the same time. How did she answer this? A mom? She hadn’t thought that far ahead ever. Life had always been about dance and chasing dreams. Marriage was one thing every girl thought about at least once in her life, but becoming a mom?

  “Uh, well, uh…I’m your friend, dude. Your very good friend, buddy!” She didn’t know if that was the right or wrong thing to say, but it was all she had.

  He hugged her again, and whispered in her ear, “You’re my very bestest friend. I love you, Ms. Kinley.”

  She melted. There was no other way to describe it. JT won her over in so many ways and made her think beyond the box she had put herself in. Four-year-olds just didn’t get enough credit as the wise, little, thought provoking souls they were.

  “Hear that?” Sadie interrupted at the sound of music that could only come from Moretti’s truck. “I think we need a gelato, and I hear him headed this way!”

  The boys cheered and raced to the edge of the park to wait for the ice cream truck headed their way, injuries and warm fuzzy moments already forgotten.

  “That was something…” Sadie said. “What a little sweetheart. You okay? You know, with all that?”

  “I know, he sure is. I guess I’m okay with it?” Kinley said as a question, wondering that very thing herself. “I don’t know. I hadn’t really thought about any of this, but it doesn’t exactly freak me out like it might have even a few months ago.”

  “Well, that’s something.” Sadie chuckled. “I like this on you…every bit of it. If I had to guess, Doc Detweiler shares his son’s opinion of you.”

  Kinley’s cell phone rang, interrupting the conversation, which was fine by Kinley. She was getting used to this new life still and all the feelings that came with it. However, she was not really comfortable talking about it all because she needed time to wrap her mind around what it all meant herself. The gleeful expression she was wearing quickly became anxious and stormy when she read the caller ID flashing on her screen.

  She turned to Sadie, and asked, “Can you keep an eye on JT for a second? I need to take this.”

  “Go, I got it,” Sadie said, catching up with the boys.

  Kinley stood in the distance, pacing back and forth as she took the call, tossing a glance at her sister and the boys every so often as they waited their turn for ice cream. Just as she was settling into the life she thought she was now destined to live, fate threw her a big fat plot twist. What once would have had her head-over-heels excited, now had her at the edge of her seat. Kinley had a big decision to make — one that wouldn’t come easy. Not in the least. It only took one phone call to undo everything she had been settling into.

  Sadie and the boys had almost made their way to the front of the line by the time Kinley rejoined them. Standing beside them, Kinley didn’t say a word. She kept looking at th
e screen on her phone. It was like she was waiting for it to tell her what to do next. Her blank expression and too cool demeanor had her sister’s attention.

  “Are you okay?” Sadie questioned, full of concern.

  “Uh, yeah. I…uh…think so?” A question, not a confident statement. Kinley didn’t have one.

  “Kinley? Honey, who was on the phone?” Sadie asked.

  With a look of surprise and pale glow as if she’d seen a ghost, Kinley finally answered, “New York.”

  Jace noticed a distance between Kinley and himself all evening. He came home to her and JT making dinner, as planned, but she seemed…distracted. Not sure what to make of it, since she wasn’t offering him any clues, he made a point to ask her several times how her day went, was JT behaving for her, and point blank — was she okay?

  Her answers never strayed, one from the other, and she claimed to be just fine. She said she had a lot on her mind and was perhaps a bit tired. The mood was dramatically different this night versus every other. Jace was concerned and feeling a bit insecure, if he were being honest.

  JT was finally tucked in for the night when Jace found Kinley in the kitchen, putting the dinner dishes away. Wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, he pulled her body to his. Her rigidness faded, and she relaxed into him, letting out a deep sigh she’d probably been holding all night. Something was wrong.

  “So…what’s really going on, twinkle toes?” he asked. “You haven’t been yourself all night. Tell me what’s bothering you so we can fix it.”

  His words were sweet, endearing, and exactly what she expected from him. Of course, he wanted to fix it for her, that was Jace — he would do anything for her, she knew that much. What she didn’t know was how to tell him what was really weighing on her because she knew, like everything else, he would put her first and she just might want him to be selfish, just this once.

  She spun in his arms to face him. Her eyes filled and bottom lip began to quiver. The minute Kinley started this conversation was the minute she would be forced to face it and make a life altering decision, no matter which way that choice went.

  “I got a call today…from New York.” She paused to gauge his reaction, but he remained calm and unreadable. “Um, my ex…well, old director, called. The lead choreographer abruptly left the production.”

  “Okay. So, what does that mean?” He knew exactly who the man was who had called her: her ex-fiancé. His insecurities grew just a bit more.

  “They want me to rejoin the production as the director of choreography. I wouldn’t be dancing fulltime, but I would be part of the creative aspect and…well, Broadway.” She shrugged.

  “That’s…great. Right? It’s not exactly your dream, but close…” Jace tried to add confidence and cheer to his reply, but it fell flat because that was exactly what his heart had done.

  “Yeah, close. It would be a great opportunity. I figured dancing professionally would eventually lead there anyway. That’s what all the greats do.”

  Jace nodded. “When would you leave?”

  She hesitated, biting her bottom lip, trying to hold it together. “Friday. They need me right away.”

  “Day after tomorrow.” Surprise danced in Jace’s eyes. “Wow, that’s…soon.”

  “I know…” she whispered.

  “Hey,” he pulled her in to a comforting hug, holding her tighter than he could remember, “you know I will support you, no matter what you choose, right, twinkle toes? Follow your heart, chase your dream.”

  Kinley’s body quaked against his as the sobs she had been holding in all day poured from her body. He said to follow her heart, but that was the problem — she didn’t know where it was telling her to go.

  Without another word between them, and tears subsiding, Jace scooped Kinley in his arms, cradled her against his body, and walked to the bedroom. He moved to the center of the bed, still holding her as he went, finally laying her gently below him.

  Emotions were high, confusion, fear, and sadness raking at both. They didn’t speak because there was nothing to say, not yet anyway.

  Jace didn’t want to hold her back, keep her from her dream, and become a source of resentment for doing so. He didn’t like the idea of her leaving, but wouldn’t stand in her way. He also wouldn’t make the choice easy.

  Kinley didn’t want to be the source of Jace’s broken heart, she knew how that felt, but she also couldn’t give up the idea of New York. Second chances like this didn’t happen in that industry. What if it was a sign, and exactly where she was supposed to be?

  So, they remained silent and let their intimacy say all that they couldn’t with words. Carefully, attentively, and slowly, he made love to her. This wasn’t their hot, steamy windows variety they tended to act on. This was a different kind of passion, a different kind of pleasure — this was love.

  Jace showed Kinley how much he loved her…all night long.

  Chapter 14

  Thursday morning was spent having breakfast with Jace and JT. They told the little boy together Kinley would be moving to New York…to dance. He didn’t understand entirely, and his little heart hurt, but they got through it. It would get easier with time — they hoped.

  Jace made a deal with JT. They would make a trip to New York to visit Kinley and see her show. It appeased JT in the moment, but both Jace and Kinley knew the likelihood of the trip was slim to none. Once the initial ache of being separated wore off and new routines were established, staying in touch would slowly fade. That was just how these things worked.

  The morning escaped them, and it was early afternoon before she knew it. There was packing to do, and Kinley was expecting a package delivery. The production was sending a messenger with her airline ticket, production scripts, and music, along with instruction on where to pick up the key to her new apartment once she got there. Kinley couldn’t miss the messenger.

  For now, she was packing clothes, a few sentimental items, and the essentials. Sadie and Connor had offered to pack up the rest of her belongings and ship them the following week. Not even they had asked her stay. Surely another sign she was supposed to leave, pursue her dance career, and live her New York dream.

  Kinley almost believed her own bullshit. Truth was, if she did miss the messenger and never made it to New York, she wouldn’t lose much sleep over it. It was a hard decision to make, and had Jace asked her to stay, she probably would have with a quick yes. It would have been easier. But he didn’t, so she was leaving.

  Spending her last night in her quaint little loft apartment in small town USA, Kinley laid wide awake, despite the early morning wake up and long flight the next day. Kinley Reed was only hours from living her dream, in the city she loved, and making a name for herself. What she couldn’t get over was the heavy feeling in her chest. She was about to embark on the greatest journey, yet it broke her heart in a million pieces.

  Footsteps on the outside steps leading to Kinley’s apartment alerted her to Sadie’s early morning arrival. It was time to go. Kinley had been up for hours already, not really falling asleep at all the night before. When she would doze off, it was restless and fitful.

  “You ready to go, kid?” Sadie asked after letting herself in.

  Kinley let out a deep sigh and plastered on a faux smile. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  Grabbing her suitcase and oversized purse that doubled as her carry on, Kinley took one more look around the open space, then headed for the door. “Let’s go.”

  With last minute travel arrangements across the country, it was near impossible to get a flight out of the nearby airport, leaving Sadie and Kinley with a scenic hour’s drive to the nearest large airport in Portland. Leaving Pine Valley left Kinley with a dull ache in her chest, one she hadn’t expected. The further they ventured through wine country and distanced themselves from their small, quaint town, the sharper that ache became.

  “You ready? Got everything you need to get by?” Sadie said, breaking the silence. “Connor said your stuf
f should arrive in just over a week.”

  Startled from her thoughts, Kinley responded with as much optimism as she could muster, “Oh…uh, yeah. I don’t really need much. I’ll be getting right to work and putting in long hours for a while. Won’t be home but to sleep.” She chuckled, hoping it passed as excitement.

  “So, how did Jace take it?” Sadie ripped off the Band-Aid. “Where did you guys leave things?”

  “Um, we didn’t really leave it as anything. I mean, we weren’t even together, technically, so not really a loose end to tie. He and JT will come to New York.” Kinley shrugged. “Maybe around Christmas, to visit and see the show. It’ll be nice to see them.”

  Sadie guffawed at the nonchalant, informal take on the situation. “Nice to see them? C’mon, sis, you’re talking to me here. I’m not buying it. What’s really going on?”

  Leave it to her sister to draw out the tears. Kinley didn’t even fight them this time. She just let them flow and poured out her heart.

  “I don’t know. That’s the honest truth. I don’t know what’s really going on. This is my dream, right? Or at least some modified version of it. I may not be performing, but I’m still a major player in this, maybe even more so than as a performer. So why does it hurt so bad?” Kinley let it all out. “Why am I hung up on this fling, hoping I made the right choice?” She paused, took a deep breath, and asked the real question that was haunting her. “Why didn’t Jace ask me to stay?”

  “Oh, honey. I think he wants whatever decision you make to be entirely yours. Think about it. If you weren’t entirely sure and stayed because he asked…you would always wonder what could have been, right?”

  “Probably…”

  “Jace doesn’t want to be the source or cause of that wonder,” Sadie explained. “Honey, he loves you, it’s obvious. He just wants you happy, even if it means he’s not. Eventually, you’ll realize you love him too. Maybe you aren’t ready and just need to try this first.”