Beautiful Chances (The Beautiful Series) (40 page)

Saturday came too fast.
Why can’t we rewind life? I’d even settle for a Pause button.

I sat in my seat until every other passenger was off the plane. Kyle patiently sat next to me.

The flight attendant stopped at our seats and smiled. “Can I help you? Are you supposed to be boarding another plane?”

I stared at her blankly.
Breathe in and breathe out.

“No, this is our stop. Thank you though,” Kyle replied, glancing at me. “She is just having some post-flying nerves. We’ll be on our way in just a few minutes.”

“I’m sorry, but we have to ask you to exit the aircraft. No passengers are allowed to stay on.”

“Okay, can you give us just a minute? If I ask her to stand now, she might faint.”

“Sure.” The flight attendant nodded and left.

Kyle stood and looked at me. “Ready?” His hand reached out for mine.

I shook my head.
No. I’m not ready.

“Yes, you are. You got this. Moving forward, remember? Come on, I’m right here with you.”

“I’m not ready. Maybe I need more time,” I stated, unsure of what to do.

“No, you don’t need more time. You just need a distraction,” Kyle replied, rubbing his jaw. “Do you want me to give you a play-by-play of what your little red lingerie and heels did to me last night? Maybe getting you hot and bothered would make the next hour or so easier—”

“No!” I let out a deep breath as I looked up at him and grabbed his hand. “You can only get me hot and bothered in private.”

Kyle smiled in triumph. “That’s my girl.”

As we pulled into my aunt and uncle’s driveway, everything looked so familiar. It hardly felt as though three years had passed by. My aunt and uncle had a white two-story home with baby blue shutters and matching blue mailbox. Tall green shrubs outlined the perimeter of the house with various brightly colored flowers in front. I had always enjoyed the homey presence of their house.

I sat in their driveway, knowing that their lives had stayed the same while mine had been completely flipped upside down. It was a bittersweet moment. I was looking forward to seeing them again, but at the same time, I also thought about how they were still able to come home every day and see their family. I felt guilty for feeling that way, but it was just the way that it was. Seeing them would be a painful reminder of what I had once had.

Kyle put our rental in park and turned off the engine.

“Breathe, Lily. Breathe. You’re white as a ghost,” Kyle said nervously.

I closed my eyes and breathed in and out, trying to calm my nerves. Kyle rested his hand over mine.

“If you need a breather, just tell me, and we’ll go and take a drive anytime you want. Okay?” His eyes were sincere.

I took one last deep breath and smiled at him. I was so thankful that he was with me, so I did not have to do this alone.

“Okay.” I breathed. “And, Kyle?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

He smiled. “You’re welcome.”

I turned my head back to the house. I was getting ready to open my door when I noticed my youngest cousin, Damon, walking up to the car.

Damon and I had been the closest when we were growing up. It was partially because of our age since he was a year older, but we also had just clicked the best. Damon was very tall and fairly broad with brown hair and blue eyes. His hair was much longer than I could ever remember him letting it grow. The look fit him well.

Damon opened my door for me and knelt down to my level. His smile was soft and gentle as our unspoken secret language passed between us.

“How’s my best girl?”

Oh.
I had not realized how much I missed this man until now. Unable to control myself as so many feelings overwhelmed me, I launched my arms around Damon’s neck. I felt my tears wetting his shirt as he held me.

“I missed you, too, Lil.” Damon’s grip tightened. “So much. We all did.”

Kyle was standing next to me when Damon set me down.

“Damon, this is Kyle Madison…my boyfriend.” I stunned myself into silence at the word
boyfriend.
It was the first time I had used the word.

Kyle stepped in, not missing a beat. “Hey, man. I’m Kyle. Nice to meet you.”

Damon shook his hand. “I’m Damon. Nice to meet you, too.” He smiled. “Any friend of Lily’s is a friend of mine.”

Kyle nodded. “Thanks, man.”

Damon looked over at me. “Hey, kid. Snap out of it.” He playfully pulled me into a hug. “Come on, let’s go find the others and get you guys settled in. We’ve all been waiting.”

Kyle held my hand as we walked into the house. A familiar scent instantly invaded my nose, and I took a deep breath, remembering how my aunt’s house always smelled of cinnamon. I was glad that had not changed.

Aunt Lucie practically ran into the foyer, and she pulled me into a hug. “Lily,” she breathed, emotions strong in her voice. “You’re here. You finally came home.”

“Let’s not suffocate her, dear,” Uncle Dan suggested happily.

Aunt Lucie pulled back and chuckled. “Sorry. I’m just so happy to see you.” She touched my cheek. “We are so glad you came home.”

I smiled. “I’m glad to be here, too, Aunt Lucie. I missed you all.”

Uncle Dan stepped forward for a hug. “My turn. I’ve waited three years to hug my niece.”

Stepping out of Uncle Dan’s embrace, I gestured to Kyle. “Aunt Lucie, Uncle Dan, this is Kyle Madison, my boyfriend. Kyle, this is Lucie and Dan.”

There. See? It came out easier the second time.

“Nice to meet you, Kyle,” Aunt Lucie beamed. “I’m so grateful Lily has met such a good man to be with. Thank you. Thank you for bringing her home.” My aunt was now almost in tears.

I blushed at my aunt’s speech.

I opened my mouth to speak, but my Uncle Dan beat me to it. “Good to meet you, boy.” My uncle gave Kyle a firm man-to-man handshake.

I looked around for my other two cousins. “Where are Jason and Blake?”

“Jason should be home any minute. I sent him to the grocery store for dinner. I thought you’d be starving. Blake flies home
tomorrow
,” Aunt Lucie said the last word softly. “He is still in the Navy SEALS, so he flies in early and has to head out after dinner tomorrow. It’s obviously a very short visit, but at least he gets to come home.”

Oh god.
Tomorrow
. I wrapped my arms around myself. Kyle sensed my uneasiness and gave me a supportive smile as he rested his hand on my back.

“Oh, okay,” I said.

“How about we go into the kitchen, dear? I thought we would eat at about four o’clock, so I should probably get cooking.”

“Would you like some help?” I offered.

Aunt Lucie smiled. “That would be great.”

In the kitchen, I started chopping up fruit. Aunt Lucie was the best at picking out the ripest of fresh fruit and veggies. I had always loved to watch her cook as well. She took pride in preparing the food and serving her family. She had never worked outside of the home. She’d stayed home and raised her boys good and proper…well, as much as she could for three boys, which was challenging all by itself.

Kyle was sitting in the living room with Uncle Dan and Damon. They all had a beer in their hands while yelling at the baseball game on TV. I shook my head.
Men and their sports.

I finished slicing the watermelon and cantaloupe and put them into the fruit bowl. Next, I added blueberries, grapes, and strawberries. We always used to make different kinds of fruit bowls as kids. We’d mix together the different citrus tastes to see which ones we liked the best.

The back kitchen door opened. Jason walked in with two large grocery bags and set them on the counter. I stared at him, taking in the sight of him. Jason was the tallest, broadest, and meanest of all of my cousins. He was definitely the overprotective type, too. He had a great heart and would do anything for anyone. It was in his nature to help others.

Jason gave me a broad grin. “You came.” He walked closer, his smile widening. “I thought I was going to have to go to Florida and haul you over my shoulder.”

I smiled back at him. “I made it.”

Jason stalked over to me and pulled me into a big bear hug, taking my feet right off the ground.

“Missed you, Lil,” he murmured with sadness in his voice. Jason wasn’t one to show too many emotions. That would ruin his badass demeanor. He kissed my cheek, and then he quickly turned playful as he set me down. “I’ve got no one to pick on these days.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “I’m sure you have plenty of people to pick on. You never had a problem before.”

He laughed. “True.”

“Time to eat!” Aunt Lucie called loudly.

That usually did the trick to get all the boys stampeding into the kitchen.

I winced, rubbing my ear. Aunt Lucie always did have some vocals on her. Some things never changed.

When Kyle walked into the kitchen, Jason paused, sizing Kyle up.
Oh jeez, here we go.

“Who the fuck are you?”

“Jason! That’s no way to greet a guest!” Aunt Lucie scolded.

“Jason!” Uncle Dan warned.

My breath caught as Kyle walked right up to Jason. They were almost eye-to-eye. Jason was just a tad taller, but Kyle was much broader and had a lot more muscle.

Kyle put out his hand. “I’m Kyle Madison, Lily’s boyfriend.”

Jason’s eyes widened. “Boyfriend?”

Kyle’s voice never hesitated. He was clearly not the type to back down. “That’s right—boyfriend.”

“Huh,” Jason huffed and reached out his hand. “I’m Jason, Lily’s oldest cousin.”

Kyle smiled. “Nice to meet you, Jason.”

“Likewise,” Jason replied. “I think, or I guess I will find out soon enough.”

We all laughed softly at the table. Once someone got past Jason’s rough badass image, he was really quite the softy. He did carry a big brother persona though, so as long as no one ever messed with any of his family members, he was okay. But if someone did, look out.

“Alright, boys, let’s eat.” Dan gestured for them to sit at the table.

I smiled up at my family as we ate dinner.
Wow, I missed this
. Everyone was gathered around the table, talking, laughing, and exchanging stories.
The past three years had been very lonely for me. At times, I had craved that aloneness, but at other times, I had hated it. I guessed it was my own journey that I had needed to experience.

After dinner, we all sat on the patio furniture in the backyard. Uncle Dan, Aunt Lucie, Kyle, and Damon all started to play poker. Jason and I sat back and watched.

“Hey, Lil, remember when we used to go out on the trails with our four-wheelers, and you’d get stuck halfway up that big hill?” Damon asked, laughing while placing a card on the table.

“I remember,” Jason joined in. “She would scream and hug her handlebars as the four-wheeler slid down the muddy hill in slow motion.”

Jason and Damon snickered uncontrollably.

“Ha-ha. Hey, Jason?” I turned my attention toward him first. “Remember when you got stuck in that deep mud pit over behind Zach’s yard?”

Jason scrunched up his face and then frowned. “Yeah, my four-wheeler died.”

I shook my head as Damon glared at me, trying not to laugh.

“Don’t tell him, Lil! He’ll kick my ass!” Damon yelled.

“Damon drained your gas tank, so you’d run out on the trail.” I smirked.

Damon threw his head back, chortling at the memory. Even Aunt Lucie and Uncle Dan tried to stifle back their amusement.

“You fucker!” Jason stood and glared at Damon.

Damon stopped laughing, fearing his own brother.

“I had to walk home two miles to tell Pops and Uncle Henry. And then, I had to stay off of it the rest of the day for being
irresponsible.
I’m gonna kick your—”

“Jason, honey…” Aunt Lucie was trying hard to keep a straight face. “That was a long time ago. Sit down.”

Kyle and Uncle Dan were chuckling, completely distracted from their poker game.

Aunt Lucie sighed. “I was standing next to your Uncle Henry when you told him your story of how you ran out of gas. I think he eventually figured out what happened, but he didn’t want to say anything.” Aunt Lucie frowned and paused. “I can’t believe that my brother will have been gone three years tomorrow.”

I held my breath as the others all instantly looked at me. I barely noticed as I was trying to control my own feelings.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow will be three years. And I’m home.

I got up abruptly, scraping my chair along the concrete. Kyle was at my side by the time I turned my head.

Jason and Damon stood up, watching me. Uncle Dan headed for the kitchen, mumbling something about putting away those few groceries.

“Lily, I’m so sorry.” Aunt Lucie stood up quickly and walked to my side. She placed her hand on top of mine. “I wasn’t thinking. Sometimes, it just slips out.” She shook her head, upset with herself.

I instantly felt bad for my reaction. I was making her feel like it was her fault. It was not her fault that I was still a mess. They were all to the point of coping well, but I was not there yet.

I shook my head. “Aunt Lucie, you have nothing to apologize for. You didn’t say anything wrong. It’s me. I’m not sure if I’m ready for this.” I could hear the fear in my own voice. My heart rate was increasing quickly.