“Elaine is right, your home is lovely. It will be plenty big enough, since not everyone
will attend the graveside service, and of those that do, not all will come back here
for food,” his mama said to Kayla.
“Are you sure, Carol? I mean, where will everyone sit?” Kayla asked his mama.
“Did you get those chairs Elaine told you to?” his mama asked, looking at him.
“They are at the apartment,” he replied.
“Make sure you bring them in the morning and put them in the garage. Carrie can set
them up while Elaine picks up the food and I’ll take care of setting everything out,”
his mother said. Buck whined at all of her orders. She eyed the dog. “As much as I
appreciate what you did for my son, we are going to have to find a place to stash
you tomorrow. You’re a pretty fella but scary.”
Turning back to Kayla she continued, “Don’t you worry about a thing. Me and the girls
have done this more times than I care to think about. You can help us on Wednesday,
though. We need to find a place big enough to hold Christmas around here. Have you
seen Ronnie’s little apartment? It’ll never do. It’s way too small.”
“Your family is welcome to have your Christmas here. It’s just Addie and I now,” Kayla
choked out. “It might be nice for her to have other people around actually.”
This was why he loved his mama. Her ability to talk you into what she wanted and make
you think it was your idea. He watched as the older woman made a show of considering
Kayla’s offer.
“Are you sure? My daughter, Emmy, and her boyfriend, Sam, will be here tomorrow and
my other daughter, Chrissy, should be too. That’s a lot of people when one is used
to only two. We wouldn’t want to impose,” his mama said, patting Kayla’s hand.
“No, it will be fine. Though we don’t usually have a big meal for Christmas since
it’s usually just the two of us,” Kayla said.
“Don’t you worry about that. The girls and I can take care of that, too. It’s the
least we can do to thank you for welcoming us all into your home like this, especially
at such a difficult time,” his mama said. “We should get going so you can get some
rest. Tomorrow is going to be hard and you’re going to need all your strength. You
call us if you need anything between now and then. You’ve got Elaine’s number, right?”
Kayla nodded and then his mama gave her a hug. He could see tears shimmering in Kayla’s
eyes, but she didn’t say anything. Elaine hollered up the stairs for Carrie and soon
enough they were headed back outside to Elaine’s Cadillac, talking the whole way.
Addie called for Buck so she could take him outside before heading to bed.
When they were finally alone Kayla said, “They…your family…they are so great. I just
know my mom and your mom would have gotten along so well.”
“Are you sure about having Christmas here? Your offer is very sweet but my family
is… Well, you just spent two hours with them,” he said, approaching her.
“For the past few years, since Mom got sick, Addie and I would have breakfast together
and open gifts and then go visit her at the nursing home. I think it will help make
this holiday a little less painful for both of us to have people around,” she said.
Unable to stop himself, he pulled Kayla into his arms. She felt so good—soft and warm,
like she belonged right where she was. If only she wanted it, too.
He held her for several minutes until he heard Addie come back inside with Buck. “I
should go. I’ll be over in the morning with the chairs and to pick you both up. Try
to sleep, and call me if you need me.”
He called Elaine on his way back to his apartment to thank her. As “mouth of the South,”
she would spread the word to Carrie and their mama. He lay awake for a while worrying
about Kayla and wishing he could hold her in his arms all night and keep the pain
of her grief away until sunrise.
* * *
The viewing and funeral went as well as could be expected. There appeared to be about
fifty people who attended. Ronnie stayed right by Kayla and Addie, supporting them
as best as he could. His mother and two sisters headed to Kayla’s house to prepare
everything for any guests who came by for lunch while he drove Kayla and Addie to
the gravesite.
Once they finally made it back to the house, Elaine ushered Addie and Kayla upstairs
to freshen up. He headed into the kitchen to see what he could do to help. Rusty was
off in a corner talking to Kayla’s friend Tori, while Ian and Seth were in the kitchen.
Kaitlyn and Chase headed down to the basement with his two nephews to play video games.
His father sat in the living room reading the local paper and talking to Jack and
a couple of ladies from Mary’s church.
Finding his mama making coffee, Ronnie approached her and hugged her shoulders and
said, “Thanks, Mama…for all this.”
“I like this one a lot, Ronnie. She’s smart and sweet and will eventually figure out
that you’re the perfect fit for her. Let her get through this initial pain of her
loss and I promise she’ll come around. And that little Addie is just too cute.”
“Did Ronnie mention he’s coaching Addie’s team?” Seth asked Carol as he entered the
kitchen followed by Elaine and Kayla.
“You are? You didn’t mention that last time you called,” his mother said.
“He’s done great with them. They made it to State!” Seth continued, grinning like
a monkey that had found an island full of banana trees.
“What sport does she play?” Elaine asked Kayla. As though she didn’t already know,
as though the CD hadn’t been all her idea.
Kayla eyed him just as his father and Jack stepped into the kitchen and Seth said,
“Competitive cheerleading.”
Jack coughed and Ronnie’s father looked confused. His mother didn’t seem to care,
but Elaine looked at him in complete shock. She realized he’d come clean to Ian, Seth
and Rusty. Elaine and Carrie knew him best. If they hadn’t guessed already how important
Kayla and Addie had become to him, the fact that he had let his friends know about
helping them with cheerleading made it abundantly clear.
He was in love with Kayla.
Addie was Kayla’s world, which made her equally important to him, important enough
to coach her cheerleading squad.
The awkward moment passed as people began filling their plates. Carrie made a plate
for Kayla and Elaine sat down next to her with a plate of her own to ensure that she
ate. Their mama made a couple of over-flowing plates and headed down to the basement
to feed the kids. Once everyone was settled in, eating and talking, and his mother
came back upstairs, he made himself a plate.
Eating as he stood in the kitchen, he nearly choked when his mama stopped in front
of him and said, “Now you make sure you let your daddy and I know when this state
cheer competition is so we can come up. I think we’ll fly this time, though. All that
driving is hard on your daddy. He’s getting old.”
By midafternoon everyone had left and Addie went upstairs to rest. His family had
cleaned up everything after Elaine insisted that Kayla go take a nap, and then they’d
headed back to the hotel with promises to come back the next day to begin shopping
and cooking for the holiday. He headed to the basement and found several boxes of
decorations, including a Christmas tree stashed in a closet.
Just as he pulled the last box out of the storage closet, his cell phone rang.
“Mr…Sergeant Brown, this is Principal Thompson. I’m calling to see if you might be
interested in a position here at the high school, as assistant athletic director?
It’s only part-time and doesn’t pay that well, but I understand you are back in college.
I figure, depending on your field of study, there might be a full-time position here
for you when you finish school. If you are interested, perhaps we could sit down after
the holidays and talk about it.”
Ronnie had signed up for a few classes without really knowing what he was working
toward. Mr. Thompson’s suggestion of working with kids—kids like Addie, Chase and
Kaitlyn—appealed to him more than he would have imagined. The idea of getting paid
for doing what he was already volunteering for now was even more tempting.
“I think I’d like that,” he replied.
“Good, because after the pitiful football season we just had I’d like to hear your
ideas on how to turn the team around. Maybe we can get them to the playoffs next year,”
Mr. Thompson replied.
After his phone call with Mr. Thompson, Ronnie put up the tree and decorated it with
lights and tinsel, leaving the ornaments for Kayla and Addie, and put out a few other
decorations around the living room. Then he headed outside to string some more lights
up along the front of the house. It was getting downright cold outside and the sky
spit snowflakes periodically. He worked until it was hard to see because it was almost
dark.
Gathering up the remaining lights, he went back inside to find Addie in the kitchen
with a pan and a bag of popcorn. He could hear Kayla’s shower running. Putting the
lights back into the storage tote, he said, “You hungry?”
“No, I had a sandwich from the tray in the fridge. I was going to make some popcorn
to string up. Grandma used to do that with me when I was younger and then we would
hang it on the tree. I’m not sure how to make it this way, but I’m pretty sure the
microwave kind wouldn’t be a good idea,” she replied.
“Take this back down to the storage closet and I’ll see what I can do,” he said.
She set the pan down on a burner and picked up the tote but then stopped in the doorway
of the kitchen. “Is your family really coming here for Christmas?”
“As far as I know.”
“Good. I like them, especially Carrie,” she said, and then walked out of the room.
He smiled to himself as he poured oil in the pan, measured out the popcorn and found
a lid. Turning on the burner, he moved to look for a bowl and found Kayla in the doorway
watching him.
“I like them, too, and I can never thank them enough for today. They just stepped
in and took over what needed to be done. I see where you get it from,” she said.
“I hope you like them, because during the holidays they are at their best…and
loudest
.” He laughed.
“That’s good. It might help me to forget that I’m all alone now,” she finished in
a whisper.
He made it to where she stood in two steps. He gripped her upper arms in his hands.
“I’m here. At least I’d like to be, if you’ll let me. I know you just want casual
and I thought I could handle that. I like being your friend during the day and being
in your arms at night, Kayla. But I want you to know that I want more.
“And if the only way I can have you is casually, then casual it is. Even so, I will
never leave you all alone unless that is what you want. I’ll be your friend and I’ll
fill your nights, too…but no more secrets.”
She stared at him for several moments with that look of hers that made him crazy with
lust. He wanted to kiss her, to touch her, to make love to her so badly. But before
he could act on his desires he heard popping coming from the stove.
Addie came back into the kitchen with Sergeant Buck trailing behind her. “Aren’t you
supposed to shake it or something?” Addie asked, pointing at the pan.
He finished the popcorn and Addie scooped up the bowl and headed into the living room
with it. As he cleaned up, he could feel Kayla watching him. He shouldn’t have brought
all this up today, the day of her mother’s funeral. It just felt like his soul was
crying tears of need, and he couldn’t hold them in anymore.
As he ran water in the sink to wash the pan out and clean off the stove he felt her
hand rest gently on his back.
“No more secrets. I want you, Ronnie. I only asked for casual because I thought that’s
what you wanted,” she said. “I missed your friendship after you left and I’m so thankful
to have it back, especially now when I need it so badly. But I also need your arms,
your kisses and your touch, because I missed that just as desperately.”
Turning to look at her he could see the truth of her words in her warm brown eyes.
He desired her slightly parted lips like he wanted his next breath. Addie called her
mom into the next room, interrupting them once again, but he could not keep his eyes
off of Kayla as she and Addie strung popcorn and hung it on the tree. When that was
done, Addie informed them she was going to bed.
They heard Addie finish up in the bathroom, coax Sergeant Buck into her bedroom and
close the door. Then he watched as Kayla went to the front door and locked it—a clear
invitation to stay. He stood up and crossed to where she stood against the door. She
was beautiful, with her hair loose and the lights from the Christmas tree sparkling
in her eyes.
He touched her full lips in anticipation, but before he could taste them, she threw
her arms around his neck and kissed him with the force of a whirlwind. The spark that
had been smoldering for weeks now—since the last time she’d been in his arms—sprang
to life like a raging fever.
When she released him and tried to pull away, he grabbed her hair to hold her still
as he rubbed against her. “No secrets? Only the truth, right?” he groaned against
her cheek. “The truth is…I
love
you, Kayla. I want to be with you every second of every day and I want to kiss and
touch you every night.”
Chapter Thirteen
His words were as distracting as the feel of him pressed firmly against her. The few
times they had been together had been so good that her body now responded just to
his nearness. No one else but Ronnie could do that for her. It was like when a person
was truly thirsty and only water could quench that thirst. Though she tried not to
seem desperate, she found herself clutching at him in an effort to get closer.
“I love you, too, Ronnie,” she choked out between bated breaths. Every nerve ending
in her body fired at once with a consuming need for him.
He pulled back from her so he could look her in the eyes. She wanted to cry over the
loss of contact with his body but she could only stare back at him instead. Pulling
her by the hand, he guided her upstairs to her room, closing the door behind them
and dragging her back into his arms.