My Beautiful (The Beautiful Series) (37 page)

Every one of us threw our heads back, laughing at Jason’s dramatics. When I looked up, I glanced around the table and smiled. I was surrounded by loved ones once again. I wiped away tears from all the laughing, and for the first time in a long time, I let myself take pleasure in the happiness from being with family and friends.

When I first returned, I had felt awkward and out of place since I had disappeared for so long, but it hadn’t bothered my family and friends. They had welcomed me back with open arms, making me feel like I belonged once again. The thought warmed and comforted me in so many ways. I was relieved to see that nothing could come between us.

We were strong, united, and unbreakable just as a family should be. The saying was true—absence made the heart grow fonder.

***

After dinner, we all made our way to the fire pit. Kyle and Jason started the fire. As they added more wood to make the flame bigger, Meg and I sat next to each other in the grass. Ted and Jane took the hammock. Afraid to tip over, Jane braced herself with caution while Ted helped to steady her. A.J. was sitting on the other side of Meg, quietly watching the flames, and Damon was next to him. When Kyle joined me, he gathered me in his arms.

As we all stared into the fire, Jason went straight to busting out the ingredients to make s’mores. He was truly just a big kid. He was always snacking on sweets, yet he never gained an ounce of fat.

“Now, these babies have some fond memories.” Jason passed out a round of sticks and the bag of marshmallows.

“Yeah, I remember you eating half the package while we each got one,” I said sarcastically while extending my marshmallow and stick into the flames.

“We were lucky if we got one.” Damon took the stick from Jason’s hand and snuck a few extra marshmallows out of the bag.

The movement showed off his biceps, and I noticed a tattoo around his upper arm. I bit my lip to stifle my round of questions. I didn’t want to call him out in front of his family. Aunt Lucie hated tattoos. I could only imagine how upset she would be.

“Hey!” Jason shouted, yanking the bag away.

“Payback’s a bitch.” Damon grinned.

Kyle spoke in a low tone, “Are they always like this?”

I sighed exasperatedly. No matter how crazy they could be, I still loved them. “Yep.”

“No wonder you are so tough.” Kyle shook his head against my hair. “You had to deal with three of them.” He chortled.

A.J. leaned around Meg to look at Kyle. “Try being the odd man out against the three musketeers. I was doomed from the beginning.”

“I can only imagine. My brother and I had to watch out for our sister, and I thought she had it bad with two brothers. But three boys?” Kyle chuckled. “I can’t even picture it.”

Jason asked A.J. to help him grab the cooler filled with beer for the men and wine coolers for the ladies. The late-night air started to cool my skin, and I snuggled closer to Kyle.

Meg spoke up and started reminiscing about more childhood memories—the seven of us hanging out around the fire, rotating sleepovers, and taking out the four-wheelers through the trails.

Since we were all born and raised in the same neighborhood, we had so many shared memories, yet we each had our own perspective and feelings about them. We had so many times when we all laughed or argued or cried together. Some of them, I didn’t even remember until someone else repeated it.

By the end of the night, we had formed a circle around the fire pit. Enjoying our limited time together, we all took turns telling stories while sipping our drinks. It was even better when the parents recalled the memories from their point of views. We laughed and smiled at each story.

Meg and A.J. were the first to leave, and then their parents followed, saying they had a busy morning. It was nice to have a few quiet moments with Aunt Lucie, Uncle Dan, Jason, and Damon. I only wished that Blake could have shared in the evening, too. I said a silent prayer for him to come home from the service safely.

I felt a sense of relief that my parents and Annie hadn’t been mentioned in much detail. It felt wrong to feel that way, but I wasn’t sure if I could control my feelings yet, especially with so many eyes fixated on me. The pressure would have been tough. I hoped I could speak more freely about them someday in the future, but I didn’t think I was quite ready to test those waters now. I thought everyone felt the same way, too, but I wasn’t positive.

Our easy conversation continued until the fire started to dim. We said our good-byes, and I even got my beloved bear hugs.

“Can we have dinner again tomorrow night, dear?” Lucie asked me.

“I can’t tomorrow. I have plans with Meg, but we can get together the following evening,” I answered.

Aunt Lucie nodded. “Okay. Have you decided how long you’ll be in town? I’d like to plan a few more days for us to spend time together.”

“Not yet,” I said, feeling many sets of probing eyes on me. “But I’ll be sure to let everyone know as soon as I do.”

Right now, the only definite plan I had was to stay through the weekend. Beyond that was unforeseeable. Life had proven to me over and over again that things could change in the blink of an eye.

When the door closed after everyone had left, Kyle and I simultaneously let out a deep breath. Turning to look at each other, we both laughed, and he wrapped his arms around me.

“Damn,” I said softly, stunned. It had been a great time, but entertaining was tiring. I felt like I had run a marathon. “Until now, I never realized how much work goes into hosting a houseful of guests.”

“We survived though,” Kyle offered hopefully, looking exhausted.

I nodded sleepily. “We did.”

“Let’s not do it again soon.”

“Agreed.” I chuckled.

Bending forward, Kyle scooped me into his arms, and I laid my head against his shoulder.

“Next time, let’s do it at someone else’s house,” I suggested.

Kyle laughed as he walked up the stairs to my room. “Definitely.”

After he gently laid me down, he dropped flat on his back against the mattress. I firmly nestled into his chest, and we were out in record speed.

I awoke to the sound of a heartbeat against my ear. It was a steady, even thump, thump. I attempted to nuzzle closer, loving the soothing rhythm, but my legs felt trapped. I kicked out, trying to free them. My head rose slightly as Kyle yawned.

After a deep, throaty morning chuckle, he said, “Good morning, my beautiful little bed hog.” He wrapped his arms around my waist and easily lifted me closer to my destination.

I tucked my arms under my chin and peered into those dreamy dark eyelashes, watching them flutter. His eyes were still hazed with sleep. He was incredibly sexy.

“Who you callin’ a bed hog?” I asked, still unable to free my legs entangled in the sheets.

Kyle’s chest rose and fell with another wave of silent laughter. “You, definitely you.” His eyebrow rose slightly. “You’re the one who is all twisted up in the sheets. And I have…” He sat up, taking me with him, looking at each of his sides. “Hmm, imagine that. I have none
.
”

I shifted again, trying to free my legs, as I held off my own laugh. Kyle reached forward and grabbed my legs. He lifted me slightly off the bed and yanked the blanket free. I hit the mattress on a
whoosh.
I took a deep breath to hold off the laughter beseeching to erupt from my chest.
I will not let him win.

Grinning like an idiot, Kyle cocooned himself in the blanket. The cool air immediately assaulted my bare legs, and goose bumps began to creep along my skin.

“Hey! Share!” I dived for the blanket, attempting to wrestle my way inside the warmth.

He held me back effortlessly. “Share? I should be saying that to you!” He laughed while evading my efforts.

As the bastard grinned smugly, I huffed in defeat with my wild morning hair falling against my cheeks.

Sitting up, Kyle lifted a corner of the blanket and met my eyes. “Now, ask me nicely,” he demanded with a smirk.

I took what little wiggle room I had and used it to my advantage. With pure determination, I leaped at him full force to tackle him. His hands automatically opened. He caught me and pivoted quickly. As he pinned me underneath his large muscled frame, I panted while lying flat on my back. In the silence, we sized each other up, and then I erupted into a fit of giggles. I squirmed beneath him even though I knew it was a wasted effort.

When his broad thigh parted my legs, Kyle’s eyes darkened with mischief. One little dimple appeared on his left cheek, but it quickly disappeared. “Ready to share yet?” His tone was soft, but he kept his game face on.

I bit my lip and shook my head in denial. I hated to give up. As I thought about my next move, my gaze averted to his strong, defined chest. I focused on his muscles as he took a breath in before slowly letting it out. He would not be moved until he wanted to be.

I realized there was only one way I could win. I pounced fast and kissed him feverishly. Even the smallest, shortest of kisses with him were full of passion and love.

His full lips felt heavenly as they pressed into mine. I trailed my hands down along the side of his rib cage, and a low rumble of approval left his chest. I might be able to divert his attention easily, but I was also distracting myself in the process. It was like eating chocolate. One bite was never enough. It made me crave more. The warmth of one’s mouth made the chocolate melt, and only then could the flavor be tasted on the tongue.

Kyle was chocolate. He was
my
chocolate. The only thing that could ruin that bite of chocolate was getting a whiff of an awful smell.

I sighed as my chocolate pulled away when the moment was ruined.

“Lily? Are you guys awake?” Jason yelled up the stairs.

“Fucking Christ, I’m going to kill him,” Kyle threatened, sighing in pure defeat. He gently maneuvered me to the mattress.

“Yes! We’re awake!” I shouted, feeling sexually frustrated as Kyle stood to his feet.

Bending forward at the edge of the bed, he dropped a kiss against my forehead. His eyes mimicked my own feelings.

“Let’s go! Get your lazy asses out of bed!” Jason called out.

“Be out in a minute!” I hollered, jumping out of bed.

We each dressed in a hurry and met Jason in the living room. As I heard a four-wheeler start in the garage, my gaze met Jason’s in question.

“Dad wants us to bring the toys home today, so they aren’t in the way of your realtor. We thought we could all go out on the trails one more time before you left. Do you want to go with us?” Jason’s expression danced with excitement.

There was still so much to do. I needed to call the realtor and tell her all was clear. Not to mention, I hadn’t called Jeanine in quite some time, and I really wanted to let her know how I was doing. I felt like my to-do list was a mile long. I could surely use the alone time to catch up on emails and then maybe have a quick girl chat with Brooke. Plus, I had dinner plans with Meg tonight. So many questions about her uneasiness filled my mind.
What could she possibly be so desperate to tell me?

Although Jason’s sad puppy eyes were hard to turn down, I definitely had no time for playing in the mud.

Kyle popped into my head.
Perfect!
“Kyle!” I turned to see his surprised expression. “Why don’t you go with Jason and Damon?”

“Uh, I’m good. Besides, I’m sure we have a lot you want to do today,” Kyle responded.

I shook my head. “I’ll be fine. I need to make some calls and reply to a few emails. I have to get back on top of things before my deadlines get out of whack.”

“You sure?” Kyle’s eyes searched mine. “I can stay and help.”

“Nope.” I shooed him off. “Go have some guy time.”

“Guy time!” Jason pulled me into his familiar bear hug. “Let’s go, man, before she changes her mind. Now, we can hit the trails hard and not have to worry about her…” Jason trailed off, noticing my quirked eyebrows.

“Oh, do continue.” I lifted my eyebrow at him in question. “Worry about me…getting hurt or keeping up?”

Jason shrugged innocently, flashing his irresistible smile. “You know, I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

Kyle laughed and pulled me in for a gentle kiss. “You two fight like teenagers.”

“You should have seen us when we
were
teenagers.” Jason chortled and shook his head.

Damon popped his head in from the garage door. “Let’s go! Time to ride!”

Jason walked to the door and filled Damon in on the plans while Kyle stayed back with me.

“Are you sure?” Kyle asked again.

I nodded encouragingly. “Positive. I need to send a few emails, call Brooke, and then let the realtor know we’re about finished with the house. It’s time for me to get back into the groove of things. I feel disorganized,” I confessed.

Kyle eyed me sympathetically. “Okay.” He kissed me again. “We’ll be back soon.”

Within minutes, three four-wheelers revved loudly outside of the garage. With a ridiculously large grin on my face, I watched them make their way into the backyard and over to the trails. As I listened to the sweet, sweet sound of each motor, I instantly regretted my decision to stay.