Redeeming Kyle: 69 Bottles #3 (16 page)

“Good, I’m glad.” He kisses my forehead.
 

“Good, now answer me something…”
 

“Anything, angel.”
 

“Do you love him?”
 

“Yes, I do,” he says without hesitation.
 

“Are you in love with him?”
 

He smiles. “Nearly as much as I am with you.”
 

“Then tell him that. He needs to know, he needs to hear it and he needs to feel it. Sometimes I think that he’s thinking he’s the third wheel and he’s not.”
 

“No, he’s not, he’s far from it. He’s the frame that holds us all together.”
 

I smile. “Don’t tell me that, tell him that.” I encourage.
 

“I will.”
 

“When?” I ask.
 

“Tonight.”
 

“Good.”
 

We finish our brief chat just as Kyle leaves the store. He comes out with not just my prescription but two bags full of stuff.
 

When he gets into the car I look at him with what I am sure is a confused look and ask, “What on earth did you buy?”
 

He smirks, then from one of the bags he pulls out a big bottle of apple juice and I moan with delight. That’s become my favorite this last week or so. Then he pulls out a box of saltines. I giggle. Then out comes heaven on earth, a box of Lindt Chocolate Truffles, then a container of- “Oh my god!” I squeal when I see the label. Ben and Jerry’s Salted Caramel. I throw my arms around his neck. “You’re the best ever.” I kiss his cheek.
 

“That’s not all, but I’ll show you the last thing when we get back.”
 

“It isn’t condoms is it, because it’s a little late for that,” Talon teases him and Kyle and I burst out laughing. Mills and Tori join in.
 

And like so many other times, the weight is gone. Lifted from the air with a single sentence.
 

“I’m still going to eat with the guys,” Talon tells me as I get out of the car.
 

“Okay. If something happens between Kyle and I, that would be okay, wouldn’t it?”

He kisses my forehead. “I hope it does. I think you both need the time to connect, alone. I’ll steal mine another time.” He smiles widely.
 

“And that is why I love you, Talon Carver.”
 

“That’s all?” he teases and I laugh.
 

“No, that’s only the beginning.”
 

Talon and Kyle help Mills and Tori bring the hoard of food onto the bus. The guys immediately attack the bags and I can see Talon digging around. He breaks free of the group, bringing me my sandwich. “No onions.” He smiles, proud of himself.

“I’m not sure it would matter. I’ve been nauseous since you brought it to the car. But thank you.” He kisses me.
 

“Now go, be with our boy.”

“You’re still going to talk to him?”
 

“Absolutely. Unless you wear him out and he falls asleep.” He laughs.
 

“Alright.” I kiss him on the cheek. “Love you, big man.”
 

“Love you, angel.”
 

I slide past the hoard of men in the galley and duck into the bedroom with my cheesesteak and french fries. I set it down on the nightstand and ditch my pants and the Nirvana shirt I’m wearing. Leaving the cami on, I throw on one of Kyle’s soft t-shirts. I grab a towel out of the closet for under me so I don’t slop food all over the place and I climb up, crossing my legs. I dive in with gusto.
 

My mouth waters as I chew. So good. I moan with my food-gasm and eat a french fry. “I could watch you eat for hours,” Kyle says leaning against the wall in the doorway. “It’s one of the most erotic things I’ve ever seen. Even before we started feeding you regularly.” He smirks.
 

“Where’s yours?”
 

“In the galley. I was waiting for everyone to get theirs before I had to fight them all off. That smells amazing. The guys came over from the other bus. Apparently they bought cheesesteaks for the guards, the roadies and the band.”
 

“Jeez. No wonder there was so much and it’s like heaven on a bun. I miss these.”

“Oh, did you use to live in Philly?”
 

“No, from when I lived in NYC. I’d drive down here once every three months or so, spend the night and eat two while I was here.”
 

“You’re a food whore.”
 

I burst out laughing. “Yes, yes I am.” He laughs and it’s a beautiful sight to see. “Go get your food, so you can come back here and watch me eat.”
 

He laughs and comes to the side of the bed. “I saw this in CVS and it made me think of you.” He pulls something out of the bag I didn’t get to see. It’s a purple and black panda bear and it’s got the cutest face I think I’ve ever seen. It says Philly on it and I love it even more. I reach out for it, and he gives it to me. I hug it. Then I set him in my lap. “Lucky bear,” he mumbles with a smirk and goes to leave.
 

“Can you bring me some juice when you come back?”
 

“Of course, anything else?”
 

“Mmm ice cream,” I moan.
 

“After you eat your dinner.” He smiles wickedly at me.
 

“Why do I get the impression you might be eating more than me?”
 

He laughs again and leaves the room.
 

When he comes back I’m moaning around another bite of cheesesteak and he chuckles again, handing me a bottle of apple juice. “Where’s the stuff from the doctor’s office?” he asks as he sits down.
 

I swallow my mouthful and set my food down. “It’s in my purse, want me to get it?”
 

“No, eat, panda girl. We can get it when we’re done.” I smile and open my apple juice. Drinking down half of it before putting the cap back on it. “I stuck one of the big bottles in the freezer for you so it would get colder faster.”
 

I lean over and kiss his cheek. I leave a greasy imprint. “Crap,” I say, reaching for a napkin.

He laughs. “Leave it.”
 

I giggle and go back to my food.
 

I burp. “Oh my god. I’m so sorry,” I blurt.
 

Kyle starts laughing so hard he almost falls over. I can’t help but join in, until I get the hiccups, which only makes him laugh harder. “So not co…” hiccup “…ol.”

That only adds fuel to the fire and I try to get rid of them and fail. I end up drinking the rest of my apple juice and finally they disappear. “You okay, panda girl?”
 

I laugh, “Yes. God, that’s embarrassing.”
 

“I think it’s hilarious,” he says with a smile. “Compliments to the chef,” he says with a smirk, and then takes a bite of his sandwich. I laugh a little more. “Are you done?” he asks and I look down at the Styrofoam carton my food was in. Then I look at his. Half his fries are gone and there is still a good quarter of his cheesesteak left.
 

“Jesus, I ate that whole thing.” I fight back another burp.
 

“Hungry?”
 

“Not anymore. God, that was good.” I lean back against the headboard, holding the bear to my stomach.
 

“Let me see him,” he says and I hand over my new bear. “Hmm, baby girl?” I look at him. “Look,” he says nodding toward my stomach and I look down.
 

“Dear god. I look like I swallowed a softball whole.” My stomach is distended enough that it’s pushing out the t-shirt I’m wearing, though it’s tucked in to where my thighs come together and pulled tight, it’s very obviously visible.
 

“As long as you’re full, you can eat whatever you want.” He rubs his hand along my stomach.

“You like that, don’t you? My belly?”
 

He smiles. “It’s sexy as hell and I love it even more knowing that you’re full, feeding the panda cubs.” I giggle at his nickname for the twins. He smiles, “It’s still not easy to say that.”
 

I put my hand on top of his. “It isn’t easy to hear sometimes, but it’s reality, so I suspect it will sink in over time. Listen, I want you to do something, um, starting tomorrow. I was gonna have you do it tonight, but I think I’ve blown it with that cheesesteak.”
 

“Do what?”
 

“Well, since tomorrow is Wednesday and officially five weeks, I want you to take a belly picture of me every week on Wednesdays documenting my growth.”

“Why?” His voice is more curious then skeptical.

“Two reasons. One, I want to be able to see it from a different point of view. All I get is the looking down and mirror shot and two, I think it’s important for me and for you to document this journey. Like right now, I’m going to pull out my journal and write down that god awful cheesesteak and french fries, and document that today, here, in Philadelphia, we found out that we’re having twins.”

He smiles. “I think that’s a great idea on both counts and I’d be honored to take your pictures for you.” He smiles. “So why don’t you grab the stuff from the doctor’s office, your journal and The Book, and I’ll go throw this stuff out. What else do you need?” He gets off of the bed, handing me back my bear.

“More juice.” I smile.
 

“Ice cream?”
 

“Mmmm, ice cream,” I look back at my belly, “maybe later.” I smile.
 

He disappears and I get my purse and grab The Book from where we left it on the nightstand.

“Hey Kyle,” Talon says as I walk into the kitchen. “How is she?” I notice that Talon is sitting alone.

I snort. Then flip open her container. “I’d say she’s full.”
 

“Good god. She really ate all that?” He looks down at his in front of him and it looks like mine, three quarters gone. He makes a bloated face.
 

“Yeah, she did, plus a bottle of apple juice, she wants more, then I’m going to give her her vitamin.”
 

“Okay good.”

“Why are you in here alone? I thought you were eating with the guys?”
 

“Oh I did. They’re outside, starting a fire. We were going to jam a little bit.”

“Oh, nice. Want us to come outside? I’m sure she’d love that.”
 

“That’d be great. But don’t force her. Let her relax. She’s had a trying day,” he says quietly.
 

“Yeah, and I feel awful about it too.”
 

“Hey, don’t. We’re all dealing with this in our own way.”
 

“Not you, you’re, I don’t know, man, I never expected you to be like this, so calm and collected.”
 

“It’s the duck on the pond theory, in reality. On the surface, everything is calm and normal, underneath my legs are moving a million miles a minute,” he says hoarsely.
 

“So, why the front?”
 

“Ah, she doesn’t need that man. She’s being so strong for both of us. You saw her today, she’d just found out she’s pregnant with twins and she was there holding you up.” I hang my head. “Don’t. It’s alright. In fact I think it’s good for her, it takes her mind away from herself and what she’s feeling. Don’t make a habit of it. But she really loves you and she wants you to be good, to be okay with all of this. Are you?”
 

I shrug. “I’m better than I was before we talked. She aired some of her own fears.”
 

“What do you mean?”
 

I give him a half smile, “Everything we think we’re feeling, she’s feeling times ten. Did you know she might have run away if we hadn’t been there?”
 

He looks at me, fear in his eyes, “why?” he breathes.
 

“She feels like it’s all too much for both of us, that it’s too fast, she’s scared of what it means for the three of us,” I tell him, though I can’t hide the sadness in my voice.
 

“Jesus, she’s right though, it’s all too fast. It’s insanely fast. But…but I don’t think I’d change it. In fact, I can’t change it.” he says softly.