Rocking Kin (The Lucy & Harris Novella Series Book 3) (23 page)

Kin’s chin trembled. “I don’t care about that. I can handle Jillian.”

Caleb’s big body crouched in front of her. “Maybe you can, but she’s going to milk what happened last night for all it’s worth. She will make your life even more miserable than it already is, sweetheart. I wish you would come home with us.”

“I-I can’t do that. I promised Mom.”

“She wouldn’t hold you to that promise if she knew what that crazy bitch was like, Kin. You know that,” Carter growled.

She shrugged. “I’m not going to give in. I don’t have to wait much longer. Once I’m eighteen I’ll leave.”

Caleb blew out a frustrated breath and turned his blue eyes on me. “Promise me you’ll take care of her.”

I didn’t even hesitate. “I promise.”

“I mean it. Really take care of her this time, Jace. I need you to do that for me.”

“Caleb, I swear I will take care of your sister. You don’t have anything to worry about, man. Anything she needs, I’ll handle it.” Our eyes locked for nearly a full minute while I tried to make him see how sincere I was about Kin now.

Whatever Caleb saw must have convinced him because he straightened and held out his hand to me. “Thanks, man.”

I shook his hand, relieved that he would trust me with something so important. He had to know what Kin meant to me. Had to understand that I loved her and only wanted her happiness.

Later that evening I went home to give Kin a night alone with her family before they left the next morning. I arrived back at the hotel to pick her up and drive her home just as the twins climbed into the rented sports car Caleb had been using since they had arrived.

As I parked my car and walked toward Kin, I could tell she was upset. By the time I reached her, she was losing the battle to not let her tears fall. As the first one spilled over her lashes and onto her cheek, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her head onto my chest. “Baby,” I breathed at her ear, “it’s going to be okay. I promise.”

Her shoulders shook with the sob she was trying to hold back. “I m-miss them already,” she whispered brokenly.

“I know, baby. I know.” I rocked her against me while she gave up on the fight to stay strong and sobbed so hard I worried she would damage something internally. The sounds that left her gutted me, but I only tightened my hold on her. “I got you, Kin.”

It was a long while before the gut-wrenching sounds finally stopped. She was limp in my hold and I lifted my head to look down at her with concern. “Feel better?”

She shook her head as she wiped her checks with her fingertips. “Not even a little.”

I traced the path of one errant tear as it fell down her cheek and pooled at the corner of her mouth, then stroked my thumb over her full bottom lip. “I’m sorry, babe. What can I do to make this better?”

She sucked in a shuddery breath. “You can’t, but thanks for being here with me.”

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, Kin.”

She didn’t respond and lowered her eyes so I couldn’t see what she was thinking. After a few seconds she wrapped her arms around herself and glanced at my car. “Can you take me back to Scott’s house now?”

I didn’t want her to go back there any more than Carter or the twins did, but I nodded my agreement and took her hand. Entwining our fingers, I led her to my car and opened the passenger door for her. Once she was settled and had her seatbelt on, I closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side.

She was quiet on the drive back to Malibu, and with each mile that took us closer to her father’s house I wanted to demand she come back to my apartment and stay there. If she didn’t want to sleep in my bed with me, there was a spare bedroom that I would give her. She could live with me and Gray until she graduated and then…

Then who knew. Maybe she would want to stay. Maybe she could go to college close by and I wouldn’t have to tell her goodbye again. Maybe…

Fuck. My fist hit the steering wheel as I neared her house, forcing her to finally lift her head and look at me. “What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice sounding hoarse from all the crying she’d done earlier.

“It’s nothing,” I lied. “Just hate that you’re hurting, babe.” That wasn’t a lie. It was torture to see the pain in her eyes. To see how pale she was and how much paler she got with every turn of the car’s tires. This wasn’t right. I shouldn’t be taking her back to a house where she didn’t feel welcome, to a family who didn’t love her.

“I’m going to change my clothes and then walk over to Lucy’s house,” she told me. “You don’t have to worry about me, Jace. They can’t break me.”

“Maybe not, babe, but that bitch will bend and bruise you trying her damnedest.”

She clasped her hands together in her lap and looked at me through her lashes, hiding whatever was in her eyes from me. “Thanks for caring, Jace. It…” She swallowed hard and gave me the smallest of smiles. “It really means a lot to me.”

“I’ve always cared, Kin.” I pulled to a stop outside her father’s house and then turned to face her. Before she could move to get out I leaned across the space that separated us and caught her face in my hands. “What I feel for you hasn’t changed except to grow stronger. Don’t you fucking forget that, babe.” I kissed the tip of her nose and slowly pulled back. She didn’t speak as her wide blue eyes watched me intently. “If you need me, I’m only a call away. No matter what time, baby. Day or night.”

She sucked in a sharp breath. “Thanks.” She reached for the door handle, seeming just as reluctant to go as I was to let her. Slowly she got out and started to turn away, but quickly stuck her head back in. “Will you call me later?”

“Call. Text. FaceTime.” I gave her a wink and a smile, trying to relieve some of that haunted look in her eyes. “Whatever you want, baby.”

“Call me,” she murmured. “I would really appreciate it if you did.”

“Then I will,” I promised.

“Okay then. Thanks…” She stepped back and shut the door but stood on the sidewalk for a few moments before finally waving and walking to the house.

I watched her go, dreading the distance she put between us with each step she took. Only once she was inside did I put my car in gear and head back to my apartment. After a few miles I activated the car’s voice command to call Lucy. She picked up after a few rings.

“Jace?”

I glared out the windshield. “Hey, Lu. Can you do me a favor?”

There was a small pause on her end before she answered. “If I can, sure.”

I gritted my teeth, mentally cursing myself. “I just left Kin at her father’s house. Can you call her? She’s had a rough few days.”

“I heard something happened at the gala the other night with the Montez family and the Jacobsons, but I didn’t really pay attention to what was being said.” She blew out a long breath. “Yeah, Jace. I’ll call her now.”

I stopped at a traffic light and leaned my head back against the headrest, closing my eyes. I wanted to turn around and go back for her. Take her home with me and never let her go back to that fucking house again. Instead, I cleared my throat, knowing there wasn’t a damn thing I could do. “Thanks, Lucy.”

Kin

The house was oddly quiet as I let myself in and headed up the stairs. I’d honestly expected Jillian to be waiting on me as soon as I walked through the door. Yet there was no sign of her, and I didn’t hear her voice as I passed her bedroom on the way to my own.

I didn’t know if I was relieved to not have to deal with her shit right then or if I was even more pissed. I wanted to have it out with her. Wanted to yell and scream and call her names and then I wanted to put my fist through her face and yell some more. She was why my real family was gone a week sooner than expected. She was the one at fault for ruining my time with my loved ones. She had ruined my first Christmas without my mother, which had been a fucking disaster, and all I wanted to do was cry.

Cry, damn it.

I hated crying.

Opening the door to my room, I tossed my bag on the bed and slammed the door behind me. Had I really ever been this angry? I couldn’t remember a time when I’d been so upset, so hurt, so resentful of any one person in my life. I had a throbbing headache from the tension and my eyes felt like they were going to pop out of my head at any second.

As I dropped down on the end of the bed, there was a soft tapping at the door seconds before it opened. I lifted my head, ready to rip in to Jillian, but clamped my mouth shut as soon as I saw it wasn’t her.

Carolina stood in the doorway with a wrapped present in her hands as she stared almost shyly at me. “Hi,” she murmured softly, as if I were a wild animal and she was trying not to scare me away.

I didn’t answer as I continued to glare at her. She had been on her mother and sister’s side the entire time I’d lived there. I couldn’t trust her. She had laughed and snickered every time her mother had nagged me half to death over some petty bullshit.

Hadn’t she?

Realizing that I didn’t honestly know the answer suddenly had me frowning. Had she done those things? I couldn’t remember. Sure I remembered the glee on Georgia’s face as she’d done those things, but I couldn’t remember if Carolina had.

“Can I…come in?” she murmured, the smile on her face looking uncertain.

Still trying to figure out if Carolina had been just as bad as her older sister, I was so distracted that I waved her in without a word.

Hesitantly she offered me the present in her hands. “This is for you. From…all of us.”

That pulled me out of my musings and I lifted my brows at her obvious lie. Carolina grimaced and set the present on the bed beside me. “Okay, it’s from me,” she quickly amended. “I thought you might like this.”

Curious, I reached for it. The thing wasn’t very heavy and didn’t rattle when I shook it a few times. Pulling at one end of the package I slowly tore off the colorful Christmas wrapping to find a plain box underneath. Lifting the lid of the box I nearly dropped it when I saw what Carolina had given me.

Music paper. Lots and lots of music paper. At least a thousand sheets that were thick and a pretty beige. I’d seen this paper before and knew just how expensive it was. I made so many mistakes at times, though, that I’d never thought of buying any for myself to put my songs on.

My head shot up, meeting her eyes questioningly. “What’s this?”

She blushed. “I’ve heard you in here writing your songs and the last time you were working on one you started cursing because you had run out of paper,” she explained, her teeth sinking into her full bottom lip for a moment before she shrugged. “Your songs are incredibly good, Kin. I especially love the one you wrote for your mother… Anyway, I saw this at the store the next day and thought of you.”

I was beyond speechless. It was a thoughtful gift and one I hadn’t expected to come from anyone I had to share the same roof with. She had to have gone looking for the paper because it wasn’t the type that would just be lying around in any store.

“Thank you,” I belatedly told her after she had been standing there watching me for nearly a full minute. “I appreciate the gift, Carolina.”

She gave me a small, genuine smile and turned for the door. With her hand on the knob, she stopped and glanced at me over her shoulder. “I’m really sorry about Christmas Eve, Kin. Mother is a horrible bitch, and the things she was spewing about you and Angie were spiteful and untrue.”

I still had no idea what Jillian had been saying about me that had set Angie off in the first place. She’d tried to tell me, but I’d refused to listen. Jillian didn’t matter and that was the end of it as far as I was concerned.

“Thanks, Carolina. And thanks again for the present,” I told her with a small smile.

My phone started ringing with Lucy’s familiar ring tone before the door had even closed behind her. Feeling drained all of a sudden I lifted the phone to my ear and fell back against the pillows. “Hey, stranger.”

“Hey. How are you?” Her voice was full of concern and I knew that she must have heard what had gone down with Jillian and my family at the stupid gala.

“I’m okay,” I told her, although I wasn’t completely sure if it was the truth or not, but I didn’t want to talk about it. I was exhausted—physically, mentally, emotionally. Especially emotionally. “What’s up?”

“Jace called me. He was concerned about you.”

My heart contracted at the thought of Jace. He’d been with me for the last few days. Beside me. Behind me. In the background. Front and center. The guy had slept with me on his lap all night long Christmas Eve and gotten a stiff neck for me. He had held my hand—held
me
—and been there for me when I’d needed him the most. I missed him like crazy and he’d just left me at the door not twenty minutes before.

“I’m okay, Lu. I swear.”

“Want to come over?” she asked, changing the subject. “Mom is making cookies.”

My mouth watered at the thought of one of Layla Thornton’s homemade cookies, but instead of jumping to my feet I reached for the box of music paper beside me on the bed. My fingers traced over the lid as I shook my head. “Nah. I’m not hungry. Maybe tomorrow, though. I think I’m just going to call it an early night.”