The Year of Second Chances (A Sunnyvale Novel Book 3) (17 page)

“All right, who died?” my grandma Stephy asks as she whisks into the kitchen, dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, her hair done.

“No one.” I sit back in the chair. “Why are you all dressed up so early?”

She opens the fridge to grab a carton of juice. “I have some errands to run. But what I’m wondering is why you aren’t dressed up.”

“Why would I be all dressed up?” I ask. “It’s a school holiday.”

She unscrews the cap off the juice. “For work.”

I glance at the time on the microwave. “I don’t have to be there until two.”

“Oh. I thought it was earlier than that, and that’s why you were up so early.” Her gaze skates to the sofa where Kai is sleeping and then lands back on me. “Why are you awake? And don’t say because Indigo woke you up? I know she didn’t walk down the hallway.”

“Ummm…” I spring to my feet, nearly toppling over the chair. “I think I’m going to go take a shower.” I make a beeline for the hallway.

“Yeah, you better run,” my grandma Stephy calls after me, chuckling. “But just so you know, we’re having a safe sex talk when you get home.”

I shut my bedroom door and lock it. Why, oh, why does she always do this to me, especially within earshot of Kai. If he was awake at all and pretending to be asleep, he’ll probably tease me later.

All worries of embarrassment evaporate from my mind, though, when I pick up my phone and note one missed text.

“Please, not again,” I whisper, swiping my finger across the screen. I relax a morsel as I read the message. Well, as much as one can relax when your dad’s being a douche.

Dad: Don’t know if your grandma told you, but we’re moving. The movers will be here today. I have a bunch of your clothes, drawings, and stuff if you want to come pick them up. If not, let me know and I’ll throw them away.

I sigh with severe frustration, wishing that, just once, he’d be a great father. But I guess sometimes you have to let go of wishes and move on, accept that some people won’t change.

Before I reply to him, I head out into the living room to ask Kai a question. When I walk in, Indigo and him are sitting at the table, drinking coffee.

“Where’d grandma go?” I ask, sitting down at the table.

“Hey, beautiful girl.” Kai leans over and kisses me, so at ease, as if this is how things have always been between us.

Me, though, I’m a nervous wreck, my heart all giddy and anxious and confused.

What’s happening to me? Why does it feel like I’m falling? But in the best way ever.

“Okay, no sucking face at the table,” Indigo scolds in a playful tone.

I blast her with my best I’m-a-badass look, which only makes her grin enlarge.

“How are you feeling this morning?” Kai asks me, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear. “Did you end up sleeping through the whole night or did you have more nightmares?”

“I got some sleep,” I tell him. “I slept really good actually.”

His lips pull into a lopsided smile, and he thrums his finger against his lips. “I wonder why that is?” He winks at me.

Even though I don’t understand the full meaning of his joke, my cheeks flood with warmth. His lips spread to a full on grin and he dips his head, stealing another kiss.

Is this what having a boyfriend is like? All kisses and touching and blushing? Because I kind of like it.

Okay, I kind of like it a lot.

“I had another dream about you,” he murmurs against my lips. “A really good one too.”

“I dreamt about you too,” I say. “We were running in a field of candy.”

He chuckles as he sits back in the chair. “Mine wasn’t quite that sweet. In fact, it was kind of dirty.”

Indigo snorts a laugh. “You guys are so cute it’s ridiculous.”

“Oh whatever,” I say, targeting her with a death glare. “You get this way too.”

“I do not.” She throws me a sassy wink. “I’m way too naughty to be sweet.”

I open my mouth to fire a comeback when my phone vibrates. Glancing down at the screen, I see another message from my dad.

Dad: Are you coming or not?

“Kai, I have to ask you a question, and I need you to be honest.” I tear my attention away from the phone and concentrate on him. “I need you to tell me the truth? If my dad played a part in this unknown text sender thing? And the whole kidnapping ordeal.”

Everyone tenses at the mention of the kidnapping, including me. I’ll admit, I’m afraid and going to the police might alleviate the fear. But I won’t do that if it means Kai gets in trouble too.

Kai fiddles with a leather band on his wrist. “Why? Did he just text you?”

“Yeah. He said the movers are coming today, and if I want my stuff, I need to go get it or else he’s going to throw it away. I want my stuff, but I don’t want to go over there if my dad…” I stare down at the mug, fighting back the waterworks. “If he was the one who did all that stuff to me.”

His hand molds my cheek, and he tilts my head so our gazes collide. “It wasn’t your dad, but I don’t think you should go over there. Not with Lynn’s name being on the suspect list.”

“I guess not…” I chew on my bottom lip. “I just really want my stuff, especially my drawings—”

My phone pings with another incoming message.

Dad: Look, I’m really sorry this is how things turned out. The whole situation with your mother… I didn’t want you to ever find out about what she did. I’m really sorry things have to be this way. Maybe one day, though, things can get better between us.

I almost reply and ask him when, but stop myself. No. I won’t fall back into that pattern of pathetically wishing my dad would become a better father. I’ve spent too many years doing that.

I start to turn off my phone when another message dings through.

Dad: Since you haven’t responded, I’ll just leave your boxes in your room. Make sure to pick them up today or else the repo people might throw them out. Consider this my olive branch.

Tears sting in my eyes, but I blink them back. I won’t cry over him anymore. I’m done with this. He can take his olive branch and shove it up his ass, at least for now. He can try to talk to me in a few years and see if I’m ready to have a relationship with him.

“I’m going to go over there,” I tell Kai. “No one’s going to be there anyway.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” he asks.

“I’ll be fine,” I assure him. “Like I said, no one’s going to be there and you said you know who’s been tormenting me, so there shouldn’t be a problem, if it isn’t anyone in my family, right?” I wait for him to answer. If it is someone in my family, he won’t let me go over there.

“I guess so.” He frowns, his thumb grazing across my cheek. “If you do go, I think you should take someone with you. I don’t want you going anywhere alone today. Not until I take care of a few things.” His gaze flicks to the clock on the wall. “I have a couple of errands to do this morning, but I can go with you later.”

“I have to work later,” I say. “And then I have that un-date with Kyler.”

He flinches at the mention of his brother. “Oh yeah. I forgot about that.” Worry etches between his brows.

I wonder if something’s going on between his brother and him, if they’re fighting. Well, more so than they already were.

“I can go with her,” Indigo offers, pushing her chair away from the table. “Just let me get changed first. Traveling always makes me feel so gross.”

I smile, so thankful I almost hug her again. But Kai places a hand on my leg like he wants me to stay put.

“I probably won’t see you until later.” His hand glides up my thigh to my waist, and he pulls me closer to him until my legs are between his. “But if you need anything at all, call me. And I want to make sure you’re not alone.
Ever
.”

“For how long?”

“For today. After today, no one is going to bother you again.”

A nervous exhale slips from my lips. “Just be careful, okay? I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.”

He stares at me, seeming uncertain about something. “I’ll be careful,” he promises then moves in to kiss me, once, twice, three times.

While the kiss is perfect and leaves me breathless, I can’t shake the worry twisting in my gut that something terrible is about to happen.

So, instead of allowing the kiss to end, I deepen it. A throaty moan escapes his lips, his fingers folding around my waist. Gripping tightly, he scoops me up and drags me over to his lap so I’m straddling him. His fingers thread through my hair, and he guides me to his mouth. His tongue parts my lips and I get lost. Lost in everything that’s Kai. Lost in this moment. Lost in amazing moment I never knew could exist.

If I had my way, we’d stay like this forever.

But eventually Indigo walks into the living room and announces she’s ready to go. Reality catches up with me, stealing the perfect moment away, and leaving me with a heavy feeling of dread.

Chapter 19

Kai

After Isa and I part ways, I call Jules to ask him to give me a ride to the college campus. While I planned on seeing Kyler after Isa got done dumping his stupid ass, I decided I couldn’t wait. That, after what he did, I can’t let him near Isa.

I need to take care of this right now. Stop whatever else he has planned. I barely slept last night, thinking about what he did to her. I need to be careful, though, like I promised Isa. I’m not used to people worrying so much about me, but I’ll admit, I like the feeling, enough that I don’t want to break my promise.

“So, how’s this going to go down?” Jules asks me as he makes a turn into the packed parking lot of the campus.

“I’m not sure yet.” I thrum my fingers on top of my legs, thinking. “I text him to see what he was doing, and he said he’d be getting out of class at around noon.”

“So what? We’re going to just jump him in broad daylight?” Jules asks as he maneuvers his car into a narrow parking space beside Kyler’s vehicle. “I’m down for getting into some trouble and everything, but I’m thinking maybe we should do this a little bit more discreetly.”

“Yeah, I know.” I draw my sunglasses off my eyes and eyeball the people walking around on the grass in front of the campus. “I’m thinking I’ll just ask him to get inside the car in a very not-so-nice way.”

“Works for me.” Jules pushes the shifter into park then shoots me a devious grin. “And I guess if he puts up a fight, we’ll be forced to do this the hard way.”

The idea of punching Kyler in the face sounds fucking appealing, but before I get to that part, I need to talk to him and get some answers, figure out why he did this to Isa and who’s helping him. I have a few theories, but I need to be positive.

“There he is,” I say as I spot Kyler in the crowd.

He’s with a couple of his friends, which worries me, but when they part ways in the parking lot, I relax. He doesn’t notice me as he strolls up to his car, stopping for a moment to flirt with some girl.
Figures
.

When he arrives at the driver’s side of his car, I roll down my window.

“Not so fast,” I say. “I need to talk to you.”

His head whips around, his eyes popping wide. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Debating whether or not I’m going to kidnap you.” I assess his reaction and when his skin pales, I know without any doubt that he did it. He took Isa and scared the crap out of her. Put her in danger.

And now he’s going to pay.

“Get in the backseat.” I grit out, battling to remain composed. “You and I are going to have a little chat.”

He quickly composes himself, his shock erasing and his eyes narrowing. “I’m not going anywhere with you. I have shit to do.” He starts to climb into his car.

“If you don’t get in here, I’m going to turn all of my evidence over to the police.” I grip the door handle, ready to jump out and grab him if I need to. “Isa may care if you turn over that video of me to the police, but I sure as hell don’t.”

He breathes fiercely with his back turned to me. “If you really think that then you’re fucking stupid. You’d go to jail.”

“And so would you,” I snap. “So, get your ass in the car.”

One, two, three seconds go by before he reels around, yanks open the back door to Jules’s car, and slides inside.

“Whatever,” he huffs, slamming door. “Look, I don’t know what you think I did, but you’re wrong. I’d never do anything to hurt Isa.”

I rotate around in the seat to glare at him. I can’t believe he has the audacity to deny the truth when he just admitted it to me. “You’re such a fucking liar. I know you had something to do with those flyers plastered across the school. Just like I know you’ve been sending Isa texts. And the whole kidnapping thing…” I open and flex my hand.
Keep calm
. “What the fuck is wrong with you man? I mean, I know you’re an asshole, but this is low, even for you.”

His expression stays blank as he reclines back in the seat and folds his arms. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I grind my teeth so forcefully my jaw aches. “You know what I’m talking about, you fucking asshole. I know you took the photo for those flyers. And I recognized your handwriting on that stupid note.” His expression nosedives as he weakens and cracks, and I continue, “But the question is, why did you do it? That’s what I can’t figure out. I know you love to play pranks and make people’s lives a living hell, but I really do believe that part of you does like Isa, so none of this makes sense. Why are you trying so hard to destroy her life?”

A weighted amount of silence drifts by. Jules turns around to stare Kyler down, adding to the intimidating factor, and Kyler squirms in his seat.

“I don’t want to destroy her life,” he says. “I just… I can’t…”

I ball my hands into fists, my nails stabbing into my palms.
Keep it together. If you beat him up now, you won’t get the entire truth out of him. And you need to find out who else was in on this.

“Why did you do it then? Explain it to me for fuck sakes,” I say, loathing him more than I ever have. “Was it a joke? One of your stupid pranks? Did you ever want to go out with her?”

“The date thing was never about this.” He has the nerve to look offended, and it makes me want to punch him even more. “I wanted to date her. But I…” His voice cracks. “Look, I fucked up, okay. I didn’t mean for Isa to get hurt. But I had to do it.”