Left Together (24 page)

 “Nice
scar you got there, Foster,” Danny tells me when I take the ice off my arm.

 “It
sucks when you end up with the scar, but still lose the battle.” I haven’t
bothered to find out how Sean is doing. The prick probably doesn’t have a
scratch on him. 

“I
wouldn’t say you lost.” Danny exchanges a look with Evan. “Besides, it’s not
possible to lose anything with all this greatness on your side.” He winks at
me. I have no idea what he’s talking about, but my gut tells me to leave it
that way. Jade ends the conversation by bringing over plates and iced tea for
Addie and me. 

A
smile spreads over my face as I watch the interaction between the people sitting
around the room. Gram always told me how everything happens for a reason. She constantly
explained that sometimes the reason may not be so easy to recognize. In this
moment, though, I’m seeing what should have been obvious all along. I don’t
have a traditional family like most people do, meaning one with lots of blood
relatives who get together at holidays and birthdays. I have something better
and much more valuable. My
real
family consists of a crazy, fun-loving,
sometimes unruly bunch of people who are there for me every day, in the same
way I’ll always be there for them. Danny was right about one thing. It’s not
possible to lose with people like this on my side. 

Evan

For
the first time, I’m the guy ending the party early. Kacie has had a long day
and I want her to get some sleep before she wears herself out. My beautiful
girl is a kind-hearted person who wouldn’t make anyone leave on a normal day,
let alone one when the reality of how short life truly is has been weighing
heavily on her. Shortly after everyone eats, I kick them out. No one gives me a
hard time, so I’m pretty sure they understand. Don’t get me wrong. I really am
happy they showed up. Kacie needed to see them. It’s important for her to know
how much our friends care about her. Noah and Addison are the only two I allow
to stay, but Noah says he feels comfortable enough leaving his little sister in
my care. When I walk them to the door, he tells me he’ll be back to check on
Kacie tomorrow. He wants to be the one to tell her about the things their
mother said. He feels like Kacie needs to know, but doesn’t want to talk about
it tonight. I can’t say I blame him. He’s right, though. She does deserve to
know how things would have gone if the bitch was in charge and the situation
was different.

It’s
weird how fast my life has gone from complete shit to damn near perfect. Not
all that long ago, I was gutted when something came between me and the girl who
stole my heart. We were somehow able to get past all of the nonsense and get
back to the two of us. At this point, it’s the only thing that matters. As much
as we would like to, neither of us will completely forget what happened. What
we will do is learn from the experience and move forward. When I first found
out about Kacie and Jake, it felt like my world was crumbling around me. In my
head, there was no turning back from that. Then I realized that the only reason
my world came apart was simply because Kacie wasn’t in it. Holding her in my
arms this very moment only validates that. Together is the only place we
belong. It’s the only place I’ll ever want to be.

It’s
been a long time since I have been able to get a full night’s sleep. As
exhausted as I feel, lying here watching Kacie drift off seems more important. A
short time ago, I didn’t think this was ever going to be possible again, but
here I am. Kacie had a hard time getting comfortable. She was frustrated and it
made me feel terrible. It looked as though she’d have to sleep on the sofa, but
we managed to figure it out. With a shitload of pillows tucked here and there,
she’s finally resting easy. I had convinced her to take the pain medication,
which she has stubbornly refused all day.

As my
thumb runs over her soft cheek, her eyes gradually open. Why can’t I keep my
hands to myself? “I’m sorry. I thought you were sleeping.”

Kacie
gives me a drowsy smile. “Almost.” She yawns and snuggles her head closer to my
chest. “Thank you for taking care of me today.”

I lightly
kiss her cheek. “Today was nothing. I’m going to take care of you forever.”

Her
hand reaches underneath the pillow to link her fingers in mine. “Can you do me
a favor?”

Ready
to jump up to get her whatever she needs, I respond, “Anything for you.”

Kacie
shifts to look at me. “The next time someone threatens to take the house away,
give them the stupid keys.”

Confused
at her request, I answer, “No fucking way.”

“Evan…,”
she whispers.

“Kacie,
I’m not sure what you’re getting at, but this place holds memories of your
grandmother. I’d never do something like that.”

“The
memories are in my heart. Even if I was sad for a while, I’d get another house.
If I lost you…” Kacie’s eyes close. When they open again, they’re filled with
tears. “I can’t replace you. I’d never recover from that.”

“You
aren’t going to lose me, sweetheart. Someone once warned me how running away is
what you do when shit gets bad. Not only do I understand it, I’m ready to chase
you anywhere in the world. I don’t ever want you to think you’re dealing with
anything on your own.”

“You
don’t have to worry about that. Running away isn’t my thing anymore.”

“Oh,
really?” I chuckle. “Old habits are kind of hard to break.”

“Not
when you have a damn good reason to break them,” she says before kissing my
lips. “I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you. Sometimes, I’m actually
pissed you made me fall for you. Being in love seriously screwed up the plans I
had for coming home.”

“Too
fucking bad,” I say, making her smile.

“Move
in with me,” she says.

“Okay,”
I immediately answer.

“You
aren’t even going to take some time to think about it?”

“Nope.”

“Why
not?”

“Because
if I do, you might change your mind. There’s nothing to think about anyway.”

She
grins. “I’m not going to change my mind, but
you
might. I’ve heard
somewhere I can be quite the pain in the ass.”

“You
heard that from me.” She bites her lip, trying not to laugh. “But you’re
my
pain in the ass, and I’m hopelessly in love with you.”

“Are
you really going to move in?”

“Yup.
Do you think your grandmother would be upset?”

“Not
at all,” Kacie relaxes back into my arms. “Gram would be more than thrilled at
me being the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.”

Something
occurs to me. “Kacie, why haven’t you asked about what your dad found out that
started this whole mess? Are you afraid to know what it is?”

“No,”
she sighs. “Whatever it is doesn’t matter. You aren’t a bad person, Evan. I
don’t believe for one second you’ve done anything that would make me love you
any less.”

“I
really wish you would have told me that before I freaked out,” I mumble. “I’ll
tell you anyway. Ethan and I occasionally worked for a lady who would hire us
out as escorts to Manhattan’s finest.” If we just get this over with now, it
won’t be able to haunt me anymore.

“How
disappointing.” It sounds like she’s falling asleep.

“You
expected more?” I ask, puzzled.

“A
little.”

“You
aren’t even going to ask the question everyone always wants to know?” Why do I
keep pushing the issue if she’s willing to drop it?

“Which
is?”

“If I got
paid to have sex with those women.”

“Evan,
you’ve had sex plenty of times before me. I’m not worried about it. It’s more
that I’m thankful for it. You’re kind of amazing in bed. Besides,
I’d
pay to have sex with you.”

“Are
you serious right now?”

“Absolutely.
Have you ever looked in a mirror? You’re hot.”

“Okay,
now I see why you don’t like to take medication,” I laugh. “Remind me not to
force it down your throat ever again.”

“It
has nothing to do with the medication. I’m always shocked how you never notice
the way women stare at you. Some of them are old enough to be your mother and
don’t even appear ashamed of themselves. Be thankful I’m not a jealous person.
We’d never be able to go out,” Kacie says.

“I
don’t notice anything or anyone except for you,” I inform her. Why doesn’t she
know that? “Where were you all week?”

“Hilton
Head,” she whispers, yawning again.

I need
to shut the hell up and let her sleep. Instead, I ask, “What the hell’s in
South Carolina?”

“Addie
has a house there. It’s beautiful. We should go sometime.”

“Did
you meet anyone while you were there?” I say, getting comfortable.

“Yeah.”
What?
She was supposed to say no. She wasn’t there that long.

“Who?”
Please don’t be a guy. Please don’t be a guy
.

“Luke.”
Fuck me.

“Did
he ask you out?”

“He did,
actually. He asked me to lunch.”

What
the hell?
“Lunch? That’s my thing!”

She
might be giggling. “That’s what I told him.”

“Just
tell me one thing.”

“Hmm?”

“Did he
buy you a milkshake?”

There’s
no mistaking her laughter now. “Good night, Evan.”

“Kacie…,”
I warn.

“I
love you,” she says, melting my heart.

“I
love you, too.” I guess I’ll have to let it slide for now.

***

Sunday
was probably the first time Kacie slept later than me. The girl has an internal
alarm clock that usually wakes her up at the crack of dawn. Most of the time,
it’s a good thing. If she wants to get her ridiculously long run in, it’s best
to do it early before it gets too damn hot, especially if I go. Kacie can
outrun me any day, but I’ll never tell her that. It’s also beneficial when I
have to go to work because we have more time to spend together. What I fucking
hate about it is when she doesn’t wake me up and sneaks out of bed. That drives
me insane. It’s also one of the reasons I didn’t go downstairs to make
breakfast and bring it up to her in bed. If Kacie woke up alone, she’d
definitely use that the next time she got up first, or she’d try to go down the
damn stairs by herself.

By the
time she finally gets up, it’s late morning. I briefly consider busting her
chops about how hungry I am, but Kacie looks so relaxed and well-rested when
her eyes open, I don’t have the heart to give her a hard time. What I really
want to do is climb on top of her to prove exactly how much she was missed.
Then I remember the broken bones and how much pain she’s in. It takes a while
to calm down from that. Does she always have to look so fucking hot? Somehow, I’m
able to convince her to take a shower later tonight. There’s no way I’d be able
to keep my hands off her if I have to get in to help.

At
first, she doesn’t want to eat breakfast, complaining about all of the
fattening shit she has been eating and how she can’t exercise. I swear, the
girl might weigh ninety pounds soaked, so there’s no reason to freak out. I try
to tell her that, but it doesn’t go over so well. Why did I think it would?
While Kacie watches, I make French toast, which is her absolute favorite. By
the time it’s ready, she’s changed her mind. Surprisingly, she’s even taken
some of her medicine.

After
I clean everything up, Kacie asks me to walk out to the garden with her. As we
walk by the pool, I feel awful because it’s obvious how much it’s killing her
not to dive in. I can’t imagine not being able to do the things I love, even
temporarily. Squeezing her fingers, I promise it won’t be long before I’m
jumping in, ruining her morning laps. That brings a smile to her face, which brings
one to mine. When we get to the garden, Kacie doesn’t sit down right away. She
walks through the flowers, checking the feeders. I know they have to be nearly
empty, so I run inside to get the bird seed. The gratitude on her face is all
the thanks anyone would need, but Kacie kisses me, too, bringing back the same
problem from earlier.
Damn it.
Eventually, we make it to the swing and hang
out there. Most of the time, we sit quietly. Every once in a while, Kacie says
something and I respond. She clearly needs to think. 

When
Jade comes over in the afternoon, the girls restart the movie they didn’t
finish and, since Jade is keeping her company, I run out for a bit. The truck
needs gas and I don’t want to worry about it in the morning on the way to
Kacie’s appointment. The kitchen is pretty empty, so I go to the grocery store,
as well. Other than a few times with Kacie, I’ve never really gone to one.
You’d think living on my own for most of my adult life, I’d be better at that.
Ethan always did the shopping. I’m not sure the cabinets at my condo have ever
really had much more than a box of cereal in them the whole three years I’ve
been there. Who needs to go to a store when you have an aunt like mine? If I
get hungry, I just go over to her house. Kacie isn’t like that. She always has
a fully-stocked kitchen. I asked her once why she made such a big deal about
going food shopping. Her response was simple. “I don’t like to be hungry.”

On my
way back into the house, I bring in the clothes Meg picked up for me. They’re
probably dirty so, after putting the food away, I start washing them, along
with some shit Kacie had laying around. Her comforter and a bunch of other stuff
from her bed is thrown in the laundry room. I don’t need to ask why it’s there.
She obviously did that when she thought I was sleeping with someone else.
Anyone would have done something similar. I’m surprised the shit wasn’t tossed
outside and set on fire.

Later
in the afternoon, the doorbell rings. Assuming it’s Noah, I open the door
without checking. Nate’s standing there with a bouquet of red roses. This guy
never stood a chance. Before taking him into the living room, I thank him for
everything he did for her. He blows it off as part of his job, but he’s obviously
shaken by the accident. He seems to relax as soon as he walks into the room and
sees Kacie.

“You
look like hell,” he tells her. Everyone knows Kacie handles shit with sarcasm.

“Only
because it took some guy too long to get me out of the damn car,” she remarks,
making him grin.