The Low Notes (29 page)

“
I’m going out!”

She brushed past Todd, who still looked bewildered, hopped in her car driving off into the night to the one place she’d wanted to be all day long.

Chapter Sixty-Two

There was a knock at the door and Kevin bounced off the sofa to answer it. He’d been waiting for her for hours. He opened the door and let a wide smile grow on his face seeing her all dressed up. She was stunning. Her hair was in soft waves and she looked like she'd stepped off the pages of a vintage fashion magazine in the sweet party dress she was wearing. Her face however, looked angry. Without a word he grabbed her hand and pulled her inside.

“
What’s going on?” he asked.

Nina was quiet, her face flushed and she was flexing her hands into fists. Kevin cautiously led her to the sofa and took a seat next to her. Nina sighed and her head hung low as she finally relaxed.

“
Are you okay?” Kevin whispered as he brushed her hair back from one side of her face. Nina made a weak attempt at a smile and nodded.

“
You’re all that I have,” she said in a whisper.

Kevin felt his breath catch in his chest. He glanced at her. She looked tired, sad and heartbreakingly beautiful. He had no idea what to say to her. Guilt was flooding him quickly at the thought of young and beautiful Nina believing he was the only thing she had to hold on to. Had he created that feeling in her? Was their relationship cutting her off from the people in her life she really needed?

“
That’s not true.”

Nina rolled her eyes at him. “My dad has no idea who I am and he doesn't seem to care to learn. My sister practically hates me. You know, she left me a note on the kitchen table
telling
me that I’m her maid of honor? If I didn’t have my grandmother’s eyes I’d swear I was switched at birth.”

Kevin smiled a bit then grimaced at her. He and his father had been so close he couldn’t imagine what she was feeling. He even found in his cousin Jeff the kind of brotherhood he knew he would’ve had if his mother had lived long enough to have more children.

“
What about James?” Kevin asked.

Nina ran a hand through her hair and scratched at the back of her neck for a moment, deep in thought.

“
Things between me and James have been...different lately,” she said with a sigh.

“
Right. It’s got to be hard on you keeping a secret from him, huh?” Kevin touched her shoulder tenderly.

Nina turned to him slowly, deliberately. “Yeah, really hard.”

“
Well, what about Todd?”

Nina laughed loudly and glared at Kevin. “Are you kidding?”

Kevin chuckled back. “Not really. You told me he’s your friend. Isn’t he?”

“
No. He’s an asshole.”

Nina’s lips went tight and her face grew even more serious than before. Kevin felt like scooping her up in his arms and telling her everything would be alright. Her eyes came back up from the floor and met his. A smile curled on her lips and for a moment her eyes brightened.

“
What’s that smile for?” he asked, grinning back.

“
I was
trying
to make you jealous when I said that about Todd. Couldn't you tell?” she asked.

Kevin snorted, “Well, I didn't know it was all a part of your master plan but it worked. I can't stand that kid.”

Nina giggled and climbed into his lap with ease.

“
He's nothing to be jealous of,” she avowed.

“
The thought of you in anyone else's arms...” He couldn't finish the thought.

It sickened him. Revolted him. The thought of Todd being Nina's friend was bad enough but if he were to ever be anything more than that again, Kevin would be disgusted by it.

“
So what does next week hold for you?” he asked, trying to change the subject.

“
Nothing, why?”

Kevin's brow furrowed. “You’re not going somewhere?”

Nina gave him the same confused look and shook her head.

“
I just figured with spring break you’d be going on a family vacation.” His words trailed off as he saw Nina’s face fall.

“
Spring break. I totally forgot,” she started to laughed breathily, her eyes squinted. “Dad’s going back to London for work and I heard Blake telling someone at the party that Greta and his mother were going to Atlanta next week to look at some designer bridal gown boutiques. I guess I'm not invited.”

Kevin’s mouth twisted as he looked at her anguished face.

“
Good.” He stopped when Nina looked up at him. She batted her eyelashes and her pale pink lips parted ever so slightly, making him weak.

“
Do you want to go somewhere with me?”

Nina made a face at first and then lit up like a star, “Like a trip? You and me?”

“
Yeah. I have a place in mind we could go just for a day or two. Do you want to?” he asked, his voice trembling a bit.

Nina slid closer to him on the couch and soon her hand was sneaking into Kevin’s hair. She pulled him nearer and pressed her lips to his feverishly. He had his answer.

Chapter Sixty-Three

Nina peered out the front window taking in the sunrise. She couldn’t remember the last time she was up early enough to catch it. She cringed a moment later when she finally did remember. It was Christmas Eve morning, when she sat on the beach telling James her secrets. It seemed so long ago now. Now that things were so seemingly perfect between her and Kevin.

Without hesitation Nina lied to her father telling him she was having a getaway with a girlfriend from school. He didn’t ask where or how long or who this hypothetical gal pal was. He just gave her a simple yes and told her to take some cash out of the bank. It angered her that he didn't inquire further but she was so excited about spending time with Kevin she quickly forgot.

There was a brief honk outside and she popped out the door with her bag in hand and a cardigan slipped on over her t-shirt. Nina slid into Kevin’s car and tossed her duffle bag in the backseat next to Sasha, giving her a quick pat on the head.

Kevin looked so handsome. He was in a black, long-sleeved cotton shirt and dark blue jeans. His hair was smooth, the chestnut waves still looking slightly damp from his shower. And his jaw was covered in just the slightest bit of stubble, just the way Nina liked it.

Silently he reached over and cupped the back of her neck. She leaned in and kissed him softly. The thrill of being able to kiss him when she felt like it gave her a surge of happiness.

“
How long is the drive?” she asked.

“
Less than an hour. Not far at all. You can sleep if you want,” he said.

Nina thumbed through the visor attachment that held a sampling of Kevin's CDs. She found one that looked good and popped the disc into the stereo.

The music played with Kevin and Nina listening quietly with Sasha in the back, letting out tiny snores, a sort of whistling from her wet black nose. Nina sat with her head leaned against the window taking in the sight of golden wheat fields and tree covered hills.

“
Hey,” Kevin said.

They hadn’t said anything to each other in a few minutes. It was the good kind of silence between them, a comfortable lack of words. Nina sucked in a breath and sat up straight. She hadn’t been asleep, just peaceful. The sun coming in from the window had been keeping her warm and the songs coming from the radio had been keeping her mind at ease. She laughed, realizing she’d been singing along, probably annoying Kevin as he drove.

“
Sorry.”

“
Louder please,” he said. Nina smiled but ignored his teasing request. She turned the knob on the stereo, lowering the volume.

“
Can you tell me yet?” she asked, putting a sugary whine in her voice.

Kevin huffed in playful protest, “Not a chance. But will you look at those directions for me?”

“
The answer has been right in front of me the whole time?” she laughed.

Kevin shot her a smile and shrugged.

“
What does it say I'm supposed to do after I pass through Harrisburg?

“
You don’t know where we're going?” she exclaimed.

“
I do. It’s just been a while, okay?”

“
Take Exit 34 South and then it’s another 28 miles. Which would lead us where exactly?” she probed again.

“
You’ll see.”

Nina rolled her eyes but stayed quiet. If he wanted to have his fun she'd let him. Kevin pulled the car off onto the exit ramp and headed south. Nina turned the music up again and leaned back, letting her sleepiness finally set in, as she began to drift off.

****

“
Baby?” Kevin said softly.

Her eyes fluttered open to see Kevin’s face above her, the car door opened. She smiled dreamily at him and started to climb out of the car, stretching her arms and legs as she did so.

“
How long was I out?” she asked.

“
Just a few minutes. Come on, we can go inside and you can sleep some more.” He took her hand and Nina glanced around noticing that the car had already been unpacked. She felt the crunch of dirt and sticks below her feet then turning to where Kevin was leading her, she saw the cabin. A small, dark log cabin tucked into a deep green forest, birds in the trees and the sun poking through the dense leaves from above. Sasha was investigating the porch, sniffing the two rocking chairs that sat just outside the door.

“
Did you rent this place?” Nina asked as they walked inside.

It smelled a bit musty but the kind of smell that reminded her of her grandmother’s house. The space was open, kitchen toward the back, the front was made up of a living room with mismatched furniture and a stack of quilts in the corner. There was an open loft above her, the bedroom presumably. She stepped inside further to see that above the fireplace in the living area was an assortment of photographs. A young boy and his father.

“
I...uh, own this place,” Kevin stammered.

He called Sasha inside and stood awkwardly as Nina examined the photos above the fireplace closely. It was an array of scenes, fishing trips and Christmases. Then a graduation, the young boy now closer to being a man was dressed in cap and gown and grinning adorably. It was the same adorable smile Nina had been enjoying for the past few months. Nina felt a strange sensation looking at Kevin as an eighteen year old just like her. She wondered if they’d met as fellow students would they still have fallen in love with each other. Turning to him, she tilted her head to one side with bright eyes.

“
You were so cute.”

Kevin laughed. “Yeah, what happened, right?”

“
I bet you came here all the time as a kid. It must have been great,” she said, swiping her hand absently along the mantle gathering a pad of dust on her fingertip. She wiped the dust on her pants and moved to Kevin who was still standing just inside the doorway.

He grimaced slightly and grabbed their bags. “Come on, let’s go upstairs.”

Nina followed him up the wooden steps and just as she suspected, there was the bedroom. Kevin dropped their things on the floor and ran his hand through his hair swiftly.

“
Do you want to take a nap? The grocery store is about fifteen minutes away. I can run out while you sleep if you want?” he offered.

Nina patted the cream and blue checkered quilt that covered the queen sized bed and watched as a puff of dust filled the air above her hand. They shared a look and a laugh before Kevin quickly hopped off to the linen closet. Nina stripped the bed and Kevin was back with fresh sheets and blankets. They remade the bed in comfortable silence, the ease of being around each other setting in firmly. Once the bed was no longer a dust bowl, Nina took a seat, perched on the edge. Kevin walked around and stood gazing down at her curiously.

“
You called me ‘baby’,” she remarked in a quiet voice. Her hand came up slowly and pressed against his chest, against his heart. Kevin’s hand wrapped around hers and held it solidly as he nodded.

“
Say it again,” she whispered. He slid onto the bed next to her and let his lips move to her ear. He kissed the tender skin of her neck just below her earlobe.

“
I love you, baby.”

Leaning back against the soft quilt, she let Kevin position himself above her with slow, graceful moves as his kisses trailed from her throat to her collarbone. His hands were pushing up the material of her shirt, smoothing over her breasts. Nina moaned at the feeling and pulled her shirt over her head brazenly. She watched as Kevin did what he always did each time they made love. He took in the sight of her and his breath stopped as his eyes moved all over her. It was as if he was mentally photographing her flesh.

He helped her out of the rest of her clothes with a few rushed movements and she returned the favor. Skin against skin they explored each other with their hands. Nina reveled at the feeling of Kevin's mouth upon her. As he traveled further down her body, her hands slid into his thick locks of hair, gripping him. More noises were pulled from her as he tasted her in the place she most desired. With careful actions he took her to the edge then attempted to tease her but with her hands still in his hair, she wordlessly told him exactly what she wanted. And he complied.