Break My Fall(70)

Not anymore. She had me.





Chapter Twenty-nine





Lee





We sat on the porch swing in our pajamas sipping cocoa, with Bruno plonked down on the porch by our feet. The night air was calm and mild. I loved the mildness of Louisiana winters. Compared to Colorado, this was heaven.

“Wow,” Cam said as she blew her cocoa. “I can’t believe he apologized.”

Neither could I. “I know. I’m still trying to get my head around the conversation. He was so different Cam, nothing like the way he used to be.”

Cam turned to me. “Do you think it’s an act, like to get you to move back home.”

I had thought that. “I’m not sure. It’s a pretty convincing act.”

She sighed. “Yeah.”

The sound of Bruno barking drew my attention the lane leading up to our house.

Bruno rushed down the step towards the incoming headlights.

“Looks like we’ve got company,” Cam muttered as she stood up and walked over to the steps of the porch. I watched the headlights pull up outside my house. “No freaking way,” Cam squealed as she bounded down the steps of the porch.

The passenger side of the black truck opened first. “Miss me much?” Derek asked, as Cam threw herself into his arms. They quickly went from a friendly hug, to an X-rated make out session.

The driver’s door opened and my stomach dropped. I closed my eyes. I stayed sitting on the porch swing; my body locked up in anticipation.

I knew he was walking over to me, I could hear his footsteps on the on the gravel and then the porch steps. I just didn’t know which version of Kyle I was going to get.

“Princess…” The sound of his voice had me whipping my eyes open.

Kyle stood in front of me; hands in his jean pockets, his hood of his gray hoodie was pulled up covering his thick brown hair.

“You’re here.” I blurted out. I didn’t know what else to say.

He tilted his head to the side, smiling softly. “Are you really surprised?”

No, I wasn’t.

“It’s an awfully long drive, just to drop off Derek.” I said.

He reached out and snagged my hand. “What if I came for you?” He said pulling me up from the swing.

I hovered awkwardly. “I told you, I’m not your friend anymore.” The words sounded weak, even to my ears.

He smiled deeper, his lush dimple making me melt. “Keep telling yourself that princess, see how long that lasts.”

I was about to protest, when Kyle pulled me into his arms. His arms wrapped around me tightly; his thumb drawing slow circles on my lower back, his other hand cradling my head against his chest. I tensed for a moment and then softened into his embrace. It felt so good to be back in his arms.





Kyle





I was fucking terrified Lee would turn me away. She sure looked like she wanted to kick my ass when I showed up at her house. Thank god, she caved in and let me hold her. I needed to hold her like I needed to breathe, it wasn’t a requirement; it was a fucking necessity.

Cam and Derek went upstairs within ten minutes of us arriving, so I guessed they were back on track. And I’d spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to win around the affections of Lee’s huge mother fucking dog Bruno. The cranky shit growled at me every time I moved too close to her. We were sitting on her old frayed couch in the open planned kitchen/lounge with the smelly bastard sitting in between us. Do not get me wrong, I liked dogs, but this particular one had it against me.

“Would you like some more cocoa?” Lee asked.

No, god no. That stuff was like drinking lead, but the hopeful look on her face had me nodding, “Sure, I’d love some more.”

She smiled nervously as she walked over to the kitchen area. Christ, I was pussy whipped. But I wanted to keep her smiling and if that meant drinking shit stain cocoa for the night, then I’d man up and do it.

I turned to look at Bruno and he was eyeing me with that freaky dog stare. “Dude, you’re killing me here. Isn’t there a nice bitch or a bone you could go play with?” I said, low enough so Lee wouldn’t hear me. He growled again and I jerked back.

Yep, I was definitely going to get my ass ripped up by that guy.

While Lee made more ‘cocoa’ I took the time to look around. The room we were in was decent in size, but it wasn’t big by any stretch of the imagination, or modern. It hurt my heart to think that Lee lived here for eighteen years. The place was clean, but it was run down and shoddy.

The furniture was old fashioned and worn and I assumed from the look of the table and chairs, it was handmade. The wooden staircase in the left corner of the room was neither carpeted nor varnished and looked worryingly weak; it had creaked loudly when Cam and Derek went upstairs earlier. The house didn’t look like it had been renovated in decades.