“Kristy,” I tell her, to which she grins at me and calls the kids to the table.
“You best not be annoying my guest, sister dearest,” Kai says, walking into the large kitchen. Sierra sends him a death glare and shoos him away with a knife in her hand. He steps back with his hands up in surrender, laughing at her.
“I hope you eat chicken, Kristy. It’s all my kids seem to want to eat, so that’s what’s for lunch.”
I nod my head and when she turns around, Kai sneaks in and grabs my hand and pulls me out. He places a kiss on my cheek and embraces me with a hug. Maybe this day won’t turn out so badly after all.
“I haven’t freaked you out, have I?” he asks, with me still wrapped around him. I shake my head and he beams down at me. I hardly know this man, the one that has stormed into my life and shown me more emotions and angst in such a short time than I ever thought possible.
“Why would you bring me here?” I ask, still molded to his chest.
His mouth is on my hair as he speaks, “You’re not something I ever wish to hide. Your name should be shouted from the rooftops.” My lips quirk up at him and I place my hands on his face to pull him closer. I stand on my tiptoes and kiss him on the cheek. His lips do the same then he breaks apart when his sister walks in, wolf whistling.
“No one gets lucky in this house. I’d like to keep it that way,” she adds with a wink and walks away. I start off after her and Kai grabs hold of my ass and gives it a squeeze. I try to knock his hand off and he just laughs at me.
There is no left brain/right brain divide. In truth, they work together.
Lunch was great. The kids are so beautiful and absolutely adore Kai. Sierra is single and looking after the twins herself and she told me Kai is more help than she ever dreamed of. Their parents aren’t in the picture anymore and she chose not to speak of her father, which I didn’t question. They have a relationship that is quite beautiful and makes me wish things had been different with my upbringing. Maybe if my parents were alive I’d have another sibling.
Sierra tells us she’s going to put the kids down for a nap and Kai and I say our goodbyes. We stayed for most of the day, relaxing and watching movies with the kids. The kids run into Kai’s arms, both at the same time and he picks them up easily, swinging them around with joy. Sierra cuddles me goodbye and tells me not to be a stranger. She whispers something in Kai’s ear and his face turns serious for a second, before he leans in and kisses her goodbye as well.
Kai drives back in silence and I don’t intrude. I’m lost in thought as well. I’m not sure why he brought me to see his family, but I feel privileged that I know a bit more about this mysterious man. We pull up at his apartment and both climb out in silence. He walks around my side of the car and hands me the keys to his house, I take them and wait for an explanation.
“Can you please wait inside for me? I have to grab something.” I nod my head and do as he asks. It’s the first time he’s used his manners with me. He leans in and I think for a second he’s going to kiss me on the lips, when he brings my head forward and places a warm kiss on my forehead. He pulls away and walks back to his truck.
I open the front door and look around. His house is quite nice. He has a very large television hanging on the wall, with a three-seat, dark suede sofa sitting in front with a coffee table in the middle. I take a seat on the sofa, not wanting to snoop around his house, and turn on the television. There’s a rerun on of ‘Law and Order’ and that’s what I end up watching before I fall asleep on his sofa.
I wake to arms being wrapped around me and being lifted and carried. I open my eyes to Kai and he looks lost in thought. I bring my hand up to run a finger over where his dimples sit and his face drops in the palm of my hand. I feel the subtle scratch of his facial hair. I watch as his eyes close for a second before they open back up to meet with my wondering eyes.
He walks us to the shower and turns it on. He puts the bag on the toilet, places me on the floor, and then walks out. I test the temperature of the water and start to strip automatically. I haven’t had a shower since last night and my body is craving one. The warm water hits my skin and I place my head slowly under the streaming water and let it wash over me. Once I’m done, I hop out and look around for my clothes and notice they are gone. I start to freak out when I remember him placing the bag on the toilet lid. I open it to find a beautiful blue sundress that stops just above my knees and some underwear. I don’t know how he knew to get me clothes or how he knew my size, but I am grateful to change and feel clean.