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"Why don't you hunt?" I scoot closer to him as he takes a seat beside me. He doesn't remove his arm from around my neck. I turn so that I'm facing him at an angle.
"It never appealed to me. Dad took me a few times. I gave it a try, because I did well in archery in school, but it's like watching paint dry. It's so fuckin' boring." He groans. "And it's usually cold and I don't wanna get up early to have to go and do it. Like you could be there the whole goddamn day and not get anything. It's just not for me. I just say bye to all of them for a few weeks a year."
"I kinda like that you don't." I smile over at him. "Seems like a waste of a good day to me, too."
"Don't get me wrong." He levels me with his gaze. "If I needed to do it to feed my family, I would, no questions asked. But for fun? Fuck that."
The group of them come in, raising the noise level of the bar. "You can go sit with them if you want, I'm gonna hang out with Alexis for a few minutes. We've both been busy."
"Alright, come on over when you're ready."
I lose the heat of both him and Nolan on either side of me as they both get up and go over to the large table the group has commandeered.
"So, I take it things are still going well?" Alexis purses her lips.
"Yeah, almost to the point where I'm scared, ya know?"
She's wiping down glasses as she listens to me. "No, I get it. But let me tell you, there's one thing I've learned from Boone. Good relationship, bad relationship, whatever. It doesn't have to be a pain in the ass. Sometimes you just click with another person. It's not full of bullshit, arguments, and tip toeing around the other person. It can be calm, relaxing, and happy. It can be passionate without having to have an argument every other minute. There are so many people our age who like to make it their personality to be arguing with their significant other all the time. You can actually have a healthy thing and be friends and not be breaking up every other day. It's called having a mature relationship."
It's so weird to hear her say all of this, because I remember her once or twice getting drunk at a frat party and arguing with whatever guy she was stringing along. "My, how you've grown up, my dear."
She smirks. "It's Boone. He's taught me a lot about myself, and what it means to love not only myself, but to trust him. He doesn't have to know where I am all the time, he doesn't care what I wear. I have a feeling Abel is a lot like him. He's very secure in himself, which helps me be secure in myself."
"Abel seems to be a lot like his dad. And he's never indicated he's the jealous type. He doesn't like a lot of drama, and I'm thankful for it."
Alexis leans in, dropping her tone down an octave. "Did he tell you about his mom?"
"He did. I feel horrible for him. I think he's had a hard time with her, and now that he's feeling like they're making headway, she's sick. I don't know how to make it better for him."
"Sometimes it doesn't matter if you make it better, it's just about being there for him. He'll remember that."
I play with the label on the bottle of beer. "I don't know what to say."
"I don't think you have to actually say anything. I think you just need to be there to hold his hand or give him a hug when he needs it. Be there for those phone calls or the text messages when he isn't sure if he can handle it that day. Sometimes just knowing you have a friend who can be there for you is all you need. You don't have to make it huge, Kara."
That's a good way to put it for me. Just like I don't have to make things weird, I don't have to make them huge either. Caring about someone means just that. "Thanks, Lex."
"That's what friends are for. Especially when we need to get out of our own heads."
"How is Boone doing?"
She smiles sadly. "He's taking it hard. That's the mother of his child and his first love. I don't think he was prepared to hear that something this big could happen to her. Realizing that you do have a finite time on earth is a hard thing to come to terms with. Our lives aren't guaranteed and although it's hard, we have to live through it. I think everybody is gonna be fine. They're gonna need us to lean on, and we're two strong women who love them. We can handle it."
At the word love, my chest tightens. I've never told a man I love them before, hell I hardly tell my family I love them. Do I love Abel? Is it too soon to be thinking these thoughts? It's probably way too soon, but I can't deny I am definitely feeling twinges toward him. Glancing over at the table with the guys, I catch his eye. He smiles, and I smile back. There's no denying the flutter I feel in my belly.
I am in so deep, I will never be able to dig myself out. The question is, am I okay with it?
The answer? Fuck yeah, I'm okay with it.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Abel
K: Are you sure you don't want me there? I can sit out in the car. I have employees who can take care of the truck for me.
A: Do you realize what you're saying to me? You? The workaholic, saying you're going to give up one of your days for me? If that doesn't prove how much you care for me, I don't know what will.
K: Don’t let it go to your head.
