Page 159 of I Choose You

I gawked at him but obeyed.

“Fuck.” He rubbed his hand over his face. “It’s stupid. One time Kody and I went down to Florida on Spring Break.” He jerked his face up, frowning. “Shit. Traffic’s moving.”

“Okay. Be safe.”

He groaned, shaking his head. “I better find you just like that. See you soon.”

We hung up, and I grumbled. I was so close.

But he said Kody was there. His twin had to know the story, too, but we weren’t on speaking terms. Although if Kaden went there and they had a good talk, maybe I could ask him one day if Kaden refused to tell me again.

I sighed and wrapped my robe up tight to get back to work.

“At least finish reviewing those contracts,” I scolded myself.

Then I can look at the trips again.

Kaden: Talk about bad timing

I shook my head.

Brooke: I know!

Kaden: You really don’t mind waiting up for me?

He was too damn sweet, always checking with me.

Brooke: I would be happy to spend the night before the wedding with you.

The contracts didn’t take me long. I even tackled more emails, too. I really was a workaholic if I stuck to it this late into the night, but I had no idea how long Kaden would take to talk to Kody. Or if Kody would even hear his brother out.

I hoped they figured out a compromise. Kody seemed impervious to that concept, but Kaden would try his best. I hated to come between them but I had faith. Kody had come to apologize once, and I took that as a sure sign that he did know the difference between right and wrong. Given enough push, he could come around and own up for his wrongdoings.

Done with work, I returned to lying back and scrolling on my phone. The options seemed endless, and going through the ratings and reviews seemed disjointed. So many travel apps, so many rating scales, and so many business review systems.

I just wanted to know where something decent might be. I didn’t want to look at junky resorts with bed bugs, but then I didn’t want to overdo it at a ritzy place.

I shifted to my side, reaching over to set my laptop on my nightstand. I was as done as I could be with work tasks. As I settled back against my pillows once more, my thumb brushed up too far on the screen. The browser window minimized, and with it smaller in a row of recently used apps, I saw half of an image of myself in the camera app.

I swiped over to it. Staring at my risqué DIY photoshoot, I scrolled back and forth among the shots I took.

I used to cringe at the idea of pictures being taken of me. School portraits were always hard. Knowing you were one in a line of hundreds of other kids didn’t allow for many last-minute opportunities to check your hair or that food wasn’t stuck between your teeth.

Posing for a camera was a challenge. I always felt like I clammed up. Or I smiled too forcefully and made my cheeks rise up like a chipmunk. The few photos that I loved of myself were all candid shots. When I didn’t have to look at a camera or even know the lens was facing my way, I looked all right.

Since Kaden had come back into my life, all those previous hang-ups fell further and further to the wayside.

He’d held me against him while he played with me in that bathroom, treating me to a full view of how he could wrangle such soul-deep and shattering orgasms from me.

He’d lured me out in the open air of his backyard on the hot tub decking, exposing me so he could go down on me with that wickedly talented tongue of his.

And tonight, I’d taken the initiative to show him what I looked like in weird lingerie. Taking that risk was thrilling because it was for him and with him. Kaden was a safe space for me, and I knew I could trust him. He had proven time and time again that he would accept my flaws where my perception of my body image were concerned. He’d shown me with such calm patience that he would ground me until I could take baby steps one at a time to overcome it all.

I swiped back and forth through the images, knowing that I liked each one because they represented how happy I was. How comfortable in my own skin I was.

Kaden was a huge help in my journey of growth. Just in sending him silly flirty pictures, I’d learned to shed my insecurities. I was moving forward, no longer terrified of what I looked like to others.

I’d gained so much confidence and felt good in my skin.