Page 70 of Keeping Kara

“So why is it okay for me, but not you?”

Jen sighed. “You know this conversation is moot, right? I’m dating Asher now.”

Everyone was silent for a beat.

Yeah, she was dating Asher, and that made Kara incredibly sad for some reason.

“All right, we’ll shut up about Edge, but no more talk about you being weird-looking or not good enough for any man. You’re a badass, Jen, and you need to own that,” Penny said firmly.

“I’ll try.”

“Good. Now, who wants another glass of wine?” she asked, as she got up.

To everyone’s amusement, all three dogs—who’d been sleeping soundly all night in the corner of the room, on a trio of dog beds—lifted their heads.

“Not you guys,” Penny admonished Waffles, Rain, and Fred with a chuckle. “But I might be able to scrounge up a dog bone for each of you.”

A couple of hours later, everyone was ready to call it a night. Jen and Fred went back to their apartment, and Penny sent Pyro a text to let him know it was safe to come home, and to let the others know everyone was ready to go.

Kara was a little tipsy but feeling more mellow than drunk. She was looking forward to seeing Arrow, even though it hadn’t been that long since he’d dropped her off. She supposed that was one sign of a good relationship, when you couldn’t wait to be with your partner even after being separated for just a few hours.

The guys all arrived at the same time, which made sense, since they were coming from the same place. Pyro led them all upstairs without having to be buzzed in and the next thing Kara knew, she was in Arrow’s arms. He smelled amazing, familiar, and having his arms around her felt like coming home.

It made her realize it didn’t matter where she might be, if Arrow was at her side, she was home.

They said their goodbyes, and Kara wished Penny and Pyro, as well as Laryn and Casper, a happy wedding ceremony, saying she couldn’t wait to see them at the reception, and then Arrow led her out of the apartment to the elevator. His arm stayed around her waist, keeping her steady as they walked through the parking lot to his fancy SUV. He got her settled in the passenger seat then hurried around to his side.

Kara watched him with a small smile on her face. He was everything she’d ever wanted in a partner, and she was so grateful they’d somehow found each other.

After he pulled out of the parking lot, she blurted, “I want to go to Maine and meet your mom.”

He looked over at her in surprise.

Kara wrinkled her nose, realizing how much the wine had loosened her tongue. Instead of shutting up, she began to babble, trying to make her request seem like less of a big deal than it probably was.

“I mean, you’re so amazing it made me think about your mom, and how great she must be. For raising you to be you. Brave, smart, and a great friend. You’ve talked about her so much, and I can always hear the respect in your tone. And I’ve never seen an off-grid house. I bet it’s interesting. And her garden is probably amazing. I have a black thumb. If I had any plants, I’d kill them within a week.”

Arrow chuckled and reached for her hand. He brought it to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. “Done. I’ll call her tomorrow and we’ll figure out a time to go visit. But it has to be before October. I don’t mind the cold, but Maine cold is different than Virginia cold. And she lives in the northern part of the state, where I swear it snows in October and doesn’t melt until the beginning of June.”

Kara giggled. “Okay.”

“She’s going to love you,” Arrow mused. “I can’t wait for her to tell me ‘I told you so.’”

“About what?”

“About waiting for the right person to come along. That I’d know her when I saw her. That when I met her, I’d know it deep in my bones.”

“Arrow,” Kara whispered.

He squeezed the hand he hadn’t let go of. “Did you have a good time tonight?”

He was obviously changing the subject, and Kara let him, not quite ready to blurt out how much he meant to her. That if he decided he didn’t want to deal with her and her baggage, it might literally kill her.

“Yes. What about you guys? You totally spoiled Bowie, didn’t you?”

“Yup,” he said, without an ounce of guilt in his tone.

“I think we’re finally going to get to meet Asher this weekend. Jen said she was bringing him to the reception.”