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CHAPTERFIVE
IAN
I hadno idea why I was so nervous when I pulled up to Kyler’s house, dressed in khakis and a navy button-down shirt, with a corsage consisting of some kind of blue flower and baby’s breath sitting in the passenger seat next to me. It wasn’t like I’d never taken a girl to a dance before.
Still, though. This wasKyler. And right now, I was just praying that I wouldn’t have to follow through on my promise to bring her back home if she didn’t have a good time, and that no one would say or do anything to her while she was with me. Maybe it was stupid to hope that my status as a football player would be enough to protect her from any further harassment, but it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility, right?
I took a deep breath as I knocked on Kyler’s door, praying that Ms. Strong had gotten the Spanish Inquisition out of her system on Tuesday night at dinner. Not because I cared, but because I’d feltawfulfor Kyler. I could tell she’d wanted a hole to open up in the floor and swallow her, and I couldn’t say I blamed her. If I hadn’t known better, I would have said Kyler’s mother thought her daughter was still ten years old.
“Ian. Hi,” Ms. Strong said as she opened the door. “Kyler’s still getting ready. Come on in. Can I get you something to drink while you wait?”
Wait.What?
Not that I wasn’t grateful for the one-eighty, because I was, but…huh? It was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – or, well, Ms. Hyde.
“No, I’m good. Thanks, Ms. Strong,” I said, sitting down on the couch.
“Brenda’s fine, honey. I’m just going to go check on Kyler.”
Who was this woman? And why couldn’tshehave been the one I’d had dinner with on Tuesday?
“No need, Mom. I’m here,” I heard Kyler say.
I got up from the couch and turned in the direction of her voice, and all of the air left my lungs as I looked at my date.
Kyler didn’t dress up. At all. She always wore jeans, t-shirts, and Converse, her hair was usually pulled back into a ponytail, and she didn’t wear much makeup. I liked her that way because it was natural, and because I respected the fact that she didn’t feel the need to impress anyone.
That was why the transformation I saw now was such a shock. And I meant that in the best possible way. She was wearing a royal blue halter top dress that went to her knees, and the color made her eyes look even bluer, if that was possible. Her long hair hung around her shoulders, and it looked like she’d curled it a little. And she’d put on just enough makeup to bring out her natural features, but she hadn’t overdone it.
“Wow,” I gasped, taking a shaky breath. “Ky, you look amazing.”
“Thanks,” she chuckled nervously, turning bright pink. “You clean up pretty nice too.”
“Thanks, I think,” I teased, then held out the corsage. “Um, it’s a little corny, but I got this for you.”
Her cheeks turned an even deeper shade of pink as she opened the container and put it on. “Thank you. It’s not corny. It’s sweet. It matches my dress.”
“And your eyes,” I said without even thinking.
Immediately, said eyes locked with mine, as big as saucers.
Damn it. I’d told myself I wasn’t going to come on too strong tonight. She’d told me she needed to take it slow, and I respected that. Though I had a handful of theories as to why she was so shy and guarded – most of which had to do with the behavior I’d seen from her mother on Tuesday combined with the hell she went through every day at school – I didn’t know for sure. But I knew enough to realize that I needed to lethertake the lead here.
I cleared my throat. “Um, you ready to go?”
“Not yet. I need a picture,” Brenda said. “Look at me and smile.”
“Mom,” Kyler groaned.
“It’s just a picture, Ky,” I chuckled. “I think we’ll survive.”
“Come on, you two. Just one picture,” Brenda insisted. “Then you can go have fun.”
Kyler stepped next to me, and I put an arm around her back and pulled her in close so her mom could take the picture, and I was shocked when she didn’t stiffen or try to pull away. I didn’t know if she realized it, but that was a first.
Even though I’d only had a couple of girlfriends before now and I’d always respected their boundaries, I’d never taken thingsthisslow with them. Having to take baby steps with Kyler made me appreciate the little things like this more, and I had to admit I liked it. A lot.
“Okay, Mom, are we done now?” Kyler grumbled.
