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She sniffled quietly. “That’s all you have to say? Really?”
“Love is love, honey,” Maya said, getting up to hug her. “No matter what form it comes in. We’re just happy you met someone. Just like we were happy when Ian met Kyler.”
“Um, would it be okay if…if she came home with me for Thanksgiving?” Izzie asked tentatively. “Her parents threw her out when she told them about me. She doesn’t have anywhere else to go.”
“Absolutely,” my dad said immediately. “Ian, Kyler’s welcome too.”
I smiled as I poured myself a bowl of cereal. “I’ll talk to her and see if she knows her mom’s work schedule yet. Her mom’s an ER nurse, so she might or might not be working.”
“Okay. Tell her the invitation’s open,” Maya said. “There’ll be plenty of food to go around.”
“Speaking of food, I need to scarf down this cereal and load up my truck for the game,” I told them. “I hate to dine and dash, but…”
“No such thing when you live here,” my dad chuckled. “Brats and burgers are in the fridge. They should be thawed by now.”
I grinned. “Awesome. Thanks.”
* * *
When I pulled up to Kyler’s house, the driveway was empty. Thank God her mom had already left for work. I wasn’t sure I could handle a round of twenty questions with Brenda this morning.
I grabbed the coffee I’d picked up on the way here and went to knock on the door. Kyler answered wearing a Chiefs jersey I would never have guessed she owned with a long-sleeved black shirt underneath it and jeans with fur-lined boots. And I could see a hoodie and gloves in the clear bag she’d brought with her.
“Hey,” she said, half-smiling. “You look exhausted.”
“Truth?” I sighed.
“Of course,” she told me as she walked out and locked the door behind her.
“I barely slept. It’s not every day a guy hears that the girl he loves was assaulted by people he knows.”
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled.
I put her coffee on the hood of my truck and turned to look at her, putting my hand on her cheek. “I’m glad I know, baby. It’s helped me understand you more. I just can’t stop thinking about how scared you must have been. How alone you must have felt. And how they’re still torturing you and reminding you of it every day. It’s not fair, and I hate it. I want to make it stop, or at least make it better for you, but I don’t know how.”
Kyler surprised me by pouncing on me with a kiss. Even though she didn’t startle as easily and she seemed more comfortable with my touch now, the times when she actually initiated physical contact were still rare.
“You’ve already made it better, Ian,” she said timidly. “You’ve shown me that I can trust again. That I’m capable of being in a relationship. You didn’t believe the rumors about me when you had every reason to believe your teammates instead of me. And you’ve been so patient with me. I know taking things this slow is probably frustrating for you, but I appreciate you not pushing me more than I know how to tell you.”
I kissed her again, losing myself in the absolute rightness of the way her lips felt on mine. What she and I had went way beyond just physical chemistry. It was almost spiritual.
“I’m not in a hurry, baby.” I stole another peck. “When I think about life after high school, there are a lot of unknowns still, but the one thing Idoknow with absolute certainty is that I want you with me. So we have all the time in the world. I’ll wait as long as you need. You’re more than worth it.”
“Where did you come from?” she chuckled, turning bright pink.
“Wichita,” I quipped.
She giggled, and I grabbed the coffee off of the truck and handed it to her.
“I got you a vanilla latte. I figured it was a little too cold for a Frappuccino. Hope you brought earplugs, by the way. We actually broke the Guinness record for the loudest stadium in the U.S.”
“I brought earmuffs. Does that count?” she asked.
“It’s something to cover your ears at least,” I chuckled, kissing her nose. “Is that hoodie in your bag warm enough?”
She nodded. “It’s thermal. Probably warmer than that jacket you’re wearing.”
“Okay, good.”
