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“Only because I was being an ass. But you were sweet. And kind.” He leans down and kisses me. “And the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen.” He looks in my eyes. “I never want to forget that day. Or any of the days that followed. You made me have faith in people again. You were the light in some very dark days. You helped me get through this, Sage. You didn’t know it at the time but you were the only thing keeping me going.” He kisses my forehead and brings me into his arms. “I love you, Sage.”
“I love you, too.”
“I hope you can forgive me for not telling you the truth. If you need time, I understand, but I really don’t want to wait to be with you. If you were willing, I’d do as I said before and get us an apartment next to your school. And if you’d let me, I’d pay for you to finish your last semester. You could go back in September. You wouldn’t have to wait.”
I pull away from him. “Would you go with me?”
“What do you mean?”
“To college. I’m sure you could get admitted. You could finish your last year there.”
“I don’t really care about finishing. I don’t even know what I want to do.”
“It’s better than sitting around thinking about it. If you take some classes, maybe you’ll figure out what you’re interested in.” I smile. “And going to college together might be fun, although you’ll have a lot of girls flirting with you. You’d be the hottest guy on campus.”
“It won’t matter because I already have someone.”
“Would you do it? If you agree to it, I’ll let you loan me the money so I can go back in September.”
“It’s not a loan. I’m giving you the money. I have plenty.”
“It’s a loan,” I say sternly. “I’m paying you back. So will you go or not?”
“I’ll think about it. Although the odds would improve if the beautiful woman I’m in love with would agree to share an apartment with me and my sweet, adorable, yet sometimes annoying brother.”
“I’ll think about it,” I say in the same casual tone he used when he said it to me.
“I’m ready.” Cain comes bounding down the stairs with Josh close behind. Cain drops his duffle bag next to Kyle and looks up at him. “What about school? Where am I gonna go if we move?”
“We’ll figure it out. We’ve got some time.” Kyle musses his hair. “I’ve missed you, kid.”
“Then don’t leave again,” he says like he’s angry.
“I won’t. You’re stuck with me now.” He picks up Cain’s duffle bag.
Those two are so sweet together. Just watching them interact, I can see how much Kyle loves his little brother and how much Cain looks up to him. I’d never do anything to separate those two. If I decide to live with Kyle, Cain will definitely be there with us. He’s a part of our lives now.
“Car’s out front,” Josh says. “But we may not have enough room for everyone.”
“I’ve got my rental out back,” Hank says as he walks in.
“You should take one of Dad’s,” Cain says to Kyle. “He’s not going to be using them.”
“You’re right,” Kyle says. “Let’s take the SUV.” He pauses a moment. “You know what? We’re going to skip the plane and drive back to Kansas. I’m sick of driving that piece of crap truck. I could use a new vehicle.”
“You sure that’s okay?” I ask. “It’s not yours. You don’t want to get in trouble.”
“I’ll get it transferred to his name.” Hank winks at me. “Just because I’m retired doesn’t mean I’ve forgot how the laws work.”
“Thanks again for everything you’ve done,” Kyle says to him.
“We still have a lot to do but it’ll work out. It always does.”
“We’ll see you back at the hotel,” Josh says to Kyle.
“Yeah, okay.”
Josh and Hank head off in their rental cars and Kyle, Cain, and I take the SUV. It’s a luxury SUV with soft leather seats and every possible upgrade.
