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“Stay with me. I want to see you during the day, maybe we can even leave the house together, go out to eat.”
My eyes popped open, “Actually, I have plans with Daisy tomorrow. I promised to take her to the falls for a tea party picnic.”
“What’s a tea party picnic?” he asked, confused.
“It’s where I have to lug five stuffed animals, a tea set, blanket and snacks out into the woods because I love my niece.”
“Do you want some help? These arms are pretty strong. They can carry maybe twenty or thirty stuffed animals at once,” he held up one of the arms in question and flexed those magnificent muscles of his.
“I don’t doubt it,” I squeezed his biceps. “I would love for you to come with us but we’ll have to be careful. Daisy might mention something to Gray the next time she talks to him.”
“Right,” the smile disappeared from his face and he turned over onto his back, putting both hands behind his head.
“Did I say something wrong?” I chewed on my bottom lip.
“No, baby, just, fuck. Every time I talk to him feels like I’m lying. Just because he doesn’t openly ask me if I’m spending my nights with his sister doesn’t mean I’m not omitting the truth.”
“I know. I’m just not ready to tell him yet.”
“Do you think you’ll ever be ready, Winnie?” he asked, clearly frustrated.
“Why are you getting mad at me? I thought we agreed to wait until we could tell him in person.” I played with the edge of the sheet, hating the way the conversation had turned.
“I’m not mad at you, I’m mad at the situation. I want to be able to go out with you and Daisy without having to worry that someone might see us and tell your parents,” he practically yelled.
“Well my parents already know, you butthead, so you don’t have to worry about them!” I yelled back and smacked him in his stupid face with the pillow.
“What?” he asked, throwing the pillow to the ground.
“My mom saw my car in the parking lot overnight and figured it out. After berating me for not telling them, she told me how happy she was for us.” I crossed my arms and flopped back on the pillow, not looking at him. If he wanted to be a petulant toddler then I could be one, too, damnit.
“And you’re just telling me this now?”
“I’d planned to tell you earlier but then you were all ‘fuck my face, baby,’” I lowered my voice to imitate him, “and I forgot about it until just now.”
Kane began laughing, huge deep sounds bouncing off the walls as he clutched his stomach.
“Are you laughing at me?” Outraged, I reached for the pillow I had hit him with earlier. He stopped me by grabbing my wrist and hugging me tightly to him so I couldn’t reach my weapon.
“Not at you, babe, but you saying those words in what is supposed to be my voice is fucking funny.” My anger disappeared and I laughed with him as I ran my fingers through his chest hair, loving the rumble of his laughter vibrating against me. “How do you feel about your parents knowing?”
“Honestly?” He nodded. “Relieved. I don’t like keeping secrets from them, it feels as if a huge weight has lifted.”
“That’s good, Winnie,” he brushed his hand through my hair.
After my confession, we settled in and his even breathing reached my ears. But my peace from earlier had left me, Kane was clearly becoming aggravated with the situation and I couldn’t blame him. I stayed awake wondering how much longer we could enjoy each other before something challenged what we had been building.
18
Kane
Ilet Winnie sleep in this morning because I knew she was exhausted. She had stayed up late worrying after we talked and I could hear her brain overthinking our situation.
My initial worries about letting down Gray and the Jameses had all but disappeared. Winnie was meant to be mine and the time we had spent together proved it. As far as I was concerned, the only person that could get in between us was Winnie herself.
I knew she had reservations about being in a relationship with me. She was the type of person that put everyone in her life first. I could imagine her biggest concern was how her being with me would affect my bond with her brother.
Gray and I had been through a lot over the years. There were situations that I wouldn’t have survived if it wasn’t for him and vice versa. He made me Daisy’s godfather at her Christening which was not only a position I took very seriously but something I hoped to reciprocate when I had my own child. That would happen sooner rather than later if I had anything to say about it.
