Crazy, Stupid Love

by K. L. Grayson

  Neither one of them acknowledges me as I move down the hallway; they’re carrying on as if I’m not even here. I take a water from the refrigerator and stop outside the kitchen to twist the cap and have a drink.

  The building is full of kids and mentors today, and as I watch them interact, I’m reminded why I enjoy coming here. These kids need adult interaction and guidance, and here they can get it in many different ways.

  The Kid Connection building has multiple rooms packed with anything and everything a kid could want—the latest and greatest video games, pool tables, dart boards, ping-pong tables, a crafting and scrapbooking area, a media room to watch movies, and out back there’s a small blacktop with a basketball hoop.

  Word on the street is that Kid Connection was started by Braydon McAllister, an NFL superstar who, as a child, was transferred to thirty different foster homes before being adopted at age sixteen. I’m not sure if that’s true because I’ve never seen him here, but if it is, I’d love to shake his hand someday. What he’s done for the kids in this area is nothing short of amazing.

  “Hey, you.”

  I look to the left and smile at my baby sister. “I was starting to think you weren’t going to show up.”

  “Johnny Garfield stopped me out front and asked if I could help him with his jump shot, so I’ve been out back with him.”

  “You don’t play basketball. Do you even know what a jump shot is?”

  Chloe pretends to be offended, resting a hand on her chest. “I know how to play basketball.”

  “What’s a jump shot, Chloe?”

  “It’s when you dribble and take a few steps toward the goal—”

  “You mean basket.”

  “Whatever. And you lift a leg and drop it in.”

  “Wow,” I laugh. “That is the worst description of a layup I’ve ever heard.”

  “A layup.” She snaps. “That’s what it’s called. Oh well, Johnny is going to be darn good at those.”

  “Remind me to find Johnny before we leave and show him what a jump shot is. But first, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

  “Oh yeah?” She pulls a list of the kids out of her back pocket and studies it. “Is there a new kid here?”

  Chloe always makes a point of introducing herself to all of the new kids. She knows their names and wants them to know hers so they’ll feel comfortable approaching her if they need something.

  “No new kids.”

  “Oh.” She looks up and follows my gaze across my room. “Ohhhh…”

  Adley must’ve just beat Lucas, because she’s doing a happy dance around the table. Lucas is laughing and saying something we can’t hear, and it’s obvious by the starry look in his eyes that he just fell head over heels in love with my girl.

  “Is that…”

  I nod. “That’s her.”

  From across the room, we watch Adley hold a hand up for Lucas to high five. He goes to slap it, and she pulls it away, causing him to laugh, and I find myself smiling along with them.

  “Wow,” Chloe breathes. “She’s beautiful.”

  “Thank you. I think so too.”

  “I’ve gotta admit, Linc, I was not expecting this.”

  Swallowing, I peel my eyes off Adley and look at my sister. “You and me both. What you said yesterday got to me. I don’t know how or when it happened, but she’s important to me. I realized I should act accordingly.”

  “So, you two are what, a couple?”

  “I think so. I just know we’re not temporary, and we’re taking things one day at a time.”

  “I’m really happy for you, Linc.” Chloe wraps her arms around my neck. “And I’m glad I’m finally getting to meet the girl who stole your heart.”

  “Whoa. Easy there.” I step back, but keep my hands on her arms. “No one said anything about my heart.”

  “That’s such a typical man thing to say,” she says, rolling her eyes. “So, when are you going to tell Rhett? Because you know he’s going to kill you, right?”

  “I’m one of his best friends. He’s not going to kill me.”

  “Yeah, well, when he finds out you’re sleeping with his baby sister, you’ll be transferred from the friend list to enemy number one.”

  “Shit. I hope not.” I run my fingers through my hair and grip the back of my neck as I look back at Adley. Lucas is putting their equipment away, and she’s standing across the room glancing between me and Chloe.

  “Uh-oh.”

  I look back at Chloe. “What?”

  “You didn’t tell her I was coming today, did you?”

  “I told her I wanted her to meet someone, but no, I didn’t tell her who.”

  “Looks like your girl has a jealous streak.”

  “No way,” I say emphatically.

  Chloe nods at me like I’m some dumb schmuck who has a lot to learn. “Trust me on this one.”

  “Why would she be jealous?” And why does that turn me on? “She’s all I see.”

  “Have you told her that?”

  “Yes.” I think about it a second and then shake my head. “Not in those exact words, but after last night, she should know.”

  “Sorry, big brother, but that’s not how women work. Come on, let’s go get this introduction over with so your woman can breathe again.”

  Chloe tucks her hand in my elbow as we make our way across the room. We get stopped twice by two different groups of kids, and when we finally make it to Adley, Chloe pulls her hand off my arm and holds it out.

  “You must be Adley. I’m Chloe, Linc’s sister. I’ve heard so much about you.”

  Relief washes over Adley’s face, and she goes right past Chloe’s hand and pulls my sister in for a hug.

  “It’s so great to finally meet you. Lincoln talks about you all the time.”

  Chloe’s eyes widen.

  Our family doesn’t show affection the way the Allens do, and it can be a little overwhelming at first. But Chloe warms up quickly and wraps a delicate arm around Adley’s shoulders.

  “All good things, I hope.”

  “Oh, yes.” Adley releases Chloe and moves to my side. “He’s told me so much, I feel like we’ve already met.”

  “Oh yeah?” Chloe lifts a brow at me, and I know what she’s thinking. How much exactly have you told her? But Chloe should know better. Four people are privy to the details of our childhood—five if you count the social worker—and Adley isn’t one of them.

  I shake my head just enough for Chloe to notice.

  “Yes.” Adley beams at Chloe. “He’s very proud of you and your accomplishments. He told me you’re graduating soon with your degree in early childhood education. Is that right?”

  Chloe nods. “Only one more final to go. I cannot wait to be done. I’m so burned out on school.”

  “Tell me about it. I just finished myself, and I feel like the last four years have lasted forever. Do you know what grade or subject you’d like to teach?”

  “To be honest, I’d just like a job. I figure I should get my foot in the door somewhere first. Then I can find out what I love and work my way toward that.”

  “That’s a great plan.”

  “What about you? Linc says you’re going to be a nurse. There are lots of different areas for you to get in to.”

  “I don’t know. I really like labor and delivery.”

  Adley’s arm drifts around me while she talks, as if it’s the most natural move in the world for her, and something about the three of us standing here shooting the shit feels so…right. I should’ve introduced them sooner.

  “Hell yeah,” Chloe agrees. “Who wouldn’t want to hang out and hold babies all day long?”

  Adley laughs. “There’s a lot more to it than that, but getting to hold the babies is definitely the best part.”

  “Excuse me.” Our conversation is interrupted when a little girl tugs on Chloe’s shirt.

  Heather Durham ended up in the foster care system a year ago when her mom died of a heroin overdose. S
he was extremely shy when we first met her, but she’s slowly opening up. Mostly to Chloe.

  “Hey, Heather.” Chloe crouches down and tugs gently on one of Heather’s pigtails. “These are super cute.”

  “Thank you. Miss Lori put them in for me,” she says, referring to one of the regular mentors. “I really wanted braids, but Miss Lori doesn’t know how to braid. Do you?”

  “I do. Would you like me to braid your pigtails?”

  Heather’s little head bobs, her eyes wide with excitement. “Yes, please. But I want my hair to look like Rachel’s.” She points to another little girl in the room, and Chloe frowns.

  “That’s called a French braid, and I don’t know how to do that. I’m sorry, Heather. But I can still braid your pigtails, if you’d like.”

  The little girl’s face falls, along with her arms at her sides, and Adley takes a step forward, lowering herself beside my sister.

  “Hi, Heather. My name is Adley. I’m a friend of Lincoln and Chloe’s.”

  “Hi,” Heather replies sadly.

  “I know how to French braid.”

  The little girl turns her frown around. “You do?”

  “I sure do. Would it be all right if I French braid your hair?”

  “Sure.” Heather thrusts her hairbrush into Adley’s hand. “But can I have two braids instead of one?”

  “I think I can manage that. Let’s go find a chair.”

  “Do you mind if I join you?” Chloe asks.

  But the question isn’t directed at Heather so much as it is Adley.

  Adley grins. “Absolutely. And I can teach you how to French braid, if you’d like.”

  “I’d like that a lot.”

  The girls snag some chairs a few feet away, and I watch Adley gently remove one of Heather’s ponytail holders, run a brush through the hair, and section it off. Chloe follows the same steps and observes carefully as Adley starts doing something fancy with her fingers.

  I should find Johnny or one of the other kids, but I can’t pull my eyes away from the two women in my life.

  Chloe tries to mimic what Adley is doing with the other half of Heather’s hair, but she messes up and has to start over three different times until she finally gets it. The girls hoot, and Adley holds her fist up, but Chloe hasn’t mastered holding all those strands with one hand so she gives Adley a little hip bump.

  My heart expands in my chest, pushing painfully against my rib cage, and I know in this moment that I made the right decision yesterday morning when I went after Adley.

  Adley is perfect. Perfect for me. And it’s not because she’s gorgeous with a killer body or because she’s insanely smart. It’s because she’s kind and sweet and good.

  She’s good for me, and maybe she’ll be good for Chloe.

  And now I can’t wait to get her home so I can show her how good I can be for her too.

  8

  Adley

  “Oh my gosh, you did it.”

  Chloe looks at her hands and glances at me. Her smile is so much like her brother’s that it takes my breath away. I can’t believe I didn’t see the resemblance in them when I first noticed her.

  “Woohoo!” she sings, shaking her rump.

  I laugh and tuck the strands of the braid I’m working on in one hand so I can hold the other up for Chloe, but when she tries to do the same, she loses a chunk of the braid.

  “Sorry,” she laughs, “but I’m really proud of this braid, and I’m not letting go.”

  Instead, she bumps her hip against mine, and I feel like it’s some sort of secret handshake. I’m probably reading way too much into it, but I don’t care. Lincoln introduced me to his sister, and I’m pretty sure she likes me, and I don’t think today could get much better.

  “That’s okay. Let’s keep going and see if you can finish this braid.”

  I grab another section of hair, adding it to the intricate braid, and watch Chloe do the same. We keep working our way down, stopping a few times along the way so Chloe can work out what she’s doing with her fingers.

  Lincoln disappeared somewhere, but I know he hasn’t gone far because every few minutes the hair on the back of my neck stands up, so I know he’s looking at me.

  Chloe must notice it too because she grins. “He’s circling us like a hungry lion, and you’re the gazelle. If he wasn’t my brother I’d think it was sweet, but he is, so it’s kind of disgusting.”

  We both laugh and she says, “Who did you think I was when you first saw me earlier? An old girlfriend? Someone hitting on your man?”

  I feel my cheeks flush. I’m not normally a jealous person, but when I turned around and saw her wrapped in Lincoln’s arms, I about died.

  “I wasn’t sure, but I didn’t like it. It’s a good thing you guys came over and talked to me because I was seconds away from going all Lara Croft on you in front of a bunch of kids.”

  Chloe tosses her head back and laughs. “I’m glad you didn’t. I’m a lover not a fighter.” Her voice softens. “But I love that you’d fight for Lincoln.”

  I finish the braid, secure it with a ponytail holder, and smooth a few wayward strands. “He’s wonderful.”

  “I know.”

  “And kind.”

  “I know that too.”

  Biting my lip, I look at Chloe and tell her something I’ve yet to tell Lincoln. “He makes me feel special.”

  When Chloe finally looks over at me, her eyes are shiny. She blinks a few times and nods. “Just don’t hurt him, okay? He may act all tough, but he’s really just a big softy, and he’s been through a lot in his lifetime. He deserves some happiness.”

  “I won’t. I promise.”

  Chloe nods and finishes off her side of the braid, securing it with a band. “A little messy, but not too bad for my first try. What do you think?”

  “It looks great. If we work on it every time we meet up here, you’ll have it down in no time.”

  “You’re coming back here, huh?”

  I know without a doubt that I’ll be coming back, with or without Lincoln. “Absolutely. This place is great.”

  “I’m glad you think so. Linc and I love coming here, and we love seeing Heather.” Moving around the chair, Chloe looks at the little girl. “Your hair is gorgeous.”

  “It is?”

  “Oh yeah. Wanna see?”

  Heather nods, and Chloe stands up to take a picture.

  “See,” she says, holding the phone out for Heather to see.

  “Wow. It looks just like Rachel’s, only better. Don’t tell her that, though, because I don’t want to hurt her feelings.” Heather hands the phone back to Chloe and turns around to look at me. “Thank you so much.”

  “You’re welcome,” I tell her. “I’m glad you like it.”

  “I love it.”

  With the flick of her head, she spins and runs across the room to a group of girls huddled around the scrapbooking table. The girls fawn over Heather’s braids, and Chloe nudges me in the arm.

  “You were great with her.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Are you two finally done?” Lincoln slides an arm around my waist, holding me close to his side.

  Chloe looks at his arm around me and fights a grin. “We are.”

  “Good. We need to go.”

  I blink. “Why? I’m having fun.”

  “Because something came up.”

  Chloe takes a step toward her brother. “Is it Dad? Is everything okay?”

  Lincoln looks at Chloe long enough to reassure her. “He’s fine. But we need to go.”

  “Okay.” My mind is racing, trying to figure what could’ve come up that would cause us to leave Kid Connection early.

  Did I do something wrong?

  Lincoln gives Chloe a one-armed hug. “I’ll call you later. Don’t forget to register for graduation.”

  She gives him a mock solute and smiles sweetly at me. “It was great meeting you, Adley. Maybe we can get together soon?”

  “That would be wo
nderful.”

  With my hand cradled in his, Lincoln all but drags me out of Kid Connection. Several kids and a few of the mentors holler out goodbyes, but Lincoln just throws up a hand, not stopping to acknowledge anyone.

  “Lincoln, slow down.”

  He doesn’t. He’s a man on a mission. I just wish I knew what that mission was.

  Like the gentleman he is, Lincoln holds the truck door open for me and waits until I’m buckled before shutting the door and jogging around to his side. He slides in and buckles, and a second later we’re on our way home.

  His eyes are trained on the road, as they should be, and his hands are fisted tight around the wheel. I can’t help but wonder again if I did something to upset him.

  “Did I do something wrong?”

  His grip on the wheel loosens, and he glances over at me. “No. Why would you think that?”

  “Oh, I don’t know, maybe because you dragged me out of there like your ass was on fire.”

  “I’m sorry.” He reaches across the center console and rests a hand on my upper thigh. “You did nothing wrong. It’s me.”

  Was that some weird form of it’s not you it’s me? Because everyone knows it’s really the you person.

  “I’m not sure that’s any better.”

  “Shit. I suck at this.” Lincoln steps on the gas. “Just bear with me, okay? I promise this will make sense as soon as I can get you home.”

  The rest of the drive is made in silence, and when we get to my place, he jumps out and holds my door open. With a hand on my lower back, he leads me to the front door. I unlock it and he follows me in, shutting and locking it behind us.

  “I really wanted to wait until we got back to my house to do this, but I can’t.”

  Next thing I know, his lips are on mine, and my back is against the wall.

  “What do you want?” I pant between kisses.

  “You.”

  “You already have me.”

  “I want all of you.”

  Oh God, I want that too.

  Lincoln’s teeth rake over my lower lip and then his tongue dips inside, sweeping against mine.

  I reach for his shirt, needing to get rid of the layer between us. He lifts his arms enough for me to pull it over his head, and then my hands are roaming his chest. I can feel the fast beat of his heart beneath the palm of my hand, and it gives me a thrill to know he wants this as much as I do.