My father wore a stunned expression but nodded. “All right. I might not be very good company, but that would be nice.”
“Can I bring either of you anything from the house?” I offered.
My mom nodded, coming over to embrace me and give me a list of things they’d both need from home.
***
By the time I’d brought my parent’s stuff to the hospital, visited with my father a bit longer, then had Brian and Sasha drop me off, it was nine o’clock. Although I could’ve gone home, there was something about it being empty that led me back at the Singer house. After Mrs. Singer insisted I eat dinner, I went upstairs, took a shower, and crashed hard from such an emotionally taxing day.
The sound of the bedroom door opening woke me in the middle of the night. I stirred, hearing Colby’s voice.
“It’s just me, Kenz.”
My sleep-fogged brain thought maybe I was dreaming until I felt him slide in behind me. “I’m in your bed.”
His arms went around me from the back. “Yes you are.”
“I didn’t know you’d be home tonight. I can move rooms.”
“I’m here for you. My mom called and told me about your father. How is he?”
“Better after the procedure. You didn’t have to come for me.”
“It’s what friends do, right?”
“Yeah, I suppose they do. Although your friendly erection is kind of sending mixed signals at the moment.” I could feel him hard behind me.
He chuckled softly before sighing. “I know. I told myself I wouldn’t touch you, but then I saw you in my bed and couldn’t help myself.” His lips settled below my ear, kissing softly.
“Maybe our bodies need closure.” I pushed my ass back into him, relishing the hiss of breath near my ear. Suddenly I didn’t want to think about coping with limitations or what had happened in Vegas. I didn’t dare contemplate what this might mean beyond tonight. Overanalyzing could come in the morning, but for right now I needed to shut off my brain and pretend this might work out—if only for the time it would take until one of us left this bed.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Yes.”
That one word had him quickly shedding his shorts and shirt behind me before reaching around to peel down my thong.
His fingers ran the length of my slit before plunging deep inside of me. “I missed you so fucking much.”
I couldn’t reciprocate verbally without being taken out of the moment and think about why it was that we were missing each other in the first place, so I let my body take over. “I want you inside of me.”
He moved my top leg over him, giving him a better angle to thrust deep.
“Ahh, yes, like that.” I moaned loudly, trying to concentrate on how he was making my body feel instead of his words.
“Shh, or we’ll wake up my mom.” His hands came around, pinching my nipples and then rolling them to peaks, clearly testing the boundaries of how quiet I could actually be.
My hips rocked against him, savoring the exquisite pace that was slowly driving me towards my climax. Once he reached down to settle his skilled fingers on my clit, I was done for. I turned my face into the pillow, muffling the sound of my orgasm.
I’d halfway expected he’d follow and then we’d fall asleep, but he wasn’t nearly finished. He pulled out and pinned me to my back, settling between my thighs before driving back into me and going in for the kiss.
Holy hell. Had there ever been a time where he wasn’t good at kissing? Sure didn’t seem that way now.
“Wrap your gorgeous legs around me.”
I did so, pulling him closer and feeling him groan at the way he was so deep inside of me. My muscles clenched with the start of my climax while I felt the hot evidence of his hitting my core. Both of us reached the pinnacle at the same time.
He kissed my neck before traveling further down my body until his face was buried in my pussy. He acted like he was a starved man, and I was his last meal. Gripping the pillow, I had to shove it over my face to keep from screaming out with another release minutes later.
Crawling up my length, he kissed me, allowing me to taste the sensual combination of us on his lips. With all the emotion of a possible last kiss goodbye, I ran my hands through his hair, over his shoulders, down his back, trying to memorize every detail before our time was up, and reality inevitably crashed down uninvited in the morning.
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
I woke as the sun was coming up, looking over to see that Colby was still sound asleep beside me. I took a moment to appreciate his gorgeous face, wanting to touch him again but knowing I’d promised myself that time was up. I had no regrets, but the last thing I needed was to have ‘the talk’ about where this left us now or, worse, have him say he was sorry for the umpteenth time.
The fact I was leaving tomorrow night for three weeks gave me resolve. I wasn’t going to expect that anything between us had changed, and thankfully, my sated body was trumping any potential of an emotional fallout. At least for the moment.
Quietly, I dressed, packed my things, and crept out of the room. When I was at the bottom of the stairs, Mrs. Singer startled me.
“Good morning, honey. You want some breakfast?”
“No, thank you. I should get back to the hospital.”
She reached out, squeezing my hand. “I understand. You call me if there’s anything we can do and keep me updated. I’ll come by the house later, depending on when your father gets home.” Her gaze left mine, focusing on the stairs behind me. “Colby, I wasn’t aware you’d come home.”
She glanced from me to him, and I could feel my face heating. Hearing his husky voice and seeing him standing there didn’t help matters.
“Hi, Mom. I got in late last night, so I didn’t want to wake you.”
Her eyes got bigger but, to her credit, she didn’t ask the obvious question, such as: what did you do when you found Kenzie in your bed?
“I need to go, but thanks again, Mrs. Singer, for letting me stay. Uh, I’ll see you both later.”
I practically bolted the short distance to my house to drop my things and take a shower. A text from Colby waited for me with the words I dreaded.
“Can we talk please?”
Although it was an excuse to avoid him, it was a damn good one. “I’m on my way to see my dad. Maybe later.”
Once I arrived at the hospital, I went up to my father’s room hoping I wouldn’t wake him if he were still asleep. But after one step inside the room and a glance towards the bed, it became obvious that both my parents were wide awake and—oh my god—making out?
My mother pulled back immediately, blushing, but not moving from the bed she was currently sharing with him.
“Good morning,” my father greeted, not bothering to wipe the smile from his face.
“Uh, yeah, good morning.” I was rooted to the spot, not knowing if I should turn and leave them alone or stay here attempting awkward conversation. One thing was for certain, I was in shock. Put aside the fact they’d told me less than forty-eight hours ago they were divorcing, I couldn’t ever recall one time I’d seen them share more than a peck.
“Come in and take a seat,” my mother invited, snapping me out of it.
“Right. Okay. How are you feeling, Dad?” I sat in the visitor chair, watching them together with their hands joined.
He chuckled and then exchanged a look with my mom. “Better. Much better. Doctors say I should be released this afternoon. I need to watch my diet, incorporate some exercise, but other than that, this heart should stay in good shape for years to come.”
“That’s great news.”
My mother got up and came over, taking the chair beside me. “I owe you an apology, McKenzie.”
Freaking pigs had to be flying over a blue moon in a frozen hell somewhere. That is the only thing that could explain those words coming from my mother’s mouth.
She sighed heavily. “Your expression looks like your father’s last night w
hen I told him the same thing.”
She went on express regret over her panic due to the divorce and her pressure on me to move home. By the time she’d finished, I think my jaw was on the floor. Clearly, the last twenty-four hours had done something to her. In a good way.
“Whatever you decide to do with your life, we’re both supportive,” my father summarized and then winced when he received a hard look from my mom. “Not fully from a financial aspect, to quote your mother, but we can work that out.”
Ah, there was the glimpse of the mother I knew. “Thank you,” I murmured in a state of astonishment. I had a million things swirling around in my mind, but the one question I couldn’t contain was, “Are you two staying together?”
They shared a smile. “We’re certainly going to try.”
Wow. Okay, then. I grinned, not realizing until now how much I’d wanted them to work it out.
***
Brian, Sasha, and I met for breakfast downstairs in the hospital cafeteria an hour later. Meanwhile, my mother was content to have her coffee and stay with my dad upstairs.
“It’s weird to see her like that,” Brian confided. Earlier, he’d also been on the receiving end of an apology from our mother.
Sasha nodded, having been hugged by my mom while she expressed regret over how she’d reacted to their engagement. “I’ll say.”
We all started laughing and could only hope that whatever epiphany my mother had experienced with my dad’s health scare stayed with her when things returned to normal. We laid bets that we had a week, tops, but at least I’d be out of the country by that time.
Heading back up to the waiting room, we all inwardly groaned when we saw my brother Ben and his wife, Rebecca. I thought it ironic to be related to people who were so easy to forget about.
“How nice that none of you could’ve picked up the phone to call us?” Rebecca started out, flicking her eyes between Brian and me.
Before anyone else could answer, a retort flew out of my mouth. “Considering he’s my father, not yours and not even Ben’s, and the only people I’d call would be those who genuinely care, I don’t know why you’d be surprised you weren’t on the list.”
I looked towards my half-brother Ben, feeling as if he was a total stranger to me, probably because he was. It didn’t help that any respect I may’ve ever had for him had faded over the years he’d stay married to the bitch-from-hell.
Rebecca’s face reflected some shock that I’d be the one to speak up, but then her eyes narrowed for battle. “Unlike the rest of you, we’re an active part of your parents’ lives and are here for every holiday, every birthday—”
“Good for you,” I said dryly, intending to turn away and avoid any more drama in the waiting room. But it wasn’t to be, as her next words stopped me in my tracks.
“Considering you’re the cause of the heart attack, one would think you’d be a little more contrite over this whole ordeal.”
I stepped close to her, lowering my voice. “What did you say to me?”
She smirked. “All the stress you put them under by refusing to move home or show any appreciation for everything they’ve done for you caused them to split up and led to your father’s heart attack.”
If she’d thought she was springing a bombshell on me with the divorce news, she was about to realize I had the upper hand. “They’re not getting divorced and are more than supportive of my decisions. Maybe all that time you’ve been spending with them didn’t afford you the most updated version of the story. Or perhaps you’re not the type of person that people like to share good news with.”
She was momentarily caught off guard but recovered with a dismissal. “Whatever. Let’s go see them, Ben. I’ll have the unfortunate pleasure of seeing you all tomorrow at the baptism.”
I’d had enough of Rebecca’s toxicity at my family events. She didn’t deserve to be invited to our friends’ celebrations simply because they thought it was the polite thing to do. Clearly, Haylee had never told Josh how mean Rebecca had been to her whenever we did have gatherings, else Rebecca already would’ve been banned.
“You know what? It might be better if you didn’t come.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said it might be better for you not to attend the baptism or the brunch tomorrow. No one needs your negativity there.”
“Someone is awfully full of herself today, but considering the invitation came from Mrs. Singer, not you, we’ll do as we please.”
“You’re right, she did invite you. But then again, that’s because she doesn’t know all of the horrible things you’ve had to say about Haylee over this last year, including the comment at their wedding that she’d trapped Josh into marriage. In fact, neither does Josh. If they did know about it, you’d be blackballed for life. So, fair warning: if you choose to show up, I won’t hesitate to cause a scene and have you thrown out if you so much as roll your eyes.”
“I’d help her,” Brian piped in for support.
Rebecca’s face paled. “Your mother would never allow that to happen.”
I shrugged. “In choosing between her decades old friendship with the Singers or you, I’m going to bet she’s not picking you.” My gaze flicked towards Ben, who was an older-looking version of Brian, but without the personality. He hadn’t said a word. “Guess it’s up to you, Ben, as to whether or not you’d want to come without her. Might be nice to get to know you.”
“How dare you.”
When Rebecca’s open hand flew towards my face, I saw it coming, grabbing her by the wrist before she made contact. I wasn’t gentle, squeezing it harshly in my grasp.
“You’re lucky I didn’t allow you to hit me because that’s assault, which would mean if I struck you in return, it would be self-defense. And as immensely satisfying as it would be to knock you the fuck out right now, it’s more satisfying to tell you you’re not worth it.”
I let her hand go, finding pleasure in the fact that she was holding her wrist in pain. “Ben, I’d suggest you take her out of here before I change my mind. Think real hard about tomorrow or any other family event in the future, Rebecca. If you can’t say anything nice, then consider yourself warned that the gloves are off. The days of you being a bully around my family and friends are over.”
Our older brother was stunned, but I didn’t see any hope for him as he followed a pissed-off Rebecca out of the room.
An immense satisfaction settled over me as I watched them leave, knowing that I’d not only gotten the last word, but I’d also finally stood up for myself without hesitation. Evil had officially been defeated.
“That was impressive, although I was kind of hoping you’d punch her face.” Brian chuckled, giving me a hug.
Sasha smiled, “It’s terrible to say, but I kind of did, too.”
***
“Anyone else you want to take on, Kenzie?” Brian grinned as I sat with him, Sasha, and Mark at a bar later that evening.
“No one comes to mind at the moment, but I kind of feel like I’m on a roll this week in overcoming challenges.”
“I could put you on some investor calls with Josh. You can be his muscle.” This was from Mark, who’d flown in this afternoon. He was normally overly reserved, in his lawyerly way, so the quip was even funnier coming from him.
Feeling my phone buzz, I excused myself from the table for a minute only to return with good news. “Guess what? I got the backup singer job if I want it. They have a big summer tour across the US beginning in May of next year.”
There were hugs all around, but before anyone could ask questions, we saw three familiar faces walk in. I tried to control my heartbeat when I realized one of them was Colby.
Smiling at each of them, I hugged Haylee and then Josh, before awkwardly doing a hug-like-I-hadn’t-been-naked-with-him-last-night thing with Colby while very aware that everyone was watching us. I hadn’t seen him since leaving this morning, nor had I followed up to his text, but the sight of him triggered a longing of epic proportion
s. I needed another drink. Pronto.
Colby’s gaze stayed locked on mine while he took a seat directly across from me. We ordered another round, and I tried unsuccessfully not to think about last night. The intensity in his eyes, however, made it obvious that it wasn’t far from his thoughts, either.
“I heard we missed quite the morning at the hospital,” Josh opened up, having obviously spoken with my brother about it.
Everyone chuckled with the exception of Colby, who appeared to be the only one in the dark. “What happened?”
It was my brother who, in animated fashion, retold the story, omitting the part regarding Rebecca's previous comments about Haylee else Josh would go ballistic. He had everyone laughing.
Josh toasted me. “To Kenzie for ensuring it won’t be me making the scene tomorrow if Rebecca steps out of line. Might be kind of fun to make you the official baptism bouncer.”
We all smiled at the image while Colby’s face gave away nothing.
“So you didn’t say: who’s the backup singing gig for?” Sasha prodded.
Colby interrupted. “You got the job?”
I nodded. “The call came in right before you arrived. The band is called Misfit Toys, local guys out of Los Angeles, but I don’t think I’m supposed to make that common knowledge, so keep it on the down-low. I didn’t even meet them at the audition, but hopefully they’re cool.”
Haylee’s eyes lit up. “I’ve seen them. They played on campus my sophomore year, actually. The lead singer is gorgeous. Not that I’m normally one for tattoos and piercings, but they look good on him.”
I took out my phone and googled them. Huh, the lead singer was hot.
Sasha looked over and commented. “The, uh, pierced tongue is interesting.”
Haylee quirked a brow and asked, “Wonder what that would be like?” causing Josh to swallow his drink down the wrong pipe and cough.
“Really?” he teased, clearly amused and shocked by his wife’s question.
She gave a little shrug before kissing him playfully. “Nah, I’m pretty happy with yours.” Realizing what she’d just said, she turned bright red as the entire table erupted in laughter.
Bet Me Something (Something Series Book 3) Page 31