Finding Peace (Finding Series Book 1)

by Love, K. J.

  “I don’t see the harm in spending time with him. If it will make you feel better I’ll be your third wheel the whole time, then nothing will happen.” The thought of Tessa being with us makes me feel better, but it’s not something I want. I want to spend time with him, alone. I’m sunk.

  “If I’m going to do this I guess that would be the smart thing to do.” I’m smiling at her and she smacks her lips. She knows me too well.

  “Smart, but you don’t know if that’s what you want to do. Is Kayla, my best friend that always follows the rules, thinking about being a little rebellious this week?”

  Am I? The thought of that makes me blush. That’s not me. I follow the rules or I at least try to. “Not thinking about being rebellious, but I would like to spend some time with him just the two of us. Just to get to know him.”

  She takes her hands and places them on my shoulders lightly squeezing them. “Okay. It’s decided then, go and just have some fun for a change. You have been so unhappy for so long. It’s about time you started smiling more.”

  I’m so torn. I want this, but at the same time I can’t help but feel it’s wrong. Even though I’ve told David he just never seems to accept the fact that it’s over, and all he is doing is clinging to something that was gone a long time ago. “I’m tired. I’m going to go to sleep.” Well, I’m going to try to go to sleep.

  “Goodnight. I’m happy for you Kayla. Nothing may come of it, but at least you seem to be a little open to giving it a try and that’s a huge step for you.”

  “Goodnight. Thank you for bringing me with you.” She may have just helped me change my life without knowing it because regardless of what happens this week. I have to cut David loose for good.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Waking to the sound of Tessa singing, I stretch my body, yawn, and sigh. For the first time in a long time, I slept well. Rolling over, I see that Tessa is already dressed.

  “Good morning sleepy head. Get ready, we’re going shopping.” I roll my eyes at her. The girl loves to shop. Good thing her dad can afford it.

  “You might be going shopping, but I’m not. I’ll go with you and help you shop.”

  Sitting up, I start getting ready. Since she's already ready to go, I'll have to come back and shower tonight before we leave. The anxious feeling settles in my stomach, even though I know it's what I want to do. But I just worry what will happen.

  “You’re going and you are shopping. What else do we have to do until time to go to the game room tonight? My treat, lunch and shopping for the day.”

  “Lunch? What time is it?” I look around for a clock, but I don’t see one. I pick my watch up off of the night stand. “It’s eleven? Why did you let me sleep so late?” I never sleep this late. I’m may not be a morning person, but even on the weekend I’m up by nine.

  “You needed it. You didn’t even keep me awake last night. You must have been having some good dreams.” She is so smug. She probably already has Blake and me walking down the aisle together in her head. You gotta love her.

  “Okay, give me a minute.”

  I’m dressed and ready to go in no time. A full day of shopping with my best friend equals a tiring day. What could be better? A day with Blake? I shake my head, stop doing that to yourself. You know it can’t happen.

  Chapter 9Kayla

  Finally, we make it back to the house. My feet are killing me. How in the world am I going to go out tonight? Tessa doesn’t shop, she marathon shops. I bet we hit every store in this town and the surrounding towns. I just want to lie down and rub my feet.

  “I’m going to lie down for a little while. Don’t let me oversleep.”

  “Why? Afraid you’ll miss Blake?”

  I throw a pillow at her head.

  “Shut up! I wouldn’t need to lie down if you hadn’t tried to kill me today.” I curl up on the bed and let the sleep pull me under.

  I wake in a panic. I grab my watch. Crap I’m late, I knew this would happen. Tessa is asleep on her bed. I shake her. “Get up, it’s late. Blake is going to think I’m not coming.” She sits straight up and tries to get her bearings.

  “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry Kayla I must have fallen asleep.”

  I’m running around in a panic while she is profusely apologizing. If I had the number of the game room, I would call them.

  “You think? Just hurry and let’s get ready.” I run to take a shower. I can’t believe this. I take the fastest shower, I’ve ever taken. Within thirty minutes we are out the door and headed to the game room.

  “Did you even tell your mom we were leaving?” I ask Tessa.

  “I told her before I fell asleep. She had to work tonight anyway. I’m so sorry, Kayla. Really, I am.”

  “Don’t worry about it. If he’s not there, then it wasn’t meant for us to spend any time together.”

  My chest is hurting. I’m really hoping he’s still there. Then I have a horrible thought. What if I get there and because he thinks I’m not coming, he is already with someone? Well, that would just be wonderful, wouldn’t it? I push that thought out of my mind. If that is the case I will just tell Tessa to take me back to her mom’s. I can’t believe it’s almost eleven. Tessa’s curfew is midnight. Even if he isn’t with someone I won’t have very long to spend with him. Of all the times for Tessa to drive slow. I look at the speedometer and my eyes widen. Okay, maybe she isn’t driving so slow, she is doing sixty in a forty-five. Great if we get stopped, we’re going to jail and I won’t see him at all.

  We pull into the parking lot and I jump out of the car. I quickly make my way to the front door.

  “Hurry up. I’m not walking in there alone.”

  “Well, slow down and you won’t have to walk in alone.”

  I stop and wait for her to catch up. It’s taking her forever. I should have been in there over an hour ago.

  “You need to slow down and walk in there casually. You don’t want to go busting in.”

  She’s right if I do that and he’s with someone he will see me. I want to slide in and see what he is doing before he sees me.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Blake

  Where is she?

  I’ve been here since nine and it’s going on eleven and their curfew is at midnight. She changed her mind, I guess. Closing my eyes, I shake my head. Damn it. Maybe I came on too strong. It isn't every day I am such a gentleman with a woman. Well, I am a gentleman, however, with her, I made an effort to be even better at it. She’s the first girl I’ve really tried to impress. The others never really made me work that hard.

  “Blake, get your head in the game.”

  Max looks really frustrated. I’ve not been paying any attention to this game and we are playing these guys for money. We could beat them any day of the week, although not with me doing it half way.

  “Sorry. I’m just not into playing tonight.” I assess the table and see what my next shot is.

  “I’ve noticed. She isn’t coming. Let it go, man.”

  He’s right. She isn’t coming. There are some girls standing around us. Apparently a red head heard our conversation.

  Her voice annoys me when she says, “She may not be here, but we are Blake.”

  I so don’t care right now. I guess the best thing for me to do is finish this game and leave.

  “Not interested. Can you move? You’re in my way.” I motion with my pool stick for her to move and she gets an attitude.

  “You’re a real jerk.”

  “Not the worst I’ve been called honey. Now move your ass.” She storms off with her friend. I’m going to finish this and go the hell home.

  “Not fond of red heads? Huh, I would think a guy like you wouldn’t care what color a girl’s hair is.”

  Smiling, I know exactly who's behind me without even looking. And I continue to look at the table knowing my night just got so much better. She's standing so close I can smell her sweet perfume.

  “No. I’ve found that I prefer blondes lately. Specif
ically blondes with green eyes have become my favorite.

  “Mr. Smooth talker again tonight I see.”

  “I don’t believe that, that’s the exact nick name you had for me.”

  She laughs and that is one of the most beautiful sounds I’ve ever heard. I turn around and she takes my breath away. She’s wearing another short skirt tonight, however, it’s not tight. It’s flared out and black. Kayla has on a sleeveless red top that definitely shows off her ample assets with red heels to match. Only Kayla could look this amazing.

  This girl can look hot without looking trashy and I love that. My mouth is hanging open and I’ve lost the ability to speak. The red makes her blonde hair stand out even more. She’s not tall, maybe five feet, I still love the way that skirt and those heels make her legs look.

  “Maybe, although you’ll never know, will you?”

  My eyes are still scanning her body. I think I might just die right here. This girl is going to be mine and no one is going to stop me. I shake my head.

  “I’m sorry, did you say something?” She laughs again and my brain seems to quit working or maybe it’s just because all the blood left it.

  “Never mind. I’m sorry we’re late. Tessa took me shopping and tried to kill me in the process. So when we got back to her house I was tired and laid down for what I thought was going to be only a nap, but ended up with both of us falling asleep and not waking up until after ten.”

  She’s cute when she’s rambling. “That’s alright. I mean we won’t have long together. At least it’s something. Let me finish this game and then we’ll go outside.” I turn to Max. “Let’s finish this.”

  Max grins and says, “Show time.”

  We clear the table in a matter of minutes and collect our money. No one here can beat us; however, they keep coming back for more.

  “You’re pretty good at that.” She says.

  “I’m good at a lot of things.” I give her my crooked grin. Tessa is just standing there watching us interact. She clears her throat.

  “Okay kids. You don’t have long, so I say you get to talking. I’m going to go hang out with the girls. Find me soon. We don’t have long. Again, I’m sorry I fell asleep too.”

  Kayla tells her, “Don’t worry about it. We’ll be outside if you need us.”

  We make our way to our bench and sit down. Yes, I’ve decided it’s our bench. I’ll never look at these benches the same. She’s all the way at the other end of the bench. So, I slide over and put my arm behind her and rest my hand on her shoulder.

  “I didn’t think you were going to come. I thought that maybe you changed your mind.”

  “I haven’t changed my mind. I’m still worried about the whole situation, but I’ve decided it's ok for us to spend some time together this week. Although tonight it won’t be for very long.”

  I’m not sure about what I’m getting ready to ask, but I was going to ask her even before she was late. Now that she is going to have to leave sooner than I want her to, I definitely want to ask her.

  “Would you consider sneaking out of the house tonight? I know it’s probably not something that you’ve done before, but we’ve got less than an hour before you have to be home and I just want to spend some time with you.”

  I watch her as her eyes widen. Her breathing has become erratic and she looks a little pale. I rub my hand up and down her arm. “If you don’t want to I completely understand. We won’t do anything you don’t want to do. We can sit here and then plan to see each other tomorrow during the day if you want.”

  She is thinking, so I let her. She keeps biting her lip. I think she does that when she’s nervous and she is bouncing her right leg up and down. It’s distracting, but I know it’s because she is nervous.

  I take my hand and cradle her cheek and turn her head toward me. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. We can see each other tomorrow.”

  “No!” She shouts.

  I remove my hand and arm. I’m stunned and I don’t know what to make of her outburst. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  She shakes her head. “I mean I want to spend time with you tonight. It’s all I’ve thought about since last night. I never should have laid down today.” She puts her head down.

  “Just so we are clear. You’re saying you’ll sneak out tonight and spend some time with me?” She is looking into my eyes and I want to kiss her so badly it hurts.

  She smiles at me and I smile back. The red on her cheeks almost matches her shirt.

  “I’ve never done this before. I’ve never done anything like this before. I can’t seem to help myself, though.”

  Leaning in slowly, I lower my lips toward hers. Closing my eyes, I lightly brush my lips to hers, giving her the chance to protest. She doesn’t though, she leans into me and returns my kiss.

  I’ve been thinking about this since I first laid eyes on her. She wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me closer, pushing her hands into my hair. Just then she opens her mouth and allows me to deepen the kiss. I pull her up onto my lap. My brain is screaming for me to stop this before it gets out of hand, my body, however, has a mind of its own. I’m hoping she can stop this because I’m done for.

  I wrap my arms around her back. This kiss is intense. I have to break it now. I put my hands on either side of her head and gently push her back. Her face is beautifully flushed and all I want to do is kiss her again. I lick my lips and she bashfully smiles at me.

  “Don’t get bashful on me now, not after a kiss like that.”

  She buries her head into my neck. Her breathing is rapid and I can feel her chest brushing against mine.

  “Hey. Look at me.” She keeps her head buried and won’t pick it up. “Kayla. Look at me. Please.”

  She picks her head up and the look on her face is adorable. “Don’t be embarrassed, baby. That was the best kiss I’ve ever had.” I lift her left hand in mine to kiss it. That’s when I realize her ring is gone. I lift my head to look at her and she just shrugs. “Where’s your ring?”

  She gives me a small smile. I kiss her hand. And I give her a full blown smile showing my teeth, I feel like a kid in a candy store. She is going to be mine forever. She may not know it yet, nevertheless, she will be. What the hell? Mine forever? I've just met her and already I'm turning into some loved up buffoon. Something tells me that this character is not going to take it easy on her and hasn't in her past.

  My gut instinct is to rush in and save her, do whatever it takes to get her away from her problems, mainly this guy, who is clearly playing her. Having a feeling that if she knew the things I was thinking, she’d run as fast as she could to get as far away from me as possible. Therefore, I have to play it cool before I scare her off. I have to go against everything I feel and tread lightly with her.

  Even though, I have no doubt she'll be mine forever, I can't let her know that. What I need is to prove that to her before… What the hell has gotten into me? One moment at a time McGinnis. One moment at a time.

  I'm so lost in the crazy battle going on in my head that I almost miss her response. Inwardly, shaking my head, I focus on the beautiful woman in my lap. “I took it off. I’m not ever, putting it back on. I’m going to break things off with him as soon as I get back.”

  I wrap her up in my arms and squeeze her. “I’m so glad you made that decision for yourself. You deserve so much better.”

  Somebody who will treat her the way she deserves. More than anything, I want to be that person. The person that makes her smile, makes her laugh, that makes her feel safe. She's under my skin and the more I hold her like this, the more I realize that's just where I want her to stay.

  We sit like this for a while. She has her head resting on my chest and I’m playing with her hair. She smells like vanilla and coconut. She reminds me of suntan lotion and lazy days at the beach. I love it.

  “We better go find Tessa. It’s almost time for you to leave. I’ll follow y’all to the house so I know where it is. Do you think Tessa
will help you?” I lift her off of my lap and onto her feet in front of me.

  “I think so. She’s been pretty happy about me being open to talk to someone else. I’m just not sure she’ll agree with the whole sneaking out part.”

  Pushing to my feet, I take her hand as we walk back to the front of the building. All the thoughts from earlier are still racing through my head. The thought of her being mine, for longer than this week, has a smile spreading across my face. I'm on cloud nine right now.

  “There you are. We have to go like now. If I’m late my mom will kill me.”

  Tessa seems anxious. It may not be the best time to ask her for help, but Kayla does anyway. I pull her to my side and hug her to me.

  “Tessa, we need your help.” Kayla states in a matter of fact tone.

  Tessa purses her lips at us. Why do I get the feeling, she already knows what we are going to ask?

  Chapter 10Kayla

  Oh my goodness, I can't believe I'm doing this. Honestly, I was worried that Tessa wouldn't agree to help me, but she did. Only after she talked to me at length about if I was sure I wanted to do this. After that discussion which seemed to take forever, we set our plan into motion.

  We arrived back at her mom’s with Blake following close behind us so he would know where to pick me up. The plan was for him to follow us. Watch which house we went to and then keep driving past it. He would then circle back around and park on the street down from the house. He wouldn’t be able to stay there long because in a neighborhood like this that would cause some unwanted attention. Community watch reports any suspicious vehicles to the police station.

  It was now midnight and we would have to wait for Tessa’s mom and step-dad to fall asleep. The minutes ticked by like hours.

  “It won’t take them long to fall asleep. I figured they would already be in the bed when we got here. I guess they wanted to make sure we were home safe.” Tessa explained.