“I know.” Kelton nodded, looking apologetic. “It’s not the same thing at all. But, even so, we still need to talk. There is so much that we have to discuss and if I’m honest, I’m freezing out here.” He shivered and looked at her pleadingly, hoping that she’d take pity on him.
Kayleigh had to agree that it was too cold and too public to be having this kind of conversation on the doorstep and grudgingly open the door a little wider to allow him to walk in the house. Shutting the door behind him, she turned to take his coat from him and sucked in a breath. She’d forgotten quite how big he was, and even though she had already put on some weight with the pregnancy, she felt dwarfed by his side.
“Thank you.” He said politely as she took his coat and showed him into the small living room.
“Would you like something to drink? Tea? Coffee?” Kayleigh wanted to give herself a little more time before they started to talk.
She’d been expecting Kelton to find her. Honestly, she had wanted him to. If not, she would have gone further and would have disappeared completely. They’d shared too much in their time together and had too much to work for to throw it all away. She’d just needed that time away from it all to get a clear perspective on what she wanted and needed out of life.
Kayleigh had somehow felt his presence. There was a time the night before when she felt that familiar pull from him and knew that he had been near. She hadn’t been able to sleep all day, knowing that the time to see him again was fast approaching. Hence why she showed little surprise when she found him standing on the doorstep.
“No, thank you.” Kelton replied, feeling awkward. This place wasn’t familiar to him and he felt like he was intruding on her life, and that irritated him. He was back in her presence, which was what he had wanted, but it didn’t feel right. “Can you stop pacing and sit down so we can talk?”
Kayleigh paused before resuming pacing in front of the small fireplace. There wasn’t much room to pace as the house was so small.
When she’d left the academy, the only person she could think of going to was an old friend of hers, Michelle. She was of the Lamia Matris and kept herself to herself, shying away from the rest of the community and living in her own little bubble. She was content with her own company and Kayleigh hated to impose, but Michelle had welcomed her with open arms.
“I’m glad you were somewhere safe. I’ve been searching for you. You have to know how worried I was about you.” Kelton said quietly.
“I’ve been fine. I needed time to think.”
“I would have given you space to think if you had stayed.”
“You know that it would never have worked, Kelton. You wouldn’t have been able to stay away.”
“So, your only option was to run away?”
Kayleigh closed her eyes for a moment. “It was what I needed to do.”
“I’ve been going out of my mind, Leigh. I’ve been crazy without you.”
“I had to leave.”
It had worked out well for both of them. Michelle was out at work most of the time, which left Kayleigh the run of the house by herself to sort through her confused feelings. She’d been staying in the spare room, which was barely big enough to hold a single bed, but it had been enough for her. It was a place where she could gather her thoughts, a place that didn’t have any memories of Kelton.
But, now he was sat there in the unfamiliar living room. He looked so out of place, his large frame filling the tiny room, looking uncomfortable in the squishy floral arm chair.
“I can’t sit down. I’ve got too much nervous energy.”
Kelton unfolded himself from the chair and started to walk towards her. He stopped when Kayleigh stabbed him with a glare, her first real show of emotion since he’d entered the house.
“You’ll never know how sorry I am for what happened.”
She spun around to face him again. “You’re sorry you did it? Or you’re sorry you got found out?”
Kelton shook his head. “You should know me well enough to know that I wouldn’t do something like that.”
“But you did! The proof of that walked through the front door and virtually slapped me in the face with the reality of it!”
“I’m not saying that it didn’t happen. I’m saying that you don’t understand the situation in which it happened.”
Kayleigh’s mouth fell open as she listened to Kelton explain what happened that night with Cassandra. Obviously, he didn’t go into the dirty details that she didn’t need to know, but he explained what happened thoroughly, leaving no doubt as to what went on.
She couldn’t believe that someone could stoop so low. Her head was reeling as she listened to Kelton tell her everything that had happened back then and everything that had gone on at the academy since. It was unbelievable, yet she believed every word he said to her. What he was saying made much more sense than him cheating on her. The truth was in his words and in his eyes.
How could she have run off like that? Sure, she had needed the time to herself, but if only she had stayed and listened to him when it had happened, they wouldn’t have had to live without one another for these last few months.
“So, that’s about it.” Kelton said as he ran a hand over his face. He looked exhausted after telling his tale and Kayleigh wanted to sit in his lap and hug him and tell him things were going to be alright, but she held back, keeping herself over the other side of the room. They needed distance to get it all out in the open.
“That’s quite a lot for me to take in.”
“But, it’s the truth.” His eyes pleaded with her to believe him and understand.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll come home.”
Kayleigh shook her head. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that yet. There’s so much to think about.”
Her heart wanted to go home and make things work, but her head was still unsure. Even if he hadn’t intended to, he’d hurt her. She totally believed that he hadn’t meant to do it, that it hadn’t been his choice to do it. But, it had been his choice to keep it from her. If only he had told her and explained to her at the time, this could have all been avoided.
“Please? I want you to come home.” Kelton’s eyes clouded over with tears that nearly melted Kayleigh’s heart. “I can’t live without you. It’s killing me.”
Kayleigh dropped to sit on the couch opposite where he was sitting and put her head in her hands. How were they going to sort this out? There was no doubt in her mind that she still loved him and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. Especially since his explanation, it seemed that being apart didn’t make any sense at all. They were destined to be together, so why fight it.
But, then there was that other part of her that wondered how she was going to cope going back to the academy and seeing the twins. It was going to be a constant reminder for her of what he’d done. And, what if their mother had to attend the academy for whatever reason? She wouldn’t be held accountable for her actions if she ever got her hands on that woman.
“Please, Kayleigh?”
“Kelton, I want to. I really do. But, I don’t know if I can. Not yet.”
“But, I want you and our baby with me. I can’t live without you. I’m miserable without you.” A lone tear slid down his cheek.
Kayleigh felt her emotions buckling and couldn’t hold herself back any longer. Running the short few steps over to him, she flung her arms around his neck and sobbed. The contact, the smell of his skin, it was overwhelming. More than she could handle.
He was whispered declarations of love in her ear, clinging to her like she was the only thing in his life that mattered. And she was. Her and the baby she was carrying. Kelton didn’t give a damn about anything else in her life. He just wanted her back home where she belonged.
They spent the rest of the night at her small house, talking through the night. They kept contact with one another, holding hands, Kelton running his fingers through her rich auburn hair, but they didn’t
take it any further than that. As much as she wanted to, Kayleigh couldn’t surrender to what her body wanted like that. They had too much to clear up before she could even think of getting close to him like that again.
In the early hours of the morning, Kelton helped her to load up the few belongings that she had with her into the car. He wanted to grin from ear to ear, jubilant in the fact that she was finally coming home to him where she belonged, but he was being careful. They were taking things one step at a time and he didn’t want to do anything to derail what progress they’d made.
It felt right to both of them. They both knew that was where she belonged.
Chapter Eighteen
It was more nerve wracking than she thought it would be, going back to the academy, going back to her life. Even though it was scary, it felt right to be back. This was where she belonged.
Over the course of a few hours, she and Kelton had managed to talk through everything that worried them about the past and about the future. It wasn’t easy to listen to what had happened to him, but they needed to get it all said. There was too much that had remained unspoken between them and in the end that was what they nearly broke them. It was just what they both needed. They needed to get everything out in the open in order to start afresh.
They still had a very long way to go and a lot to think about, but at least they were together now. They would never have been able to work this through while they were apart. Although the time that they had spent apart had been agonising for both of them, they’d needed the distance. It put everything into perspective and made them realise that being together was what they needed out of life. Being together was the only thing that made any sense. Being apart had been killing them both. It was something that they couldn’t fight. They had to be together, it was as simple as that. Kayleigh had missed Kelton more than she realised. In the time she’d been with Michelle, she’d tried to focus on the hard stuff, ignoring how much she wanted to be with him. He was her soul mate and when they’d been apart, it had truly felt like a piece of her was missing.
Packing up hadn’t taken her too long. After all, she’d left most of her belongings back at the academy. It had been a special moment when Kelton had seen her packing up the few baby items she had picked up. It had been one of the hardest things in her life, to go out there and buy those little baby outfits. At the time, she’d still thought she’d be raising this baby alone. Now that they were back on track, she relished showing Kelton the things she’d got. And he had promised to be there for her every step of the way, including buying the things that they’d need for their child.
The drive back was quiet, each lost in their own thoughts. Kayleigh knew that Kelton was walking on egg shells around her, not wanting to do or say anything that might make her want to run from him. It was a delicate situation and with the pregnancy, her hormones were in overdrive. Every feeling and every emotion was heightened and she appreciated his every attempt to care for her wellbeing. It felt strange, though. After all those months of being on her own and looking out for herself, now she had Kelton to look out for her again. It made her feel loved and looked after. That was something she’d desperately needed lately.
In all honesty, she didn’t want to run from him again. They’d get through this. They’d work on it together to make things right. It was a lot for both of them to deal with. Kayleigh had been hurt by his betrayal, but Kelton had also been cut up over the events, events that had been beyond his control. Not only that, though. They were both full of thoughts of their first child that Kayleigh was carrying, and they had the twins to contend with.
Kayleigh wasn’t looking forward to seeing them again. Kelton had told her every little thing that had happened, from the initial meeting with Cassandra, right up to the DNA test and how the girls had reacted. In turn, she’d explained to Kelton how hard it was going to be for her. From all he had said, Cala was going to be a lot easier to deal with than Rhian, but she wasn’t relishing having to see either of them. It didn’t sound like he was having an easy time of it and for that, she felt sorry for him. Sure, the revelation had hit her hard, but while she’d been away gathering her thoughts, Kelton had been at the academy dealing with the reality of the situation. Alone.
That was something that was weighing heavily on Kayleigh’s conscience. He’d had to shoulder the burden alone, when she should have been there for him. She’d run off without letting him explain first. Again, she was blaming that on her hormones and there was no use going over and over it again and punishing herself for it. What was done was done. All they could do now was move forward. Move forward together as one, united.
It was going to be hard for her to see the twins again. There were so many similarities between Kelton and the twins that it was going to be a shock to her system every time she set eyes on them. How she was ever going to get used to it, Kayleigh didn’t know. But, she was going to have to get used to the fact and work with it. There would be no way for her to effectively avoid them at the academy so she was going to have to man up and push through it.
As the winding driveway gave way to the first view of the mansion, Kayleigh gasped. She’d forgotten just how beautiful this place was. The snow covered landscape looked magical, making the mansion look like something out of a fairy-tale.
If only their relationship was like a fairy-tale. They both would have known that after the struggle and strife that they’d have a happy ending.
“Are you ready for this?” Kelton asked in a gentle tone.
“Are you?”
“Not really.” Kelton smiled at her. “This is all a bit scary, isn’t it?”
Kayleigh nodded, knotting her hands in her lap. “We’ve got a lot to deal with, haven’t we?”
“But, together we can do it, right?” Kelton was scared to death that he was pushing things too far too fast and was scared that Kayleigh was going to bolt again. He wanted to make things right between them and they both knew that the only way to do that was together, but he was worried that he was bringing her back here too fast.
“We’ll try.”
They pulled up to the front door, but before Kayleigh could take off her seat belt, Kelton started the car up again with a shake of his head. He looked over at her, “Would you rather go in the back way? Would that be easier for you?”
Kayleigh thought about it for a moment. She didn’t want to sneak around, but she didn’t want to come face to face with the twins as soon as she walked in the door. That would be too much for her to handle tonight. Nodding slightly, she glanced over at Kelton. “I think that would be the best idea.”
Kelton pulled the car around to one of the back entrances to the mansion and stopped the car. Getting out, he quickly walked around to open the car door for her, holding out a hand to help her out. Kayleigh smiled at his gentlemanly actions. Holding her hand tightly, he wanted to make sure that she missed any patches of ice, worrying greatly over her pregnant state. Grabbing her few bags with his spare hand, Kelton hesitantly moved them forward into the house.
Relief flooded through him when she tentatively squeezed his hand back. He’d been worried that he was presuming too much when he took her hand, but that touch was what they needed. They both needed the physical contact to ground them. It was going to take them a long time to get back to something that resembled ‘normal’ for them, but now that they were together, they had a much stronger chance of getting there.
A burst of nervous giggles rose up in Kayleigh’s throat. Kelton looked over at her questioningly when she snorted out a laugh before clapping a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry. I know that this isn’t funny, but I feel like we’re a couple of teenagers sneaking around, making sure we don’t get caught by our parents.”
Kelton grinned. He knew exactly what she meant by that. He was feeling it, too. Kelton grinned wider because it was the perfect way to break the ice that was forming between them. They’d both been so tense and that brief moment of humour had let a little of their old lives tri
ckle into the moment.
As they got up to their suite of rooms, Kelton took in a deep breath. It hadn’t felt right when Kayleigh had left him. He’d felt empty and had avoided spending time in their suite as much as he possibly could. The silence of the rooms echoed in his heart. Now that she was back with him, it felt like coming home. He opened the doors for them and watched as she walked in.
“You haven’t changed anything.” Kayleigh said, looking around with tears in her eyes.
“Why would I? Everything reminded me of you. I needed that.”
Kayleigh moved slowly over the threshold. She had missed this place. She had missed everything about it. Most of all, she’d missed being with Kelton. Tears swam in her eyes as she looked around at all the familiar things that were still in the places where she’d left them.
“Are you okay?” he asked, concerned.
That was all it took for the dam to break. It was all too much for her to take and it all came crashing down around her.
Kelton tentatively put an arm around her shoulder, unsure what to do and how far to take his loving. He didn’t want to overstep that invisible mark.
Kayleigh turned and flung herself into his arms, holding on to him as if he were her only lifeline. So much had happened between then, but right in that moment, it felt right to be in his arms. It was where she was supposed to be. In Kelton’s arms is where she would be healed.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Kelton murmured into her hair as she sobbed into his chest, soaking his tee-shirt with her tears. “What can I do? Tell me what I can do to make this better. I’ll do anything for you, Kayleigh.”
They were both distraught, unsure how to proceed when things felt so alien yet so familiar. He held her as tightly as she hugged him, lightly stroking her back until her tears dried up.
“I’m better now.” She hiccupped before laughing. She was far from okay, but she was better now that she was back with him again. They could fight this together and that was all that matter to her.
Changing Fates: A Sons of Satrina Novel (The Sons of Satrina Book 3) Page 21