“Yes,” Kinsey admitted. There was no point in lying to her best friend.
“Then you need to go to him. Let him help you through this, hold you until the tears dry. Don’t be so afraid of being hurt that you actually hurt yourself more,” she said as she took Kinsey’s hand in hers.
“It was a game, Cass. That’s all. I ran away, probably the first girl to ever do so to him. Then he chased me. We had amazing, oh-my-gosh, sex, he restored his manhood, and now he’s gone,” Kinsey said, feeling like a fool.
“I think you may be underestimating him. Give him a chance. If you do, I think you could find more happiness than you ever imagined before. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from listening to Joseph and Katherine’s love story, it’s that time is too precious to waste.”
“I don’t know, Cass. I just need to think. My emotions are all over the place right now, and I don’t want to do anything I’m going to regret later.”
“Maybe the two of you just need a little helpful nudging,” Cass threatened.
“Cassie, don’t you dare interfere, do you hear me? I swear on our pinkie swear oath in grade school, that I’ll hunt you down,” Kinsey said, her eyes narrowing.
“Kinsey…”
“You promise me right now, Cass,” Kinsey demanded.
“I just want you to be happy. You know I love you,” Cassie hedged.
“Cassandra, you better promise me,” Kinsey threatened.
“Fine,” Cassie snapped, her eyes narrowing.
It wasn’t until Kinsey was on her way back home that she realized Cassie hadn’t promised. Her stomach turned over with nerves. Cass wouldn’t do anything. It was always friendship first, men second. Her day had been exhausting and she just couldn’t think about it any longer, so she pushed it from her mind.
She pulled into her apartment complex and walked to her unit. She shut the door and looked around, feeling more alone than she ever had before.
Joseph was better now and didn’t need a nurse at home. As she’d left the mansion, she’d had to fight back tears, knowing she’d miss the bustle always going on in the large place. She’d grown attached being there, loving her time of taking care of him. She was very happy he was better, though.
She looked at her calendar and realized it was George’s wedding night with Esther. Of course she’d been invited, but she couldn’t go, not when she was crying every ten minutes. Seeing Austin and not being able to talk to him would be too much.
Kinsey’s eyes grew heavy and exhaustion overtook her while she climbed into her bed and fell asleep. She had time to figure it out later.
◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊
“I can’t believe dad’s getting married today. It’s so weird,” Trenton exclaimed.
“I know what you mean. I’m happy for him, really happy, but it seems so strange. Especially the fact that he’s acting like a teenager,” Max said.
“I think it’s incredibly romantic. Esther’s been blushing all morning,” Bree added.
“Yeah, it’s great. I haven’t seen dad this happy in a long time. Moving back here was a really good thing. All of you getting married, now dad, too. What the heck? I guess we’re grown up, now” Austin said.
“What do you mean, we. I don’t see a ring on your finger,” Trenton said.
“Yeah, whatever.”
Austin hadn’t seen Kinsey in weeks, but couldn’t get her off his mind. When he hadn’t heard anything from her by last week, he figured he had his answer on whether or not she was pregnant. He knew if she were, she’d call him, she’d promised. What really surprised him was the disappointment hanging heavily over him like a dark rain cloud getting ready to pour.
How could he possibly feel as if he’d lost something that he never had to begin with? It didn’t make any sense.
“Austin Anderson, who the heck do you think you are? Seriously? Are you God’s gift to women, Mr. love em and leave em? Huh! What do you have to say for yourself?” Cassie thundered as she stomped into the room, fire burning in her eyes.
“What did I do?” he asked, taking a step back. His sister-in-law was frightening in a temper. He had new respect for his brother.
“Sweetie, what’s this about?” Max asked as he stepped toward her.
“Don’t you sweetie me, Max,” she snapped, stopping him in his tracks. Then she turned back to Austin. “What did I do? Really? Kinsey isn’t some cheap two-dollar-hooker. She’s a lady. She’s beautiful, compassionate, fun and freaking fantastic. You were lucky enough to have her fall in love with you, and you think you can just throw that away?” Cassie snapped, stepping up to him, her hands on her hips as her toe tapped.
Austin was speechless as the room went silent. He’d never seen Cassie throw a fit before and it was impressive, but her words were what muted him.
Kinsey loved him.
Love.
His mind whirled as he thought about the girl he couldn’t forget no matter how hard he tried. Her smile, laugh, temper, passion. All of it was intoxicating. He wanted to be with. Not for just a night, or even a week, but he really wanted to be with her. The have and to hold kind of being together. He wanted to see her walk down the aisle to him, where they said vows and then kissed in front of their friends and family. He wanted to claim her as his forever. He couldn’t let her go… he was in love with her.
“I love her,” he muttered.
“Well, hallelujah, he finally admits it,” Trenton said with a laugh as he thumped him hard on the back.