Page 113 of Finding Kyler
A lonely tear trips down her cheek, and my eyes well up. There is so much hurt and pain in her gaze; it’s clear something traumatic has happened. I bite back my distress.
Itcan’tbe true.
Kalvin is a lot of things, but he’s not capable of this. My mind churns in confusion. Something awful has obviously happened to her, but none of this makes any sense. Kalvin wouldn’t hurt her. I’d stake my life on it. I chew on the inside of my cheek, utterly conflicted.
“No. I’m not okay,” she chokes out.
A sense of dread sweeps through me. “What’s going on, Lana? What happened?”
Please tell me it wasn’t my cousin, I plead in my head.
No!Itwasn’t Kalvin.I inwardly chastise myself for even thinking those thoughts.
He wouldn’t do this.
“I’m in a bad place, Faye.” More tears cascade down her cheeks. “And I hurt so much.” There’s an anguished quality to her tone that brings tears to my eyes.
I gulp, willing the jittery feeling in my chest to go away. “The police have arrested Kalvin.”
More tears erupt, and she wipes her sleeve across her snotty nose. “I know. He hurt me, Faye. He promised me th—”
“Get the hell away from my daughter,” Greta demands, cutting Lana off mid-speech as she stomps toward the window. “Leave. Right now, or I’m calling the cops.” She pins me with harsh, cold eyes and steely determination.
“I don’t think you’re in any position to make such demands,” Ky supplies, coming up alongside me. “This is our property, our grounds.”
“And she’s my daughter!” Greta shrieks as her husband materializes beside her. “Leave her alone! You Kennedys have done enough damage.”
I glance one more time at Lana, and a myriad of conflicting emotion washes over her face. There’s no denying she’s wracked with pain, and my heart bleeds for her. Whatever is going on, it’s destroying her on the inside—I can tell.
I tug on Ky’s arm. “Let’s go.”
“Please give this to your mother.” Lana’s father speaks up for the first time, handing Ky a plain white envelope through the open window. Greta trembles, and he throws an arm around his wife’s shoulders.
I take Ky’s other hand and drag him away. Neither of us speaks on the walk back to the house, but there’s a heavy pressure chasing us the entire time.
All is quiet when we return, and the house is in darkness. We slip into my room through the open window and strip to our undies, sliding under the covers together. I rest my head on his bare chest, as his fingers toy with my hair. Everything is such a mess, and all manner of thoughts and ideas flit through my mind.
Concern for Kal competes with questions over my future with Ky. I prop up on one elbow, and peer into his face. “I don’t want to hide. Nothing good comes from keeping things secret.” James, Kent, and whatever is going on with Kal and Lana is proof of that.
He reaches up, cupping my cheek. “I agree, but we shouldn’t rush the decision because of what’s happened tonight or Keaton’s reaction.”
I press my face into his palm, loving the feel of his warm hand on my skin. “I’m not. I’ve given this plenty of thought. When all that stuff happened to me, I felt ashamed, like I’d done something wrong. It took a while for me to realize that wasn’t the case, but I was already walking around like the guilty party. Nearly inviting the taunts and the bullying. I’m not doing that again.” I shake my head vigorously. “I want to go out in public with you and hold my head up high, because the only thing I’m guilty of is falling for my cousin. There’s nothing illegal about it, and no reason why we can’t acknowledge our relationship in front of others. If they choose to look down their nose at us, then that’s their issue. Not ours. I won’t allow pettiness and narrow-minded prejudice to dictate who I am anymore. I’m not afraid to show my true self in public.”
I run my fingers across his cheek. “I want everyone to know I’m your girlfriend.” I gaze deep into his eyes, wanting him to see the truth of my words, hoping he can get on this train with me. “We’re perfect for each other, and people will see that in time.”
He drags my face down and kisses the heck out of me. When he finally releases me, we’re both panting. “It’s okay if you don’t want or feel the same, if y—”
“Ssh,” he interrupts me. “I want that. Every part of it. I’m not afraid to go public.”
“Are you sure? Because we both need to be on board with this. Both ready to face all the crap.”
He sweeps his hand through my hair. “I am. In a way, Keaton did me a favor. At least we’ll know exactly what to expect. But I don’t care about any of that. I care about you and your happiness. It’s all I’ve been thinking about these last twenty-four hours, and you’re right. We are not running and hiding—we’re stronger than that. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Faye, and I’d happily shout it from the rooftops. The dissenters can screw off.”
My grin is so wide it threatens to split my face. “Yeah?”
“Yes, babe. A thousand times, yes.”
This time, I lean down and kiss the face off him. When we part, he gazes at me so adoringly that it feels like my heart is about to break free of my chest and dance a salsa. I’m so happy I could burst.
