Page 26 of Kaden & Keegan
Kaden leaned forward, held her gaze. “Consider it a favor.”
Sensing she was going to argue some more, Kaden got to his feet, smiled down at her. “It’s a damn good idea, darlin’. You and I both know it. See you tonight.”
With that, he took his coffee and the box of donuts and strolled out.
He could feel those pretty blue eyes lingering on him as he made his exit.
*
It’s a damn good idea, darlin’. You and I both know it.
Kaden’s comment stuck with Bristol for most of the day, rattling around in her head, making it nearly impossible to concentrate. How she managed to make it through her tasks, she wasn’t sure, but she had.
Now, as she sat in her car in the parking lot of the daycare, she debated on going home, pretending Kaden hadn’t invited her to their house, hadn’t checked in via text message twice to make sure she was coming.
As her heart began a steady gallop in her chest, Bristol realized avoiding them would be the wise thing to do. Perhaps she could come up with an excuse.
Oops. Slipped my mind because I had a rough afternoon…
Darn. I forgot I had to go to the grocery store…
Sorry, Kaden, I forgot. Now I’m home, in my pj’s…
She glanced up in the rearview mirror, peering at her face. “You’re not a chicken.”
The eyes looking back at her seemed skeptical.
Bristol took a deep breath, squared her shoulders. Adding some Shakespearean flair, she said, “To do or not to do. That is the question.”
With a heavy sigh, she flopped back against the seat, stared out into the darkness. It was only six thirty, but thanks to the short days, it was dark, the same as it had been when she had strolled into the daycare after her impromptu breakfast with Kaden.
A smile formed because that was what happened when she thought about the twins. She wasn’t sure what that said about her sanity, but it wasn’t something she’d been able to change no matter how hard she tried. And she had certainly tried. Numerous times.
“It’s just dinner,” she stated firmly. “Nothing’s gonna happen. Dinner, conversation. I can answer their questions. That’s all.”
Yep, that was her trying to talk herself into it, just as she’d done for the majority of the day. Dinner and conversation sounded simple. She knew it would be anything but where Kaden and Keegan were concerned. Kaden had invited her under the guise of the auction, but she knew better. Of course, she’d agreed under that same pretense, knowing deep down there was the potential for something that didn’t involve questions and answers.
In some ridiculous attempt to get a rational perspective on the situation, she’d told Bianca about Kaden’s request for dinner. She should’ve known Bianca would not be the voice of reason. Her friend was over the moon for her, encouraging her to go, to let loose a little.
Did she want to? Yes. Yes, she did. She’d been fighting this absurd attraction to Kaden and Keegan for so long.
Problem was, Bristol feared that was exactly what she would do. Let loose. And doing so would likely lead to losing her clothes and theirs, then…
Turning the key in the ignition, she sat up straight, lifted her chin. She could do this. One dinner. A little conversation. Nothing more. By the time they were finished, she would have quashed that strange jealousy about them being auctioned off to the highest bidder and all would be right in her world.
Another sigh escaped as she pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward the Walker ranch.
Although she’d never been inside, she knew Kaden and Keegan lived in Kaleb’s old house. It seemed to be the designated guesthouse on the property ever since Kaleb had moved in with Zoey years ago. As she made her way down the dirt drive, past Curtis and Lorrie’s big, white two-story farmhouse, she wondered whether the twins had decorated the place or if it was still the same as Kaleb had left it. Probably not, she decided. Why would they? From the bits and pieces she’d collected over the past year or two, she’d learned Kaden and Keegan weren’t entirely sure they were staying in Coyote Ridge indefinitely. It had been one of the reasons she’d kept her distance. She had no intentions of leaving the small town she’d grown up in. It had always been her plan to settle down here, get married, have some babies.
Of course, the marriage had come and gone, blowing up in her face before the latter could ever happen. A good thing, no doubt. Her ex wasn’t exactly father material even though she had done her best to pretend otherwise.
Before she knew it, she was pulling up to the small, rustic cabin, parking her car beside one of the two big Chevy trucks. There was no driveway, or grass for that matter. Only a patch of dirt they evidently used as a parking lot.
Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her phone, left her purse on the passenger seat, and forced herself to get out of the car. Last thing she wanted was for one of them to see her sitting out here trying to talk herself into going inside. She had more backbone than that. There was no reason for her to fear Kaden or Keegan. Sure, they had the ability to break her heart if she gave them the chance, but she had no intention of doing so.
“Dinner. Conversation,” she whispered, a reminder to herself she would get through this in one piece.
Ignoring the nerves jangling in her belly, Bristol managed to knock on the door. She took a step back, waited. When the door finally opened, she smiled up at Kaden.
