“Flip his shit, Jessi, really? For starters I have had no guys approach me the entire time we have been here other than Kane … and well Nate. So I highly doubt anything you just said.” She was crazy. It wasn’t as though I had guys lined up at my door, I never had.
“Oh believe me, honey, they are all looking, but the thing you don’t realize is that Kane is like a shadow. He doesn’t know it, but I watch him around you sometimes. He is always so focused on you and you just have no clue about anything. You don’t know that when he catches people checking you out that he gives them this look that can be sometimes downright scary, but hot all at the same time. Well hot for me, scary for the poor fool whose eyes linger just a bit too long on you.”
Did that really happen? Did Kane really scare off anyone that looked my way? While that would be a little annoying, it also made me a little giddy. It was kind of a turn-on to have him claiming me as his in a ‘don’t touch AND don’t look’ kind of way, and I was smiling at the thought. There was another quick knock at the door and Jessi and I looked at each other.
“Oh no. You get it this time. If there are more gifts out there for you I might just get a little depressed.”
I laughed at her and went to the door. This time on the other side stood Landon. I pushed the door open wider so she could see who was out there. “See, this time it is for you.”
She walked right into his arms and gave him a quick kiss. “This time huh? What am I missing here?” Landon asked as he wrapped his arm around Jessi’s waist.
“Nothing, just Kelsey getting a large flower arrangement from an unknown source. You wouldn’t know anything about that would you?”
Landon glanced around me and saw the flowers on the desk and shook his head. “Nope. Are they from Kane?”
“I don’t think so. The card didn’t say who they were from, but you would think if they were from Kane he would have left his name, right?”
Landon shrugged. “I guess that makes sense. I don’t know anything about it if he was planning on surprising you with flowers, but I know one thing, if they are not from him it’s going to be pretty entertaining when he finds out who they are from,” he chuckled to himself.
There it was again. More people sensing Kane had this possessiveness over me. How was I the only one not to see it?
“Well if you ladies are ready, we have a barbeque to get to. I haven’t eaten all day just preparing for it. So if you don’t mind I would like to get our asses over there.”
With one last glance at the flowers, I followed them out the door. I didn’t know who they were from, but if the message on the card held true I guess I would be seeing them soon.
Landon drove us to a neighborhood that seemed so familiar. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was at first, but then I realized I had been here before. Only the last time I was here it was dark and I was on the back of a motorcycle. This is the same neighborhood Kane had driven us through the night he had taken me to his spot and I spilled my guts to him.
We pulled up in front of a large house and I could see Kane’s bike sitting in the driveway. If I looked close enough to the end of the street, I could see the park. He never told me his grandparents lived on this street, but then again why would he? But still, Kane was pretty much raised by his grandparents so that meant he was raised in the ginormous house setting in front of me. I could see someone like Nate growing up here. He screamed rich and proper lifestyle. Not Kane though. With his tattoos and piercings you would never expect to see him walk out the front door of a house like this, but there he was, stepping out onto the porch making his way down the perfectly manicured lawn to Landon’s truck.
I was still a little awestruck when Kane pulled the door to the truck open and helped me out. I couldn’t take my eyes off this house. Now I was really nervous to meet his grandparents. What if they were like those old time people on TV that already had who their children and grandchildren were going to end up with picked out and they would look at me as no more than a threat to their plans.
“Glad you could make it. You look beautiful.” Kane’s words finally drew my attention away from the house and I looked at him and saw he was slowly running his eyes up and down my body.
“She ought to! She went through every damn piece of clothing both she and I own to get that look,” Jessi said as she slid across the seat of the truck and hopped out behind me. When Landon made his way around the truck to her she gave his stomach a hard slap.
“Ugh! What the hell was that for?!” Landon grunted and grabbed his stomach.
“Did you see what Kane did there? He opened the door for Kelsey and helped her out. You need to take note, dummy.”
We all started laughing but mine was more of a nervous laugh. I still couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a chance his grandparents would hate me.
“Thanks a lot man,” Landon growled and pushed past us all, playfully dragging Jessi toward the house. “We are going in to get some grub. I’m not sticking around you and taking a chance on you making me look bad in front of my girl anymore.”
“Brother, you don’t have to have me to do that,” Kane yelled, earning him a middle finger from Landon as he disappeared into the house with Jessi.
“So you ready to head in?” Kane asked as he gave my hand a slight tug, but it was like my feet had taken root in the front yard and they wouldn’t budge. He turned back to me; the smile that was on his face was now slipping. “What’s wrong?” he asked, and I could hear the concern in his voice.
I took a deep breath. “What if they don’t like me. I know how important they are to you and honestly I have never met a boy… anyone’s parents before now, well besides Jessi’s.” I couldn’t believe I had almost slipped and called Kane my boyfriend. I wasn’t sure what we were. Sure the things Jessi had told me about him not liking other guys looking at me might have been true, but that didn’t make him my boyfriend.
Kane sighed and cupped my cheeks making me look into those mesmerizing gray eyes. Out here in the sunlight they were reflecting back at me so bright. “Kelsey, they will love you. I haven’t been able to stop talking about you to them since we met, so it’s pretty much like they know you anyway. You make me happy and they love to see me happy. I promise you’re going to be fine.”
I took a deep breath and nodded. I was here now anyway so there was no turning back. He lightly kissed my lips, then took my hands in his again and led me to the house. Once we were inside I heard several conversations happening and the loud barking laughs of some men. But the smell … it was like I had died and gone to heaven. I could smell the familiar smell of food cooking on the grill, and then there was this sweet smell in the air.