Chapter 20

Kendal

I kissed her a few more times, not really considering how inappropriate it might have been to make out with her in front of her family.

She pulled back and smiled up at me. "I've missed you."

"Me more." I leaned down and stole one more kiss. "I got flowers, dessert and a bottle of wine."

"Well, my mother made sweet tea, so even if you don't drink it, do yourself a favor and have a small glass." I turned and opened the door. "It's like a party in your mouth."

He chuckled softly behind me. "I'm from Dallas, remember? I love sweet tea."

"Good." She moved to my side and took the bag from me as her mother turned around and paused. Something about her was so incredibly familiar. Had we met before?

"Mom... this is Kendal. Kendal, this is my mother." Dana wrapped her arm around the back of my waist and moved me toward the small portly woman. I could see where Dana got her looks from. The woman was stunning though she'd let herself go. Life had a way of doing that when loss showed up at your door. I could almost feel it in the house around me.

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Young." I extended my hand and shook hers.

"Have we met before? You look so familiar to me."

"Maybe. I'm not sure." I gave her a warm smile before turning and shaking Dana's brother's hand. The guy looked like a greaser from the seventies, but he was friendly or so it seemed.

"Here you go." Dana handed me a glass of tea and sat down at the table, her eyes locked on me as a smile played along her lips.

I'd started to tell her mother that I was a professor at UT, so maybe we'd somehow met when she was up there helping Dana register a few years back, but I stopped myself. Dana and I were still sneaking around for the moment, which meant I needed to remain guarded and anonymous as best as I could.

"Do you like chicken fried steak?" Dana reached out and took my hand into hers.

"I love it." I glanced over at her mother. "Ms. Young, do you need any help in the kitchen?"

"No, but thank you." Her tone was soft, but something was off. Dana seemed to notice it to by the way she got up and walked over to pull her mom into a hug from behind. Maybe I reminded her of her husband?

"Can I run to the restroom? Is that okay?" I got up and turned to face the women who would hopefully be a part of my family sooner than later.

"Yeah. It's the second door on the left down the hall." Dana winked at me before turning back to her mom.

I couldn't help but hope that I'd have a few minutes of her to myself before dinner. I needed to unload everything going on with Heather and Mark on someone, and other than Damon, she was the one I was willing to let into the deepest parts of my heart. For her, I'd open up my secrets and let her search around until she felt like she knew me.

"Everything all right?" Her brother glanced up from the couch and gave me a goofy grin.

"Oh yeah. I was just running to the bathroom."

"Second door on the left down the hall, man."

I nodded. "Thanks."

The events of the last few days rolled through my mind as I made my way down the tiny hall and found the bathroom. Dana's family was no better off than mine. I could see quickly why she'd decided on a profession that could help lift her mom out of poverty if done right. I wanted to help make that happen all of a sudden too.

Closing the door behind me, I let out a long sigh and turned on the water. Where did I know Dana's mom from? Why did it seem like whatever it was wasn't necessarily a good thing? Had Brandon been in one of my classes? Did Ms. Young work at the school?

I finished washing my hands and dried them off slowly. Something about figuring that one piece of the puzzle seemed intensely important. Why?

Dana was standing at the edge of the living room with her hands on her hips, yelling at someone in the kitchen when I walked out. I paused, not really sure if it was a good thing that I was there. Were they usually verbally violent with each other? Dana didn't seem like that kind of girl.

I hung out in the hallway, feeling a little awkward, but waiting for the minute when things calmed down so I could make my way back through the living room. Maybe coming out to see her wasn't a good idea at all. It seemed like her mother had gone from a little tense to upset.

The pictures on the wall were covered in dust, but I stopped by and ran my fingers over each of them, finding Dana in each and forcing myself to enjoy the moment instead of dreading whatever the hell was going down in the kitchen. My family never fought. Never. We rarely spoke unless it was me and Mandy.

Everything seemed to die down, and I took the opportunity to walk back toward the kitchen. The last picture on the wall before I stepped to the living room grabbed me by the throat, forcing me to stop.

I pulled it off the wall and swallowed hard before glancing up to see Dana standing beside me.

"Who is this?" I whispered roughly.

"My sister." She took the picture from me. "My mother is being ridiculous. I don't know where she thinks she knows you from, but whatever it was, she's highly agitated. Let's just grab something in town and get a hotel."

I stood in stony silence, letting my eyes move back up to the picture on the wall. The beautiful girl smiling back at me had stolen my heart in a million ways and left me a broken man.

"What's her name, Dana?" I called after her, but she didn't respond.

The kitchen door opened and I didn't need validation where Dana's mother knew me from or what her sister's name was. Every horrid memory from six years before swept through my vision as the beautiful woman from my past stepped into the kitchen and turned her head toward me. The shock on her face had to echo my own.

"Kendal?" she whispered, tearing me in two with nothing more than a word.

I nodded and walked toward her. I should have known from the beginning. These things never work out well for me. Everyone else deserves love, but not me. "Hello, Ana."

To Be Continued Below…