Chapter Five

 

Drake

 

I wasn’t surprised to see Danny walk into my shop. If he hadn’t come to see me, I would have gone to see him. We needed to get this shit out there so me and my girl could move on without feeling guilty about keeping it from her big brother.

“Hey,” he said, looking wary as he approached me. He looked around, noting all of my guys hard at work. “I know you’re busy, but can you spare me a few?”

“Sure, let’s go back to my office.”

Danny waited until I’d closed the door before he said, “I’m sorry I went off on you like that this morning. I was just shocked, finding you with my sister like that.”

“Hey, I get it, man. I would have reacted the same way, had it been you and my sister.” I poured two cups of coffee, handing one to him. “I’m the one who should be apologizing to you. I should have had the balls to come to you and tell you how I felt about Kendra, even before she came home. I just wanted to see if it was still there before I did.” At his questioning look, I sat down on the edge of my desk and said, “You know, the spark, chemistry, whatever the hell you want to call it.”

“And it obviously is.”

“Oh yeah.” I grinned, trying like hell to wipe the smile off my face when he scowled, but I couldn’t. “I’m sorry,” I said, chuckling. “I know she’s your sister, but I can’t help it, buddy, that girl just does it for me.”

“Does it for you… how? And if you tell me it’s just the sex, fair warning, I will kill you.”

“I’m in love with her.” I’d never made a claim like that before in my life, but I had no fear, no reservations. Kendra was it for me, and I wanted everyone to know.

“You’re in love with her,” he repeated, looking stunned. “You’re serious?”

“As a heart attack.”

“Does she know this?”

“Not yet, but she will.”

“Before she leaves?”

My gut clenched every time I thought about her leaving. “I don’t want her to go.” I shrugged. “Maybe she won’t when I tell her how I feel. Who knows?”

“And if she does… still want to go?”

“Then I guess I’ll wait for her. What choice do I have, right?” I took a sip of coffee. “It’s not like my feelings for her are going to change. They haven’t in the past five years. Why would another year make a difference?”

He shook his head, gripping his forehead. “Let me get this straight. You’ve been in love with my sister for five fucking years, and I’m just hearing about it now?”

“Probably longer.” That only made him scowl harder, but I’d promised myself I’d be honest with him, and myself, from now on. But especially with Kendra. “Before she left for school, that night, it didn’t just happen. It was a long time coming.”

“She was a kid. You had no right—”

“She was legally an adult,” I argued, knowing it didn’t make it better. “I made sure I waited ‘til she was. And believe me, waiting was hell.”

“Don’t expect me to feel sorry for you, asshole.”

There was still a bite to his words, but I could tell he was coming around. He had to. He’d been my best friend as long as I could remember. If I swore on our friendship I’d be good to his sister, he had to believe me.

“Letting her go was the hardest thing I ever had to do. I wanted to be a selfish prick and beg her to stay, go to some school around here so we could be together, but I couldn’t do that. She had plans, dreams, and I didn’t think I had the right to get in her way.”

“She has plans now, too.” He watched me over the rim of his coffee cup as he took a sip. “How is it different?”

“She could get hurt.” And I was tired of letting her go when I wanted to beg her to stay. I was tired of being selfless. I wanted to put a ring on her finger, give her a key to my house, and start planning our future. “Besides, she could do here what she wants to do there. Teach kids. Help people.” I didn’t get why she had to go around the world and put herself in harm’s way to do that. “Besides, I’ve waited long enough. We’ve waited long enough. I know she feels the same way about me. She’s just scared.”

“Why do you think that is?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Maybe because you’ve banged more chicks than—”

“I’m not going to start making excuses, but I will tell you this… hearing that she had a boyfriend was the reason.” I closed my eyes. “The first few months after she left, I kept it zipped. But when I heard she had a boyfriend, all bets were off. I was pissed. He was taking what was mine, and I knew there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about.” My reaction had been stupid and immature, but I couldn’t change the past. “So I tried to block it out the only way I knew how.”

“With other women.” He nodded. “I guess I can understand that. But why didn’t you just tell Kendra you had feelings for her? You guys might’ve been able to make the long distance thing work.”

“I was in no position for a serious relationship then.” I looked around my cluttered office. “I was still apprenticing here at the time, making next to nothing. I had no idea whether I could make a go of this place when the old man retired. There were a lot of things I had to figure out before I knew whether I was good enough for your sister.”

He chuckled. “Who’re you trying to kid? You’ll never be good enough for my sister.”

I returned his smile as our eyes met and held. “You’re right, but I’ll bust my ass trying.”

“I don’t think you’ll have to try very hard,” he said, sighing. “I have a feeling that girl would take you any way she could get you.”

“Just so you know, I didn’t start thinking of her that way until later.” I smirked. “Until she was almost legal.”

“You better not have, asshole.”

“So, we good?” I needed us to be all right before I could tell Kendra how I really felt. I’d never disrespect her family. They were like my own, and she needed to know I considered their feelings too.

“I don’t know.” He gave me a quick once-over. “I know this question is going to make me sound like my old man, but I gotta ask. What are your intentions with Kendra?”

“We’ll take it one step at a time until she’s ready.”

I knew my girl still wanted to assert her independence. That would probably mean a place of her own, and plenty of time away from me to pursue a job and volunteer work and time with friends, but as long as I knew she was safe and still made time for me, I was cool with that.

“We’ll date for a while—”

“Exclusively?”

“Of course, asshole.” I scowled. “You really think I’d be willing to share her?”

He laughed. “No, I guess not. Okay, so you date for a while. Any plans beyond that?”

I knew he wanted to know whether I thought Kendra was the real deal. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind. “We get engaged, she moves in with me.” I smiled when he grimaced. “We get married, have lots of beautiful babies that hopefully look like her.”

He looked amused rather than angry now. That was a relief. “You’ve got it all figured out, huh?”

“Yeah, the only thing left to do is convince your sister. That starts tonight.” I downed half of my coffee, knowing I’d need the liquid energy to make it through the rest of the day. I’d much rather be under my girl than a car, and that was a first for me. Being under a hood was usually my happy place.

“Tonight?” Danny asked. “What’s the plan for tonight?”

“Dinner.” Then back to my place, but I’d leave that part out. I knew he didn’t want to hear all the details.

“So if all goes according to plan. My sister stays here, and you become my brother-in-law.”

I smiled at that thought. I couldn’t wait to be a part of their family. I already felt like I was, but I was more than ready to make it official. “Think you can live with that?”

He pretended to consider it before he said, “I guess there are worse things.”

“You gonna quit bein’ a bitch now, and let me have your shitbox towed in so I can see what’s wrong with her?”

He laughed before tossing me the keys. “Take good care of her.”

“You know I will.”

“I’m not talking about the car, Ellis.”

“I know, man. No worries.” I’d drive my ‘Vette off a bridge before I’d ever hurt that girl again.

 

***

 

Kendra showed up at my place for dinner looking so damn good, I wanted to skip dinner and head straight for dessert, but I had to hold back. Sex was part of the plan… because there was no way I was letting her go home tonight, but we had to talk first. She needed to know how I felt, why I wanted her to stay.

“You look gorgeous, baby doll.” I pulled her into my arms, letting my hands skim over the short black dress with peek-a-boo shoulders. I kissed the bare skin revealed by one of the cut-outs, thinking I couldn’t wait to kiss her all over later.

“Thanks.” She looped her arms around my neck, her high heels making it so she didn’t have to strain to reach. “You look good too.”

I’d kept it casual, black jeans and shirt. There weren’t any five-star restaurants in our sleepy little town, and Kendra had never been the kind of girl who’d liked to overindulge anyhow. That was another thing I loved about her. She was a sweet, simple, small-town girl who had her priorities straight.

“I talked to your brother today,” I said, between kisses. “We got things straightened out.”

“I talked to him too,” she said on a little sigh as I kissed her neck. “He seemed okay with us… dating?”

I could have told her this was a hell of lot more than dating, as far as I was concerned, but that confession would come later. After a few drinks and a heart-to-heart about our lives. And how I saw them blending.

“He was cool with it,” I confirmed, cupping her ass as I pressed her soft curves against my hardness. Just looking at her got me hard, and I couldn’t imagine that ever changing. Even when we’d been married for years with a few kids, I’d still want her as much as I did now. “Now that he knows how I feel about you.”

“How do you feel about me?” she asked, tipping her head back to look me in the eye. “Isn’t that something you should be telling me instead of him?”

“I intend to.” My kiss was soft and sweet, knowing I couldn’t take it any further if we had a hope in hell of making our reservation. “Hey, I have something for you,” I said, licking my lips as my gaze strayed to her cleavage. “Something I bought for you a while back. Hold on while I get it.”

I had a dozen gifts for her I’d picked up over the years. Things I’d seen in store windows or when I’d been surfing the Internet. I didn’t know when I’d give them to her, but I was confident I’d have the chance someday.

When I returned from my bedroom, she was admiring a picture of me with her brother and a bunch of friends down by the lake. We were sitting in the bed of my pickup truck, the same one we’d first made love in.

“Lots of good memories in that truck,” she said, smiling when I came up behind her and nuzzled her neck.

“Why do you think I kept it?”

“You did?” Her eyes widened. “Where is it? You don’t drive it anymore, do you?”

“No.” I had a new pickup that I drove when road conditions forced me to park my Corvette, but I couldn’t force myself to part with that old beater, where I’d first made love to my girl. “It’s out in my garage. She needs a lot of work. It’s a project, for when I have the time.”

“Huh.” Her smile spread. “I like that you kept it.”

“I thought you would.” I handed her the long silver box with the black bow they’d wrapped for me at the jewelry store. “I picked this up a few weeks ago. A graduation present.”

“Drake,” she said, taking the box from me before she turned around. “That’s so sweet, but you didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to.” I tucked a curl behind her ear to keep it out of her face, smiling when she shook her head. “You may not believe this, but I spent a hell of lot of time thinking about you while you were away.”

“I thought of you too,” she said, her voice soft as she tugged the top off the box. She gasped at the sight. Two diamond hearts intertwined on a gold necklace.

“Oh my God.” She gasped. “This is stunning. But I can’t possibly accept this.” She tried to hand the box back to me. “It’s too much.”

“Nothing is too much for you.” I took the necklace out of the box, instructing her to turn around so I could put it on for her. She sighed when it became obvious I wasn’t taking “no” for an answer.

When it was firmly clasped, she turned to face me as her fingertips skimmed the gems. “How does it look?”

“Perfect.” My fingertip skimmed her cheek, making her smile. “Just like you.”

“I love it. Thank you.”

I wanted to hear her tell me she loved me, but I had to trust that would come with time. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this,” I said, wrapping my arms around her.

“What’s that?”

“Just a chance to spend time with you like this.” There were so many things I wanted to say, but I had to pump the brakes to avoid scaring her off.

“I have too,” she said, resting her head on my chest. “And I’m glad it’s out in the open.”

“Does that mean your parents know?” I didn’t expect them to have a problem with me dating Kendra. If they’d heard the rumors about my sexcapades, they’d never mentioned it. Besides, they knew me better than most and believed I was a good guy. And I’d give them my word that I’d never hurt their little girl.

“No, but I should probably tell them.” She grinned. “They think I’m spending the night with Lindy again, assuming you were planning on an overnight?”

“Oh, I’m definitely planning on it,” I said and kissed her. “But I don’t want to be your dirty little secret. Just tell them about us already.”

“I don’t even know what to tell them,” she said, trying to pull away. She settled back in to my arms when I wouldn’t let her go. “It’s not like this can go anywhere, right? I’m going to be away for a year—”

“So I’ll wait for you.” If I couldn’t convince her to stay.

“You’ll what?” she asked, looking incredulous.

“I said I’ll wait it out. I’ve waited this long, what’s another twelve months?” A fucking eternity. Or at least that’s what it would feel like, especially after I’d gotten used to her sleeping in my bed every night.

“You can’t be serious.” She patted my chest. “I know you. You couldn’t last a month without—”

“I’ve already lasted six months,” I reminded her, clenching my teeth. “So don’t tell me I can’t last. I don’t want anyone else, so as long as I know you’re coming back to me, I’ll wait.” It was a promise she couldn’t make. Of course she’d try to stay safe over there, but there were no guarantees, which meant I still had my work cut out of me, trying to convince her to stay here with me where she’d be safe.

“I can’t believe you’re serious,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “You would actually put your life on hold until I came back?”

What kind of life would it be without you? “Baby, I don’t want you to go,” I said, framing her face with my hands. “I get why you feel you need to, but there are people here who love you and need you and you can count me among them.”

Her mouth formed an O before the air seeped through her lips. “You love me or you need me?”

“Both.” I didn’t know why she was so surprised. I’d been telling her in little ways ever since I saw her at her parents’ house. But maybe I was being too subtle. I had to tell her exactly what I was thinking. “I’m in love with you, Kendra. I need you in my life.”

She shook her head as the tears spilled down her cheeks. “You don’t mean that. You don’t want me to go, so you’re saying that to convince me to stay. You—”

“Stop.” I brushed away her tears. “Just listen to me for a minute. Better yet,” I said, tugging on her hand. “Come with me, I want to show you something.”

She followed me to my bedroom, where I pulled out a black box with a lid. It had dozens of unsent letters, photos of us, gifts I’d bought for her, and little trinkets she’d given me throughout the years.

Kendra gaped at the contents before withdrawing one of the letters. “Can I read this?”

“Sure.”

I watched her scan the page, imagining what she was thinking, how she was feeling. Letter writing was old school, something I’d never really done before her, but with Kendra so far away and me missing her so much, I’d written her a lot of letters over the past five years. Letters I’d never sent, but one day planned to share with her so I could convince her how much she meant to me.

“I can’t believe you wrote all these for me,” she said, thumbing through the folded sheets of paper. “And what are these?”

“Just things I bought over the years that made me think of you.” I’d never been one to openly express emotion, so this was making me a little uncomfortable, allowing her to see me so vulnerable, but I knew it was necessary.

“This is so… sweet.” She sniffled, brushing away the tears with a giggle as I crushed her against my chest.

“That’s it. I never want to hear you call me that again. I’m not sweet.” I kissed away her tears, making her smile again. “I’m just crazy about you. I wouldn’t do shit like this for anyone else, baby doll. Just you.”

“I’m so confused,” she admitted, resting her head against my chest. “I thought I had it all figured out, then I come home and you give me a chance at everything I’ve ever wanted, and I don’t know what to do anymore.”

I sat down on the bed and tugged her into my lap, wrapping my arms around her. We were going to be late for dinner, but this conversation was too important to put it off. “Tell me what you want,” I said, trying to stay focused on her words as I ran my hand up her bare thigh. “I want to hear it.” I wanted to make all of her dreams come true. All she had to do was say the word.

“You know I’ve always wanted you,” she whispered, burying her face in my neck. “You were my first crush, the only guy I ever wanted to… you know, sleep with. I saved myself for you.”

I inhaled deeply, cursing myself again for letting her go to explore other relationships. I should have been her one and only lover. “I thought I was doing the right thing, letting you go. I didn’t want you to feel I was keeping you from growing, and discovering want you wanted and who you wanted to become.”

My dreams had been simpler. Work hard to make a go of my old man’s shop. Buy a house. Marry the girl I loved and start a family someday. But Kendra had bigger dreams. She wanted to help people, travel the world, touch lives.

“If you’d told me then that you wanted me, we could have found a way to make it work.”

“I didn’t want to put more pressure on you. I knew school wouldn’t be easy. Add to that a long-distance relationship with a jealous, demanding prick like me. That’s a recipe for disaster.” It would have made me crazy, imagining all those college kids who were plotting ways to take my girl away from me. Kendra turned heads wherever she went, and I knew a college campus would be no exception.

She glanced at her watch. “We’re going to be late for dinner.”

“I don’t care. Do you?”

She shook her head. “I’d be just as happy to get out of these heels and order a pizza.” She stroked the stubble on my cheek. “And talk. We really need to talk, Drake. And I’d rather not have an audience when we do.”