“What do you want to buy?” I ask Kayla, taking her hand as we walk down the first aisle we come to in the store.
“I don’t know. Is there something we need?”
“Don’t talk about that nonsense. Look and buy something you want to stake your claim on the place.” I pick up a lime green throw pillow. “Something like this that says, hey! A girl lives here.”
She laughs. “You’re insane. I don’t want a new pillow.”
I toss it back onto the shelf. What else could we buy? “A blanket?” Can never have too many of those. “We actually need one of these, but I’m buying it, so it doesn’t count.” I grab a regular pillow, remembering I couldn’t find one when Carey crashed our night together. “Do you want some kitchen gadget or a decoration or what? Help me out here. I can’t be the only one excited.”
“I’m excited; you’re over the top excited,” she says with a little laugh. She suddenly stops walking. “I know what I want to do.”
“Well, let’s find it.”
“I said do, not buy. Though, there is something we need to buy. Come here.” She tugs me closer. “I want to take a picture, frame it, and that’ll be my first touch.”
“Here in the store?”
“It’s already dark outside. It doesn’t matter where it’s taken. Just come on. Smile.”
I move behind her, tug her back against my chest, and we smile. She holds her phone out, takes a picture, and fumbles with her phone. With a hand on her back, I navigate us to the aisle with the picture frames.
“I was able to request a print online through my phone. It should be ready by the time we find a frame and get there.”
“Well, pick one out.” I motion toward the frames.
I watch as she eyes a few, picks up some others, and eventually, she settles on a simple silver frame. “That doesn’t say a girl lives with me.”
She laughs. “The picture will. I don’t want to turn your world upside down from the start anyway.”
Stepping closer, I kiss each of her cheeks and then press my mouth to hers. “You’ve already turned my world upside down, baby, and I love it.” Her smile nearly brings me to my knees. “Make sure that’s the frame you want, not the one you think I’ll be happy with.”
Kayla nods and turns back to the shelves. She sets it down and grabs another. It’s white with red hearts. So she was picking a simple one for me. Not how this relationship will work. Not how living with me will work. I want her. She wants the white frame with the red hearts, then so do I.
“This one?” Kayla shows it to me, as if seeking my permission still.
“Is that the one you want?” She’s not getting so much as an opinion out of me.
She glances down at it again. “Yes.”
“Then let’s check out.”
She fusses when I buy her frame along with the pillow, but I ignore her. I’m not letting her buy the pillow and there’s no sense in us checking out separately. She doesn’t settle down about it until I tell her she can buy stuff the next time we go out.
I still can’t believe she’s here. In my life, in my apartment, and in my sappy heart. I have everything I could possibly want. I have a great job, nice place to live, and the most beautiful, good-hearted, perfect-for-me girlfriend.
My phone rings while Kayla is picking up the photo from the store. I offered to walk inside with her, or to even go in for her, but she promised she would be in and out so quick that it wasn’t necessary. The name at the top of the screen shows the call is from my mom. For a second, I think about not answering, but I haven’t ignored any of her calls since I decided to start talking to her. Why start now?
“Hey, Mom,” I answer.
“Hey. How are you? How’s Kayla?” She always gets bonus points for asking about Kayla, whether she knows it or not.
“We’re good. She’s actually moving in with me.” I wait with bated breath to see what her response will be.
“That’s great! I’m happy if you are, Logan. Maybe I can fly out again soon and we can all spend some time together. I can bring my husband, if you would like to meet Elliott.”
Totally not ready for that. “How about if it’s just you for a while, Mom?”
“Of course. But you’re okay if I fly out again? Maybe this month?”
“Yeah, that’ll be fine, but don’t leave on the seventeenth. I think that’s when we’re doing something for Savannah’s birthday. I’m not sure yet, but either way, her birthday is that weekend, so I’ll be busy.”
“Don’t come that weekend, got it. Does Kayla feel better now that her stalker isn’t an issue? I know you’re relieved.”
“It took her a minute to really relax, but we’re both relieved and glad it’s over. Hey, I gotta drive,” I say as Kayla walks out of the store. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“It’s always good to talk to you, Logan.”
It gets easier and easier to talk to her and share things with her the more I do. One day, I’ll meet that new husband of hers. One day, there won’t be any lingering feelings of awkwardness or resentment toward my mother. One day, I’ll fly out and see where she lives in California. Kayla will most definitely go with me.
“Why are you smiling?” Kayla asks when she gets into the car.
“Because I love you.” Because she makes me think about a future where she’s intertwined in the many aspects of it. Because I could not be happier right now and it’s all because of her.
Kayla smiles. “I love you too. Let’s go home and find a place for this.” While I drive us home, she puts the picture into the frame as if she can’t wait a second longer to see our cheesy grins inside that white frame, decorated with all those red hearts.
My mind repeats what she said over and over.
Home.
We’re going home. That’s a damn nice sentence.
“Where should we put it?” Kayla asks as we step into the apartment.
“That’s up to you, sweet cheeks.” I feel like I should give her a key, but she already has one. I gave her a spare during the whole stalker ordeal. I plop on the couch, so she knows I have no plans of helping. This should be her decision. It was her decision to pick what she wanted her first official item to be in our apartment. She picked out the frame she wanted. She’s picking where to put it.
Kayla walks around the apartment a few times while I watch some TV show. I smile when she decides to place it on the end table next to the couch. Everyone who comes into the apartment and stays awhile will see that picture.
“That’s perfect,” I tell her before she can ask. “Come lay with me.”
She nestles her body between the back of the couch and me, her head on my chest. “I think I’ll like it here,” she says in this quiet, confident, yet almost whimsical tone.
“You’ll love it. Don’t try and downplay it, sugar. You’re not fooling anyone.”
She laughs. “You’re right.” We’re quiet for a while until she says, “This feels like such a big moment.”
“The first of many.”
“Getting my hopes up there. You sound like you’re going to rock my world, handsome.”
“Every day for the rest of your life,” I promise.
I think she’s going to let our conversation end there, but she whispers, “I can’t wait,” leaving me with the biggest smile known to man on my face.
“So, my mom wasn’t thrilled when I told her. She kinda went off on me and now she wants to have an apology lunch. Don’t you want to go with me?” Kayla asks with hopeful eyes.
I mentally kick myself in the ass for not thinking about how her parents would react. “What do you mean she went off on you?”
“Well, I told my dad since I was over there, right? He didn’t seem like he was going to throw a party or anything, but he was supportive. Then I called Mom and she thought it was too soon. She was mad because that’s not what we agreed on as far as them paying my tuition and my living arrangements and such. That kind of thing,” she waves her hand like it’s no big deal. “Dad had to take my phone and talk her down. And now, like I said, she wants to have an apology lunch. Come with me, please?”
I want to so I can support her, but...
“Sweet cheeks, I think this is a lunch that should be between just you and your mom. You want me there as a buffer. Y’all won’t ever settle things and clear the air if me or Glenn is there.” Kayla’s shoulders fall with my response. “I’m sorry, but you basically did the same thing to me when my mom showed up and look at how well that turned out,” I say sincerely.
“You’re right. Okay. I’ll go by myself,” she mumbles. As she gathers her purse, a coat, her phone, and her keys, she mutters under her breath, “You’d think by moving in with my boyfriend, he’d do me a favor every now and then, but no. He makes me fix the relationship with my mom instead of letting me use him as a buffer.”
I chuckle. “Sounds like your boyfriend is fantastic. Better give him a kiss before you go.”
Kayla rolls her eyes as if it’s a hassle to do that one thing, which makes me smile. Her kiss is quick and chaste and has me grabbing her wrist and pulling her onto my lap before she can take a step away from me.
“Try again, pooks.”
Kayla, she’s a mean one. Maybe it’s payback because I won’t have lunch with her and her mom. Maybe it’s because she loves me. Maybe it’s because she simply wants to tease me. She kisses my neck, her tongue swirling against my skin before she sucks on it. She nips my ear. She kisses my jaw. Her free hand reaches up to tug on the hair at the base of my neck and she finally rewards me with her mouth. My dick begs to be inside of her immediately.
“Do you have to leave right now?” I ask against her lips.
“Yep.” Suddenly, she’s out of my lap and walking toward the door.
“Where are you going?” I’ve never felt so confused and horny and needy and as if I’ve been left hanging so much in my entire life. “You can’t leave me like this after kissing me like that!”
Kayla laughs and smiles sweetly. “Sorry, handsome. I have an important lunch to get to.”
She walks out the door. Just like that. What just happened? Payback. That’s what will happen. As I debate getting myself off, my phone rings with a call from my dad.
“Hey,” I answer.
“Hey, son. How’s it going? I wanted to call and check in on you, see how things are settling down.”
“Good. I have some news.”
“Oh yeah?” His voice piques with interest.
“Kayla’s moving in with me. She’s technically here already, but we still have to get more of her stuff from her parents’ houses.”
“Wh-what?” Dad sputters. “You’ve moved that girl in with you? My son? You? Logan?”
I laugh. “Yeah, me, Dad.”
“I don’t understand. Are you home? Are you busy today? I need to see you. This needs to be face to face.”
“If you want to drive all the way here, come on. Kayla’s gone for a little bit to see her mom.”
“I’m grabbing my keys right now. I’ll be there shortly.”
He hangs up and I laugh as I shake my head at the phone. Never thought that would freak him out. I don’t really know what he’s coming here for or what he doesn’t understand, but I guess we’ll figure it out.
Since I’m all alone and have time to spare before anyone shows up, I call Sydney. Partly because I didn’t tell her about Kayla’s stalker and I should probably do that before she finds out from her mom. But the main reason is because Kayla told me last night she will be getting a job to work in the afternoon and hopefully, will be tutoring at the university to earn extra cash. I don’t particularly like the idea of something taking away from our time together, but it’s not like she can work when she has classes, which is during the same timeframe as when I’m at work basically. I’m definitely not telling her not to worry about it. She has to pay her bills some way and while my new job got me a raise compared to what I was making before, I can’t fully support her yet.
But I had this crazy idea that I needed to call my sister and ask her a question.
“Lo-Lo!”
I laugh. “Savannah, I don’t think you’re supposed to answer your momma’s phone.” It’s supposed to be a chide, but who are we kidding here?
“She’s not here to answer, so I answer. What are you doing, Lo-Lo?”
“Nothing much. What are you doing?”
“Playing,” she says simply.
“Well, where’s your momma? Can I talk to her?”
Savannah huffs. “With my brother. He’s being a big baby.”
I burst out laughing. “Yeah? Is he crying? Why aren’t you singing or playing with him to help him be happy again?”
“Because he makes my head hurt with all that crying,” she states as serious as can be. “Momma, Lo-Lo on the phone.” She gasps. “Why does he have Z? That’s mine!”
“Oh, Savannah, but look! He’s not crying anymore,” I hear Sydney tell her.
“That’s my seahorse! Give me Z back! He’s drooling on Z!” she shrieks as if that’s the worst thing that could happen. I can hear the tears in her voice. Sydney is about to have her hands full.
It suddenly goes quiet and I realize my call disconnected. Savannah might have accidentally hung up on me during her fit. You don’t mess with her and her favorite stuffed animal. For some reason, Savannah decided to name him after one of Ian’s best friends and teammates, Zane, who they call Z.
A few minutes later, Syd calls me back.
“Sorry, Logan. I had a tantrum on my hands and she did not want to hear the sharing lecture today. Apparently, sharing does not apply to the seahorse. She’s in her room, sobbing.” Syd sighs.
“You sound tired. Everything okay? Where’s Ian?”
“At the arena. They have an early game today. Everything is fine; I am tired. It’s been a long day where the baby is fussy and Savannah is too. I’m pretty sure it’s not the terrible twos or threes. It’s the frightful fours. It’s like they feed off of each other. If he’s moody, so is she and vice versa. Plus, I didn’t get much sleep last night, so, yeah. I’m tired. I’m sorry. You didn’t call to hear me complain. What’s up?”
“Do you want me to come by and get Savannah later? It might be awhile since Dad’s coming over because he freaked out when I told him Kayla moved in, but I don’t mind if you need a break.”
There’s a brief silence on her end. “What? Kayla moved in? When did this happen? She just told Carey and me that she hadn’t decided if she would yet!”
“Yesterday.” I smile thinking about how it all happened.
“Well, congrats! That’s great. I’m glad things are going well for y’all. I really like her, too. Maybe y’all came come over one day this week. Ian will be gone, so you could come then, or wait until he’s here and have dinner with us.”
“Maybe. That’s not why I’m calling, though.”
“Oh, well, what do you want?”
“Kayla needs a job. I don’t know why I thought this, but for some reason, I felt like I needed to call you and see if any of the Rebels wives need any help with anything?”
Syd hums to herself. “Actually, yeah. Sylvia mentioned the other day that she’s looking for a housekeeper. So is Lizzy. With the newborns and how they’ll be picking back up with the cake business in a month or so, they want someone to take care of that for them. I don’t know how much they’d pay or anything like that, but I can give you their numbers and let them know about Kayla if you think she’ll be interested. I can see if Deanna needs anyone at her quilting store, too.”
“Let me ask her first and I’ll let you know. Thanks, Syd.”
“Sure. I’d say she could do it for me, too, but it’d be weird to pay your girlfriend to clean my house and I’ve been managing just fine so far anyway.”
“You could pay her to babysit,” I jokingly offer.
She snorts. “Ian would object when you’d be there to do it for free. Not to mention, you still owe him. He hasn’t forgotten. He mentioned it this morning. You’ll probably get a call soon.”
We talk for a bit, I finally tell her why we’ve been stressed, and we talk some more before we hang up. Depending on how much they’d pay and how often Sylvia and Lizzy would want Kayla to clean their houses, she could do just that and earn enough to pay her bills and have some extra. Maybe that’ll work out.
When the knock on my door sounds, I know my dad has arrived. I open the door and he stalks in. The first thing he happens to see, which makes me want to laugh, is the new picture. He picks it up and stares at it.
“How did this happen? Don’t get me wrong, Logan. If this is what you want and you’re happy, then great, but you’ve always gone from girl to girl, and all of a sudden you’re settling down with one girl, just like that!” He snaps his fingers.
“I love her,” I say with a shrug. That pretty much explains everything and should be all he needs to know.
“Isn’t she still in college with no job? How are you handling the bills? The logistics of living together? You’ve discussed this, haven’t you?”
That pisses me off a little, and I make it clear with my tone and my words. “Dad, how we handle living together isn’t anyone’s business. I don’t know how you and Janet pay your bills or how y’all handle your money. You can’t come in here and ask me how I do it with my girlfriend.”
He nods and sets the photo back down. “You’re right; I’m sorry. This whole thing is throwing me off. I think you have a lot of love to give, Logan, but honestly, I never thought you would settle down. At least not so soon and not like this. You’ve always enjoyed things being easy and being with whoever you wanted to be with or whoever was around at the time.”
“Dad, shut up.” He keeps talking like that and his foot’s gonna go so far into his mouth it’ll come out of his ass. “It is easy with Kayla. I don’t know what to tell you. I feel like you’re trying to talk me out of this, and you won’t. I love her. She’s here, and she ain’t going anywhere. If you don’t believe me, then come here.” I motion for him to follow me to my room. I open my closet and grab the container where I keep all the documents I’m supposed to keep up with. Things like copies of my lease, tax documents, and other boring shit. I grab what’s hidden inside amongst the papers, pop it open, and show him.
Dad’s eyes widen. “Holy shit, Logan. How’d you buy that?”
Like that’s important. “She won’t say yes any time soon, I’m sure, but one day, she will. She’ll say yes and she’ll wear it. I’m completely serious about her.” I close the box, toss it back into the container, which I return to my closet. Without waiting for his reply, I walk out of my room.
“Okay,” Dad says from somewhere behind me. “I realize what was worrying me now. Knowing you’re so easily and fully committed eases my mind. You’re clearly not jumping into this without thinking it through. I hope she knows—”
The door opens, cutting him off.
“Oh. Hey,” Kayla says with an easy smile. “We have company.”
“Yeah. Kayla, this is my dad, Chris. Dad, meet my girlfriend, Kayla.” They shake hands. “He decided to drop by since it’s been a while. We were about to have some cake. You want some?” Total lie, but it doesn’t matter. It moves us into the kitchen and sits us around my table where my dad can get to know Kayla better.
Dad just wanted to see for himself that I wasn’t going crazy by turning into a boyfriend, I guess. Kinda funny when you think about it. It’s also good to know that I can still freak the old man out. Not exactly how I would choose to do so, but I’ll take what I can at this age. It’s better to freak him out like this than to do it by wrecking my car like I did last year.
Kayla charms my dad, too. Just the way she charmed me. He likes her. I can tell within five minutes of us sitting down to have cake that he likes her and approves of her. Who wouldn’t? She invites him to stay for dinner, but he decides to drive over to Syd’s and see the kids for a bit before driving home instead.
“Your dad seems nice,” Kayla says as we clean up from where we ate cake.
“Yeah, he is.”
“He dropped by out of the blue? Does he do that often?”
“No, not really,” I admit.
She seems to think about that. “Why did he come then? Because you told him I moved in?”
“Sort of. He decided to drive up and make sure his apparent single-loving son hadn’t lost his mind.” I shrug. “Never realized no one thought I’d be serious about someone before. But anyway, you can see that he’s happy now, and he loves you.”
She smirks as she takes my hand and leads me to the couch. “Everyone does.”
“I love you the most.” We take a seat and I hold her close. “How’d it go with your mom?” I ask.
“Good. She apologized and said she worries about me. She wants me to be happy and I promised her being here with you makes me the happiest. We talked through some other stuff and I feel better about things.”
“That’s great, baby.”
Kayla wrinkles her nose and frowns as she looks at me. “She thinks since we’re taking such a big step here that we need to go ahead and discuss a future. Like marriage and babies and jobs and stuff.” She rolls her eyes, but I grin.
“You already know where I stand on marriage.” All she has to do is say that one three-lettered word and we’d be married as soon as humanly possible after she did. Well, I’d probably have to backtrack and ask her dad first. With as traditional as she likes to say he is, that would be the respectful thing to do. I won’t do that yet, though. He needs more time to adjust to us before I tell him I want to marry her, especially when she has no plans on saying yes to me anytime soon.
She laughs. “She meant more like a timeline and if I would ever want to marry you, too. But Logan? I don’t want to.” Uh, oh. That doesn’t sound too good. “It may be silly or irresponsible or whatever, but I want to enjoy what we are for now. I trust it’ll all work out in the end anyway.” She chuckles to herself, glancing away from me. “If you have any say about it, it’ll definitely turn out the way you want it to.” She smiles at me. “Basically, I don’t see the point. I love you. You love me. Right now, that’s enough.”
Considering I don’t feel the need to talk about it, I nod and agree with her. “Sounds good to me. We’ll be fine either way. Do you know why?”
“Because you’re a persistent little bugger?” she guesses, causing me to laugh.
“Because not only do we love each other, but we’re perfect for each other. And yeah, because I’m a persistent little bugger.”
As long as she wants to be with me, you better believe I’ll do whatever I can to make her happy and keep us together. She has that same kind of fight in her, too. We can handle whatever life throws our way and life will be sure to reward us in whatever way it sees fit. I’ve already been rewarded greatly by meeting Kayla. My life will continue to get better simply because she’s in it. I absolutely can’t wait to see what the future holds.