One of my new favorite things is waking up with Kayla in my bed. Granted, it’s not always picture perfect. I wake up this morning, not because my body is ready, but because I’m suffocating. Kayla’s mile-long hair somehow made it over my face and covers it like a blanket. My mouth, slightly parted, has strands of hair stuck to it. I pull her hair out of the way, not too bothered by it all considering her ass presses against my hips.
“Why are you messing with my hair?” Kayla mumbles.
“I’m not. It’s in my face and I can’t breathe.”
She manages to grab it at her neck and pull it all away and over her shoulder in one smooth move. “There you go.”
I slide my arm over her waist. “You sound cranky this morning.”
“I’m hungry. I hope you aren’t feeding us cereal again.”
I smile as I kiss her neck. “Do you always wake up hungry?”
“Pretty much.”
“I’ll cook you breakfast, but you’ll have to meet me in the kitchen for it. You haven’t earned breakfast in bed yet.”
She rolls to face me. “What? All that sex last night doesn’t earn me breakfast in bed?” When I shake my head, she asks, “Well, what do I have to do to earn it?”
“I don’t know, but you haven’t done it yet.”
At that, she rolls her eyes. “Go make me breakfast, handsome.” Kayla kisses me quickly and then she pushes me out of the bed. For real! She pushes me out of bed! So I can feed her! And it makes me like her all the more. How crazy is that!
As I rustle through the food in the fridge, finding stuff to make for breakfast, I realize while this isn’t the first time I’ve made breakfast for a girl, this is the first time I’ve wanted to.
“Logan!” she yells. “Your phone is ringing!”
“Who is it?” I shout back.
“Sydney!”
I jog to my room just as she runs out. “Thanks.” I answer with, “Isn’t it a bit early to be calling me?”
“It’s nearly noon.”
“Oh.” Probably should’ve looked at the time before I said that. “Well, what’s up? How are the kids? Are you doing better knowing there’s only two little ones around for a while?”
“Yes, but I didn’t call to talk about me. What happened with your mom? How are you?”
“You sure do know how to ruin a good morning, Syd. I’ll tell you all about it at some point, but not today. Kayla is over here and I gotta cook the girl some food.” I crane my neck with my phone between my ear and my shoulder, so my hands are free to cook.
“She’s over again? That must be going well then, huh?”
“Yeah, things are going well with my girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend!” Sydney exclaims. “When did she become your girlfriend? Why aren’t you talking to me anymore? Is this how it’s going to be now that you have a girlfriend?”
Sydney never needs me to talk to her. The fact that she almost sounds like she’s missed me calling and checking in makes me wonder if something is going on. “Everything okay, Syd?”
“I just miss you. You haven’t been over since you started seeing Kayla. You don’t call me. You don’t come over and teach Savannah that her name is freaking Puddin’ Tang. She wouldn’t answer to anything else for three days, by the way.”
I laugh. “Okay, okay. I get it. I’ve been a neglectful brother and uncle. I’ll be over there tomorrow for dinner.”
“Thank you. And you can bring Kayla if you want, I don’t care. Just get your butt over here, Lo-Lo.”
“I said I’ll be there tomorrow. Done making me feel bad?”
“Yes,” she answers sweetly. “See you tomorrow! Bye, love you!”
“Love you too, Syd.” Man, my neck hurts now that it’s upright again.
“Is breakfast done yet?” Kayla asks from somewhere behind me.
“Almost.” When I glance over my shoulder to acknowledge her, I drop my utensil. “Where are your clothes?” She’s taken a shower at some point, and right now? She sits on my counter with only a towel wrapped around her body and one on her head for her hair.
“Haven’t felt like putting them on yet. I’m starving, Puddin’ Tang, and if you don’t stop looking at me, you’ll burn my food. You really don’t want to see a cranky, hungry Kayla.”
Reluctantly, I turn back to the eggs before I burn them. They’re the last thing I’m waiting on, save for pulling the sausage and biscuits from the oven. “Yeah?” I say. “What’s she like?”
“Hope you never find out, Logan. Trust me.”
“Are you wearing that while we eat?” I ask as I begin to plate our food.
“Would it be a problem, handsome?”
“Yes.” I don’t need to be distracted by her being nearly naked while I eat. It’ll be my luck that I choke and die.
Kayla laughs at my answer. “Be right back.”
I place our plates on my little table that’s just big enough for two, grab two cans of soda, and am sitting down by the time Kayla returns, fully dressed but with the towel still on her head.
“Thanks for breakfast. What are we doing today?” Just as soon as she says it, she winces a little. “Were you planning on spending the day with me? I didn’t mean to assume.”
“Don’t worry about it. I don’t have any plans, so if you want to hang with me, we can do that. I’m not gonna make you leave.”
“Do you know what we need to do? Have dinner with my father!” she exclaims, but I groan immediately. “Oh come on! This will be a great opportunity for—”
“Don’t even say that, Kayla. You just want to drag me to this dinner, so he has to stay home and not work. Right?”
“That would be a bonus, yes.”
“That would be the point, yes?” I correct. “You know your dad hates me on principle; why put either of us through that?” Besides, I’d much rather spend the day with her here, alone, than trying to impress her father.
“Please, Logan? If he’s not working, then we won’t, but if he is, then I’ll ask.”
“Okay.” Only because I know she’s so concerned about him and honestly? How could I turn her down?
Kayla smiles. “Thank you.”
Later, when I listen to her call her father while we watch TV in the living room, I learn she’s a little weasel who manages to get her way no matter what. Her dad is at the shop when she calls. Her response? “Oh,” she says in the saddest voice I’ve ever heard. And I mean that. I thought Savannah could play me when she wanted something, but Kayla can clearly do it better. “I was hoping we’d have dinner tonight and that Logan could come over.” Not ten seconds later does she say, “Great! We’ll be over around six! Thanks, Daddy.”
“What?” she asks when she hangs up the phone.
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a master manipulator?”
“What!” she squeals. “I am not!”
“It’s admirable in a sick and twisted way and it kinda turns me on too.” I shake my head in wonder. “Don’t pull one of those moves on me, okay? Just ask for it; I’ll give you whatever you want.”
“What are you talking about, Logan?”
I roll my eyes because she can’t not know. But if she wants to play dumb, then I’ll play along. Sort of. I throw a hand over my heart. “Oh, no, Daddy. You’re working?” I let my voice crack. “But I want to force my boyfriend to come over for dinner.” Kayla laughs. “He says yes and suddenly, you’re back to your happy, cheerful self.”
“Okay, so maybe you have a small point. It worked. That’s all that matters. Leave me alone, Puddin’ Tang. Go take a shower or something.”
I stand and remove my shirt, letting it fall to the floor. “Too bad you’ve already taken yours.” I grin as she stares at my chest, soaking in the sight. “You keep watching TV. I’m getting naked.” I walk past her.
“I could always shower twice!” she shouts after me.
“Waste of water! Wouldn’t want to be unfriendly to the earth! Sorry, honey! Maybe next time!” I chuckle to myself. Why I’m trying to keep her out of the shower is a mystery because I’d very much like her there. However, it’s fun to tease her too.
“You’re a dick, Logan!”
“I like you too, Kayla!”
She laughs and I finish stripping down as I approach my bathroom. Honestly, I expect her to appear halfway through my shower. She doesn’t. I’ll admit it’s a letdown and the regret for teasing her runs high. I shower alone, get dressed, and walk back out to my living room.
To find Kayla lying naked on my couch with a blanket wrapped around her from just under her breasts down to her feet, her clothes in a pile on my coffee table. My dick hardens immediately at the sight of her.
“What’s up, handsome? Good shower?” She smiles so innocently, but I can’t appreciate it because my eyes drop to her breasts. She has great tits. They’re full, big enough to fit in your hand, and she makes them look a little plumper by having her arms folded underneath them, causing those two round beauties to be pushed together. “Well?”
Oh, right. She asked me something, but I have no clue what she said. I say the first thing I can think of. “You’re naked. On my couch.”
“Am I?” She lifts the blanket as if it’s not already completely obvious. “I guess I am. You see, I was this close,” she holds up her thumb and forefinger with barely any space between them, “to joining you in the shower anyway, but then I chickened out. I was already naked, though.” She shrugs. “Didn’t feel like putting my clothes back on.”
I walk over to stand in front of her. She’s still smiling like things are normal and she’s this sweet, innocent girl. Ha! Kayla is more devious than I thought. Something I’m learning more and more by the second. Pushing her clothes aside, I sit on the coffee table and grab the edge of the blanket. “Do I get to peek underneath?”
“Hmm. Would we be harming the earth in any way? I want to be eco-friendly.”
I laugh and shake my head. “You’re too much for me.”
“Then you definitely can’t peek.” Good thing I don’t plan to peek. When I take my shirt off, she asks, “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Getting ready for my long, hard look at you.” I throw the blanket back as I stand to shed my jeans.
“Hey, it’s chilly in here!”
“You’ll be all right. If you can tease me, you can deal with a little chill until I get my body over yours.”
She rolls her eyes. “Oh, I’m super turned on right now.”
“That sounds like a sarcastic comment.” I step out of my jeans. “Should I check to see if you’re wet, or get busy making you wetter?”
Kayla grabs my hand and tugs. “How about you just get down here, kiss me, and play it by ear?”
Well, she doesn’t have to ask me twice. She’s cold too because the moment I lie over her, she covers me up and shivers.
“Shivering because my hot body is against yours?” I tease with a grin.
“Are you hoping I won’t have sex with you?”
I scoff and kiss her. “Like you’d turn me down.” She laughs a little as her hands grab my neck and pull my mouth back down to hers.
“Hey, jackass.”
“Dad!”
I roll with it. “Good afternoon, Mr. Murphy. Nice to see you again.”
“Dad, you really need to stop with the jackass,” Kayla chides.
“Why? I think Logan likes it.”
“He tolerates it,” she corrects.
Brent Murphy looks at me. “Do you like it or do you tolerate it?”
Well, I wasn’t expecting him to ask me about it. “Neither,” I answer. “I’m dating your little girl. You can call me whatever you want. I don’t care.”
He frowns. “Damn. Was hoping it’d bother you.”
Kayla lets go of my hand to grab his. “Well, it bothers me! His name is Logan. Say it with me. Lo-gan.”
He laughs and looks at me. “Fine. Logan. You can call me Brent since I’m obviously not getting rid of you anytime soon.” He pauses briefly. “At least not yet.” Kayla shakes her head at him as he grins at her. “Y’all hungry? Dinner’s ready.”
We follow him into a dining room where the food sits out on the table. I can feel his eyes on me as I pull Kayla’s chair out for her. I remember my manners, but more importantly, what she said about her dad being old-fashioned.
“What’s your family like?” Brent asks the second I take my first bite of the steak he cooked.
“Dad!”
“What?”
“You’re grilling him already?”
He’s utterly confused. “You invited him over for dinner. What else am I supposed to do? And I’m asking about his family; that’s not grilling him.”
“He can ask me whatever he wants, Kayla.” I take a deep breath. “My parents are divorced. My dad remarried. With that, I got myself a stepsister, who is my age, lives here in Raleigh, and as Kayla told you, she’s married to a pro hockey player. I have a niece and a nephew as well. I’m very close with all of them. My dad and stepmom live back east, though. I think that’s it.”
“What about your mom?”
“Dad!”
“If you Dad me one more time, Kayla.” He doesn’t even finish his sentence, but he does glare at her. I can’t say I blame him. He doesn’t know that my mom is a bit of a sore subject.
“My mom lives in California. I don’t talk to her often,” I answer.
Brent nods solemnly. “You just got a new job, right?”
“Yeah. I went to school for computer science and thanks to her correcting all of my bad interview habits, I was able to finally get a job in my field. It’s great so far.”
“What have you been doing with my little girl?”
While I have a calm reaction to his question, Kayla nearly chokes. I try to laugh as I pat her on the back. “Having fun. She’s met my sister and her family. We’ve tried a bunch of food trucks once. I think she told you about us going to the hockey game. I’ve made us dinner, and we went to a party last night for one of my friends.”
At the mention of a party, he frowns. It sets deeper into his face when Kayla gasps. “We need to check on Suzanne! Oh my goodness, I can’t believe I forgot about her. Daddy, excuse me for a minute to call her and make sure she’s okay.” Kayla doesn’t wait for his approval before she leaves her seat to call Suzanne. I could’ve told her that Suzanne is fine. Dax texted me this morning that he made sure she got home safely.
“You took her to a party?” Brent asks.
“Yeah.” To ease his mind, though he might not believe me, I add, “We drank soda and she ate roasted marshmallows while we talked with a guy she shares a class with by the fire. If she would’ve waited just a second, I could’ve told her Suzanne made it home safely, too.”
“How would you know?”
“Because I asked someone to look out for her and he told me he did as I asked. That girl is kinda crazy; have you met her?”
Brent nods. “Half the time, I’m certain she’s a bad influence, and the other half, I’m pretty sure she’s the kind of friend Kayla needs.” He shrugs. “As long as I don’t have to bail my little girl out of jail because of her or anything of the sort, then I think it’ll be okay.”
I laugh. Kayla walks back into the room and sits down. She looks at me. “She said Dax took her home last night. I’m supposed to call her back later.” Kayla turns her gaze to her father. “Did you behave?”
“Always do. Are you staying on top of your schoolwork?”
“Yes, of course. It’s my number one priority.”
“Have you talked to your mom?”
Kayla sighs. “No.”
Instead of pushing that subject, he changes it. “But you’ve talked to your uncles?” Kayla’s cheeks turn pink. “I’m not overworking myself, Kayla. I work as much as I feel like working.”
“If you’re falling asleep at the shop, you’re probably overworking yourself.”
“How about you drop it?” He turns to me. “What’s your five-year plan?”
He catches me off guard, especially since I don’t have a five-year plan, but I quickly come up with one. “I want to maintain my current job, now that I have it, and then reevaluate in five years.”
“Do you want to get married in that time span?”
Whoa, he’s not holding back at all. He wants to know if I want to get married by the time I’m twenty-nine? “Maybe? I’m not sure.” I know I want to find someone to be with, but I don’t know if I want to make that step so soon. Sydney jumped in feet first when Ian proposed, but she knew Ian for years. And it’s hitting me that my parents’ divorce and my parents’ decision to have a child together but later split up affected me more than I thought. I definitely want to be as sure as I possibly can and find a person willing to fight like hell and never give up.
Brent frowns at my uncertainty.
“For instance, say I’m still with Kayla in five years. She’ll only be twenty-five. She might not want to get married until later. I’m not sure because I don’t know for myself and because it depends on who I’m with.”
He shakes his head and looks at Kayla, who seems proud of my answer. “I really don’t like him. Can he go back to being the jackass?” Kayla laughs and shakes her head. “How old are you anyway?” he asks me.
“I just turned twenty-four.”
“He’s too old for you.” He says it with a slight smile on his face. I might be winning Brent Murphy over! I didn’t even think it was possible.
He asks me simpler, easier, non-panic-inducing questions for the rest of dinner as he gets to know me better. Kayla offers to clean up, so I help her, of course.
“I’m sorry he put you through the wringer,” Kayla says as we put dishes in the dishwasher.
“Don’t be sorry. He’s your dad. That’s what he’s supposed to do. Don’t think I didn’t have lots of questions about Ian throughout the time my sister dated him. Eventually, I gave up, though.”
“Why?”
“He made her happy. That’s ultimately all I needed to know.”
“So, you’re saying once my dad sees that you’ll make me happy, he’ll go easy on you?” She sounds skeptical and she should be.
“I don’t know about that. Dads are entirely different. I’m just saying, don’t give him a hard time about it. He wants to call me a jackass, let him. I honestly don’t care.”
She frowns. “I do.”
I lean over to kiss her cheek. “Well, don’t. Pretend it’s a nickname. I mean, I have plenty for you. Don’t I, cuddle bug?”
She laughs. “Okay. Fine. You win.”
Once we finish, I say, “I’m heading home.”
She steps close and wraps her arms around my waist. “Are you kissing me goodbye?” she whispers.
“You’re evil, Kayla.”
“For wanting a kiss?”
“With your dad in the house, yes.” I lean forward and plant a kiss on her forehead. “There you go, sweetheart. I’ll talk to you soon.”
I say bye to her father, she walks me out, and I head home. The joys of being an adult means it’s time to do laundry and clean up from the weekend.