KYLE

I was out of the Jeep and stalking toward Jared and Laurie with anger simmering in my veins. His eyes went wide when he saw me, and he scrambled to put as much space between him and my girl as possible, which wasn’t much given she was plastered against him like a ragdoll.

“What the fuck, Teller?”

“Easy.” He tried to move Laurie into the crook of his arm. “I called you remember?”

Okay, he had a point. But I still didn’t like the fact he’d called me from Laurie’s cell phone. Because what the hell was he doing with my girlfriend’s cell phone? It was bad enough knowing she’d been there with Nate Teason, but Jared, too? I’d almost burst a blood vessel when his voice came over the line.

“You let her get drunk?” I asked as I reached them. He shot me a ‘really’ look as he handed me the drunk girl who melted into my arms on a soft sigh.

“Kyul, it’s my Kyul. I misseded woo.”

“Fuck, Teller, how much did she have?” I smoothed the hair from her face as she fought to keep her glassy eyes on my face.

“Sorry, man. I tried to stop her. We hung out for a while, but she gave me the slip and managed to lift a bottle of vodka from the bar. I found her like this.” He dragged his hand back and forth over his head.

“What the hell happened?”

“Nate Teason happened.” His jaw clenched, and my spine went rigid.

“Start talking.” I hiked my arm further around Laurie’s waist tucking her close to my side. She was small, weighed next to nothing usually, but right now she was a dead weight.

“Let me help you get her inside.” He flicked his head to my Jeep. “And then I’ll explain everything.”

Reluctantly, I nodded, and it took the two of us to get her inside. I rolled up an old hoodie, pushing it under her floppy head and Laurie drifted off into a vodka-induced coma. When I closed the door, I folded my arms over my chest and said, “Talk.”

“I wasn’t coming,” he sighed. “I hate these things. But I knew Laurie was coming, and I’d gotten wind that Teason was chaperoning her. He’s a sly fucker. Thinks he’s God’s gift. I knew you wouldn’t be coming, so I came.” His eyes dropped away, but it was too late. I’d already seen what he didn’t want me to see.

He cared.

He cared too much.

But given the circumstances, what could I say? My debts owed to him were stacking up. Dammit. I wanted to hate the guy, but how could I when he always seemed to be there for Laurie when I couldn’t be?

“Did he hurt her?” Anger punctuated my every word, but he shook his head, finally meeting my murderous gaze.

“No, I don’t think so. He was crowding her, he tried to kiss—”

I saw red. Fists curled, heart jackhammering in my chest, I roared, “I will kill that motherfucker.”

“He’s not worth it.” Jared stepped between me and the back entrance to The Coastal, pulling to his full height. My nostrils flared, eyes narrowed to thin slits. I wanted to plough straight through him. To put him on his ass like I had at Brendon Palmer’s party. But a little voice held me back. He’s not the enemy.

“She’s fine.” He gave me a pointed look, one that told me he would defend himself if I hulked out on him again. “Laurie is fine.”

I couldn’t argue with that and my body sagged, the fight leaving me as I absorbed his words.

She was fine.

My girl was fine because he was there when I couldn’t be.

Shit. This was messed up.

“Thanks,” I forced out. It was something I never thought I’d find myself saying to Jared Teller and for as much as it pained me to say, he’d earned it. “For looking out for her.”

“Don’t mention it.” He clutched the back of his neck and the air shifted with mutual understanding.

But then I saw the flicker of something pass across his face.

“What?” I pushed because he wanted to say something. I could sense it right there hanging in the space between us.

“You’re a lucky guy, Stone.” He looked me dead in the eye and my respect multiplied for him. “She loves you. Hell, she’s told me enough times tonight. I won’t come between that. Just promise me something?”

“What?”

“You won’t hurt her again. She’s fragile, man. More than she lets on.”

“You have my word.” I glanced back at the Jeep, just able to make out her profile in the back. It wasn’t that Jared was saying anything I didn’t already know, and I didn’t need to make him any promises, but I needed to say them for myself.

For the comatose girl in my Jeep.

I’d hurt her, I knew that, but I would spend every second of forever trying to make amends because he was right.

She was worth it.

She was worth everything.

“Get her out of here and I’ll go try run damage control with her parents.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

He nodded tightly and went to go back inside but at the last second, he glanced back. “And Stone?”

“Yeah.”

“I know your secret is out, but I would never have told anyone. I just wanted you to know that.”

It was my turn to nod. Jared disappeared inside, and I went to the Jeep and got inside. Before I buckled up, I craned my head around and reached over, ghosting a finger over her face. “What I am going to do with you, babe?” I whispered, and she sighed as if she heard my voice. And then she murmured. “Wuvmeforever.”

It was a drunken whisper, but I couldn’t help the smile that formed on my lips. Because that, I could do.

If she let me, I would spend my life loving her.

~

“I THINK I’M GOING TO hurl,” Laurie groaned into my arm, the one locked around her as we slept on the sofa bed in the pool house.

“Not possible.” I brushed the hair off her neck and pressed a kiss there. “You were sick a lot before you crashed.”

Maverick was probably going to make me disinfect the bathroom twice for good measure, but I could live with that. As long as Laurie was okay, I could live with anything right about now.

“I was?” A deep shudder rolled through her. “I don’t remember.”

“It’s probably for the best. It wasn’t pretty, but I held your hair like a good boyfriend.”

“You did?” She glanced over her shoulder and smiled. “I’m a lucky girl.”

“The luckiest. What do you remember?”

She closed her eyes and then groaned some more. “Nate was...”

I flinched. Jared had told me what went down but hearing her say his name was like a knife to the chest. “He was kind. My parents said some things and I ran off. He came to make sure I was okay...” she trailed off. “He, hmm, he tried to kiss—”

My thin thread of control snapped, and I ground out, “I will kill that bastard.”

“He didn’t do it but...” She paused for a beat and I held my breath, hoping there wasn’t more to the story. “Jared showed up.”

Relief washed over me, and I breathed out, “I know.” I swallowed hard, my body tense behind her. “He called me to get you.”

“H- he did?”

When I didn’t answer, she went on. “Kyle.” Laurie wriggled closer, hugging me tighter, bringing me back to her. “Jared has been a good friend.”

Something changed. Her body went rigid as she said the words and I peeked down at her. “Laurie?”

“I ... nothing,” she whispered. “It’s nothing.”

Rolling her back, I arched my brow, waiting.

“Ugh. I didn’t want to do this now, but I have something to tell you. It’s nothing. I mean, it’s something because obviously I wouldn’t have to tell you if it wasn’t.” She was rambling, and it made my brows furrow and my heart thud against my chest.

“Laurie,” I was firmer this time, wondering she could possibly have to tell me.

“A few months ago, after I found the text on your phone and we had that stupid fight at school, Jared started texting me...”

“He what?” I bolted upright, anger igniting my blood.

“Kyle, wait.” Her hand slid over my arm. “It wasn’t like that. He always knew I was with you and he’s never tried anything, I promise.”

“So what? He was texting you to exchange style tips?” I narrowed my eyes and her lids fluttered shut on a heavy sigh.

“I thought you were cheating on me.”

Shit.

That hurt.

It wasn’t the first time she’d said something like it, but it still stung.

“Laurie, I...” My fingers danced over her jaw, coaxing her to open her eyes and when they did, all I saw was love. Blinding, beautiful love.

“I never wanted Jared, Kyle. Ever. But he was there. Lo wanted me to tell you, she wanted—”

“She knew?” This was just getting better and better.

“We talk, she’s my best friend.”

“So much for family first,” I grumbled still trying to process what she was telling me.

Laurie sat up and came as close as she could without kissing me. “I love you. I’ve only ever loved you. Jared is a friend. Nothing more. But I needed to tell you, I don’t want any more secrets between us.”

I scoffed at that. Just because I didn’t hate the guy anymore didn’t mean I had to like him—or his boner for my girl. But in the name of being the bigger guy, I swallowed the bitterness on my tongue. “I’m glad you told me.”

“You are?” It was Laurie’s turn to quirk her brows.

“I am. I still want to kill him with my bare hands, but he did me a solid at the gala. So I guess I can overlook the fact he wants in your panties.”

“Kyle.” She pressed her palms against my chest.

“What, it’s true. If he ever—”

“Ssh.” Laurie cut me off with her lips. A long lingering kiss until Jared was a distant memory.

Well, almost. I mean, I was only human. And a guy. And the dude had practically tried to steal my girl right out from under me. When she broke away, I said, “Now, want to tell me why you gave him the slip and stole a bottle of vodka?”

“I did not.” She gasped, and I laughed, tucking my chin onto her shoulder.

“True story. Want to talk about it?”

Laurie stiffened in my arms. “No.”

“Laurie, babe.” I coaxed her onto her back and stared down at her. “Nothing your parents say or do can hurt me, you know that, right? I know people are talking. I know the whole town probably knows all my darkest secrets by now, but all I care about is what you think. You’re all that matters.”

“I don’t know what to say, Kyle. I just wish...”

She pressed her lips together swallowing the words, and I breathed out, “You just wish they’d accept me?”

Laurie nodded. And it should have hurt. I should have felt shredded by her honesty but after the last forty-eight hours, I had bigger things to worry about than what Mr. and Mrs. Davison and their stuck-up friends thought.

People would talk. Rumors and gossip would do the rounds. And yeah, for a while, I probably wouldn’t be able to go anywhere without whispers and stares following me. But none of it mattered. Not really. Their opinions and judgment didn’t define or shape me.

I realized that now.

“I’m me, babe. I’m loyal to a fault. Stubborn. Frickin’ hilarious. And I throw a mean right arm. If they can’t get on board with that, then it’s their loss. They can’t come between us, not if we don’t let them.”

Laurie dragged her teeth over her bottom lip. “You are pretty stubborn.” She smirked. “I’m not so sure about the whole hilarious—”

My fingers dug into her sides, tickling and pinching until she was a writhing mess in my arms. “Okay, okay,” It came out breathy. “I relent. You’re awesome and funny and you smell good too.”

“Smell good? That’s what you’re giving me? Geez, feeling the love in this room.” I hooked my leg over hers and rolled her underneath me, pinning her to the bed. “What about that time I bought you roses for your birthday?” I arched my brow.

“That was kind of sweet.”

“Hmm, okay, that one time when I surprised you with the picnic down at the lake?”

“That was pretty romantic.” Laurie bit her lip to stop herself from smiling.

I leaned in, brushing her jaw with my nose. “Or the time I made you breakfast in bed?”

“Kyle you almost set the pan on fire.”

“One time, it was one time. I’m an excellent cook.”

“You do make pretty amazing pancakes.”

“You love me.” My mouth hovered over Laurie’s. She needed to brush her teeth and take a shower, but I didn’t care.

“Yeah.” She grinned. “I do. Now get off me, I need to pee.”

Dropping a quick kiss on her nose, I rolled away letting her up and linked my hands together over my chest as I stared up at the ceiling. It was nothing, just a silly conversation, but it was the most normal I’d felt in weeks. No more secrets between us.

No more lies.

We were a united front again. And it felt right. Better than right. It was perfect. There were just two things left standing in the way.

And it was time to deal with them.