“You don’t know how many times I have thought of this moment. I had this big idea of how I would scream at you and tell you that I hate you for breaking my heart. But this past year, as miserable as I have been, it’s been good too.”
“I’m proud of you, Kai. I am glad that you are living your dream. I knew you would do amazing things.” I am really proud of him. I want good things for Kai, no matter what.
His hand is resting on my hip, fisting the hem of my shirt. He sucks in a breath between his teeth. The suspense is killing me. I have to know if he feels the same. I love Kai Cooper, and I always will.
“Only been one thing missing... Kat.”
“What’s that, Kai?”
“The other half of my soul. And now that you’re here, I am not letting you go a second time.” He kisses me hard, not giving me a chance to talk. His mouth devours mine.
Penny knocks on the bedroom door.
“Go away,” Kai yells at her.
“Sorry, but the bus is getting ready to go…so, I need Katie.”
Kai looks at me with a panicked expression. I don’t want to leave him now. I can’t. It’s as though we haven’t spent the past year apart. Even though nothing has been discussed, I can’t walk away this time. My heart isn’t strong enough.
“I need her more,” he says, holding onto my shirt still.
The band is headed to Texas for another show and then they are taking a two-month break before they are slated to record their second album. I don’t know what I’m doing, but when Kai asks me to stay on the bus with him, I say yes.
I don’t have anything with me other than the clothes on my back, but as long as I am with Kai, I don’t need anything more.
Penny said she had a feeling I wouldn’t be coming home with her tonight, and she actually brought a bag for me. She has it in her car. Hunter brings it to the bus for her. He and Vance both tried to get her to come with us, but she declined. I think they both were sad to find out she is now engaged.
Penny squeezes my neck and kisses my cheek. “Katie, I think you are finally where you are meant to be, so don’t screw it up this time.”
“How did you even make this happen?”
“I had help from an old friend.” She looks at Vance and winks. I didn’t know they still talk.
He grins and opens that stupid mouth of his. “I had to get Kai’s dick back. Every day I have watched him pine away, wanting you and hating you. He is worse to be around than a woman on the damn rag.”
“Thank you,” I mouth to Penny as she walks off the bus. The door shuts and Kai throws me over his shoulder like a caveman and carries me back to his bed while the guys whistle.
“I guess I owe you an explanation about Khloe and Raven,” Kai says somberly, bringing up what divided us in the first place.
“Kai, I’m sorry for how I reacted. I just wasn’t expecting that, ya know.” I wasn’t ready for the responsibility that could have come with his secret. I was scared.
“Khloe isn’t my daughter. She’s my niece.” He holds his finger to my mouth, so I can’t interrupt. “Raven cheated on me with my brother. Hell, we really weren’t even dating. We were just kids. It was the summer before ninth grade. I kept trying to get up the courage to approach you.” He wraps his pinky around mine.
He squeezes my pinky hard with his. “Raven and I were stupid. Like I said it was the summer before ninth grade. We connected over music. I thought she really liked me. Some other girl had my eye, but she made me so nervous, I couldn’t ever get the courage up to talk to her.” He looks at me with sad eyes, and I know he is talking about me. I’m the other girl.
“Kirk had just graduated, and I looked up to him so much. Raven started coming over a lot. He would pick her up and drive her home. That was the summer we found out he had a drug problem. Anyway, it turns out Raven had a crush on Kirk. She had this big fantasy about how they would fall in love. She was just using me. Long story short, she slept with my brother one night when he drove her home. I didn’t find out about it until much later when Raven told me she was pregnant. She told me her family threatened to put my brother in jail for statutory rape. I stepped up and said the baby was mine. Kirk doesn’t even remember having sex with her he was so out of it.”
“God, Kai, that’s horrible.”
“My parents told me to claim Khloe as mine. They had me lie and say that I was the father. My mom works with abused children, Katie, how would that look for her to have a son known as a child rapist? Raven was just fourteen at the time. Her family just wanted the baby to go away. They never questioned any of it. My father was a judge at the time when Khloe was born. He was so intent on keeping his perfect image. Raven went on homebound and when Khloe came, I signed the birth certificate, and then we both signed our rights over to my mother. Raven held my brother and our lie over my head all through high school.”
“Where is Khloe now?”
“She’s with Raven and Kirk. They actually got married. It’s ridiculous, but somehow they are making it work.”
He goes on to tell me that Khloe was really confused at first, but she now knows that Kirk is really her dad and that Raven is her mom. His family was afraid that Kirk would get back on drugs, so they kept the truth about Khloe being his from him all that time. Raven really wasn’t trying to hurt Kai and me, she just wanted the truth out there. She wanted her daughter, but she didn’t go about things in the best way. I want to hate her, but I can’t judge her knowing everything I know. She was just a screwed up girl.
“I should have fought for you, Katie. I should have told you the truth. I thought I was doing the right thing.” He brushes his strong thumb over my lips.