He was a tough negotiator, but I really liked sharing his honey chicken. “Deal.”
Chapter 17
Jace
I spent the rest of Christmas Eve and all of Christmas Day with Kin and her family in their hotel suite. As soon as we’d gotten back to their room, we’d rented How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Kin’s favorite cartoon Christmas movie, and pigged out on Chinese food. Kin settled between me and Caleb on the couch in the sitting area and before the credits were even running on the movie she was sound asleep with her head on my shoulder and her feet in her stepbrother’s lap.
It was a few hours later before Caleb and Angie went to bed, but I decided to stay where I was, hating the thought of leaving Kin. Carter covered her with an extra blanket and I settled in to sleep sitting up with Kin in my arms. It was the best night’s sleep I’d had in months, even if I did wake up the next morning with a stiff neck.
The Jacobsons were more than happy to keep me around Christmas Day while we stayed in their suite. It was more than I could have asked for, getting to spend the entire day with Kin when all I’d really wanted was just a meager five minutes with her.
At the end of the day, however, Carter told Kin that he and the twins were going to head back to the East Coast the next morning.
“No,” she protested as she shook her head. “You promised me four weeks. I still have at least another week.”
Carter sighed tiredly. “Honey, we’ve caused you enough trouble with Scott and that idiot wife of his. We don’t want to add more to your plate right now.”
I watched helplessly as tears had filled Kin’s eyes, but she had blinked them back, trying to keep them from falling. “I don’t care about them. I don’t want you to leave. I miss you guys so…much.” When her voice broke, I wanted to pull her into my arms and never let her go. “P-please, don’t go.”
The pain on Carter’s face had matched his stepdaughter’s. “Kin…”
“We’ll be back for your birthday, sugar bug,” Angie rushed to assure her. “We aren’t going to miss that. And I promise we will make up for all the trouble we caused.” She clenched her jaw and looked out the window. “That I caused.”
Kin’s chin trembled. “I don’t care about that. I can handle Jillian.”
Caleb’s big body crouched in front of her. “Maybe you can, but she’s going to milk what happened last night for all it’s worth. She will make your life even more miserable than it already is, sweetheart. I wish you would come home with us.”
“I-I can’t do that. I promised Mom.”
“She wouldn’t hold you to that promise if she knew what that crazy bitch was like, Kin. You know that,” Carter growled.
She shrugged. “I’m not going to give in. I don’t have to wait much longer. Once I’m eighteen I’ll leave.”
Caleb blew out a frustrated breath and turned his blue eyes on me. “Promise me you’ll take care of her.”
I didn’t even hesitate. “I promise.”
“I mean it. Really take care of her this time, Jace. I need you to do that for me.”
“Caleb, I swear I will take care of your sister. You don’t have anything to worry about, man. Anything she needs, I’ll handle it.” Our eyes locked for nearly a full minute while I tried to make him see how sincere I was about Kin now.
Whatever Caleb saw must have convinced him because he straightened and held out his hand to me. “Thanks, man.”
I shook his hand, relieved that he would trust me with something so important. He had to know what Kin meant to me. Had to understand that I loved her and only wanted her happiness.
Later that evening I went home to give Kin a night alone with her family before they left the next morning. I arrived back at the hotel to pick her up and drive her home just as the twins climbed into the rented sports car Caleb had been using since they had arrived.
As I parked my car and walked toward Kin, I could tell she was upset. By the time I reached her, she was losing the battle to not let her tears fall. As the first one spilled over her lashes and onto her cheek, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her head onto my chest. “Baby,” I breathed at her ear, “it’s going to be okay. I promise.”
Her shoulders shook with the sob she was trying to hold back. “I m-miss them already,” she whispered brokenly.
“I know, baby. I know.” I rocked her against me while she gave up on the fight to stay strong and sobbed so hard I worried she would damage something internally. The sounds that left her gutted me, but I only tightened my hold on her. “I got you, Kin.”
It was a long while before the gut-wrenching sounds finally stopped. She was limp in my hold and I lifted my head to look down at her with concern. “Feel better?”
She shook her head as she wiped her checks with her fingertips. “Not even a little.”
I traced the path of one errant tear as it fell down her cheek and pooled at the corner of her mouth, then stroked my thumb over her full bottom lip. “I’m sorry, babe. What can I do to make this better?”