“Uh, is now a bad time to mention your dad just called me? He wanted to check that it was okay to bring Mandy.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I mutter, shaking my head. “He must’ve called you the second he left the house.”
This just keeps getting better and better. I liked Mandy, but it annoyed me that he made this big deal about us spending time together only to turn around and invite his girlfriend.
What the hell am I going to do?Kayla is in such hysterics that she's practically falling off the kitchen counter when I tell her about the mess that is my life.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” she huffs, barely able to spit the words out. “You've got to get me a ticket on that boat.”
“It’s not a fucking show, Kayla,” I growl. “There are no tickets.”
“Bullshit. This is going to be the show of the year,” Kayla giggles.
“Come on, please be serious, Kales,” I frown.
“I am being serious. You need me there,” Kayla says. The laughter is gone, and there is nothing but honesty in her voice. The thing I love about Kayla is as crude and blunt as she can be but when you need her, she’s there. “I can help out with the kids and buy you more time alone with Nick. You think you’re gonna get any time with him without me there to cause a distraction?”
I think about it. Maybe having her there wasn't the worst idea in the world. If something went wrong and I needed an out, I know Kayla would figure something out for me.
“I'll think about it,” I say. “You know my dad's bringing his girlfriend, don’t you?”
She rolls her eyes. “What? They’ve been together like a week,” she mutters. “Five minutes into the boat ride from hell, and she’ll be done with him. Hey, I thought you get seasick?”
I groan and shake my head, ignoring her commentary. This is turning into a really badly written soap opera. Kayla shakes her head, a dreamy smile on her face.
“I’m still struggling to come to terms with the fact that you and Nick are together.” She grins. “That's crazy. I'm so jealous.”
I smile despite the situation. “It is pretty crazy,” I admit.
“So, have you…?” she wiggles her eyebrows, and I flush. “You haven't, have you?” she exclaims.
“I haven’t done anything other than give him a blowjob,” I mutter. She jumps off the counter and takes my hands and grins at me.
“You've got to tell me what that was like,” she says.
“He’s big,” I admit, feeling giddy just talking about it. “Like, I almost dislocated my jaw putting him in my mouth kind of big. But in the end, he felt kind of good in there.”
“You hussy.” She giggles. “And did he return the favor?”
I bite my lip and smile. “His tongue …” I shiver and groan at the same time. “Don't even get me started on the magic he can work with that.”
“Go you.” She grins. “So, when’s he going to see if he, uh, fits?” Kayla asks, her eyes wide.
“Kayla,” I hiss.
“What?” she protests. “It's a legitimate question. How is your relationship going to work if you can't have sex?” she shrugs. I guess she has a point.
“Not talking about this with you,” I say, shaking my head.After I leave Kayla's, I head home. I’m still trying to come to terms with the impending vacation from hell. Only now I can add a new worry to my list, because the more I think about what she’s saying, the more concerned I get. What if Kayla is right? What if he doesn't fit? How can we possibly have a healthy, long-term relationship if we can't have sex? I know sex shouldn’t be the crux of a relationship, but it can’t be ignored, either.
When I pull into the driveway and see Dad isn't home, I jump the fence and walk up to Nick’s door. I go to knock, but then stop myself when I see the time. The last thing I want to do is wake the kids. I push the door and it opens. Wincing, I stick my head inside and quietly call out.
“Nick,” I whisper. He appears around the corner from the kitchen, looking surprised to see me. “Sorry, I didn't mean to just let myself in, but I didn’t want to wake the kids.”
“It’s okay,” he says. He reaches into his pocket and pulls something out. “I mean, I was going to give you this tomorrow, but I guess now is a good time, too.”
I glance down as he places something small in my hand. It’s a key. My heart races, because it's so sweet. I walk over to him, wrapping my arms around his neck. I lean in and kiss him slowly on the lips.
“Thank you,” I murmur.