Kane (Slater Brothers 3)

I shrugged. “Skull.”

Kane gritted his teeth.

I pointed my finger at him. “He is me friend and, to be honest, I’m closer to him than I am to you. I’ve known him for years, Kane.”

The muscle in his jaw rolled back and forward as he ground his teeth together.

“I don’t like him.”

That pissed me off.

“You don’t even know him.”

“I know that he knows you... all of you. I don’t like that, so therefore I don’t like him.”

“Oh, my God,” I groaned and rubbed my eyes. “You’re confusin’ the hell out of me.”

“I’m sorry.”

I looked at Kane and saw he really was sorry, even though he didn’t truly know what he was doing wrong.

“What do you want?” I asked. “I want to make us both happy. Just tell me what you want.”

Kane raised his eyebrows. “It’s not obvious what I want?”

“Not to me.”

He blinked. “You, Aideen. I want you.”

What?

“What do you mean you want me?” I asked, dumbfounded.

“You aren’t stupid, you know what I mean.”

I did, but my mind refused to believe it unless he said it.

“We just became real friends,” I protested.

I didn’t know why I was protesting—I told Keela I’d give things a go with Kane. I wanted to give things a go with him, I was just getting caught up in a stupid argument and straying from what needed to happen for my sanity as well as Kane’s.

Kane shrugged. “I just want to try being with you. I’ll probably be a shitty boyfriend, but what if we don’t put a title on us and just... hang out?”

I tilted my head. “Let me get this straight. You want us to be together in a relationship without callin’ it a relationship?”

“Exactly.”

“Why?”

“Less pressure?” he sighed. “I don’t know. I’m trying to figure this out as I talk, babydoll.”

I stared at Kane for a long moment. “Is this just because I’m pregnant?”

“No,” he instantly replied. “Look, I talked to Dominic and he made me make sense of why I think of you all the time and enjoy arguing with you so much. It’s because I like you but don’t know what to do about it. I don’t like people, Aideen. Ever. I sometimes can’t stand to be around my brothers, but I want to be around you all the time. Do you understand that? I want to be around you. I need you, babydoll. You keep me sane, by driving me insane.”

I blinked and tried to avoid the heavy part of what Kane was saying with a joke. “Did he give you a run down on his Man Bible as well?” I asked.

I could have sworn he blushed.

“Yeah,” he mumbled. “He’s learned a few things from being with Bronagh.”

I couldn’t help but snort.

“I don’t know what to say, Kane,” I admitted and shifted my stance. “I’m twenty-eight years old, and I’m pregnant with your baby. Startin’ a relationship with you seems to be the logical thing to do, but if I’m honest, I’m really scared. What if it goes badly and we hate each other more than before?”

Kane stepped forward. “We won’t let that happen.”

“We can’t let it happen,” I corrected. “Do you understand me? We can’t hate one another whether we get together or not. I don’t want our child to grow up in a hostile environment.”

Kane’s face softened. “Trust me, babydoll, that’s that last thing I want, too.”

I inhaled and exhaled. “I’m very unsure about this, but if we don’t put a title on it, and just continue the way we are, I’ll become more trustin’. Is that okay?” I asked. “It’s the best I can do right now. I can’t jump into a relationship with or without a title without trustin’ you.”

Kane nodded his head. “That’s fine by me, babydoll. I’m just relieved you want to try.”

“I do. I like you so much. I’d be lyin’ to you and meself if I said I wasn’t feelin’ for you lately.”

He waggled his eyebrows. “What things have you been feeling for me exactly? Be descriptive.”

“How descriptive?” I grinned.

Kane gasped, “Aideen Collins, are you flirting with me?”

“Flirtin’? You mean me awkwardness is seducin’ you?

He laughed, “Just give me a come-hither look and you’ll seduce me plenty.”

I burst into laughter. “Bloody pervert,” I said as Kane invaded my space and folded his arms around me, pulling me against his body.

I wrapped my arms around him and sighed with a smile on my face. This felt right. I didn’t know if it was right, but it felt right, and right now that was good enough for me.

“I’ve never been someone’s boyfriend before. Sorry if I’m shit at it.”

I laughed against Kane’s chest. “I’ll ease you into things.”

“That sounds good to me, babydoll.”

I rolled my eyes but smiled wide.

I felt happy.

Truly happy.

I just hated that there was a voice in the back of my head that whispered, but for how long?

“Aideen?”

I looked at my little brother when he called my name. Gavin and my other brothers were in my new apartment putting up new shelves and bookcases that Kane bought for the apartment. He was out with Nico so he couldn’t put them up for me, but I didn’t mind because it gave me a chance to hang out with my family.

I was officially fully moved out of my old apartment and settled into my new one. It didn’t take long for the movers Alec hired to shift everything because Kane already took care of buying new, expensive furniture for the new apartment so it was just things like my clothes and such that needed to be moved in.

“Aideen?” Gavin repeated.

“Hmmm?”

“What’s the difference between a girlfriend and a girl friend?” he randomly asked me.

I gave him my full attention.

“Why?” I asked.

Gavin shrugged his shoulders. “I text this girl I’ve been hangin’ around with and asked her what she was to me and she said me girl friend with a gap between the words. I don’t get the difference.”

I looked at the text when he showed it to me then shrugged my shoulders and said, “The difference, little brother, is the space between girl and friend that everyone calls the friend zone.”