“Mikayla, it was you that wanted to leave here, not me. You’re the one that wanted to find somewhere else. It was never me.”

I don’t know how to explain this to him. So that he understands that it’s not about him.

I close my eyes and breath out a steady breath. When I open them, I look straight into his deep blue ones. “I want to make sure that I’m strong enough on my own, without you. Because since that night, it’s been you, only you. You’re my entire world and I need to learn to stand on my own and be my own person, and I can’t do that here.”

“Why not?” It’s a plea. His face is so close to mine, our mouths almost touching. I want to kiss him. I look at his lips, then back to his eyes, and he must know what I’m thinking because he licks his lips just a tiny bit.

But I close my eyes so I’m not tempted because this is not how I want our first kiss.

“Just try. Please?” He pleads, his voice breaking.

And I look at him.

Really, truly, look at him.

And I fall in love all over again.

“Please, Mikayla. Just give it until the new year. Promise me?”

I nod.

He picks us up off the floor and carries me back to his bed where he holds me and I hold him.

“God Jake, I so much more than a lot like you.”

“Mikayla, I passed that stage a long, long time ago.”

Chapter 44

*Jake*

It’s been a week since we went to Emily’s grave and a week since that night we… I don’t know what that night was, but it did bring us closer, so I guess we needed to have it out.

Also, Kayla is a little girl when it comes to insects and rodents.

She saw a mouse and a cockroach and demanded our house be fumigated and pest controlled, or whatever it’s called.

Apparently we have to be gone for two nights so she suggested heading back home for the weekend. But I, being the gentleman that I am, booked us a weekend at a hotel. It’s nothing swanky but it’s something different and I think we need it.

“I hope you’re not planning on getting lucky tonight,” she elbows me as I take our bags out of my truck.

“I ordered extra pillows just in case,” I say smugly.

She faces me, eyes bugging out of her head, mouth wide open in shock, a legit gasp escaping her mouth.

I laugh so hard at her reaction, I have to stop to catch my breath.

Once we’re in the hotel room, I’m kicking myself because I didn’t bring any alcohol. I know we don’t need any to have a good time but it sure as shit doesn’t hurt. I tell Kayla that I’m gonna go down to the bar to see if I can charm them with my good looks and ‘panty dropping’ smile. Her words. Definitely not mine.

She says she’s gonna hop in the bath.

I say I’m staying.

She pushes me out the door.

15 minutes later, after I talk to the bar tender, who happens to be a baseball fan, and meeting behind some sketchy back alley, I’m back in our room.

She’s still in the bath when I walk into the bathroom.

“Having fun?” I ask her, trying to sneak a peek. She has bubbles so high in the bath that I can’t see shit anyway.

“Mmhmmm” she hums, eyes closed. “We should totally get a hot tub for your house.”

“That can totally be arranged.” I smirk at her. “Can I get in?”

“Yep,” she pops the ‘p’. “I’m getting out now anyway.”

And she does.

Completely naked and dripping wet and I sit there frozen with my jaw on the floor, my eyes outside of my head, and my mouth foaming.

Holy shit.

Instant. Hard. On.

By the time my brain catches up to my dick, she’s already drying off and putting a robe on.

“Wait.” I’m 12. Literally acting like I’ve never seen a naked girl before. But truthfully, it was never like the way it is with Kayla.

I have to clear my throat a thousand fucking times so something, anything, comes out.

“What are you doing?” I almost yell at her because I’m pathetic and have no control over anything at the moment. “Take that off. Get back naked. Hurry!” What the fuck did I just say?

She chuckles at me, then pushes me out the bathroom door and locks it behind me.

Fuck.

I stand there, with my head resting against the bathroom door, waiting for her to open it and come out so I can tell her to get naked again, like the creeper that I am. I need to see her again.

She opens it, still wearing the robe and I’m practically ripping it off her, or at least trying to. But my brain and body don’t work because all the blood has rushed to my dick and she’s laughing at me.

Fricken laughing at me.

Until she manages to push me away and I calm down a bit, but in my head, I’m that 6 year old kid that didn’t get the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figure I wanted, and I’m going to ask and plead for it every fucking hour until I get what I damn well want. Because I’m a brat, and I need to see her naked.

***

Once I’ve settled down a bit, we open the champagne and fill the glasses with ice, the way she likes, and start drinking.

It’s not long until were slightly buzzed and talking shit.

“Did you have a pet Kangaroo in Australia?”

I spit out my drink, because it’s one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard.

“What?” she laughs. “What’s so funny? Did you?” she asks through a giggle.