Accepted Fate (18 page)

Dad is sitting in his recliner, hidden behind the Sunday paper that is spread across his lap. He lowers the page, raising his brows as his eyes lock on Breyson. He looks at mom. "Who do we have here, Leigh?" Oh brother, he has that tone. He's not too thrilled. Awesome, I think sarcastically. Right then, Konnor turns around from the couch he's sitting on. One look at Breyson and I can tell he isn't pleased either. How am I supposed to leave him down here with these two?

"Ken, this is Kinzleigh's friend Breyson." She pats him on the back. You know Joe and Susan Reeves. This is their nephew."

Konnor looks at him, his eyes slightly narrowed. "You're Ryland's cousin? I don't recall seeing you around here before."

Why do they have to make this such a big deal. So what; I've never brought home a guy before, big deal. At the rate they're going, this will be the last time as well. Breyson walks towards my dad and brother. He stops at my dad first, holding out his hand, "Breyson Abercrombie, sir. I'm here visiting family for a week. Third summer now and I love it here."

I begin inching forward, when mom grabs my shoulder halting me. I look at her, but she shakes her head at me. "Why don't you go get dressed honey. Time's wasting. He will be fine. This is just something that every dad looks forward to; don't take it away." She smiles at me. "Run along baby girl. I'll be here to supervise. I've been where you are, it's fine." No she hasn't been here before because dad is the only man she's ever been with. I, however, have no intention of taking this farther than a week and sending him on his way. Him meeting my family will just further complicate things because mom is already making it sound like he is a prospective boyfriend.

"Well son, what are your intentions with my daughter since you will be gone in a week?" Dad speaks out, breaking me from my stare off with mom.

"Dad!" I yell out completely humiliated that this is happening. Why can't they just be normal and talk about football or something?

Konnor looks at me with a smirk on his face. "What's the matter Kinzleigh? You know we have to keep your best interests at heart."

Breyson looks at me, giving me a reassuring smiling. "It's okay Kinzleigh, go get ready. I'll get to know your family a little." I really don't feel good about this but what other choice do I have? I can't go to the party like this. 

I move towards the stairs, dragging my feet. "Dad, please don't embarrass me. Behave," I say pointing my finger at him.

"Kinzleigh, I believe you have a shower calling for you. We'll be fine down here. I don't need tips on how to parent, but thank you for your concern." Sighing, I run upstairs to get ready, quickly, so we can get out of here before he tries to give him the
daddy with the shot gun speech
or something else completely crazy. Dinner with the fam was just crossed off the to do list. I don't care what he says. Manners went out the window when words like intentions went flying through the air.

I'm standing in the middle of my room, showered and in my bra and panties, staring at the clothes spread across my bed. What do I wear? I already know I have to take my swimwear but what do I wear before then? Now that I may want to go through with this
losing my virginity thing
at some point, I should probably put forth some effort in getting ready.

My two choices, as I stand here pondering, are my black one shoulder mini-dress that stops halfway to my knee and is fitted but not tight with a butterfly style sleeve opening as it falls. I usually pair it with my beige canvas wedges and gold hoops. The other choice is my chevron shift dress in mint green and white with quarter length sleeves, that I usually pair with a pair of my white gladiator sandals topped off with a splash of red in my jewelry.

"Hmm...what to wear," I say tapping my index finger to my lips. Just then mom slips in my door.

"You always look beautiful in the mint green one. It really does wonders with your blonde hair. Plus all that walking may be uncomfortable in those heels. You don't want to try too hard. The black one says
take me to dinner
and the other says
I'm cute but comfy
." I always did love my mom's eye for good fashion. Send us shopping and we always put a dent in dad's wallet. He has limited our mother-daughter outings to a minimum.

"You really think so? What should I do to my hair?"

"I know so," she smiles and comes to my side, brushing my curls off my shoulder. "It brings out the green in your eyes. You always were my little princess. You're growing up so fast. I guess at least you've waited this long to bring boys around. You're making me feel old you know," she winks at me playfully and sits on the bed. "Now put on that dress and bring me that comb and some bobby pins and I'll do your hair."

It’s been a really long time since mom has done my hair. It kind of makes me feel like a little girl again. I pull the dress over my white matching bra and panties, made from lace with baby pink trim. Grabbing the container of bobby pins and the comb, I sit between her legs on the floor. "What are you going to do to it?"

"You just sit still and let me worry about that. I will make sure that boy's jaw drops when he sees you." My hair is parted down the left side of my head, the biggest portion of hair laying over to the right. She begins to braid loosely from my part down the right hairline, beside my face. Just behind my right ear, she ties the braid with a small hair tie.

I close my eyes, as the light tugging of my hair makes me want to go to sleep. She used to brush my hair each night when I was little. "What are they doing to him down there? Is dad behaving himself? Is Konnor freaking out?"

She chuckles as she swoops all of my hair to the right side. She piles all of my curly hair, including the loose braid in one hand and ties it with a pony tail holder at the bottom of my hairline, below my right ear. She begins forming a messy bun with the pony tail. "Honey, every man dreads the day they have to share their little girl with another man. You'll see one day when you have a daughter. I would say dad is doing pretty good considering he had no warning. Usually, it's when you're sixteen and come home asking to go to the prom, months in advance, and he has a chance to get used to the idea before a boy shows up at the front door. You've always surprised us though; never going by the book on anything. As relieving as it is that you never give us an ounce of trouble, I was beginning to wonder if I was going to get to take you prom dress shopping and other mom daughter things that I have been waiting to do with you."

She almost sounds kind of sad. I guess this isn't the time for me to announce I don't plan on having kids, ever. Kids are a blessing from above and everything, but it's just not for me. I have too many desires and wants to be tied down to children or marriage. She puts the last of the bobby pins around the bun to hold it loosely and gets up to grab the hairspray. "Come here. Let me finish you off."

I stand up and walk to the mirror. I'll have to admit my mom is one awesome fashionista to be a mother with two grown kids. It's a loose bun of curls on the lower right side of my head beneath my ear. "I have something for you." She pulls a handkerchief from her pocket, holding it in her hand. She unwraps the cloth, revealing a small pair of diamond hoops. My eyes widen as they lay perfectly still, glimmering in the light. "Your father gave these to me one year from the day we started dating. I had them cleaned and put up for you for this occasion. The first day my little girl became a woman. To me, that day is today. You have blossomed and have shown your maturity, so I think you're ready."

I really feel bad that I have no intentions of becoming serious about dating. "Mom, you don't have to do this. You know we're not serious right? I just met him. I'm just showing him a good time and taking him around while he's visiting, but nothing more."

She holds up her hand to stop me. "Honey, I know you're not holding out your hand waiting on a diamond ring, but this is a big step for you. Take them they will look beautiful on you."

I give her a hug, "Thank you. I love them." She releases me and watches me put the earrings on, one by one.

"You're very welcome. Now let's get you finished. You have one handsome boy down there waiting on you. You sure do know how to pick a cute one. Hurry up or your brother may not let him leave with you in hand. He seems a little on edge," she winks again and sprays my hair. Just like that I pick up pace. I know Konnor and I've seen him in protection mode when his friends used to show an interest in me. I don't want to rehash those times.

Putting on my gladiator sandals, I grab my mint green clutch purse I bought to go with this dress and put my necessities inside. Handbags and shoes are my personal weakness among fashion. I have a bag for everything. I run to my closet and pull my mint green and gold tote from the shelf. I place my black mono-kini swimsuit and matching sheer coverup skirt in the bag as well as my black shimmery flip flops. Walking into my bathroom, I grab my black and pink beach towel.

As I come back out, mom is standing at the doorway holding on to the knob. "You look beautiful. He isn't going to let you out of his sight. You ready to go baby girl?"

Smiling, I nod and start for the door trailing behind my mom. As we're coming down the stairs, everyone looks my way standing to their feet. I feel like a princess being announced at a ball. It's strange. I don't usually like being the focal point, but right now, knowing I'm the focal point to a guy that looks like that really isn't all that bad.

A big smile spreads across Breyson's face at the same time a scowl spreads across Konnor's. I walk beside my dad and he puts an arm over my shoulder. "You sure are gorgeous just like your mother," he says kissing my cheek. He turns to Breyson, "Son I expect you to take special care of my baby girl. You do that and we won't have any problems. Understood?"

Breyson nods, "Yes sir. That won't be a problem." He looks over to me, "You ready to go?"

I can tell Konnor wants to say something the way he is looking at me. I look him in the eyes, telling him I'll be fine. We've always had a way of communicating without actually speaking. He nods his head in response to my silent message. I look back to Breyson, "As ready as I'll ever be."

CHAPTER 9

Breyson

I wasn't prepared for what came walking down the stairs. Sure, I've seen her dressed in several different ways at this point, but what she looks like now, barely allowed me to breathe. If I thought it was hard to contain myself before, it just got harder. This girl puts any other girl to shame and today she's mine. She has legs to die for. It brings back the memory of them wrapped out me in the pool.

Usually, I would never come to a girl's house and meet her family. It's too intimate and gives off messages that I never want made, but this girl has a way of making me want to do things I never do without even trying. I will have to admit, that now I know why I never do this.

After sitting down in the living room with her family, listening to the
I've got a shotgun and I'm not afraid to use it speech,
I wasn't all that disappointed to leave without eating. I don't want to forget to mention her brother staring daggers at me, like he wanted to kick my ass. I can't say that I blame him, though, because I have a fourteen year old sister. I imagine if a guy like me was thinking about her in the same way that I'm thinking about Kinzleigh, I'd want to beat his ass too.

We walk outside and get in the truck. "Do you realize how beautiful you are?" I don't pride myself on being romantic because I'm not, but if this girl doesn't realize how gorgeous she is, she needs to be told. It blows me away that someone hasn't tried harder to claim her. If I lived here, I wouldn't let her out of my sight. The fact that she actually wants to let me claim her body for the first time gives me chills. Instead of it freaking me out as it should and normally would be, now I'm imagining how much I want to claim her; to go where no other man has gone. I've never been with a virgin before. I've always stayed far away from them; it's an unspoken rule of mine. A girl that loses her virginity is looking for love and I am not the place to find it.       Apparently, she is the one person that could make me break my rules. Now, the thought being her first is consuming my mind, and probably more much than it should. Is it normal for it to thrill me; give me a surge of an adrenaline rush?

She blushes as I sit here staring at her. I can't help it; I can't take my eyes off of her. "Thanks, I guess," she says. "Where to first? You said Presley gave you the rundown so I take it I don't have to?"

"Yeah, I got everything covered. Let's go." We pull out of her driveway and head toward town. According to Presley, we really didn't have much to get. The food is being delivered by a catering company and a rental company is setting up all of the tents and tables. A DJ will set up his own equipment as well. I think it was really just extras and stuff for her. Presley said there was a party planner setting up the decorations and making sure everything ran smoothly.

Personally, this is all a little new to me. Where I'm from, a party doesn't get put together by party planners. Most people just get together and do their own thing. I wish I could take her back home and show her how it's done in the south. The guys would be falling all over her. Wait, what the hell am I thinking. That's exactly why I wouldn't want her back at home. I like not having to share her. I'm just going to enjoy the extra hour with her alone, before we head back to Presley's and I no longer have her all to myself. "I have to run to the mall and pick up Presley a new swimsuit," she says breaking the silence.

"Seeing Presley's house and car, I find it hard to believe she doesn't have a swimsuit," I say teasingly.

"Girl rule number one," she holds up her index finger. "Always have a new outfit for every occasion," she replies sarcastically with a smile on her face.

"You're telling me she hasn't already picked it out? Don't girls do that stuff weeks in advance?" I don't know much about girls other than physical anatomy, but I know enough from girls at school that those things are topics for weeks on end, prior to the event.