Just a Kiss: The Bradfords, Book 5 (25 page)

Kevin stared at her. What the fuck was that? What kind of father said something like that to their child? And this was a guy who Kevin had listened to on Sunday mornings, whose words had come back in later years when he was getting to know God.

“That was it? He didn’t help? And you don’t see them anymore?”

“He’s proven that he had nothing else to say. Mom’s never gone against him. It’s been ten years since I talked to either of them.”

Kevin couldn’t imagine. Even as disappointed as he was in his dad, he couldn’t imagine not having him around, not talking to him. Especially by his father’s choice. He slumped onto his stool. “Eve, I don’t know what to say.”

She shook her head. “You don’t have to say anything. There’s nothing to say.” She shrugged. “It is what it is.”

“No, it’s not what it is,” he said reaching for her hand. “It all started because of us. Because of me you’re cut off from your family.”

She let him hold her hand, but she shook her head. “I’m cut off because my father, the guy who literally preached unconditional love, cut himself off from me. It’s
his
fault, Kevin, and it’s his loss.”

It was clear that she was sad and hurt, in spite of her tough words. And there was something else underneath it—a distrust or a cynicism that he wasn’t used to from her. She’d said something similar in her get-Kevin-back speech—about how real love didn’t change with time or mistakes.

Yet, she’d been let down in that department by two men who meant the most to her—her father and
him
.

He felt like he’d swallowed a ball of cement. It sat heavy and hard in his gut.

“It doesn’t matter what he thinks about us now,” she said. “But I’m thinking of writing to let them know. I want them to know. And I want to prove to you that I want everyone to know.”

He tugged on her hand, bringing her around the corner of the island to him. She stepped between his knees and he enfolded her in a hug. “I have a few things to prove to you too,” he said softly.

“Like what?”

“Like the fact that being with you is absolutely where I want to be.” He slid his hand into her hair, keeping her cheek against his heart. “And that I’ll be here every single day. And that I don’t want anything more than I want you just like this.”

She cuddled close. “You can have me however you want me.”

It turned out he wanted her on the kitchen island and on the living room couch.

As they lay with their limbs tangled on the sofa, Kevin rolled and glanced at the clock.

“What time did Drew say he’d call?” he asked.

“When he was ready to come home.” Eve also looked over at the clock. It was after seven. “I wonder if he has homework.”

“We should probably go get him,” Kevin said. He wasn’t proud of it, but he’d enjoyed the time while Drew was at his friend’s. And not because he’d spent most of that time naked with Eve. It was because Drew was somewhere he was happy and Kevin could feel good about that, rather than worrying about things or being frustrated because Drew wouldn’t talk to him.

“Probably.” Eve pushed herself off of his chest, then off of the couch. Then she paused. “Did I say which friend he was with?”

Kevin sat up and reached for his underwear and jeans. “No, I don’t think so.”

She frowned. “I don’t remember him telling me. But it has to be Matt or Tanner, right?”

She called Tanner’s house first. Drew wasn’t there. He wasn’t at Matthew’s either.

“Is there any chance Drew mentioned where he was going after school to Matt?” Eve asked Matt’s mom.

She reported he’d gone home for dinner.

“Home?” Eve repeated. “But he isn’t here.”

“Oh,” she said a moment later. “Really? Why would he think of that?”

She paused to listen. Then, “Oh, okay. That helps, thanks.”

“Well?” Kevin demanded as soon as she disconnected.

“He went home. To his house. With Libby and Lacey, the roommates.”

“Libby and Lacey?” Kevin repeated. “Seriously?” They sounded like they should be doing shots at the bar and then dancing on the beach in a
Girls Gone Wild
video.

Or maybe that was his overactive imagination and guilt colliding.

Eve pulled her clothes on. “Yeah, Heather’s been taking a class on Thursday nights so he hangs with the girls. They get pizza and watch reality TV. I guess he missed it.”

Terrific. Reality TV and pizza with two twenty-something single chicks. For a guy ten years older it would be his idea of heaven. But Drew was an impressionable young kid.

“Let’s go,” he said grimly, grabbing his keys off the table by the door.

Five minutes later they pulled up in front of a tiny house with two cars parked out front and seemingly every light in the place on.

As they approached the door, they heard a female shriek and then laughter.

Eve put a hand on his arm as he reached for the door. “Hey, take it easy here, okay? Nobody really did anything wrong.” He was clearly tense.

“They shouldn’t assume he can come over and hang out anytime he wants to.”

“They didn’t really have a reason to think that he couldn’t come over,” Eve said. “This is the routine. He
lives
with them, Kevin. They’re more normal for him than we are.”

He didn’t reply as he raised his fist and pounded on the door.

The door swung open almost immediately.

“Hi.”

The young girl who greeted them in a tank top and cut off sweat pants was breathing hard. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a ponytail and she was barefoot, her toes painted neon blue. She could have passed for sixteen. And she was covered in silly string.

“Are you Libby or Lacey?” Kevin asked.

“Lacey,” she said with a big smile.

“Great.” Kevin sighed. “Is Drew here?”

“Of course he is.” She tipped her head. “You’re his brother, huh?”

“Yep.”

Lacey looked at Eve. “Hi, Eve.”

“Hi, Lacey.”

“Come on in.” Lacey stepped back. “Here, you might need this.” She handed him a can of string.

Kevin looked at it and sighed again.

Eve followed him into the house. “We were—”

Drew came thundering through the room, chased by another girl with silly string.

He was shrieking and laughing and Libby quickly caught him, pulled him to the floor and covered his face in bright pink sticky string.

Eve looked from the little boy to Kevin. Kevin’s mouth was literally hanging open.

She stifled a grin. It was great for Kevin to see Drew as a kid who laughed and had fun. Who was comfortable and happy.

“I think everything looks fine here,” she said.

“Hey, Drew, your brother’s here,” Lacey said.

He and Libby both rolled to look up at Eve and Kevin.

“Hi,” Libby said, tickling Drew’s ribs.

“Um, hi.” Kevin looked and sounded stunned.

Libby pushed herself to her feet. “He doesn’t have to go until after
Dancing with the Stars
, does he?”

“Dancing with…” Kevin trailed off.

“Do you have homework?” Eve asked Drew.

“Nope.” Drew wasn’t even looking at Kevin. A minute ago he was laughing and enjoying, now he looked embarrassed.

“Did you have supper?” she asked.

“Yeah. Pizza and Oreos.”

“That’s it? What about vegetables, milk?” Kevin asked.

Eve rolled her eyes.

Libby said, “We always have carrot sticks and apples too.” She nudged Drew with her foot.

“We dip the apples in peanut butter,” Drew said, seemingly just to be contrary. “And sometimes we put chocolate chips in the peanut butter.”

“Peanut butter is good for you,” Eve felt the need to point out.

“I dip mine in marshmallow cream,” Lacey said, clearly not overly concerned about Kevin’s disapproval.

“They’re still apples,” Eve interjected.

“Sometimes I just eat the marshmallow cream with a spoon,” Lacey said. She crossed her arms, clearly challenging Kevin.

Libby crossed to her and nudged her with her elbow. “Heather gave us Thursdays as a free night. We hang out and have fun, eat junk. It’s not like he does it all the time.”

“Fine.” Kevin’s jaw was tight. “He needs to come home now.”

Libby glanced at Drew. “We were hoping maybe he could stay over tonight.”

“No,” Kevin said quickly and firmly, “it’s a school night.”

“We finished his math homework when he first got here,” Libby said.

“He doesn’t even have a bed here anymore,” Kevin said, “that’s at my place.”

Eve watched Kevin’s face. He seemed almost…jealous. And protective.

“We’ll camp out here in the living room,” Lacey said. “We’ve done it lots of times, even when his bed was here.”

“He has school tomorrow.”

Eve started to jump in, but Lacey gave Kevin a look that clearly said
you’re an idiot
and Eve settled back to watch. It was probably better for Kevin to hear that he was overreacting from more than just her.

“It would be
such
a hardship, but I guess I could take him with me when I leave for work in the morning and drop him off
way
across town.”

In reality, they lived about three blocks from the school. Which had been one consideration when Heather had chosen the house.

Kevin frowned at her. “You work?”

Lacey drew herself up tall and frowned right back. “Yeah, my hooker corner is right across from the school.”

Libby grabbed Lacey’s arm and pulled her back. “She’s the receptionist at the medical clinic,” she told Kevin.

“What about you?” Kevin asked.

“I’m still going to school,” Libby said, her eyes wide at the way he snapped. “I’ll be applying to law school in the spring.”

Kevin looked at her, then to Lacey. “He needs to come home.”

Lacey started to respond, but Libby squeezed her arm. “Okay. Fine. How about next week we do this again though and we plan to have him overnight? That way everyone knows what’s gonna happen ahead of time.”

Kevin didn’t respond right away, but he glanced at Drew.

Eve followed his eyes.

Drew was sitting in the middle of the floor, his eyes on the carpet. He looked completely dejected.

“Fine,” Kevin finally answered. “And I’ll send an extra jar of marshmallow cream with him.”

Eve grinned at that. Libby smiled.

Lacey lifted a shoulder, unimpressed by his peace offering. “Get the brand name stuff. The generic sucks.”

Kevin rolled his eyes then said to Drew, “Let’s go, bud. Time to get home.”

Drew got to his feet slowly, trudged to the mat by the door, put his shoes on—slowly—and finally shrugged into his coat. The whole process took five times longer than it should have.

The muscle in Kevin’s cheek was jumping by the time they opened the door to leave, but he said nothing.

Eve put her arm around Drew’s shoulders and pulled him up against her as they walked down the sidewalk to the car. “You ever heard of Nutella?”

“Maybe.” He sounded like someone had told him that there would be no Christmas.

“I’ll get you some. It’s the best for apples.”

None of them spoke on the way back to the house. The boys because they were both pouting, Eve because she was pretty much on Drew’s side but didn’t think she should say that in front of him. Or at all. That would surely start a fight with Kevin.

As soon as they walked through the door, Drew threw his coat on the floor, stomped up the stairs and slammed the bedroom door.

Kevin sighed heavily and pushed his fingers through his hair. “Dammit.”

“I’m on Drew’s side, by the way,” she said.

Kevin frowned. “What about, exactly? Me being an ass, that Lacey and Libby are way more fun that I am, or that sleeping on the couch at his own house is better than sleeping in his bed at my house?”

She went straight to him and wrapped her arms around him. “Well, when you put it that way…all of the above.” She hugged him tight.

He wrapped his arms around her and sighed. “I told my dad and Heather that
I
would take care of him. They agreed. If Libby and Lacey were best for him, they would have asked them, right?”

“Right.” She pulled back. “There’s no question that when it comes to taking care of him overall, you’re the best choice. But that doesn’t mean that they can’t see him at all or help out once in awhile or that when he’s with them it’s bad for him.”

“But I’m already passing off some of the responsibility to you.”

“So?”

“I need to do… the rest.”

“Why? You’re not his father, Kevin. You’re his big brother. And you don’t have to be perfect at this.”

“You keep saying that.” He let go of her and stepped back.

“Because it’s true. Lacey and Libby don’t have to be perfect either. Is marshmallow cream the best thing for him to eat? No. But it won’t hurt him. Is watching
Dancing with the Stars
the most intellectually stimulating thing they could do? No. But it also won’t hurt him. Stop worrying about doing everything right every second.”