Kristen Blooming (21 page)

Heather.

This had to be about the sheriff. Kristen had learned enough over the past couple of weeks to put the picture all together. Gwen and the sheriff had obviously had a thing, but he had a real thing for Heather Lawson. That had broken Gwen’s heart and made her bitter.

“You’re so full of shit. There’s no way Miss Goody-Two-Shoes would ever get it on in the bathroom of a boy’s camp. I don’t believe it…it’s a lie. No, it has to be….Ahhh!”

Gwen screamed, prompting Kristen to hop immediately up and rush toward her. She made it in time to see Gwen chunk her phone on the ground and stomp it to death. She belted out one obscenity after the other with each smashing pound of her foot before she wore herself out and collapsed in heaving sobs on the couch.

“Oh, honey.” Kristen was beside her in an instant. Throwing an arm around Gwen’s shoulders, she tucked her cousin into her side and began to rock her. “It’s all going to be okay.”

She repeated that mantra until Gwen had calmed down enough to jerk back. She leapt off the couch and turned to pin Kristen with a pointed look.

“This never happened.”

Kristen had no idea what she meant by that, but before she could ask, Gwen was storming off to her room. She disappeared down the hall, and a moment later, her door slammed, leaving Kristen sitting there wondering what had just happened.

She didn’t really know, but it left her disturbed and with an uneasy feeling that her cousin was spinning out of control. She felt a need to do something but didn’t know what to do. So she went reluctantly back to her sewing but wasn’t able to find happiness in the effort as she had earlier.

Instead, she worried over Gwen. That was, she worried until Brandon called to arrange a time to pick her up in the morning. He said he was looking forward to seeing her, that he’d missed her, and Kristen went to bed holding on to those sweet words and woke smiling with them still ringing in her head.

She took her time showering and getting ready for church, wanting to look her best for both Dylan and Brandon…and God, she quickly reminded herself, not wanting to think what He’d have to say with her dating two men at the same time. Hopefully, He’d understand, though she knew her parents never would, but this wasn’t their life.

It was hers, and she was going to live it.

Kristen made that vow as she took one last look in the mirror. She heard the truck pulling up in the driveway and grabbed her purse, pleased that her men were punctual. It was an admirable quality, and so was patience, but Kristen was out of that.

She threw open the front door before Brandon even reached it and was waiting on the top step to the house’s small front porch. He smiled up at her as he came bounding up the steps. Boy did he ever look good in a suit. She smiled, thinking he’d probably look good in anything.

“Good
⎯
”

Kristen didn’t get a chance to finish her greeting as Brandon caught her cheeks in his hands and sealed her lips with a kiss. The heady, intoxicating flavor of coffee and cinnamon flooded through her as Kristen sighed and melted into his arms. This was what she’d been missing, what she was willing to risk her heart for.

She just hoped she didn’t end up sitting on the couch, crying her eyes out. That grim thought had her pulling back and forcing her quivering legs to take her weight as she stared up at Brandon. He stole all the worry beginning to fill her with one simply whispered confession.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” Kristen whispered back, feeling her heart grow soft and heavy as her words brought a smile to his lips.

“Come on, we better get before I ravage you right here on the front porch.” Brandon held a hand out to her, his eyes twinkling with merriment and a heat that assured her he wasn’t entirely kidding.

Kristen returned his smile and slid her hand into his. “Just think what my parents would say if we skipped church to spend all morning kissing.”

Brandon blinked and shot her a funny look. “It wouldn’t be only kissing, Kristen. You know that, right?”

“We shouldn’t talk about that,” Kristen responded as her face flamed at even the implication they’d be having sex. If that was what it came to, that was what it came to, but she wanted it to evolve naturally…without any discussion. Brandon, apparently, did not agree.

“Don’t you think we should?” He paused to open the cab door, and Dylan caught his question. He was waiting in the driver’s seat to greet her with another bone-melting, heart-pounding kiss before blindsiding her with a question.

“Don’t you think we should what?” Dylan asked as Brandon joined them on the bench seat and shut his door.

“Talk about sex.”

“Deputy Hammel!” Kristen felt the searing heat flush across her cheeks, but they weren’t laughing because they weren’t kidding.

“No,” Dylan cut in as he began to ease the truck back out of the drive. “He’s right. We need to come to a few understandings.”

Kristen didn’t want to understand anything. She wanted out of this conversation but feared the only way to the end it was to go through with the discussion. “Like what?”

“Well, like birth control,” Dylan began pointedly before making Kristen squirm with even more embarrassment as he bluntly continued on. “I’m assuming, given your never-been-kissed status, you aren’t on any.”

Kristen should just let that lie, but neither man was filling the silence, and finally she caved. “I am.”

“You’re on birth control?” Both men seemed honestly shocked by that admission, but Brandon recovered first, frowning down at her. “Why?”

Kristen couldn’t meet his gaze but focused on her hands as she tried to politely explain what she didn’t want to explain. “It’s a female thing.”

“A female thing?” Dylan snorted. “What the hell does that mean?”

“I’m…not regular.”

“Birth control has something to do with bowel movements?” Dylan frowned.

“Don’t be absurd,” Kristen snapped, out of patience with his prodding. “I’m talking about menstruation!”

“Oh.” Both men breathed out that word as they nodded and then fell awkwardly, blessedly silent. That only lasted for a moment, though, before Brandon was turning back to the second most uncomfortable conversation she had that day.

“Well then, that’s great. No condoms needed, right?” He glanced down at her hopefully, and Kristen didn’t even know what to say. Dylan did.

“I assure you we’re both clean, so you don’t have to worry about diseases.”

“What? Do they test you down at the club?” Kristen shot back, more than eager to turn the conversation from something humiliating to her toward something that should have humiliated them, though neither one of them looked particularly embarrassed.

“I was wondering if Gwen told you about that,” Brandon muttered, no doubt thinking mean thoughts about her cousin.

It probably wasn’t right to let him think Gwen when it was Cybil who had actually told her, but she didn’t want him thinking mean thoughts about Cybil either.

“We’re quitting.”

“What?”

“What?” Brandon echoed Kristen’s stunned amazement as they both turned to stare at Dylan, who made his position perfectly clear.

“I don’t need all those women, princess. Not if I have you.” He sealed that vow by reaching out to lace his fingers through hers and give them a squeeze. “And I’ll kill any other man that touches you…besides Brandon. Understand?”

Kristen could only nod, dumbfounded as she continued to gape up at him. Brandon recovered quicker and took her other hand to draw her attention back to him before making a similar solemn vow.

“I’ve been in love with you since I first laid eyes on you, so try not to break my heart. Okay?” Brandon offered her a small smile, and Kristen felt the tears spring into her eyes.

This was more than just lust.

Leaning up, she sealed that vow with a kiss that almost had them getting caught by her parents as they pulled into the church parking lot. Dylan saved them from an embarrassing mistake when he gave a quick whistle.

“Parental unit alert,” he called out. “At least they looked happy.”

Happy wasn’t the word for it. Her mother was fairly glowing, and it soon became obvious why. Dylan was back, and her scooter wasn’t. Her daughter was dating a deputy, and Marissa was strutting like a peacock showing off every feather as she introduced Dylan to almost every member of the congregation.

It was embarrassing, but no more than when her mother started hinting that she was ready for grandchildren. Dylan handled the moment well, assuring her mother that he did want children, one day. That comment struck Kristen as she wondered what she wanted.

She had a whole long hour of church to think about it. The only conclusion she could come to was that she wasn’t ready for children. Kristen would have to find the courage to explain that to her mother. It became apparent she was going to have to find it soon, though.

That became clear after her mother invited the three of them to a baked ham lunch. Dylan and Brandon were agreeing before Kristen could warn them that her mother’s ham was kind of like her tea
⎯
rotten. They learned that soon enough and made Kristen smile when they cleaned their plates.

After then it was off to the living room with the men. No doubt so her father could grill her suitor while her mother grilled her in the kitchen. It started innocently enough, but Kristen knew exactly where her mother was headed when she commented on what a nice gentleman Deputy Singer seemed to be.

“He’s lovely,” Kristen agreed, thinking that no real gentleman could kiss the way Dylan did.

“He’s got a stable job,” her mother pointed out as she began washing the dishes. “A stable, respectable job.”

“And dangerous one,” Kristen added on as she scraped another plate clean over the trashcan. “Deputies get shot at, you know.”

“Hush, Kristen, or you’ll invite the devil.” Her mother waved away that talk with her usual rejoinder.

Normally she thought her mother was being overly dramatic, but this time she could see her point. Kristen feared she might already have invited the devil into her thoughts because she hadn’t considered that point until right then. They really could be shot. Then what would she do?

“Oh, now you’re frowning.” Her mother shook her head at her. “And don’t think I don’t know why, but you shouldn’t start crying until there is something to cry over.”

That was true. With a deep breath, Kristen reminded herself that she couldn’t stop the future. So she might as well enjoy the present.

“Thanks, Mom.” Kristen gave her mother a quick side hug and a peck on the cheek before turning to the ham. “You want me to wrap this up.”

“Sure, but first let’s cut you off some.” Her mother quickly moved to fetch a knife. “You know you should come over some time and let me teach you how to make a ham. I think your deputy liked it.”

Kristen held back her giggles until she was safely encased in the cab of Dylan’s truck, her parents’ house fading into the background. They pealed out though as she looked to find Brandon staring down at the plates of ham her mother insisted he and Dylan take. The expression on his face was priceless, and she felt compelled to lean up and give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Thank you for being so nice to my parents.”

“Him?” Dylan snorted. “He wasn’t the one being glared at by your father. I don’t think he likes me.”

“I’m sure he loves you,” Kristen countered, though she wasn’t really sure. What she was sure of was that she was grateful. Leaning up, she dropped a quick kiss on his cheek. “Thank you, too.”

“If you really want to thank me, you would
⎯
”

Whatever lewd thing Dylan had been about to say got cut off as Kristen laid her finger across his lips. “Don’t ruin the moment.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Dylan agreed after she’d lifted her finger.

“Why do I get the feeling your agreeableness is just a trap?” Kristen eyed him suspiciously. Dylan was smiling, a no-good kind of smile.

“It’s not a trap,” Brandon assured her, making Kristen realize he was wearing a very similar grin. “It’s more like an afternoon surprise.”

“A surprise?” Kristen blinked in delight. She hadn’t known what she expected, but she’d hoped they’d plan to spend the afternoon with her. “What kind of surprise?”

“The kind that requires shorts and T-shirts.” Brandon paused to cast her an amused look. “You do own a pair of shorts and a T-shirt.”

She didn’t, and he knew it, but Kristen wouldn’t give Brandon the pleasure of telling him he was right. “I can borrow something from Gwen.”

Her cousin wouldn’t mind. In fact, she’d probably be thrilled. Gwen still made little comments about Kristen’s clothes, and she knew it drove her cousin nuts that she wasn’t more fashionable. Still, she wasn’t sure how fashionable she had to be when Dylan added on that she might want to wear her bathing suit.

That comment unnerved Kristen.

“I’m not going to get tossed in any more pools, am I?” She glanced nervously from man to man, but both had the same response.

“Definitely not.”