Let Me Love (16 page)

“She’s my girlfriend, asshole,” he says, smiling at me in the pin stripe button down shirt we bought last night. “Hey, baby.” He steps out and pulls me up off my feet, swinging me around. “Can you believe I’m graduating?” he whispers in my ear. That gut wrenching feeling that’s been consuming my stomach all day from the worry of not having any idea how long I’ll have him here flares into an even bigger fear. He’s been searching for a job nonstop and soon someone will snag him up, he’s too talented of an architect. Jeez, I’m envious, since I’ll most likely be taking time off of school after Jen... Tears sting my eyes for the fear the inevitable is coming too fast. I’m bound to lose my sister and the man I love all at once.

After he rests my feet back on the ground, I notice how truly happy he is. “What’s the matter?” He places his thumb under my eye before a tear escapes. “Jen?” he asks, and I shake my head and place the biggest smile on my face.

“No. I’m just really happy for you,” I say. I’m not lying, I
am
happy for him. He’s worked hard to get here, and he has every reason to be proud of himself.

“Awe, thanks, Kailey, you’ll be here before you know it,” he tells me and kisses my lips. I wonder if I’ll ever be in his shoes, graduating and ready to start a new venture.

“Who do we have here?” A woman stands in the doorway. She’s wearing a nice blue pants suit with a matching pair of heels. Her short chic haircut and just the right amount of make-up to look natural, but it’s the shape of her eyes and the smile identical to Trey’s which already tells me who she is.

“This is Kailey, Mom. Kailey, this is my mom.” He wraps his arm around my waist, and I step forward with my hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Michaels,” I say, but she shoos it away and takes me in her arms.

“You can call me Elena.” Her rose scented perfume compliments her nicely. When she pulls back, she holds me by my upper arms. “It’s so nice to meet you, Kailey. Now, the family has taken over this house and you most likely won’t remember all their names, but I’ll do my best to give you small snippets to remember them by.” She places her arm around my shoulders and leads me into the house.

“Mom,” Trey calls out, but she ignores him. I glance over my shoulder, and he just smiles, allowing his mother to kidnap me.

In all the times I’ve been to the house, I’ve never seen it like this. There are some small kids running around chasing each other while adults talk loudly. Some baseball game streams in the family room while a group of guys sit around chomping on sandwiches and chips arguing about teams. We stand in the doorway and Elena points out each person, rambling names to me.

“That’s Trey’s older brother, Jack, he’s married to Irene. IRENE!” she yells, and the small petite blonde looks over and waves at me before wrestling the toddler in her arms. “The bald one is Trey’s Uncle Mike, he’s not married and no kids. Divorced,” she whispers as though he’s a murderer. Not sure if he heard her, but he nods my way.
Crap, awkward.

So, far I mentally keep track in my head. Trey has two uncles; one married, one divorced. There’s also an older brother with a wife and at least one kid. Who are all these other people? Once we get to the kitchen, my lungs constrict, and I’m dangerously close to having a panic attack. Practically wall to wall people fill the small space, but it doesn’t stop Elena. She walks right through everyone, dragging me along with her hand in mine and stops right behind a large man, probably six-three, with dark hair. When she taps him on the shoulder, he turns around from the stove, his brown eyes match Trey’s.

“Oh Kailey, I’ve heard so many nice things about you,” he says, wrapping his arms around me and kissing me on the cheek. “I’m Pete, Trey’s dad,” he introduces himself, although I already figured it out. “Hey, everyone, this is Kailey,” he points down to me, and the room quiets, “Trey’s girlfriend.” They all begin to talk at once with happiness filling their voices.

“We’ve been waiting a long time for Trey to get serious with someone,” Elena whispers in my ear.

“Oh,” I remain quiet, unable to process everything that just happened within the last fifteen minutes. Before I can do anything else, a hand appears on my wrist and yanks me out of the family circle staring down at me with clear speculation about what makes me so special. When I’m pulled into his arms, my body calms.

“Sorry, they’re a bit—much,” he whispers, clasping my hands with his. “Go about your day. Eat, drink, and mind your own fucking business,” Trey shouts and an older lady smacks him across the back of his head. “Sorry, Aunt Rita,” he says, and she shakes her head.

“There’s damn children running around here,” she says and smiles at him. “It’s nice to meet you, Kailey.” After a quick nod toward me, she walks into the throngs of people, disappearing quickly.

“Let’s go,” he says, leading me toward the staircase. Once we get into his room, after being delayed by at least five people wanting introductions, he captures my lips with his, and our tongues immediately meet. “I missed you last night,” he murmurs against my lips as he walks me backwards toward the bed.

When the back of my legs hit the soft mattress, he pushes me gently, so I fall backward. “You’ll wrinkle my dress,” I joke.

“We could solve that problem easily,” he slyly says, starting to unbutton my dress. I let him get two down before stopping him.

“You’re whole family is downstairs,” I remind him, starting to sit up on my elbows and button up my dress.

“All the better, they’ll never hear us.” He playfully smacks my fingers off the buttons while his lips explore my collarbone. “You could be screaming my name, and they’ll never even know.” He snakes his hand up the hem of my dress and rests it on the side of my panties.

“No way, I just met them.” I start scooting up on the bed, but he only follows me, like a tiger, intent to get his prey. “I’m really starting to think you should be called Tiger Trey,” I tease.

“Why?” He continues his slow steady path toward me, and soon I run out of bed.

“You come toward me slowly and deliberately, like a tiger stalks its prey.” I smile up at him, but he quickly dives for my neck and gives a small nibble.

“Come on, baby, show me your cat side. Rip this shirt off me and have your way with me,” he says seriously, but I shake my head and chuckles begin to escape him. “God, I love you. I’ll give you a pass, but you’re sleeping here tonight, and I want a big ‘ole congratulations romp.”

“You got it, but I bet you’ll be too drunk to finish the job.” He sits back on his legs and stares down at my body.

“Never, baby—never,” he tells me, and I bite my lower lip.

“We shall see. I’m still waiting for the time you take me in some sleazy unexpected place,” I remind him of his promise, and he shakes his head. “I have to go to the bathroom.” I get up and make my way to the door.

“You’re better than that. When will you understand that?” He says softly and seriously, but somehow I worry he doesn’t have that burning desire for me like those other girls. I want that animal in him to need me so bad that he can’t wait until we find a bed. “Make sure Dex’s door is locked,” he calls out. Every time I’m over here, he double checks that I lock the door before doing anything.

I make sure everything is locked before going to the bathroom. The noise filters in from downstairs, and I imagine tonight will be crazy. After I wash my hands and check my dress and make-up, I unlock Dex’s door. Hearing soft moans, I guess a house full of guests don’t stop some people. Trey’s back is to me when I emerge. His body looks magnificent in his nice button down shirt tucked into black slacks that hug his ass perfectly.

“You ready?” I announce my presence.

His head turns my way to look over his shoulder, and then turns and drops something in the drawer before I hear it shut. “You look beautiful,” he says, and I wonder what exactly he was just doing.

“Everything okay?” I take his head in my hands and peer into his eyes. My dad told me a long time ago, the truth is in the eyes.

“Of course,” he says, but I see the hint of sadness that clings to them. I don’t know what’s weighing on his mind, but one thing is certain, he’ll tell me when he’s ready.

––––––––

T
he commencement music begins, and I spot Grant and then Brady emerge through the doors in their cap and gowns. Brady’s sister and father, Jessa’s parents, and Sadie’s mom begin snapping pictures of them. Jessa comes out a few minutes later, waving her hand at her family. Sam eagerly stands up, nudging in front of Dex to take a picture, and when Jessa gives her a thumbs up, the light catches her ring. Grant’s peering over to her, and their eyes find each other before she takes her seat. They truly love each other, and I wonder why I was ever jealous of her and Trey.

Then my heart stops as Trey’s smile outshines everyone else when he walks through the doors. He’s sexy as hell, and I wish I could take him right here, claiming him as mine. “Oh, he looks so happy,” Elena says behind me.

“Yes, he does, and hot,” Sadie’s Grandma Ida, chimes in next to me. She’s been chewing my ear off this whole time about how hot all the guys that live in the house are, and how she wishes Brady would invite her to move in. I have to say, as disturbing as some of the things that come out of her mouth are, she had me rolling with laughter, which made the awkwardness of being left alone with Trey’s family a little easier to deal with. “I told Brady, he should really consider getting a tattoo.” She pokes me in the leg to make sure I’m listening. I hear her, but all my attention is on the guy walking through the metal folding chairs while his eyes remain on mine. My heart melts when he winks at me before taking a seat between two females, whom I notice are appreciating him as well. Lucky for me, though, he’s paying them no attention. Shooting a nod to Brady and Grant, he smiles widely Jessa’s way.

Sadie is the last to walk, and her mom starts frantically waving at her. Sadie raises the hand at her hip to let her mom know she sees her. “Sadie, always the shy one,” Ida tells me. “Sometimes I wish she took more after me,” Ida continues talking. “At least she found herself someone like Brady. I mean his body is, well, I don’t have to tell you. But he loves her the way a man should.” She turns directly toward me. “Does that tattoo god you’re dating love you good?”

A giggle sneaks out of me before realizing she’s serious. I can practically feel all the heads of Trey’s family leaning closer, waiting for my answer. “Um, yeah, he loves me good,” I tell her, and she pats my leg.

“That’s good, sweetheart. Everyone deserves to be loved right.”

Before I can blink, Elena is next to me. How the hell did she manage that? I swear there was a man next to me the last time I checked. Keeping my eyes focused forward, I quickly look from the corner of my eye, and she’s staring at the side of my face. “So?” she whispers, and I slowly turn to face her. She must notice my confused expression because she begins talking again, “So, do you love him?” The hopefulness in her eyes would have me saying yes even if it wasn’t true. Luckily, for both of us, it is.

“Yes,” I answer, and she shrieks before her arms fly around my shoulders. When I wrap mine around her, I see Trey peering up from the gym floor, cocking his eyebrow up to us.

“Elena, quiet down,” Pete softly tells to her.

“Yeah, mom, seriously,” Trey’s younger brother, Derek, joins his dad in his moms reprimanding.

“Oh shhh, you two,” she says shooing her hands at them. “This girl loves my baby.” Her face beams so bright.

“I thought I was your baby,” Derek jokingly whines and then chuckles with his dad.

“Oh, you’re all my babies,” she adds. “And he loves you,” she whispers directly into my ear before leaning back and winking at me. “A mother knows these things.”

“I know. He’s a great guy,” I say, feeling uncomfortable and awkward about what I should be doing or saying back.

“Will you come home with him for Julyfourth? We have a huge bar-b-que with all the family.” She continues talking softly as some guest speaker about Microphysics rambles in the background. I vaguely wonder how many more family members they could possibly have.

“I’ll definitely try,” I tell her honestly, although it will be a fat chance due to Jen’s health. The last place I want to be is too far and be unable to get home.

“Oh, you have to. I’ll talk to Trey later about all the plans.” After that, she quiets down.

She seems like such an amazing Mom, and thoughts of my own mom fleetingly flit through my mind. It’s been so long, my memory has started to fade of her. In so many ways, Jen is my second mom. How ironic that I’ll most likely be that way to Jen’s children, unless Caden remarries. Just the thought of some other woman caring for my nieces and nephews has my stomach churning. Not that I don’t want him to be happy, it’s just... I hate it when my mind wanders.

Thankfully, the applause snaps me out of my thoughts. Well, that and Grandma Ida poking me in the side. Brady and Grant accept their diplomas, and return to their seats. After Jessa crosses the stage and she’s on her way to her seat, Grant gets up and pulls her into a big bear hug, swinging her around. He whispers something into her ear and redness fills her cheeks when he lets her go.

“He probably said something sexual,” her sister Sam says from in front of me, elbowing Dex.

“Samantha,” her mom scolds, but Sam and Dex just laugh, like teenagers.

Trey’s name is announced, and he crosses the stage, shaking everyone’s hands. The Dean of Architecture pulls him in and whispers something in his ear. Trey appears shockingly taken back, but a wide smile forms on his lips immediately. I wonder what he just told him. Maybe he got that job in Cincinnati. I know the Dean was putting a good word in for him. Oh God, a tear comes into my eyes thinking about him leaving me. I’ve tried to prepare myself for a Trey Michaels free life, but we’ve gotten so close this past month. He walks down the stairs and rounds the corner to his row. Staring up at me, he gives me a thumbs up along with a huge smile.
I think I’m going to be sick.

After that Sadie walks across the stage, and Grandma Ida begins bragging about her a little more I really become disinterested in the whole ceremony. My thoughts go from my sister’s death to Trey leaving and everything in between. I’ll soon be left alone, especially if Caden remarries. Sure, I’ll be their aunt, probably one of those crazy aunts with all the animals. They won’t want to come over to Crazy Aunt Kailey’s house filled with plants and animals that I have named and have conversations with daily.