My Beautiful (The Beautiful Series) Page 12

  Aunt Lucie came out with a big bowl of salad and set it on the center of the table. “Dig in, kids. We have plenty to eat,” she announced.

  Uncle Dan came over to the table and reached for a salad plate.

  “Mom, we’re not kids,” Jason teased. “We’re all in our twenties.”

  Aunt Lucie brushed her hands on her apron as she gave Jason a sweet smile. “You’ll always be my kids, honey, whether you’re twenty-seven or forty.”

  Kyle and Damon laughed, not at all bothered by Aunt Lucie’s endearment.

  Jason shook his head. “How am I supposed to bring a date over when my mom calls me kid and honey? That’ll make me look like a total pussy.”

  Kyle covered his mouth to hide his amusement, no doubt trying to be respectful. Damon threw his head back, rolling with laughter.

  Aunt Lucie’s eyes widened and darted to Jason’s. “No using such language at my table, twenty-seven or not,” she chided. Her demeanor instantly softened, filling with love and happiness. “You’re dating?” she exclaimed.

  “Of course not. Who would date a pussy?” Damon teased.

  Uncle Dan, Aunt Lucie, and Jason all shot daggers at Damon.

  Before Aunt Lucie could scold him, Jason beat her to the punch. “Watch it, Damon, or I’ll pound you into the ground,” he threatened.

  Damon chuckled. “No need to be violent. Just stating a fact, and you said it first.”

  Jason shook his head in denial. “I said it to make a statement.”

  “And I said it to state a fact,” Damon retorted.

  Kyle leaned into me, still trying to hide his laughter. “This is great. So, who will throw the first punch?” he whispered in my ear.

  I nudged his arm playfully and leaned a bit closer than necessary, wanting to take in his familiar scent. Turning my head, I whispered back, “Definitely Jason. He has a bit of a temper, but they can both hold their own in a fight…if they fight fair.” I shook my head. “That isn’t very often though,” I added.

  Kyle chuckled softly as we both continued to watch Jason and Damon argue like any two brothers would.

  From the corner of my eye, I noticed Uncle Dan watching Kyle and me with a loving smile on his face.

  “Hey, wait a second! I still haven’t gotten an answer,” Aunt Lucie reprimanded. “Jason, dear, who are you dating?”

  Jason punched Damon on the arm with a loud whack. The tension left his face as he turned to face his mom. “Mom, I’m not dating anyone. I was just speaking hypothetically.”

  “Oh.” Her smile fell.

  “Mom, you know Jason is special. He might never date,” Damon continued.

  Kyle and I tried to hide our laughter, but we could not hold back after the way Damon had used such a sincere tone.

  “Why you little fuc—” Jason started but was cut off by his mom.

  “Jason Matthew Johnson, don’t you even finish that sentence! There will be no cursing at my table!” Aunt Lucie snapped.

  She quickly strode over to place herself in between Jason and Damon. She good-humoredly smacked Jason with a towel that had been tucked into her apron. Jason leaned back into his chair and covered his chest with the palm of his hand, laughing hard.

  She turned toward Damon and struck him in the shoulder with her handy towel, too. “And I call you kids because you act like kids!”

  Everyone, even Aunt Lucie, erupted into laughter. I put my hand over my heart, trying to steady my breathing. When I felt Kyle’s eyes on me, I turned slightly and made eye contact with the most beautiful green with a brown halo eyes I had ever seen. They truly captivated me, pulling me deeper and deeper into his soul every time I looked at them. I smiled lovingly at him, and his affectionate grin broadened.

  Aunt Lucie sat down in her chair and recovered her composure. She smiled softly at Kyle and me. “Sorry about that. I seem to have raised wild hyenas.”

  Jason chortled. “Uh, Mom, I hate to point out the obvious, but Lily can be pretty wild herself, so we don’t need to pretend today.”

  Damon chimed in, “Yeah, she can.”

  I glared at Damon and then Jason. “No need to elaborate,” I warned, trying my best to sound serious.

  Ted and Jane approached the patio from the side of the house before anyone could respond. Meg and A.J. were right behind them, talking softly. We all stood to our feet, ready to greet them.

  “So glad you all could join us!” Aunt Lucie said excitedly.

  I shifted on my feet, feeling a bit nervous, as I stood next to Kyle while everyone exchanged greetings. Jane embraced Aunt Lucie in a big hug as Ted and Uncle Dan shook hands.

  Meg stepped around Aunt Lucie and walked up to me. Her smile was bright and full of life. She was tall, thin, and gorgeous with a heart of gold. “Hello, Lily.” Meg hugged me hard and then held me at arm’s length. “It’s so great to see you. I thought I was going to have to go on a road trip with one of your cousins and hunt you down. I missed your face,” Meg teased. “How have you been, sweets?”

  I smiled back shyly, but I was so very excited to see her. “Hi, Meg. I missed you, too. No need to track me down.” I laughed. “I’m here.”

  Meg and I rambled on a bit, back and forth, doing a quick catch-up on her college days and her finding a great temp job and my moving to Florida and writing romance.

  A.J. and Kyle shook hands, introduced themselves, and listened to our exchange as they stood by our sides.

  As my conversation with Meg was coming to an end, I weaved my fingers together timidly. My body felt like a bundle of nerves. I glanced up to find A.J. watching me.

  He smiled softly and stepped forward to embrace me. “Hello, Lily. Long time no see,” he said gently and took a step back.

  A.J. had grown at least an inch taller since the last time I had seen him. He was probably just over six feet now. He must have been a late bloomer. He looked to be about twenty pounds heavier with muscle than before, too. Next to Kyle though, he still seemed small.

  Kyle stared at him intently, sizing him up.

  “Hello, A.J. Yes, it has been quite some time.” I gave him a friendly smile. “How are you? Your mom said you finished school, and you’ve been traveling a bit.”

  “I have.” A.J. nodded. “I’ve been trying to decide where to settle down.”

  Aunt Lucie walked up beside me and put her hand on my shoulder. Uncle Dan had already made his way over to the grill.

  “We are going to finish preparing dinner, dear.” Aunt Lucie smiled. “Why don’t you kids go sit and catch up?”

  Meg, A.J., Kyle, and I took our seats at the patio table, and we continued to chat. Meg was dating Bruce, a guy we had gone to high school with. I vaguely remembered him. It seemed like she was really into him. Her smile went a mile wide just from talking about him. She said she’d needed this break from school, and she was ready for a short weekend back home. Bruce had a job near their college campus. If things were to work out between them, she was planning to relocate there permanently after graduating.

  I was really happy to hear about all the great things happening in her life. She was thriving in her education, pursuing a career in teaching, which had been a childhood dream of hers, and she was in love with someone who seemed to be her perfect other half.

  A.J. was very shy in the beginning. However, he managed to open up once we all got to talking. He had toured many coasts in the last few years. He wanted to purchase a home off the water. He did not go into detail as to where he hoped to settle down. He just said that it had to be somewhere warm. He was not dating anyone, and from what I gathered, he hadn’t dated for some time.

  He seemed extremely sad about that fact, and I wondered if there was more to that story. Maybe he had a bad breakup. I didn’t want to invade his privacy, so I let the conversation drop.

  Meg was not surprised that I had indulged in a writing career. She brought up fond memories of me sitting in my backyard, writing in notebooks, while she and Annie had played house, using their vivid imagina
tions to create knights and princesses on horseback adventures.

  I smiled, remembering those carefree childhood times. It was funny how when we were so young, we had wished we could grow up fast. Then, once we had, we sometimes wished we could go back to being kids again, so we could have that untroubled spirit with no worries.

  A.J.’s and Meg’s expressions saddened while talking of Annie. I found myself focusing very hard on letting Meg finish. My feelings of sadness mirrored theirs.

  Oh, how I miss her dearly.

  Meg moved on to hammer Kyle and me with questions of how, when, and where we met and what our future plans were. She specifically noted that we looked to be in love, and she wished us the happiest of times together.

  I couldn’t help but blush at being put on the spot about our relationship. Kyle answered the questions with ease, and I admired his confidence. His voice resounded with such affection for me that I felt butterflies in my stomach every time I looked his way.

  I felt almost as though we were being interviewed, but I pushed the thought aside when I remembered how direct and invasive Meg had always been. She liked to be fully informed with every detail.

  Dinner went off without a hitch. We had brought out extra chairs to fit our large group around the patio table. We ate and conversed, rejoicing in the many good times we had shared in our childhoods. Kyle listened intently as though he was trying to pick up on any tidbits he could about me and my previous life in Colorado. I warmed at how much he cared to learn more about me.

  After dinner, all the men congregated and talked about a new garage that Uncle Dan wanted to build in place of the old one that had seen better days. He mentioned that he needed double the space and a good shelving system.

  Jason, Damon, and Kyle immediately ranted off hundreds of possibilities, including where to place the shelves and what material to use.

  All the ladies sat closer together and enjoyed the time by discussing girlie things. Shopping, books, and movies took up most of the conversation.

  Meg and I exchanged emails, and we promised to keep in touch. I found myself looking forward to hearing from her in the future.

  I briefly overheard Kyle and Jason chatting about real estate again. They mainly talked about new construction versus remodeling older homes, and the rest involved many real estate terms that were foreign to me. Damon joined in their conversation toward the end, and he seemed equally interested. Jason asked Damon a few questions about architecture and any new ideas he had for expanding their business, and Damon easily responded with plenty of details.

  I smiled while watching all three them from afar. I was delighted to see them truly bonding and building their friendship.

  A short while later, we all said our good-byes. I promised to see everyone again before I left town. As Kyle and I walked to the car, I thought about the bittersweet evening. I was very thankful for the chance to spend time them all, yet I was sad that it was one of the last times I would do that before my visit here came to an end. But my life and heart weren’t in Colorado anymore.

  It was a quick drive back to the house. After heading inside and up to my room, I changed into one of Kyle’s white T-shirts before my head hit the pillow. I was feeling a little overwhelmed from all of today’s events. I had made a few baby steps in the right direction, but the finish line was still so far away.

  Getting into bed beside me, Kyle kissed my cheek and tugged me into his side. It was my own little nook that fit me perfectly. It was my home, warm and oh-so comforting. I settled in with a smile before a deep sleep overtook me.

  I awoke to sirens. People were yelling commands while I heard footsteps here and there. I didn’t know where I was, and I could not focus my attention on any specific details around me.

  I blinked and tried to clear the fog from my eyes. My forehead and the left side of my face felt wet. I lifted my trembling hand to wipe off whatever was on my cheek. My body was tense, stiff, and weak.

  I shuddered as pain radiated through so many parts of my body. My pulse felt slow, too slow. I felt dizzy and nauseous, so I tried to lean forward, but something was holding my shoulders in place. I blinked again, wanting to clear the blurriness in my vision caused by the intense pain pulsating in my head, but it was too strong. I raised my hand to look at it, and my vision filled with a blurry red hue. In that moment, I knew it was blood, a lot of blood.

  Someone kept saying, “Ma’am, are you okay?”

  It wasn’t until he said, “I think she’s the only one,” that I gave him my attention.

  The only one? It repeated over and over in my mind.

  “No!” I cried. Filled with shock and fear and pure agony, I had a horrible feeling about what he meant, and I would not stand for it. “No! No! Help them!”

  ***

  When a tight grip wrapped around my waist, I instantly felt surrounded by warmth. Gentle lips kissed my temple.

  “Wake up, Lily,” Kyle said in a soothing tone as he caressed my back, pulling me even closer. “It’s not real.”

  I opened my eyes to darkness. My lips parted, accommodating my heavy, rapid breathing. My pulse raced through every vein in my body. Why, oh why can’t I shake these nightmares? I snuggled my face into his neck and let the tears flow.

  “Jesus, Lily. You’re trembling.” He paused. “Tell me what that one was about,” he said softly.

  I pondered for a moment, still trying to steady my erratic breathing. “It was different,” I said shakily. “I’ve never had that one before. It was after the accident, and I was still in the car, but I couldn’t see anything or anyone. I could only hear. I heard someone say…that I was the only one,” I said, barely able to speak the last part.

  Kyle’s hand froze in place on my back. “The only one? Do you mean the only one to survive?”

  I wiped my nose and sniffled. “Y-yeah, I think so.” More tears slowly streamed down my face. “Why me?” I cried softly. “Why do these nightmares have to haunt me?”

  Kyle shifted, turning into me, and I wrapped my legs and arms around him, needing comfort from the close contact.

  “I don’t know, Lily. I don’t know, but I wish I could take all your pain away. I wish I could take you away to a happier place and keep you there forever. You don’t deserve this constant heartache.”

  I closed my eyes and listened to Kyle’s heartbeat beneath my ear. I counted the beats until a restless deep sleep pulled me back in.

  ***

  Still wrapped in Kyle’s embrace, I awoke to my cell phone vibrating on the nightstand. Just as my phone stopped, I glanced up and realized he was already awake. My phone was quickly forgotten as I took in Kyle’s tousled hair. He looked as sexy as ever.

  “Hi,” I said in my morning voice. I wanted nothing more than to devour the man before me.

  “Hi.” He smiled back warmly.

  His eyes searched mine, making sure I was really okay, as his hands made their way to my waist. Seeing that I was definitely better than okay, his eyes heated. He was clearly ready to satisfy my needs.

  My phone vibrated again, and Kyle chuckled at my frustration from being interrupted. I turned and reached over to grab my phone from the nightstand. Kyle pressed his chest against the lower half of my back, and then he started to place small kisses up my spine.

  Laughing, I shivered and squirmed away. I answered my phone, masking the lust in my voice, “Hello?”

  “Hello, Lily, is that you?” asked a woman in a tone that sounded off.

  I was momentarily stunned into silence at hearing Luke’s mom, Caroline Thompson, on the other end of the phone. I instantly wondered why she would be calling me. I had never spoken to her on the phone before. My whole body froze.

  Kyle immediately backed off of me and leaned up on his elbow. When I glanced at him, his eyes probed mine as if trying to read my thoughts.

  “What’s wrong, Mrs. Thompson? Is Luke okay?” I asked, worried. I felt Kyle’s body stiffen slightly beside mine, but I ignored him.

&nb
sp; “Oh, Lily!” Caroline choked back a sob. “He’s been in a terrible accident. He was jet skiing…an-and they said the waves were too strong,” she cried. “He’s going into surgery now.”

  My eyes filled with tears. “Is he…is he going to be okay?” I asked.

  I didn’t want to hear if she would answer no, but I needed to know. Luke was my friend, and I cared deeply for him. We cared about each other unconditionally, and we had seen each other through the worst and lowest points in our lives. I would always be there for him, no matter what.

  She couldn’t answer me through her sobbing. My heart stopped as I waited for her to say something.

  “They told us to be prepared…either way.”

  I inhaled sharply, feeling a stabbing pain in my chest. I jumped off the bed, ran to my closet, and threw on the first outfit I could get my hands on. Kyle followed behind me while also packing, but at a slower pace. He watched me wordlessly as I wrote down the hospital information.

  After I hung up the phone, I threw some clothes into my suitcase as I rapidly explained the situation with Luke to Kyle. Then, I texted my aunt about the emergency, and I said I’d be in contact as soon as I had any information. Kyle called the airport and reserved our tickets.

  We were on the next flight out.

  ***

  Fear seeped into my mind just as the hospital came into view. Only then did it occur to me that I had not been in a hospital since…the accident. Even though it was a different hospital, strong emotions coursed through every nerve within me.

  I swallowed hard as Kyle parked the car and turned off the ignition. Shit, I have to go in now.

  Kyle reached for my hand. He had barely spoken to me since we left the house, and I had a pretty good idea why. Now wasn’t the time though. That conversation would have to wait. I had to focus on making it through those double doors and up to a friend who needed me. Kyle’s hand tightened around mine, pulling me back to reality. I met his stare with faltering courage.

  “You can do this, Lily. Your friend needs you,” Kyle assured.

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before nodding. I can do this. I have to do this. Luke was on the other side of those doors, fighting for his life, as I once had done.