Chapter 29
Kinsley
Chapter Twenty-Nine
As soon as we got into Thomas’s car, I got a text. I pulled out my phone and looked at the screen.
AALIYAH
Samantha said that you guys had to go. Sorry we missed it. Cora has a whole thing with her mom...
ME
Talk soon.
I turned toward Thomas, who had a suspicious smile on his face as he put away his phone. “So how do you intend to ruin Connor’s date?” I sighed.
He turned the car’s engine on. “I don’t know what you are talking about.” He glanced at me, his right hand resting on the wheel. “I’m just going back to the house,” he added, and I knotted my brows before my eyes widened.
I grabbed my phone again, which was lying on my lap, and opened Connor’s location, blowing out an annoyed breath. “He will kill you,” I said, and Thomas turned away from me.
“I think I will take my chances,” he replied, putting the car in reverse.
I spared a last glance at the brick building as it started to shrink into the distance before I sank back into the passenger seat. It would have been stupid to think that I could have stopped Thomas from ruining his brother’s night, so instead of trying that, I sent a warning text to Connor about our sudden arrival.
We were almost at the turn that led back to the house when I heard a bike whirring from behind. I turned my head around to see Braxton’s red sport bike closing in on us. He slid into the other lane to pass us, and he somehow made the bike’s popping and banging sound get louder. He turned his upper body backward and saluted before leaving us behind.
“Show off,” I muttered with a smile, and Thomas snorted, directing the car up to the ground route.
He parked next to the house and rushed up the stairs. I hurried after him, passing Kevin’s car. I almost crashed against Thomas’s back when he suddenly stopped in the doorway, blocking the whole view into the house. All I heard was suppressed cursing and the sound of fabric against fabric. I pushed Thomas’s arm away and peeked inside.
“Oh shit,” I mumbled with a gasp, keeping in my laughter.
Connor and Kevin were standing in front of the couch, trying to find the right openings of their clothes. Connor’s flushed face told a thousand stories. I glanced at Thomas, who was still frozen at my side. Well, seeing his little brother having sex was definitely a way to punish him for not caring about ruining their night. His expression turned from shocked to blank as he stepped into the house, directing me in front of him with steady hands.
“Can’t you knock?” Connor asked angrily, getting out of the shock when all his clothes were back in their places.
“Connor,” Thomas warned with a disapproving tone, which sounded like I wouldn’t if I were you.
“You are not the boss here, T,” his brother answered, his face reddening again. “I’m an adult too.” Thomas nodded at that, and Connor groaned. “Why can’t you knock?”
“I don’t usually knock on my own door. I used my keys. Besides, I’m pretty sure Kinsley did send you a text that we were coming,” he added, turning to me, and I made a face at him.
Of course, he knew.
“You are unbearable.” Connor scoffed. “I’ve never disturbed you when you were fuck—” He bit his tongue.
There was a moment of silence when it felt like neither of us even breathed. Thomas’s eyes were boring into his brother while Kevin admired the wall.
“Fuck this,” Connor grumbled, passing me and hurrying up the stairs.
“Connor,” Thomas and Kevin called after him in unison before glaring back at each other. This time, the look on Thomas’s face looked like what we call a death stare, and I made the decision to join Connor instead of this.
“We need to talk,” I heard Thomas say behind me, his voice raspy as he walked toward Kevin.
I hurried up the stairs and knocked on Connor’s door before opening it. He was lying on his bed, which was covered with a white sheet with small green dinosaurs on it, matching his walls.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” he said as soon as I entered, sitting up on the bed and pulling a big dinosaur plushie into his lap.
I winced but shook my head. “I didn’t know you knew, but I guess the walls are not soundproof.” I grimaced.
“Yeah.” He chewed on his bottom lip. “But I didn’t want to bring it up, especially not before you guys were ready to talk about it. But Thomas can be such a…” He closed his mouth, thinking.
“Dick? Jerk?” I tried to help, and Connor chuckled.
“Yeah, those are better than what I wanted to say.” He nodded, trying to suppress a laugh.
There was a moment of silence between us while I gathered my thoughts.
“You know he loves you, right?” I sat down on the chair next to the bed.
Connor fell backward and covered his face with an arm, letting out a groan. A moment later, he peeked out from under his arm and tapped the mattress next to him.
“You know it, don’t you?” I asked again as we both stared up at the ceiling.
“Yeah, I know.” He sounded like there was more he wanted to say, but when he didn’t seem to go on, I turned to my side to face him. There was a familiar box on his nightstand behind him.
“Are those the family pictures?” I asked, and he turned around, following my gaze before nodding.
“Would you like to look them over?” he asked excitedly, and my eyes gleamed.
We sat up and rested our backs against the small dinosaurs on the wall. Connor placed the box onto his lap and opened it, handing me a few pictures. A paper fell out from between them, and we both reached for it. I waited until Connor unfolded it.
“So they planned to give the bigger room to Thomas from the beginning, huh.” He placed the paper down onto the sheet for me to see. It was the floor plan of this house, with home written on the top. A small smile tugged on my lips when I noticed the names really attached to the bedrooms.