Chapter 33
—Kasey—
Simone backhanded my bicep, making me jump. “Girl, stop fidgeting. You’re fraying my freaking nerves!”
“I can’t help it. I’m freaking out!” My voice unintentionally pitched thanks to the queasy roll in my stomach.
“It’s going to be fine,” she said for the hundredth time, waiting with me in the backseat of Banks’s car, parked in Reed’s driveway.
Her ‘pep talk’ failed to calm my jitters. I hadn’t seen Reed for weeks. I’d lost count of the number of times I’d picked up the phone and scrolled through our messages and photos. The ones I had no memory of sending or receiving. God knows how many more I wrote in my head but never typed out.
“Why is he in my contacts as The Pisser?” I asked through the daydream.
Simone spluttered around her laughter. “Oh my god, I forgot about that. Babe, that’s a story for him to tell, not me.”
“Aww, c’mon, bitch.”
She grinned and shook her head. “No way. Especially not right before you see him for the first time in over a month.”
I let out a dramatic huff and turned my attention to Reed’s fancy lake house.
Mom and Dad were already inside, eager to see—and babysit—their granddaughter. We’d flown up yesterday afternoon courtesy of the Gatlin jet, and they’d said yes to babysitting Posie before Reed had even fully asked the question.
“Do you want to head in and say hi before they come out?” Simone asked.
As acid rose up my throat, I shook my head and grimaced. “No. I don’t think I can do this, babe.”
Simone’s fingers linked with my clammy ones and squeezed hard enough to command my full attention.
“You,” she stated with the perfect amount of savagery, “have fucking got this.”
I blew out a hard exhale through O-shaped lips. “Okay. I’ve fucking got this.”
Just as I’d begun to get a grip, Banks and Reed emerged from the house, laughing like they’d shared a private joke. Reed’s dazzling smile tightened an invisible strap around my lungs. His growing laughter had my pulse skipping beats, and as he and Banks approached the car, my hand re-found Simone’s.
“Fuck, he’s stunning. No wonder I used to tap that,” I whispered.
Simone giggled from my left and squeezed my fingers. “For you, that’s putting it mildly.”
I took in everything about him as he rounded the car, all tall, dark, and handsome compared to Banks’s lighter features. He was a little shorter than his brother, but goddam he was in shape. The charcoal chinos and dark blue dress shirt, complete with sleeves rolled to his elbows, framed one helluva pretty picture. His dark hair, longer on top, had been swept perfectly back into a faux hawk, and his expensive-looking watch caught the afternoon sunlight as he reached for the car door.
As soon as it popped open, he glanced down, and his dark-brown eyes found mine through the pane of glass. Time stood still. My breath hitched and all moisture stripped from my mouth.
Within those fleeting seconds of his intense gaze delving directly into my soul, I became lost to everything around us. Within those stuttering moments, I was his all over again.
Banks throwing himself into the driver’s seat broke the spell between me and his brother, and I released Simone’s fingers to tug the hemline of my dress lower.
Reed looked into the backseat while he and Banks buckled up. “Hey Sim, looking gorgeous as always. Happy birthday, darlin’.”
She flashed her pageant-worthy smile. “Thanks, Reed. You’ve scrubbed up alright too.”
I studied Reed’s profile as he shot her a grin. “I got a few hours of unbroken sleep last night; I’m a new man again today.”
With that, he twisted in the opposite direction in the passenger seat to lean backward into the center console space and stunned me with his direct approach.
“Hey, Kase.”
I barely found a whisper. “Hey.”
His eyes held mine, not daring to drop down my body, yet stripped me bare in the same instant. “You’re breathtaking,” he replied, holding my gaze for ransom until I forgot how to breathe.
Banks once again broke the moment, this time with an announcement. “Y’all ready to get on it tonight?”
We chorused a reply of “Fuck yeahs”.
“There’s one rule, though,” he added as he pulled out from Reed’s place. “If anyone goes skinny-dipping later, I expect an invitation. And by anyone, I’m looking at you two in the back.”
As he smirked, and his gaze met Simone’s through the rearview mirror, I noticed Reed intently watching me through the external side mirror.
I had no doubt that tonight was going to be one to remember.
~
I marveled at the beautiful gardens as we wove our way up a winding tree-lined driveway. Apparently, I’d been here before, but I was glad to experience the drive into the Gatlin Manor for the first time all over again.
A huge, colonial style, two-storied home came into view when we rounded the final corner, sitting proudly in the center of a large, manicured lawn and endless rose gardens.
The casual conversation between Reed, Banks, and Simone continued as if we’d pulled up to any ol’ house, while I gawked in awe.
Banks parked and cut the engine, and Reed rushed to exit the passenger side.
His brother scoffed. “My driving wasn’t that bad.”
Reed flipped him off, then his gaze connected with mine through the car window. The sensations I’d fought against at his house rose all over again: the connection, the flutter and tightness in my chest, the feeling of him reconnecting to the part of my soul that previously belonged to him.
The clunk of the car doors opening and closing snapped me from the pause. On autopilot, I reached for the door handle, only to have the door open for me.
Despite giving me space to swing my legs from the car and adjust my dress, Reed’s presence consumed me. He didn’t step back as I took a step forward, and brazenly set his warm hand the small of my back.
“After you, babe,” he murmured close to my ear in a low, husky tone.
A shiver shot down my spine and congregated low in my belly, warming it as if my body recognized his voice.
I forced a shaky smile and said a weak, “Thanks.”
The pebbled drive made walking in high heels a challenge, and Reed’s hand stayed planted on the small of my back every unsteady step of the way. I expected his soothing touch to withdraw as soon as we reached the large front door, but his fingers flexed, and soft pressure urged me forward after Banks and Simone entered the Gatlin home.
Amidst the cheer that rose for Simone, and as I admired the sweeping staircase that led from the entrance to the second floor, Reed’s hand recoiled but landed on my wrist to gain my attention. His dark eyes took ownership of me without permission.
“Are you drinking today, Kase?”
I scoffed, faking it till I made it. “I’m not meant to but fuck the rules—it’s my girl’s birthday.”
His roaring laughter took me by surprise. “I’m not even surprised, you little rebel.” He flashed me a grin that made my heart flutter. “Go sit down. I’ll be back in a moment.”
I was about to explain that I had legs, and I could get my damn drink when Laurel breezed over to hug Simone, then me.
As she squeezed me for longer than expected, I got the sense that she was welcoming me home.
“Aww, look at you, Kasey.” She held me at arm’s length and affectionately smiled. “You’re looking so well. It’s lovely to see you again, hon.”
“Thanks for having me... and for everything at the hospital. I know I wasn’t the easiest patient.” I grimaced, referring to how overwhelmed I got each time I entered the NICU.
Laurel waved a hand. “Don’t be silly; you were one of the easy ones.” Her attention shifted to the man approaching with a wide smile—another tall, dark, and handsome male, yet older, and I assumed correctly that this was Reed and Banks’s father.
Laurel touched her husband’s arm as she made introductions simply for my sake. “Kasey, this is Rusty. Reed’s father.”
I hugged him back when he engulfed me with his arms, and smiled when he murmured, “Great to see you again, Kase. I know you probably won’t remember visiting here before, but this home is your home, and you must treat it as such.”
The soft command was both intimidating and reassuring. “Okay,” I answered.
Rusty pointed a gnarled finger at me. “I mean it.” He winked, making me smile, then changed gears. “Now, ladies, please tell me my sons are getting you something to drink.”
“I think they are, but they appear to have gotten distracted,” Simone drawled.
Rusty rolled his eyes. “Fucking miscreants. I’ll sort ’em out for you.” He touched his wife on the small of her back. “Another drink, darlin’?”
Laurel declined but walked with him after excusing herself.
“Wow,” I said, releasing a breath. “People like this really do exist.”
Simone snickered. “You mean nice, wealthy, and chivalrous?”
“And hot,” I added from the side of my mouth, eyeing Reed from across the large expanse of their living room. My eyes then flitted around the room, taking in the many photos and heirlooms.
“Imagine growing up in a house like this.”
“Isn’t it stunning?” my bestie whispered. “Wait until you see the bathrooms. They’re stupendously luxurious.”
I hummed while casually following Simone to the couch. While it was an old house, it had been carefully updated and stylishly modernized while paying homage to its history. They’d kept the timber ceiling beams exposed and the antique door handles polished to within an inch of their brass lives. The heavy emerald curtains hung lavishly, and the point of my high heels disappeared into the plush carpet beneath my feet.
Reed and Banks materialized before us, drinks in hand. Banks continued his conversation with his brother as I reached for the wine glass in Reed’s grasp. Our fingers brushed, and our eyes met. They held, just like the breath in my lungs.
“Thank you,” I managed.
He took a sip of his beer, eyeing me the entire time, then dropped a bomb. “I’m taking you on a date tomorrow, babe.”