11. Kaitlyn
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Kaitlyn
NOW
Dad looks up at me over his breakfast, his dark brows raised at how I devour my scrambled eggs and yogurt. “Where are you off to in such a rush?”
I grab my plate and silverware to rinse and put into the dishwasher. “The Walkers.”
I got a late start to my day, but I needed the sleep after staying up most of the night painting.
I was trying to sketch Hunter again to see if I could get his features right, but it wasn’t until I stepped back and saw the scar I added above the eyebrow and the freckles across his nose that it dawned on me it wasn’t my boyfriend.
After that, I gave in to my guilt by disappearing into repressed memories while I painted, but just like when I tried capturing Hunter, I couldn’t get Bailey right either. It’s maddening.
“Can you wait for me? Thalia should be back from an appointment, and we’re meeting to go through applicants for the gallery in town,” Mom says, setting down her espresso.
I bite back my groan, knowing if we’re riding together, she’ll want to get ready, and it literally takes her forever.
I want to get over there like now . Javi had his second doctor’s appointment this morning, and I want to know how it went.
Bailey still doesn’t have a phone, so it’s not like I can call him and ask.
Even if he did have one, I’m not sure he’d answer me.
I think he’s been avoiding me since the conversation last week in his room, and things were weird the other day.
Actually— I was weird because I wasn’t really sure how to act after his whole ask me again thing.
No one noticed since we weren’t in the same room for very long.
Hunter wanted to go pretty much anywhere Bailey wasn’t now that he’s back to ignoring his twin.
I had hoped whatever brief interaction they had while surfing might be a sign Hunter would give him a chance, but when I tried to ask if something else happened yesterday, he played it off.
I’m torn between leaving it be and asking again because I haven’t been able to forget the way Bailey looked at me when he told me to ask him again why he left.
Maybe that’s why I tried to paint him last night instead.
I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to replicate the haunted look in his emerald eyes.
“Can we just drive our own cars?” I ask, and Dad tilts his head, his dark eyes narrowing in scrutiny.
“Which Walker are you going there to see?”
I know he’s worried I’m going to get hurt by Bailey when he leaves again, breaking my heart for the second time. Dad’s not wrong to think it—I know there’s a good chance he’ll leave.
But I’m holding out hope Bailey won’t.
He’s already lasted three weeks longer than anyone thought he’d stay, and the Fourth of July is this weekend. I’m starting to believe he might actually stay, even if he’s not ready to admit it.
I shrug, rolling the fraying edges of my cutoffs between my thumb and forefinger. “All of them?”
“Why’s it a question?”
I catch the look Mom shoots him, but the furrow between his brow smooths, and it’s the only indication he saw it.
“What’s with the third degree?” I ask, mirroring his head tilt. Dad only has himself to blame for my stubbornness.
“Chris, it’s fine. Let her go,” Mom says, the corners of her mouth tugging at a smile.
“Penelope, she has time to answer a few questions.”
“You’re being overprotective.” Her arms are crossed over her chest, and Dad sighs.
“Thanks, Maman. ” I’m practically running when I go around the table to kiss her cheek briefly while she laughs.
“Wait,” Dad calls, halting me in my spot as I grab my keys off the hook next to the garage door.
Shit, I was so close. “Yeah?”
“Will Hunter be there?”
Despite the way my dad reacted when Henry and Mirabelle started dating three years ago, his reaction to me and Hunter dating was tame. I think he’d been trying to prepare himself for a while that I might end up with one of them, so it wasn’t too much of a surprise after the initial shock.
“Probably. I mean, he does live there.” I resist the urge to roll my eyes because it’s annoying he’s pretending like his real question isn’t whether Hunter’s going to be there, but if Bailey is.
“Marley’s still in town, and I could call Mirabelle to see if she’ll be there.
To answer the question you’re not asking, yes, Bailey’s there too. ”
“That’s not what I was getting at,” Dad tries to protest, and Mom rolls her eyes.
“You’re not fooling anyone.”
“You’ve known Bailey his entire life, Dad.”
Dad sighs, and I hate how he’s doubting Bailey. “Yes, but we don’t know him anymore, or what he’s been through the last couple of years. Just be careful, okay? ”
I can’t really blame him for thinking it. Still, I wish he knew that Bailey’s still the boy they knew.
I bite back every sarcastic comment threatening to slip from me, choosing to salute him instead. “Got it,” I say, and the look on his face still has me moving a little bit quicker to escape while I have the chance.
The Walkers only live fifteen minutes away, but it’s long enough for me to get in my head about being in the same room as Bailey again. It’d help if I could forget about kissing him three years ago as easily as he did.
I’ve replayed the moment in his room more times than I care to admit because it makes me feel like shit every time I do. We did nothing wrong, but then the little devil on my shoulder likes to remind me how easy it would have been to lean up and kiss him.
My stomach twists into knots by the time I type in my code at their gate, but Hunter’s truck is missing from the driveway. Shit. I hope Marley and JJ are okay with being the buffer between me and Bailey.
Nope, I’m not going to be weird today. This is about seeing how Javi’s appointment went, and there’s no reason to make it weird because nothing happened.
Fuck, what if the appointment didn’t go well? Should I have stopped somewhere on my way to get cookies just in case? I feel like it’s a bad idea to even be thinking about it not going well, but I’m afraid it’d be the final breaking point for Bailey.
A knock on the window causes my heart to leap out of my chest, scaring the living daylights out of me as I scream. I turn sharply to see who knocked, but my elbow hits the center of the steering wheel, and the horn honks, making me jump again.
Bailey is doubled over laughing, and I scoff as I climb out of the car. For fuck’s sake. “I can’t believe you’re laughing about scaring me,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest.
His smile is wide, and I can’t remember the last time I heard B laugh so unrestrained. It’s nice.
“I was coming to ask how long you were going to sit in the car, but I didn’t think you’d scream and honk the horn.”
“I didn’t honk the horn on purpose,” I point out, feeling my cheeks flush. “I was trying to decide if I should get some ice cream, but now I think you owe me some.”
Bailey shrugs, turning toward the house. “I could go for some ice cream, and I bet Javi would have fun too.”
I guess I’m not technically being alone with him if Javi’s coming with, right?
“Do you think JJ and Marley would want ice cream too?”
“We could ask Marley, but JJ and Hunter are running drills at the field this morning,” he answers, and I follow after him, feeling the sun beating down on my shoulders already.
“Oh, well we don’t have to go now. We can go later,” I blurt out, and Bailey looks over his shoulder at me, his eyebrows knitting together.
Perfect. So much for not acting weird today.
“Okay? We can go later.”
“How did Javi’s appointment go this morning?” I ask, catching up to him with my nerves twisting in my stomach as a bead of sweat rolls down the back of my neck.
“It was the best it could have gone. The specialist says they should be able to fix the hole in his heart, so they’ve scheduled his surgery to happen in a couple of weeks.
” Bailey glances over at me, a small smile forming on his face.
“He’ll be happy to see you,” he continues, and I mirror his smile.
“I’m glad he’s going to be okay. He’s a great kid,” I say, and Bailey opens the front door for me.
We find everyone in the kitchen, and it’s great to see how fast Javi’s fitting in. He’s helping Thalia make pancakes, and Marley’s back is to us while she opens the fridge to pull out what looks like a container of blueberries.
“Are we making blueberry or chocolate chip pancakes?”
“Both,” Javi answers, and Thalia laughs.
“We can do that, but it probably won’t taste very good,” Marley says, setting them on the counter.
Bailey’s hand grazes my arm, and he nudges me forward into the kitchen.
“Do I smell pancakes?”
Javi turns around so quickly, he nearly falls off the stool he’s perched on, but Thalia’s reflexes are still quick enough to help steady him.
“Kait!” he says, hopping down to run at me, wrapping his arms tight around my waist. “Have you ever had blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes?” His dark brown eyes are crinkled with happiness at the corners, and it’s incredible to see how much he’s come out of his shell since getting here.
His cheeks are growing rounder, and even Bailey’s starting to fill out after three weeks of steady meals. It’s hard not to notice, even when I shouldn’t.
I know he did his best to take care of Javi, but I can’t imagine it’s easy to get the right nutrition when you’re not sure where the next meal is coming from.
“I’ve had them separate, but never blueberries and chocolate chips in a pancake together.”
“Sounds great, buddy,” Bailey says, reaching to ruffle Javi’s dark hair.
Javi grins, batting his hand away before returning to Thalia’s side to climb back onto the stool. Bailey takes a seat, and I try to figure out if there’s anything I can do to help, but between the three of them, it appears they have it covered.