Chapter Eighteen
Myla tightened her hold on Kaleb’s hand as they crossed the street to McMalley’s, where their friends waited.
Myla and Kaleb waved at everyone when they got to the table.
“Guys, we saved you seats,” Kelly yelled.
Myla bent and hugged her. “Thank you.”
Kaleb held her chair and then moved his as close as he could, draping his arm over the back. She listened to him talk to Kole and a few others while she talked to her friends.
Kelly handed her a margarita. “I didn’t know if you guys were going to make it.”
Myla smiled and leaned toward her friend. “It took longer than I thought to get ready.”
Kelly squeezed her arm. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
Myla smiled. “Me, too.”
Kelly looked at her critically. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m actually doing well. The guy pled out, so we don’t have to go to court, and he’ll be in prison with no parole for life because of his many offenses.”
“That’s so good to hear.”
Kaleb slid his hand under her hair to cup the back of her neck. “Everything good, Baby?”
“Yes.”
He nodded and turned back to the guys.
Kelly’s eyes widened, and she mouthed, Oh my God.
“What?” Myla asked.
“Hun, this is the first time I’ve seen you guys together, remember?”
“Yeah, so?”
“He’s so sweet to you. He hasn’t taken his hand off you once, and now he’s rubbing your back. Does he have a brother?”
Myla chuckled.
Kaleb turned his head to her. “What’s so funny, Baby?”
Myla looked at Kaleb. “She wants to know if you have a brother.”
A frown of confusion creased his brow. “Why?”
“She wants what I have.”
“You mean me?”
“Yeah.” She turned back to Kelly. “No, I’m sorry he doesn’t have a brother, and you can’t have him.”
Kelly snorted and rolled her eyes. “Like he sees anyone but you, girl.”
Kaleb chuckled and then turned to answer a question Kole asked him.
A slow song started.
“Myla, do you want to dance?”
“Yes.”
Kaleb pulled her out onto the dance floor and then wrapped his arms around her.
“I’m glad I wore my four-inch heels. Now I come up to your shoulder.”
Kaleb smirked and kissed her forehead. “You’re fine either way. As long as I get to hold you, I’m good.”
She closed her eyes, rested against him, as they talked quietly. She noticed they barely moved and didn’t care. He’d gotten them to a darker part of the dance floor before he raised her face and kissed her.
When he finally lifted his head, they were both breathing heavily.
“How long do we have to stay?” he asked.
She snickered. “We haven’t even been here thirty minutes, Daddy.”
“Shit, it feels longer.”
She smiled up at him. “We’ll have a few drinks and then head out. Does that sound okay?”
“Yes. I’m warning you now, if a guy comes up to ask you to dance, I won’t like it.”
“I would never say yes, so you’re fine. I’m practically on your lap. It’s pretty obvious we’re here together.”
“Some guys don’t give a shit.”
She rolled her eyes. “It won’t matter if they do.”
Kaleb looked over at the table. “It looks like they’re getting pizza’s do you want some, or I’ll take you somewhere else?”
“Here. I love their veggie pizza.”
He cringed. “I’ll stay with the meat lovers.”
He led her back to the table where plates of pizza sat in front of them.
Myla looked at Kelly. “Who did this?”
Kelly snickered. “Kole. He says you owe him a pitcher now.”
Myla rolled her eyes.
“What’s that about?” Kaleb asked as he got them situated.
“They know I love this kind of pizza, so someone tries to save me a few pieces, but then I owe them a pitcher of beer.”
Kaleb chuckled. “They got me pizza, does that mean we owe them two pitchers?”
“Knowing Kole, probably.”
Kaleb laughed.
For the next few hours, they ate, drank, danced, and talked.
Kaleb turned her head toward him. “You ready now?”
Myla giggled and whispered in his ear. “Yes, Daddy. We can go. We stayed longer than we first thought.”
“It’s a great group of people.”
She leaned into him. “They like you.”
“That’s good.”
He stood as they said their goodbyes, then he wrapped his arm around her waist and led her out of the bar and to his truck.
They drove toward his home.
He lifted her hand as they sat at the stoplight. “Do you have enough at the house, or do we need to stop at your apartment?”
She turned to him. “I think I have enough.”
He drove forward, keeping his eyes on the road. “When are we just going to move everything in?”
She sighed. “Do you really think we’re ready for that? We’ve only been together for four months.”
“I can’t see us ever breaking up, and we spend all our free time together, and it’s always at my house. It seems logical for you just to move in with me.”
Myla looked out her side window and tried to think about what to say. She wanted to live with him, but nothing had been said about the future, and he’d never talked about his feelings for her, while she’d told him she loved him several times.
She saw how tense he was when she turned to look at him. “Can we talk about this later?”
He glanced at her. “Sure.”
She could tell he wasn’t happy about waiting, but she needed time to think about what to say.