LAILAH #3
I waited a few moments before I said anything, just absorbing what he told me.
I had never lost anyone in my life—both of my grandparents were even still living.
There was no way I could even imagine the pain of losing a sibling and having them blame you for it.
Sitting back, I looked him in the eye and saw that a few tears had escaped and trailed down his cheeks.
I cupped his face in my hands and wiped away his tears, pulling his head down so I could kiss him on the forehead.
“I am so sorry you have to live with this pain. I can’t even begin to know the burden that you hold on your shoulders. Just know that I am here for you, and I will be by your side, however you need me,” I whispered, leaning my forehead against his.
“Thank you, Lailah.” Brayden sighed, holding me close again. “You have no idea how much it means that you're still here. Most people would run away from a mess like this.”
“Can I assume the rest of the guys know about this?” I asked. “I just don’t want to say anything to people who have no business asking.”
“They know, not all of it, but they know enough. Well, except for Micah, who lived through it all with us. He came to live with us when he was twelve and his parents died,” Brayden said, surprising me once again at the loss they both suffered.
“Now I know, and I’m not going anywhere. You're stuck with me, so get used to it.”
I leaned back so I could see his face, and his lips landed on mine in a gentle kiss.
My surprise quickly faded, and I melted against him, threading my fingers through the hair on the back of his neck.
With my reciprocation, Brayden deepened the kiss, one hand on my lower back holding me tight while the other swept into my hair.
I was lost in his lips and emotions, letting all else fall away from my mind.
“I thought she wasn’t your girlfriend?” a voice I didn’t know asked, and we jerked apart.
Feeling my cheeks burn with my blush, I peeked to see Cami smiling at me with a knowing look and Brayden’s little sister gaping at us.
“Kayley, could you mind your own business just this once?” Brayden sighed as he let me slip off his lap to stand next to him.
“Whatever. Just so long as she doesn’t get any ideas about my Micah,” Kayley said with a sniff.
I blinked at her, totally taken by surprise at her words. Micah was definitely attractive, but once he opened his mouth, everything changed. Apparently, Kayley having grown up with Micah, allowed her to see a different side of him. I might have seen a glimpse of it here or there, too.
“I just wanted to say I’m sorry that I got kicked out of school.
I know how hard it was for you to convince Mom to let me go,” Kayley said, dropping her eyes, her shoulders slumping.
“Please don’t tell Mom and Dad. I can’t go back to the house.
I know you haven’t been home in a long time, but Mom has gotten worse.
It’s almost like she is starting to get dementia or something. ”
“What do you mean?” Brayden asked as he stood and pulled his sister to sit next to him on the couch.
I made to leave, wanting to give them space, following after Cami when Brayden grabbed my hand.
“Stay, please.” Nodding, I settled in the open spot next to him as he turned back to Kayley. “Is everything okay? Ms. Tabitha is still there caring for David and Hope, right?”
“Yeah, but I think she’s part of the problem. She keeps making Mom drink this weird tea that’s supposed to help with her memory loss. But I think it’s making it worse, not better.”
“Is Charlotte still doing classes at home?”
“Yeah, her school is all online, so she does it in Dad’s office.
Charlotte told me Mom is working on some new project, but she won’t tell us anything about it.
I don’t understand how she can forget to turn the water off after washing her hands but still do complex physics. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Mom has always been the brain of the family, you know that.
If she is having dementia problems, it's always the short-term stuff that goes first. She has been a scientist for a very long time; it will take longer for that to be affected,” Brayden reasoned.
“Has Dad taken her to get checked out by a doctor?”
“That would mean that he’d have to take time off of work to get her to the doctor,” Kayley said, frowning.
“No, Ms. Tabitha took her to get some tests done, but they couldn’t find anything wrong with her.
They changed her meds, but that’s about it.
I’m telling you, Brayden, there is something strange going on. You just have to see it for yourself.”
“Okay, what if I came home for Christmas? It’s not that far off, and I can stay for two weeks with everyone,” Brayden asked.
“Are you bringing Micah?”
“You know he always comes back with me. Who knows, I might even talk Lailah into coming,” Brayden said, grinning at me.
I smiled at the idea. “We’ll see, I’ll have to check with my parents about that.”
“Come on, let’s sit down with Beth and see if we can find a new school for you to finish out the year at.”