Chapter Fifteen #3
“You only won because I twisted my knee on that stupid rock. I would’ve beaten your ass by a mile if it wasn’t for my damn leg.”
Skye said, “I carried her piggyback all the way down the mountain and straight to the clinic across the street.”
“She even waited while they got me into an immobilizer and crutches.”
“Yeah, I did. I won a date. You never would’ve paid up if I hadn’t stuck around and dragged you to the bar.”
“Well, I won the second bet that night,” Kayla said, with a wink.
Skye blushed hard and looked away. Amy laughed and asked, “Now you have to tell me what the second bet was.”
“Yeah, tell her, Skye,” Kayla said.
Skye still wouldn’t meet her eye. “Doesn’t matter.”
Amy slapped her arm playfully. “Oh, come on. Fess up.”
Skye blushed even harder. “Don’t worry about it.”
“You’re such a sore loser.” Kayla grinned across the table at Amy. “There was axe throwing at the back of the bar. We got pretty drunk, and I bet her that I could beat her at it. I won, and she had to come home with me.”
Skye rubbed the back of her neck, clearly uncomfortable, but Amy just laughed.
Kayla had hoped there would be some sort of angry reaction.
Shouldn’t Skye’s fiancée be angry to hear about her having sex on a first date with someone else?
Sure, it was ten years earlier, but it clearly meant something to Skye since she was embarrassed for Amy to hear about it.
Her nonchalance made Kayla feel a grudging respect for her.
It was too bad Skye was going to break up with her soon.
Apparently, Skye noticed Amy’s relaxed acceptance, too. She grinned sheepishly. “I may have lost on purpose.”
“Liar,” Kayla teased.
“Either way, it was a great date,” Skye said.
“My favorite part is how you actually think this is a romantic story,” Mack said.
Fuck. Kayla had been so wrapped up in the memories and teasing that she’d forgotten how Mack hated this story. Before she could intercede, Skye said, “Excuse me?”
Mack said, “It’s not romantic. It’s a story about how you never respected Kayla’s physical limitations and that always led to her getting hurt.”
Skye’s face was red again, but this time with obvious anger. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“You heard me. You always had your fun, and Kayla always ended up in pain.”
Kayla’s heart pounded in her ears. Mack looked really angry.
Like she wanted to jump over the table and knock Skye out.
Kayla had never seen her this way. Well, she had once.
The day she came to Kayla’s place after Skye had left to find Kayla barely able to move, unwashed for days as she wallowed in her grief.
The thought of that day threatened to overwhelm her.
“Mack, please. It’s okay,” Kayla said.
Skye didn’t seem to hear her. She leaned forward, as aggressive as Kayla had ever seen her. “She’d not made of glass, McKensie. Even though that’s how you’ve always treated her.”
“I don’t treat her like she’s made of glass. I treat her like she has chronic pain from a devastating injury that needs to be managed. But that isn’t fun enough for you, is it, Skye?”
“Believe it or not, I care about Kayla.”
“You have a damn funny way of showing it.”
“Oh, you think you’re better for Kayla than I am?”
Mack said, “Damn right I am.”
“Well, I don’t know if she agrees.”
Amy’s tinkling bell of a voice cut into the fight, laced with unexpected lightness. “I think Kayla agrees. After all, she’s marrying Mack in a few days. Isn’t that right, Kayla?”
Kayla had been so riveted by the argument that she barely registered Amy’s words.
Skye immediately sat back, chastened and clearly a little embarrassed.
Mack looked far more flustered and wouldn’t meet Kayla’s eye.
Of course, she knew they weren’t really getting married.
Why had she argued so aggressively that she was better for Kayla than Skye?
Had she finally bought into the Plan of Seduction?
Her vehemence was shocking and more than a little flattering.
Kayla slid a hand onto Mack’s thigh. It stiffened and then relaxed under her touch.
Kayla said, “Absolutely. Mack is the one for me.”
She hoped to hear Skye scoff or argue, but she had clearly taken a moment to calm down.
What she hadn’t expected was for Mack to meet her eyes with a look that was hard to read.
She knew Mack loved her. Of course she did.
They’d been best friends since before they had their driver’s licenses.
But there was a depth of affection in those pale green irises that made it hard for Kayla to draw a full breath.
Then she smiled—gentle and sheepish and oh so loving—and Kayla found herself wishing for a moment that they really were getting married in a few days.
No one loved her like Mack. No one ever could.
Their love went deeper than romantic attachment.
Whoever Mack did marry would be one hell of a lucky woman.
Amy said, “You see? Everything is as it should be.”