21. Kris
21
KRIS
It’s been two hours since Kam went upstairs.
I wanted to follow, but I chose not to for the safety of my nuts. They’ve already taken enough of a hit today.
I’ve already showered, got dressed, stared at the mountain side, and paced this living room forty times waiting for her to resurface.
The rehearsal dinner is more of a rehearsal lunch, and the rest of the evening will be spent with the bridal party doing something after the fact, but my brother didn’t give me too many details.
I’m standing with my back to the stairs when I hear a foot on the steps behind me. Turning, the breath is sucked from my lungs. Her long, auburn hair is curled and tucked behind one ear, giving me a glance at her slender neck. Her dark green dress wraps tightly around her waist, showing me her perfect curves.
She pauses once both feet hit the bottom step, and looks at me across the room.
“Do you think this is too much?” her voice quivers as she asks.
“I think you look gorgeous,” I tell her, honestly.
A small hint of a smile shows before she turns her head, walking toward the door. I follow behind her; I would have ordered us a ride to the dinner, but I wasn’t sure what time she would be ready since she hasn’t spoken a word since she woke up this morning.
Hurrying ahead of her, I open the passenger door of my truck for her, letting her climb in while I enjoy the view.
I mean, her ass in this dress…
Once she’s situated and buckled, I shut the door and round the hood for my seat. The drive to the venue doesn’t take too long, but the silence filling the cab of this pickup makes it seem like we’ve been on the road for hours.
I’ve been able to shut down all thoughts of my parents since we arrived, for the most part. But the closer my truck gets to the parking spot, the more my mind starts reeling about the possibilities of things that could happen.
And with my parents, it will happen.
“Okay,” Kam breaks the silence, finally, as I ease the truck into a vacant spot. “What can I do to help keep the peace between you and your parents today?”
I release a breath, shifting into park before slowly looking at her. She’s staring at me, waiting for a response. “Honestly, I’m not even sure. They’re bound to try to start something tonight, and I just don’t want to lose my shit on them during the happiest night for my brother.”
“Okay, then I’ll just steer the conversation in a different direction if anything happens.” She smiles before unbuckling and grabbing the handle.
My cue to get my ass in gear.
I offer her my elbow once I get to the front of my truck, ignoring the looks from some that I don’t even know.
The one I can’t ignore though, is Davidson, and the way his eyes move over Kameron’s body as we pass through the entrance.
“That guy really pisses me off.” I lean in, lowering my voice as I say the words.
“Yeah, he just gives me the creeps.” She shivers next to me. “He’s almost too nice to me. You know? I’m used to dicks like you.” Her eyes meet mine and she smirks.
I roll my eyes, hiding the smile inside at her sass toward me.
I’m about to ask her more about it, desperate to know why she’s drawing that conclusion when my mother steps in front of us.
“Kris, sweetheart.” She releases the arm of the man she’s with. Between the two of them, she didn’t move on. She buried herself in work, picking up any shift she possibly could. Even when our bills were paid and she didn’t really have to work, she still chose to leave us at home, skip a game, and avoid helping Kaleb with homework.
I awkwardly hug her back, not letting Kam pull away from me when she tries. Something about her touch is calming me right now, and I desperately need it.
“Mom.” I half smile down at her before she turns toward the man she’s with.
“This is my fiance?, Brian.”
My face must match my feelings on the inside because the pinch to my side that Kam gives me straightens me right up.
“Fiance??” I ask, turning my attention to the pepper gray haired man in front of me.
“Kris, it’s so good to meet you.” He smiles, stepping forward and extending his hand between us. “I’ve heard a lot of great things about you.”
I freeze, looking down at his hand.
How could he possibly have heard nice things about me when my mom doesn’t even know me?
“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Kameron.” Kam, slides her hand into Brian’s.
“Oh? A girlfriend, Kris?” my mother asks, smiling at Kameron.
My heartrate builds, just the idea of my mom being happy over the potential of a relationship between me and Kameron has me anxious.
Relationships are shit. I mean look at my mom, the divorce ruined her, it ruined my entire childhood. All because of a relationship.
“I’m ju–”
“I don’t do girlfriends, Mom.” I smile, avoiding making eye contact with Kam. “You know that.”
My mom’s face falls, and her eyes slowly drift to Kameron before coming back to me.
“Kris,” my mom hisses, the same way she used to attempt to scold me as a child. Except the difference now is that she can’t. Nor can she make me feel bad, I’m not ten anymore.
“What?” A switch flips inside, and I hate it. I know I’m going to regret the words out of my mouth before I even say them. Knowing that they’re going to hurt Kameron’s feelings. “Kam knows the score, Mom. She’s just my date for the wedding, nothing more.”
I risk a glance at Kameron, and nearly regret it when I see the hurt in her eyes. She shuts down, and I’m waiting for her to decide to leave me standing in this room full of people and dealing with the wedding on my own. But instead, she fakes a smile and straightens her back a little.
Shit.