CHAPTER 22 KAYLEE
I valet my car at the Silverton and hop onto an empty elevator car. I brace myself for whatever it is he wants to talk about as the elevator skids to a halt on the eleventh floor. I blow out a breath as the doors open, and I double check my text message for his room number.
When I look up, I see Dane waiting for me in the hallway. He moves in toward me and wraps his arms around me in a hug. It’s a little over the line to be considered friendly, but it’s not completely out of place given our history.
He grabs my hand. “Come on,” he says. I pull my hand out of his grasp and follow him, clutching my purse tightly in both hands just so I have the excuse not to hold his hand—not that I should need one.
He leads me to his room, and he fumbles with his keycard a second before he gets the door to unlock.
He holds the door open to allow me to step in first, forcing me to brush past his torso on my way in.
It’s a lot of close contact given the fact that I’ve told him I’m in a relationship with somebody else.
At least he hasn’t tried to kiss me.
Yet.
I spot a sitting chair by the window, so I head there. That way I’m not on the bed and not on the couch—I’m not in a place where he can inch his knee over toward mine or get the wrong idea about why I showed up. “What do you want to talk about?” I ask.
He clears his throat. “The other day when I saw you for the first time since we broke up at your school…a lot of feelings were reawakened in me. I told you I wasn’t going to give up without a fight, and I won’t.
You keep telling me it’s him, but I see it in your eyes, Kay. You still have feelings for me.”
“Of course I do, Dane. I’ll always have feelings for you.
You got me through a very difficult time in my life, and I will always hold that close to my heart.
But that doesn’t mean there’s a future for us.
And even if the feelings were still there, even if I wanted to leave the person I’ve fallen for to be with you…
logistically it doesn’t even make sense.
You’re in Chicago. I’m in Vegas.” I shrug.
He nods. “That’s why I put in for a transfer to the Vegas office Monday night. I found out this morning I got it.”
My eyes widen. “So you’re moving to Vegas? Just like that?”
“Yeah.” He walks over toward me and kneels in front of me. “I’m moving to Vegas. I want to be with you. I want to give you the future you’ve always dreamed of. I want us to face whatever hard times life throws at us with you, and I want to share in the joy of the good times with you.”
My chest tightens as he says words that sound like vows. I’m terrified he’s about to reach into his pocket and pull out a ring. And you know what? A year ago, I would’ve said yes if he did. It was everything I wanted with him.
But life has a funny way of working out the way it’s supposed to.
Thankfully, rather than reaching into his pocket, he reaches for my hands. He pulls them to his lips. “Just don’t close the book on us, Kaylee.”
I pull my hands back out of his reach, and he straightens then stands.
“The book was already long closed,” I say softly.
I stand. “I don’t know how many times I have to say this, but I am with somebody else now.
I have fallen in love with him, and I want a future with him.
I’m so sorry that isn’t what you want to hear, but I don’t think you should move here to Vegas.
I don’t even know if I am staying in Vegas, to be honest.”
His brows dip. “Where would you go? Back to Michigan?”
I press my lips together and tilt my head as my eyes soften a little at him. “I don’t know. But it’s none of your concern, okay? Not anymore. I need to go.”
I rush out of the room and don’t look back. I practically run toward the elevator, and I take it down, get my car from valet, and peel out of the Silverton before anybody can try to stop me.
And instead of driving on toward Jack’s house, I find my car navigating its way toward Ben’s place.
When I ring the bell, I hear Buddy’s bark. The door opens a moment later, and there stands Jeb. In all the craziness of the last couple weeks, I completely forgot that Ben’s dad and my mom are going on a date tomorrow night.
Gross.
“Good evening,” he says, opening the door a little wider to invite me in as he pulls on Buddy’s collar to calm him down.
“Hi, Mr. Olson. Is Ben around?” I kneel down to Buddy’s level and scratch his ears. He immediately calms down for me.
“Call me Jeb,” he says. “He’s in the shower. Should be down any minute. Come on in.”
I follow him in. He settles into the recliner, and I sit on the couch. Buddy sits beside me so I can keep scratching his head. “So, uh, you’re going to dinner with my mom tomorrow night, right?” I blurt.
Good one, Kay.
He nods. “I hope you don’t take it the wrong way. We’re both just looking for friendship.”
“You do you,” I say, holding up a hand with an awkward smile. But please don’t do my mom.
I guess everybody deserves a chance at love, but now that Ben and I have admitted our feelings for each other, this feels even weirder.
God, Ben. Where are you? This should teach me never to drop by unannounced, but since I’m moving in here soon, I guess I’ll probably get to know Jeb.
He chuckles. “I’m glad I ran into you.” He talks pointedly and in short sentences.
“Oh?” I say.
He nods. “You seem to be making Ben happy. I see something changing in my son. Keep doing what you’re doing.”
I’m curious as to how much he knows. Did Ben tell him we’re secretly boning? Does he think we’re dating because of the media? Or does he think we’re just friends?
“He makes me happy, too.” I smile, and Buddy rests his chin on my leg. “And so do you,” I say in that silly voice reserved for dogs and babies.
“Dad, you still here?” Ben’s voice yells from upstairs.
“Yes,” Jeb yells back.
We hear his footsteps coming down the stairs along with his voice.
“Hey, what’s something I can cook for a chick if I’m trying to show her how I feel but don’t want to look like I’m trying too hard?
” He appears in the doorway at the end of his question, and his eyes widen as he spots me sitting on his couch casually petting Buddy’s ears.
I clear my throat. “You can start by not calling her a chick.”
Jeb laughs.
“I didn’t know you were here, but for the record, I was talking about you.” He shrugs, ever maintaining his cool. The guy is unflappable when it comes to embarrassing himself, and it’s probably because he’s done it enough times all on his own.
“My advice would be Italian,” Jeb says.
I nod. “You can never go wrong with Italian. Or shrimp. Or cupcakes.”
His brows draw together. “Cupcakes?”
I shrug. “My favorite dessert. Especially with chocolate.”
“I feel a new nickname coming on,” he murmurs, and I giggle. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your surprise visit?”
“I, uh…had some things I wanted to talk to you about,” I say.
Jeb takes that as his cue. He stands. “I’ll leave you two alone.”
“What about poker?” Ben asks.
How freaking adorable is that? Ben and his dad get together to play poker.
“Come over later, or we can play tomorrow.”
“Before or after your date?” Ben teases.
“It’s just two friends.” Jeb sounds exasperated, and I can’t imagine how many times his son has caused his parents exasperation in his lifetime.
“Right,” Ben says, drawing out the word. “Now get out of here so I can show Kaylee what friendship really means in the Olson family.”
My cheeks burn red as Jeb pats Ben on his back. “What you two do should stay between you two,” Jeb says.
“Have a good night, Mr. Olson,” I mutter as I stare down at my lap.
“You too,” he says, and Ben walks him out. I keep petting Buddy, and Ben appears in front of me a minute later.
He whistles to Buddy, who moves to his side.
He puts some dog food in Buddy’s bowl before he moves toward me.
“What’s going on?” he asks. Instead of sitting beside me, he sits on the edge of the coffee table in front of me.
He leans forward, elbows on his knees with his hands clasped in front of him as he awaits my statement expectantly.
“I went to see Dane just now and I felt like I should tell you,” I blurt.
He tilts his head at me. “Okay,” he says cautiously. “Did anything happen?”
I shake my head. “He hugged me when I got off the elevator. He tried to hold my hand. I told him I was with you in no uncertain terms.” I clear my throat. “He told me he put in for a transfer to Vegas. I told him not to move here.”
Ben’s brows arch. “He what?”
“He said he’s going to fight for me.” I shrug.
“The dude’s a fucking creep. Tell him to back off.”
I nod. “I know it seems that way, but like I’ve told you, I often felt like I wasn’t the priority in my own family.
We were together for over a year, and we had conversations where I admitted that I just wanted someone to fight for me for once, to make me feel like I was important enough to matter.
I really think that’s what he’s doing. He’s trying to make me feel the things I always told him I wanted to feel. ”
“Do you?” he asks.
I look down at my hands for a beat before I look up at Ben.
I lean forward on my elbows, too, so I’m mirroring him.
I snag my bottom lip between my teeth for a beat as I think through my answer.
We’re inches apart, and his fresh scent attacks my senses.
I shake my head a little. “I didn’t…not until this whole thing started with you. ”
His forehead wrinkled with concern smooths as his eyes soften. He leans forward to press a gentle kiss to my lips.
“I don’t want to be with him, Ben,” I say softly. “I want to be with you.”
He reaches forward and pulls me onto his lap like I weigh nothing. He cradles me in his arms and kisses me again. “I want to be with you, too.”
Buddy whines, and we both laugh. “Come on over, boy,” I say, and he wags his tail before he darts across the room toward us. He uses his muzzle to break the link of Ben’s arms around me, and warm laughter fills the room as Ben holds me against him and we both pet the dog.
It’s such a sweet and idyllic setting that I wish this warm feeling in my chest could last forever.
But like all good things, this too will come to an end.