“kiss and tell” kind of guy. Ever.
I smirked, arching an eyebrow as I took another drink of my beer, and then sat back in the chair.
Kyle rolled his eyes. “Pussy,” he grumbled. “We’re dudes ! We share !”
“Uh,” I started to counter. “That’s women who share.”
“Fuck. Whatever. Dudes share too. Especially when it’s about sex.” He smiled impishly. “In fact, Lilah—”
I grabbed the cushion behind me and chucked it across the room at him. “Shut your hole, Lewis. That’s my baby sister. She might kill me, but I’ll give you a black eye and break both your legs before the ceremony.” I wouldn’t really, just like he wouldn’t really tell me whatever it was he was going to tell me—at least, I hoped he wouldn’t.
“You nervous?” I asked, trying to change the subject before he got it out of me that I had yet to “seal the deal,” as he would say.
Kyle brushed my question off with a wave of his hands, scrunching up his face. “Pssssh, nah! This is gonna be a cakewalk.”
I laughed. “Glad to hear it. Listen, man, I just wanted to thank you for taking care of Lilah. I know I gave you a hard time in the beginning, but I’ve never seen her happier than when she’s with you.”
“Whoa,” Kyle said, clapping his free hand on my right shoulder blade. “Enough with the heavy.”
Shaking my head, I smiled before bringing my beer to my lips and taking a drink. “You’re right. However, that said…” I lifted my eyes to Kyle’s. “If you ever do anything to hurt her—and I mean anything —I will end you.”
While I knew Kyle treasured Lilah and had nothing but respect for her, I needed to be sure that she would never be hurt by another man again. Kyle knew about Lilah’s past—hell, he’d woken up to her screaming in the middle of the night just about as much as I had—and he’d always been there for her. He never pushed her beyond what she was ready for.
Kyle’s laughter boomed throughout the room as he flopped down on the sofa and kicked his feet up on the coffee table. “Jensen, I think you’re failing to see the dynamics in our relationship,” he joked.
“I know, but it needed to be said.”
“All right!” Gavin exclaimed, joining us from the bathroom and grabbing the beer he had left on the table before sitting in the chair at the small desk. “What are you two pansies talking about?”
“Jensen just threatened to kill me,” Kyle summarized.
Kyle and Gavin soon became engrossed in a conversation about Lilah’s other bridesmaid, Bethany. Gavin was apparently pretty adamant about hooking up with her. While they talked, I pulled out my phone and sent Madison a quick text to see how her morning was before I excused myself to use the washroom.
The truth was, I hated being apart from Madison. Now that we had nothing to hide anymore, I never wanted to be without her. Ever. I had been so nervous to open up to her about my past, thinking for sure she’d kick me out or push me away, but she was surprisingly okay with it at all once she’d processed it. I couldn’t have asked for a more caring and understanding person.
Which was precisely why I felt bad for acting like such a shit this past week. I hadn’t intended for it to happen, but thinking about seeing Kaylie again had me struggling with my demons. Knowing my past helped Madison understand my stress. Was it fair to her? Absolutely not. Every time she tried to take things further between us, I’d freak out and pull away; for no reason other than my own anxieties of seeing my ex again.
I didn’t love Kaylie. How could I? Not after what she did. Madison knew that. But I also didn’t hate her, because hate would mean that I still cared for her on some level. Kaylie was just dead to me in every way. A ghost of a memory.
A ghost that haunted me more and more as the days to my sister’s wedding drew nearer, because seeing her would remind me of the lies I told my
I smirked, arching an eyebrow as I took another drink of my beer, and then sat back in the chair.
Kyle rolled his eyes. “Pussy,” he grumbled. “We’re dudes ! We share !”
“Uh,” I started to counter. “That’s women who share.”
“Fuck. Whatever. Dudes share too. Especially when it’s about sex.” He smiled impishly. “In fact, Lilah—”
I grabbed the cushion behind me and chucked it across the room at him. “Shut your hole, Lewis. That’s my baby sister. She might kill me, but I’ll give you a black eye and break both your legs before the ceremony.” I wouldn’t really, just like he wouldn’t really tell me whatever it was he was going to tell me—at least, I hoped he wouldn’t.
“You nervous?” I asked, trying to change the subject before he got it out of me that I had yet to “seal the deal,” as he would say.
Kyle brushed my question off with a wave of his hands, scrunching up his face. “Pssssh, nah! This is gonna be a cakewalk.”
I laughed. “Glad to hear it. Listen, man, I just wanted to thank you for taking care of Lilah. I know I gave you a hard time in the beginning, but I’ve never seen her happier than when she’s with you.”
“Whoa,” Kyle said, clapping his free hand on my right shoulder blade. “Enough with the heavy.”
Shaking my head, I smiled before bringing my beer to my lips and taking a drink. “You’re right. However, that said…” I lifted my eyes to Kyle’s. “If you ever do anything to hurt her—and I mean anything —I will end you.”
While I knew Kyle treasured Lilah and had nothing but respect for her, I needed to be sure that she would never be hurt by another man again. Kyle knew about Lilah’s past—hell, he’d woken up to her screaming in the middle of the night just about as much as I had—and he’d always been there for her. He never pushed her beyond what she was ready for.
Kyle’s laughter boomed throughout the room as he flopped down on the sofa and kicked his feet up on the coffee table. “Jensen, I think you’re failing to see the dynamics in our relationship,” he joked.
“I know, but it needed to be said.”
“All right!” Gavin exclaimed, joining us from the bathroom and grabbing the beer he had left on the table before sitting in the chair at the small desk. “What are you two pansies talking about?”
“Jensen just threatened to kill me,” Kyle summarized.
Kyle and Gavin soon became engrossed in a conversation about Lilah’s other bridesmaid, Bethany. Gavin was apparently pretty adamant about hooking up with her. While they talked, I pulled out my phone and sent Madison a quick text to see how her morning was before I excused myself to use the washroom.
The truth was, I hated being apart from Madison. Now that we had nothing to hide anymore, I never wanted to be without her. Ever. I had been so nervous to open up to her about my past, thinking for sure she’d kick me out or push me away, but she was surprisingly okay with it at all once she’d processed it. I couldn’t have asked for a more caring and understanding person.
Which was precisely why I felt bad for acting like such a shit this past week. I hadn’t intended for it to happen, but thinking about seeing Kaylie again had me struggling with my demons. Knowing my past helped Madison understand my stress. Was it fair to her? Absolutely not. Every time she tried to take things further between us, I’d freak out and pull away; for no reason other than my own anxieties of seeing my ex again.
I didn’t love Kaylie. How could I? Not after what she did. Madison knew that. But I also didn’t hate her, because hate would mean that I still cared for her on some level. Kaylie was just dead to me in every way. A ghost of a memory.
A ghost that haunted me more and more as the days to my sister’s wedding drew nearer, because seeing her would remind me of the lies I told my
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