Family Matters Book 3

Kyle

I’m all set for tonight’s pseudo triple date with Austin, Chelsea, Ashlie, Rodney, and Jana.

I get it, my family cares about me and they want me to be happy, so they think this is a good idea.

Honestly, I’m excited to see her tonight. When we’re apart, she’s all I think about, and when we’re together, I can’t stop smiling.

I know I can’t change my past or escape it. All I can do is learn from it and try not to repeat the same mistakes. I’m sober, clean, and repairing relationships I thought were beyond repair.

I’ve found someone who sees the real me, not the self-destructive, drunk, high version of me. Jana knows I’m not perfect, she’s never asked me to be, and I love her for that.

I walk around my room, trying to muster up the courage to go to the living room and wait for Jana and Athena. I’m not sure why I’m so nervous about seeing her.

I see her almost every day, but right now, I’m a bundle of nerves. What if she figures out what Chelsea and my sister are up to and gets angry?

Or worse, what if she thinks I orchestrated this and believes I’m pushing for more than just friendship after we agreed that’s all we could be for now?

I keep pacing my room, lost in my thoughts, when I hear the most delightful sound from the living room. Athena’s squeals and infectious laughter fill the house.

I stop pacing and can’t help but smile. That little girl has a way of making my day brighter and making all my worries vanish.

I take a deep breath and leave my room. As I approach the guest room, which is next to mine, Jana steps out and freezes when she sees me.

“Hi.” She smiles. My heart races as I take her in. Her hair is half-up with loose curls cascading down her shoulders.

Her makeup is understated, making her blue eyes shine even in the dim hallway light.

She’s wearing a green dress, my favorite color, that fits her perfectly and shows just enough skin to tease my senses. She’s stunning.

We lock eyes for a long moment before we both speak at the same time.

“I’m sorry.” We both chuckle and shake our heads.

“Jana, I swear I had no idea what Chelsea and my sister were planning.” I take a nervous step towards her. I’m worried she’ll be upset thinking we’ve been set up.

But mostly, I’m nervous because I’m always nervous around this beautiful woman. She’s perfect and I’m flawed. She’s strong and I’m weak.

She’s everything I’m not, but everything I want. She looks up at me and I see a soft blush spread across her cheeks.

“I didn’t know either,” she whispers. I stop just inches from her and look down into her crystal blue eyes, captivated.

I reach down and take one of her hands, bringing it to my lips. I gently kiss the back of her hand, never breaking eye contact.

“You look beautiful.”

“You’re not too bad yourself.”

I lower our hands but don’t let go. I stroke her knuckles with my thumb and realize how perfectly her hand fits in mine. “Kyle, I don’t want tonight to be awkward.”

“Neither do I.” I watch as she bites her lip and looks up at me through her lashes.

“I don’t want you to feel pressured into thinking tonight is anything more than us hanging out as friends to celebrate finishing the casino prep early.”

She smiles and squeezes my hand, stepping closer and entering my personal space.

“No, that’s not what I meant.” She shakes her head, grinning shyly. “I mean, I’m okay if you want tonight to be more than just platonic.”

She looks up at me expectantly, biting her lip, waiting for my response. But all I can do is stare at her in shock. We’ve discussed our relationship countless times.

The collision of my past with her present is something we both understand can’t happen, not if she and Athena are to survive the chaos with her ex.

“Jana, are you sure about this?” I ask her softly, searching her eyes for confirmation.

“It’s not like we’re rushing to the altar or anything.” She grins. “I want us to feel comfortable, whatever that entails. I’m not pushing for anything in particular.

“Tonight is meant to be a sort of celebration, a chance for us to unwind and enjoy being together.” She moves closer, until our bodies are just barely touching.

“I want to savor us, free of constraints, without fretting over what might happen.”

I bend down to plant a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Alright.” I smile back at her. “No constraints,” I echo her sentiment.

We gaze into each other’s eyes for what feels like an eternity, until Ashlie’s voice breaks the silence, announcing Rodney’s arrival.

I trail behind Jana into the main part of the house, where we find Rodney assisting his parents, Garret and Caroline, with unloading groceries in the kitchen.

“Mr. and Mrs. Hutchinson, it’s a pleasure to see you again.” I smile as Jana and I approach them.

“Kyle, I’ve told you to call us by our first names,” Caroline insists, pulling me into a hug. She then turns to Jana, arms outstretched. “You look stunning, Jana, dear.”

“Thank you, Caroline,” Jana responds. “And thank you for looking after Athena tonight.”

Caroline clasps Jana’s hands in hers and beams. “There’s no need to thank me. Athena is a delight to care for, and we truly enjoy her company. Now, why don’t you all say your goodbyes to the children and have a wonderful evening?”

She spins Jana around and begins ushering us out of the kitchen, directing us towards where Athena and Lucas are playing.

We step into the living room to find the furniture draped in blankets, with pillows strewn about. The sound of Athena’s and Lucas’s laughter echoes from within the makeshift fort.

“Knock, knock!” Ashlie calls out over their giggles. “We’re heading out!” Suddenly, Athena’s head emerges from one end of the blanket fort and Lucas’s from the other.

“Mr. Kyle!” Athena squeals, rushing towards me. I scoop her up as she leaps into my arms. “Lukee built me a castle! Look!”

She points excitedly at the fort Lucas constructed. “Will you play with me in my castle?”

“Not tonight, sweetheart,” Jana tells her, extending her arms. Athena springs from my arms into her mother’s, and the sight of them together pulls at my heartstrings.

Jana is radiant, and Athena is her mini-me—both with captivating eyes, both with the most inviting smiles, and both possessing a piece of my heart. “We have plans tonight, but perhaps another time, okay?”

“Will you come back to read me a story?”

“They’ll be back late, darling,” Garret interjects as he and Caroline enter the living room. “But I can read you as many stories as you’d like.”

“Yay!” Athena exclaims, wriggling out of Jana’s arms and rushing over to Garret. She wraps her arms around his legs and gazes up at him. “I have a castle!”

“You do?” he feigns surprise. “Can you show me?”

Athena nods and takes his hand, leading him to the entrance of the castle fort. As Garret begins to kneel to crawl inside, he looks at Athena and smiles.

“Don’t you want to say goodnight to your mom before she leaves?” Athena spins around and dashes over to Jana, who squats down with her arms open. Athena throws her arms around Jana’s neck and holds on tight.

She pulls back just enough to plant a kiss on Jana’s cheek.

“Goodnight, Mommy! I love you!” She grins. Jana showers her face with kisses, eliciting giggles.

“And I love you, my precious girl,” she tells her. “Be good for Caroline, Garret, and Lucas, okay?”

“Okay, Mommy!” Athena steps out of her mom’s arms and runs over to me, arms outstretched, waiting for me to lift her up.

The moment I lifted her, she wrapped her arms around me, planting a kiss on my cheek. “Night-night, Mr. Kyle! Love you!” she chirped, her smile lighting up the room. I returned her affection with a peck on her tiny nose, which sent her into a fit of laughter.

“Love you too, little one,” I replied. She squeezed me one last time before I set her down.

She darted off to Austin, Chelsea, Ashlie, and Rodney, dispensing hugs before scampering back to her fort and disappearing beneath the blankets.

Jana sidled up to me, slipping her hand into mine. I glanced down at her, intertwining our fingers. Words weren’t necessary. Our eyes spoke volumes.

We reached the restaurant and were ushered to a secluded U-shaped booth. Jana and I occupied the center, with Ashlie and Rodney at one end, and Austin and Chelsea at the other.

Once the waitress had taken our orders and whisked away the menus, Ashlie whipped out her phone. She flagged down a passing busboy to snap a group photo.

We all had to squeeze together to fit in the frame, which meant I had to wrap my arm around Jana to avoid being squashed. For some reason, being this close to her made my heart race.

My hand settled on her hip, and she leaned into me, her hand resting lightly on my thigh. I glanced down at her, and she looked up at me, my cheeks flushing under her gaze.

Suddenly, a flash startled us as the busboy took the picture.

“Oops!” he apologized. “Didn’t mean to take it so soon. My finger slipped. If you’re ready, look this way and I’ll take another one.”

We all turned towards him, grinning. I held Jana close, her lavender-scented shampoo soothing my nerves.

As the busboy approached to return Ashlie’s phone, I found myself burying my face in Jana’s hair, inhaling her scent.

She turned to face me, our lips brushing. No words were needed as we locked eyes, understanding each other perfectly.

I cherished this silent language we shared. Through our eyes or subtle touches, we could sense each other’s emotions.

I’d experienced this connection once before, but never this intensely. That’s how I knew my feelings for Jana were unique. That’s how I knew we were meant to be.

Our food arrived, and we spent the meal laughing and chatting about everything under the sun. My arm remained around Jana’s waist, her hand still on my leg.

We managed to eat with one hand, and it felt completely natural. Before dessert arrived, the girls excused themselves to freshen up.

“So,” Austin began, leaning back in his seat. “You and Jana seem pretty cozy.” He and Rodney chuckled, and I rolled my eyes.

“Yeah, their hands seem glued together,” Rodney added, taking a sip of his drink.

“Don’t make a big deal out of it. We’re just friends. Friends can be affectionate without it meaning anything,” I defended, even though I knew I was lying.

Just having her so close, her hand on my leg, sent shivers down my spine.

There were moments during dinner when I wanted to pull her into my lap and kiss her senseless, but I had to restrain myself.

“We’re taking things slow. We still have a lot to figure out.”

“I understand,” Austin said. “It’s just good to see you back to your old self. The cheerful Kyle, not the brooding one.”

“Thanks, buddy,” I chuckled. A few minutes later, the girls returned from the restroom just as our desserts were served.

Jana slid back into the booth next to me, and I wrapped my arm around her again. This could definitely become a habit.

We had just finished dessert and were gathering our things to hit a club when three men approached our table.

They appeared to be around our age, and their dark suits suggested they’d come from a business meeting.

Jana stiffened as they reached our table, quickly putting some distance between us.

“Jana? I reckoned that was you,” the man in the center declared, halting right in front of our table. He then swiveled towards Rodney, extending his hand in greeting.

“And Officer Hutchinson, nice to bump into you again.” Rodney reciprocated the handshake before turning our way.

“Folks, meet Ronald Emerson and his colleagues Aiden Garrison and Lance Reed,” Rodney introduced, then pivoted back to Ronald.

“What brings you here, and how do you know Jana?” Ronald cast a glance at Jana, his lips curving into a smile.

“Should I spill the beans, or would you like to?” he queried her.

“Ronald is Michael’s lawyer,” Jana murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.