She shrugged, leaning against her hand. “No, he has. It’s me. I’m just scared.”
“Stop being a pussy,” Karson barked at her. “It’s not cute and also not you. You wanted to be with him, right?”
“Right,” she agreed.
“Then stop worrying or you’re gonna be the one to mess it up, not him and his issues. You, with your worrying,” he explained. “The thing is, I know Jordie. I know what he wants, and that’s you. If you don’t feel the same, then you need to let him know.”
“I do want him,” she snapped back. “God, shut up!”
“Then you shut up,” he yelled and she glared.
“Asshole.”
“Crybaby,” he shot back, kissing Mena’s head. “Stop being a baby and go for what you want. You two have been sleeping in the same room all week, so why not get a place of your own so us normal-sex folks can enjoy some peace.”
Kacey scoffed. “Please, I know you two are freaks,” she accused, and Karson shrugged as Lacey feigned shock.
“We are not,” she said, and Kacey laughed.
“Whatever, and please spare me the details,” she said, holding up her hand and letting her shoulders drop. “But I think here is a safety net. If it goes bad, I have you two.”
“Well, sweetheart, there comes a time in everyone’s life when they grow up and leave Mom and Dad. We love you, and we’ve—”
“Fuck off, Karson!” she yelled, throwing the cap to her water bottle. “I’m just nervous is all.”
“Like I said, it’s called growing up. You know, that thing you wanted to do? And, oh shit, it’s with someone you actually like, so put your big-girl panties on and be happy. I don’t see why you are bitching, it makes no sense. You’ve always wanted this.”
Biting her lip, she shrugged. “I just never thought I’d get it with him,” she said, looking up at them.
“But you are, so live, Kacey. ’Cause some people don’t get this, and Jordie has worked hard to be the guy you want, so don’t hold back on him, y’know?” Karson asked. “’Cause I’ll kick your ass if you hurt him.”
Kacey’s face scrunched at him as Lacey giggled. “That’s so not what a dude says about another dude.”
“Um, excuse me, but Jordie is my BFF, like foreva,” he said, sounding like a Valley girl and Lacey and Kacey snickered.
“It’s true though, he’s my ride-or-die dude,” Jordie said, surprising everyone. Kacey’s heart jumped up into her throat at the thought of him hearing about her uncertainty, and when his gaze met hers, she knew he had.
Shit.
“What’s going on?” he asked. “Family meeting?”
Before she could say anything, Karson said, “No, she’s a scared little brat, thinking that you two are going to fail.”
Well, if he didn’t know before, he knew now.
Rolling her eyes, she let out a long breath. “Wow, thanks, Karson,” she said, her face burning, but Karson just shrugged.
“No problem. Come on, baby, let’s give them some privacy,” he said, pulling Lacey out of the kitchen despite her protests.
“Do you want me to leave?” Lacey asked, but Kacey shrugged as Karson pulled her.
“Do I have a choice?” she asked and Lacey shook her head.
“Don’t think so,” she called back as he directed her down the hall.
“Jerk,” she called at Karson, but he ignored her, shutting Mena’s door.
“So you don’t want to be around me alone?” Jordie asked, tucking his hands in his pockets. “That’s weird.”
She shook her head. “No, come here. I missed you,” she said, closing the distance between them before snaking her arms around his waist and kissing his lips. But he didn’t kiss her back. “You’re mad.”
“Nope, just wondering what’s going on,” he said simply. “You breaking up with me?”
“No,” she said automatically. “Not even thinking that.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
“Just nervous,” she admitted. “It’s all so scary because it’s everything I want.”
A mystified look came over his face as he shook his head. “Yeah, I have no clue what to say to that.”
“I don’t even know what to say,” she admitted, leaning her forehead to his. “But don’t worry about it.”
“No, I will worry about it,” he said, lifting her chin with his finger. “What do I have to do to ease your concerns?”
She shrugged. “I have no clue,” she said and she was being honest. She didn’t know what he could do to fix her worries. It was all on her. She either believed in them or she didn’t.
“I can’t fix it if you don’t tell me what it is.”
Looking up at him, she bit her lip. She needed to get a grip. This man was here, he was hers, and what else did she want? How much more reassurance did she need? He had become the man he felt she deserved. He woke up every morning with a grin on his face and I love you falling off his lips. He looked at her like she was the Stanley Cup and he couldn’t keep his hands off her. He loved her and that’s what she wanted. She needed to stop creating problems in her head. They had the potential to have loads of them, so she needed to enjoy right now, like Lacey said.
“Stop being a pussy,” Karson barked at her. “It’s not cute and also not you. You wanted to be with him, right?”
“Right,” she agreed.
“Then stop worrying or you’re gonna be the one to mess it up, not him and his issues. You, with your worrying,” he explained. “The thing is, I know Jordie. I know what he wants, and that’s you. If you don’t feel the same, then you need to let him know.”
“I do want him,” she snapped back. “God, shut up!”
“Then you shut up,” he yelled and she glared.
“Asshole.”
“Crybaby,” he shot back, kissing Mena’s head. “Stop being a baby and go for what you want. You two have been sleeping in the same room all week, so why not get a place of your own so us normal-sex folks can enjoy some peace.”
Kacey scoffed. “Please, I know you two are freaks,” she accused, and Karson shrugged as Lacey feigned shock.
“We are not,” she said, and Kacey laughed.
“Whatever, and please spare me the details,” she said, holding up her hand and letting her shoulders drop. “But I think here is a safety net. If it goes bad, I have you two.”
“Well, sweetheart, there comes a time in everyone’s life when they grow up and leave Mom and Dad. We love you, and we’ve—”
“Fuck off, Karson!” she yelled, throwing the cap to her water bottle. “I’m just nervous is all.”
“Like I said, it’s called growing up. You know, that thing you wanted to do? And, oh shit, it’s with someone you actually like, so put your big-girl panties on and be happy. I don’t see why you are bitching, it makes no sense. You’ve always wanted this.”
Biting her lip, she shrugged. “I just never thought I’d get it with him,” she said, looking up at them.
“But you are, so live, Kacey. ’Cause some people don’t get this, and Jordie has worked hard to be the guy you want, so don’t hold back on him, y’know?” Karson asked. “’Cause I’ll kick your ass if you hurt him.”
Kacey’s face scrunched at him as Lacey giggled. “That’s so not what a dude says about another dude.”
“Um, excuse me, but Jordie is my BFF, like foreva,” he said, sounding like a Valley girl and Lacey and Kacey snickered.
“It’s true though, he’s my ride-or-die dude,” Jordie said, surprising everyone. Kacey’s heart jumped up into her throat at the thought of him hearing about her uncertainty, and when his gaze met hers, she knew he had.
Shit.
“What’s going on?” he asked. “Family meeting?”
Before she could say anything, Karson said, “No, she’s a scared little brat, thinking that you two are going to fail.”
Well, if he didn’t know before, he knew now.
Rolling her eyes, she let out a long breath. “Wow, thanks, Karson,” she said, her face burning, but Karson just shrugged.
“No problem. Come on, baby, let’s give them some privacy,” he said, pulling Lacey out of the kitchen despite her protests.
“Do you want me to leave?” Lacey asked, but Kacey shrugged as Karson pulled her.
“Do I have a choice?” she asked and Lacey shook her head.
“Don’t think so,” she called back as he directed her down the hall.
“Jerk,” she called at Karson, but he ignored her, shutting Mena’s door.
“So you don’t want to be around me alone?” Jordie asked, tucking his hands in his pockets. “That’s weird.”
She shook her head. “No, come here. I missed you,” she said, closing the distance between them before snaking her arms around his waist and kissing his lips. But he didn’t kiss her back. “You’re mad.”
“Nope, just wondering what’s going on,” he said simply. “You breaking up with me?”
“No,” she said automatically. “Not even thinking that.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
“Just nervous,” she admitted. “It’s all so scary because it’s everything I want.”
A mystified look came over his face as he shook his head. “Yeah, I have no clue what to say to that.”
“I don’t even know what to say,” she admitted, leaning her forehead to his. “But don’t worry about it.”
“No, I will worry about it,” he said, lifting her chin with his finger. “What do I have to do to ease your concerns?”
She shrugged. “I have no clue,” she said and she was being honest. She didn’t know what he could do to fix her worries. It was all on her. She either believed in them or she didn’t.
“I can’t fix it if you don’t tell me what it is.”
Looking up at him, she bit her lip. She needed to get a grip. This man was here, he was hers, and what else did she want? How much more reassurance did she need? He had become the man he felt she deserved. He woke up every morning with a grin on his face and I love you falling off his lips. He looked at her like she was the Stanley Cup and he couldn’t keep his hands off her. He loved her and that’s what she wanted. She needed to stop creating problems in her head. They had the potential to have loads of them, so she needed to enjoy right now, like Lacey said.
