UNDYING: A Bad Boy MMA Romance (Midwest Alphas) (Book 3) Page 17

  There was some serious judgment in the beginning. Piper and I are step-siblings, after all. It took some getting used to, but after a while, it was like old news. I thought that was what we wanted all along, for everyone to just chill out and let us be, but then I was pulled into my stepfather’s study last Christmas and spent an hour getting grilled about my intentions. I guess a father gets nervous when his only daughter dates the same man for a few consecutive years.

  It’s not just Philip either. My mother began asking questions last summer after my father got remarried. That’s when our relationship jumped from interesting happenstance to cosmic joke.

  My father married Piper’s mother in a small, private ceremony at his house. There were only five people there: My father, Penny, Piper, myself, and a judge. Afterward, my mother obsessed over just how hilarious it would be if Piper and I got hitched as well. After the joke caught on, it was on everybody’s lips.

  So, where’s the ring?

  School is almost over. Settling down yet?

  Better find a good job to afford a house and put down some roots.

  It makes me cringe every time. Piper isn’t the issue. I plan on her being in my life for a long time, no problems there. But the idea of settling down is a death sentence to me now. I can’t imagine myself that way. Husband, wife, kids, dog, and picket fences. It may have been plausible when I was younger, but now… that’s crazy talk. That’s boring. That’s… ordinary. Some men can look into the eyes of the women they love and see that life peaking back at them. I look into Piper’s eyes and I see…

  I see her head leaning against the window, sleeping lightly as the train car shakes gently down the tracks. I see the sun setting on the horizon of a passing vineyard behind her. I see a one-way ticket to anywhere we want to go.

  “I’d like to introduce this year’s Valedictorian, Ms. Piper Lynch!”

  My eyes jump back on the stage. Before I can clap for her, I hear the loud whoops and hollers from the seats far behind us. I follow the voices and chuckle when I see my father and stepmother on their feet, waving their hands and whistling for her. Even my mother and Piper’s father are standing next to them in celebration of her. It’s strange to see the four of them being so friendly together after so many years of battles and feuds. But I guess that’s family for you.

  “Thank you, Dean Rogers.”

  Piper’s voice brings my attention back to the stage. I look up at her and a wave of nostalgia washes over me. Years ago, this was all that Piper was. It was an act, mostly, but no one knew that at the time. Piper seemingly lived for the spotlight and all the attention it brought her. Nowadays, she’s much more private and quiet. I like her better now.

  Her lips curl with a quick smile as she gazes out at the students sitting ahead of her. I smile back at her, knowing that she probably has no idea where I am in the sea of black robes, but that’s fine. It’s been a long time since the days when I used to watch her, when I could see her but she couldn’t see me. Somehow, watching her sleep every night doesn’t feel the same as this.

  Piper takes a deep breath and pauses as her eyes suddenly spot me. She smiles again, but this time, it strikes her eyes, the way it always does when she smiles just for me. We share a silent moment in time, gazing at each other, ignoring the other thousands of eyes watching her as well.

  She finally looks away and flawlessly transitions into her speech.

  An oddness takes hold of me. There’s something strange in the way she moves, something I can’t quite pin down.

  Maybe Shawn’s right. She does look a little different.

  ***

  “You okay, buddy?”

  I turn around as my dad walks into the room. “No,” I mutter. I look out the window again and watch as the movers carry boxes into the moving truck one-by-one. “I am objectively not okay.”

  He throws on a sympathetic face. “Oh, come on, Kai. It won’t be that bad.” I feel his hand slap against my shoulder. “You’re gonna get to live in a big mansion with a pool and a maid. It’ll be great.”

  I slowly look at him and he quickly loses the fake smile. “Why can’t I just stay here?”

  “I wish you could, Kai,” he says, “but judge says no. I have to do a lot of traveling over the next year for work and I can’t leave a minor home alone for weeks at a time.”

  “Still…” I glance around the empty room. “I grew up here. I don’t want to leave.”

  Dad traces the same pattern around the room with his eyes. “I know, but…” he sighs. “Sometimes, things don’t go exactly as planned. Life is gonna throw some curve balls at you. Right now, you and I… are just going to have to make the best of a few bad pitches.”

  “Just doesn’t seem right is all.”

  “And it’s not,” he says. “Listen, buddy…” He steps closer and throws his arm around my shoulder. “One of these days, you and I are going to look back and we’re going to laugh at this. I promise.”

  “I highly doubt that, Dad.”

  “I’m serious. That day is not today, but someday, it will be today. Okay?”

  I nod, but I don’t believe a word of it. “All right.”

  “In the meantime, I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing and you’re going to go live with your mother… and the man that’s fucking her.”

  I cringe. “Jesus, Dad…”

  “I’m sorry, Kai,” he says. “I’m a bit bitter. But hey — you’ll have Piper to hang out with. She’s… a nice girl.”

  I chuckle and shake my head. “Yeah, right.”

  “You’ve been friends forever. I’m sure you guys can bond over this.”

  I stand up a little taller. Piper Lynch. Belle Academy Female #13.

  Maybe there’s a silver lining to this after all.

  Chapter 3

  Piper

  My father holds up his glass. “I’d like to propose a toast,” he says.

  I roll my eyes and look around the table at everyone. A few years ago, if someone had told me that Kai and I would someday be sitting around the dinner table at my father’s house surrounded by the smiling faces of all of our happy parents, I would have told them to go fuck themselves. Nothing that’s come to pass so far has felt quite as surreal as this moment.

  My mother sits to my right and directly next to her sits her husband, Kai’s father, Hawthorne Casablancas. My father sits next to Hawthorne and let me tell you, I still cringe every time I see the two of them within swinging distance of one another. And then there’s his wife, Ava, Kai’s mother. She and my mother have somehow let bygones be bygones and now, they’re even closer friends than they were before the affair began.

  No, come to think of it, surreal doesn’t quite cover it.

  Kai reaches for me underneath the table. We entwine our fingers together and when I glance at him, I can tell he’s thinking the same thought as I am.

  What a fucked up family we have.

  “To the happy graduates!” my father announces. “They have both worked so hard to get to where they are now and I can’t imagine there’s anyone in the world more proud of them than the folks at this table.”

  “Damn right,” Hawthorne adds, raising his glass a little higher in his toast.

  “To the happy graduates!” Everyone takes a sip from their glasses while I squeeze Kai’s fingers a little more.

  “Thanks for doing all of this, by the way,” Kai says. “We really appreciate the work you guys put in to this.”

  I nod. “Yes, this was great. Thank you.”

  Ava gives a sweet smile. “It was our pleasure,” she says. “Although, I have to give credit to Penny. She brought back so many wonderful recipes from Europe. I wasn’t even sure where to begin.”

  My mother chuckles. “If there’s one thing I miss the most, it’s the food. Right, Piper?”

  “I salivate just thinking about it, honestly.” I give a quick scan of their faces. Every last one of them is smiling. It’s amazing how far we’ve come. Just a year ago, a mere me
ntion of my six months in Europe brought the room to a stand-still. Not anymore. It’s just a part of our history. My father even jokes about it occasionally.

  “I just can’t believe how much time has passed,” Hawthorne says. “Didn’t they just graduate from high school?”

  “Oh, heaven’s no,” my mother says. “Philip and I just brought Piper home from the hospital.”

  Ava shivers. “Don’t remind me. Poor little Kai spent five days in the NICU. Scariest days of my life.”

  Kai sighs. “And here we go…” he whispers at me.

  I chuckle softly, but stay silent to listen in.

  Hawthorne waves a hand through the air. “He was fine,” he says. “A Casablancas man never gets sick.”

  “That’s not true!” Ava laughs. “Kai was always sick, always crying.”

  “Oh, that was all your genes then,” he jokes.

  I glance at Kai as everyone laughs. He rolls his eyes.

  “Well, at least he acted like a real baby,” my mother says. She points a quick finger at me. “This one never made a peep. Ever. Never cried. Never got sick. Didn’t speak a word until she was four years old. It was a constant battle to find out what the hell she wanted.”

  My father laughs. “Her first words were, ‘Go away, Dad. I’m reading.’”

  I hear Kai laugh next to me and I dig a nail into his palm. He glares back at me with smiling eyes.

  “And now,” Ava says, “look at them.”

  All eyes fall on us and my hand instinctively falls from Kai’s grip. “Yeah…” I mutter. “Look at us.”

  Ava leans forward in her chair. “What’s next for the two of you, huh?” she asks. “Let us in on your secret plans.”

  Kai slinks backward a little bit before letting out an awkward chuckle. “No plans, really…” he says.

  I shake my head. “I was so focused on getting to today, I didn’t really think about what would come after…”

  “I’d like to teach, so I guess grad school is maybe a thing…” Kai mutters.

  My father nods. “A greatly encouraged thing,” he says. “You can never have too much education, especially in your field, Kai. And yours, Piper. I know you don’t care much about more school, but it’s something to think about.”

  I nod. “I will — think about it, I mean.”

  “Oh, I don’t care about that…” Ava says. “I want to know about the two of you.” I hear Kai inhale a quick breath. He doesn’t release it. My own muscles go tense with nervousness. “What’s next for you two? I mean, it’s been a few years now—”

  “Mom…” Kai interrupts.

  “I think they might be a little young for those questions, Ava,” Hawthorne says.

  “Hogwash,” she says. “We weren’t much older than they are now when we got married.”

  Married. The dreaded M-word. Of all the conversations Kai and I have had about each other, about sex, about everything in between, this topic has only surfaced once. Kai’s told me that he didn’t believe in marriage. I told him I didn’t either and we left it at that, but I’m not about to break Ava’s heart at one of her own dinner parties. I smile at her. “We haven’t really talked about it, but who knows?” I say, offering her a sliver of hope that should shut her up until the next family gathering.

  “Yeah,” Kai says, playing off my careful words. “Like Dad said, we’re still pretty young. There’s no hurry.”

  “Maybe not for you,” Ava says, “but I’m not getting any younger and I don’t want to die before I meet my grandchildren.”

  I chill runs down my back. “Okay…” I chuckle. “Let’s not get too far ahead here…”

  Kai shakes his head fast. “Yeah, I mean… we’ve been together a while, but that’s not… not even. No…” he says, his words laced with panic.

  “Calm down, Kai,” my mother soothes. “You’re babbling like a brook.”

  His head falls and he stares at the table while his cheeks turn bright red. I can’t imagine I look any calmer than he does. “We’re not ready for anything like that, Ava,” I answer her. I keep my words steady and direct, hoping to squash any uncertainty shaking my vocal chords.

  “Neither am I,” my father adds.

  “Philip, I believe we are in agreement,” Hawthorne says.

  “Well, that’s a first,” my mother quips.

  My father holds up his glass once more. “I’ll drink to that, if you will, Hawthorne.”

  “Oh, you know me, Philip,” he replies and reaches for his glass. “I drink to anything.”

  Glasses clink together around the table once more while Kai and I sit catatonic, each of us staring off into the dark spaces around us.

  ***

  I step outside onto the front steps and pause until Kai is outside with me.

  “Goodnight, everybody!” he calls out over his shoulder and we hear the semi-drunken goodbyes of our parents inside as he subtlety slams the door closed behind us. He immediately fills his lungs with fresh air with his eyes clenched shut. His hand lingers on the doorknob, holding himself up against the warm blowing wind.

  I open my mouth to speak, but think better of it. I suspected those questions really rattled Kai at the time, and as I watch him now, I know my suspicions were correct. Extreme commitment terrifies Kai Casablancas. It always has. Being with me exclusively? That was easy for him. Talk of marriage and children? I’m surprised he’s still standing. Hell, I would have launched my own body out a window if I was within jumping distance of it, too.

  “Sorry about that, Pipes…” he finally says.

  “Sorry about what?”

  “My mother…” He stands up a little taller. “She can be kind of…”

  I smile at his worrisome brown eyes. “I know,” I shrug. “What else is new?” I take a step closer to him and inch my fingers around his waist.

  “I don’t like feeling pressured into doing things…” he mutters. “Especially not life-changing things.”

  “I know what you mean.” I pull myself in closer to plant a few soft kisses on his neck. His scent fills my nose, enticing me to forget all of the evening’s unpleasantness. Thankfully, it’s working, and I can already feel my sex warming with life.

  “Of course — I’m talking to Piper Lynch,” he laughs. “The queen of avoiding things.”

  I pull back slightly with narrow eyes. “The what now?” I ask.

  He stutters over his words. “Well, I mean… you know what I mean. Your dad pushed you to do things and you — you know… ran away—” He stops suddenly. “I’m digging a very deep hole, aren’t I?”

  “I’ll let it slide,” I grin. “You’ve been through a lot.” I lean back in and kiss his warm neck again.

  His pulse increases against my lips. “Oh, goody,” he says as his hands slide up my back.

  A smile teases my lips. “I have a surprise for you,” I whisper in his ear.

  “Does it involve forgetting this dinner ever happened?” he asks. “Because I’d be down for forgetting this dinner ever happened.”

  “It might,” I answer. I flick his left earlobe with the tip of my tongue and he shivers against me. “Come on.” I pull back quickly and step off the front stoop. Kai follows closely behind me until we split off to enter his car. I settle into the passenger seat of his bright blue corvette, chosen because the color matched my eyes — according to Kai, but that could just as easily have been a good line to get me into the backseat (either way, it worked). It’s the replacement ride of the red corvette he had in high school, but lost to Shawn when he lied about losing their bet.

  “So, where are we going?” he asks.

  “Just start driving,” I smile, “and I’ll direct the way.”

  He stares at me through the corner of his eyes with suspicion, but does as he’s told.

  ***

  I grip Kai’s hand a little tighter as I pull him off the elevator with me. The suspicion in his eyes has only grown since we drove away from my father’s house.

  “Piper�
��”

  “Yes, Kai?”

  “What are we doing in a fancy hotel?”

  I look back and grin, flashing my teeth at him. “I told you I had a surprise for you,” I say. I reach into my pocket to find the electronic room key stuffed inside.

  He watches me closely, his eyes following the blank, white key card. “What kind of surprise?” he asks.

  I stop in front of our door. “A graduation gift.”

  Kai bites his lip. “Oh, was I supposed to get you a gift?” he asks.

  “Maybe,” I answer. My heart skips as he pins me against the door and leaves a firm kiss on my lips. It knocks the wind out of me and I linger in his grasp with my head on air.

  “I should probably be punished then,” he whispers. His lips graze mine as he speaks. I quiver with the gust of his warm breath against my chin.

  “Probably,” I agree. I kiss him once more. “But not tonight.”

  He raises an eyebrow. “The plot thickens…” His strong fingers release me, but he stays close to me as I pivot around to open the door.

  I slide the key into the lock and twist the doorknob to force the door open an inch. “After you,” I tell him.

  He hesitates a moment, but I see the excitement blurring his eyes as he places his palm on the white door. He pushes it open and steps inside.

  As I follow him in, I grab the ‘do not disturb’ sign and hang it on the knob.

  The room is set up just as I expected it to be.

  The curtains are drawn, the lights are set down low, and Mandy Black lies on the king-sized bed wearing nothing but a silk, red robe.

  Chapter 4

  Kai

  This plot just keeps getting thicker.

  I stare at Mandy on the bed and wonder if a mistake has been made. Words form on my tongue, but I lose them just as quickly as they came. “Hey, Mandy—” I finally manage to say.

  She smiles at me, her eyes locked on mine behind her dark brown bangs. “Hey, Kai,” she says back.