Chapter
Home for the Holidays
A week later, I was at my parents’ place, staring at their Christmas tree, ticking down the minutes in my head. Ever since arriving in the town of my birth early in the week, I’d been hoping that Kellan could join me.
Sure, I’d have to do some fanciful fast talk to get my dad to concede on letting him sleep in the house, but even if he had to stay at a nearby motel, at least he’d be with me, and not…who knows where.
But the guys were being kept busy right up until nearly the end. Just last night, the eve before Christmas Eve, he’d played a show in New York. It had been their largest show to date, and Kellan had been all excited energy when he’d finally called me…at four in the morning. Now that our time zones were closer together, he was calling me after I was asleep. I didn’t mind though, groggily murmuring some sort of response to his stories.
My sister came out and joined me on our mom’s plastic-coated couch.
It squeaked a bit when she sat down. Looping her arm over my shoulders, she handed me a cup of spiced coffee. I took it, smiling as I watched the blinking Christmas lights reflecting in the white ceramic.
The scent of cinnamon wafted up, reminding me of multiple things—baking with my mom, the candles my grandma burned nonstop, and of course, Kellan. Anything with coffee always reminded me of Kellan.
Clinking our cups, Anna smiled brightly. “Merry Christmas, Kiera.” I tilted my head at her as I took a sip. “Merry Christmas, Anna.” 233
Looking outside, to the light snow that was starting to fall, Anna shivered. “You excited to finally see Kellan again? It’s been what…almost two months?”
I sighed and leaned back into the couch. “Yeah.” It had actually gone by quicker than I thought it would. Kellan’s little scavenger hunt had eased the time passing, along with his phone calls and periodic texts. If anything, Kellan was good at keeping in touch. It helped. It let me know that he missed me, too.
Anna sighed and leaned back with me. “Yeah, I miss those guys.” She frowned after she said it and I leaned into her side. Other than a few phone calls and quite a few snapshots of Griffin’s junk, Anna hadn’t gotten much out of her pseudo-boyfriend. He wasn’t even coming out to see her for Christmas, which I was sort of glad about. He and Matt were visiting their family in California, while Evan was going home to see Jenny.
Rachel was flying out to seeing Matt in L.A., but Anna hadn’t shown any interest in flying out to meet up with Griffin. Plus, I was pretty sure Griffin hadn’t asked her to.
“I’m sure Griffin misses you, Anna. He wouldn’t still text you if he didn’t.” I hoped that sounded encouraging, but really, their relationship still mystified me.
Anna rolled her eyes and scoffed, bringing her feet up onto the couch that our mom was anal about keeping clean. “Whatever…I’ll see him when I see him.” Her voice was a little strained and I thought she almost looked misty-eyed…but I couldn’t really tell.
Shaking her head, she looked over at me. “When’s Kellan coming up?” I looked out the living room archway to the kitchen, to see if either of our parents was listening. Mom was carving up a turkey, the sound of her electric cutting knife filling the air. Occasionally I could hear her snapping at Dad to stay out of the olives. Smiling, I figured they were engrossed in their own activities and couldn’t hear me. I didn’t want to bring up Kellan’s arrival any more than I had to.
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“Don’t know.” I lifted the phone I had in my other hand. “He’s going to call when he knows for sure.” As if on cue, the cell buzzed in my palm. I blinked at the contraption as Anna started laughing.
Shaking my head at Kellan and his timing, I read the text message on my screen. ‘I can’t wait to see you tonight. I’ll be in around nine. Should I meet you at your parents’ place?’
Giggling that this was actually going to happen, I texted back a reply that was horribly impractical. ‘No, have the cab take you here…’
I texted him the address of my most favorite park in all the world. I knew it was romantic and sappy, meeting up at a secluded spot instead of just having him come straight here, but he’d been gone for an eternity, and I wanted to shower him in affection before introducing him to my parents. Plus, he had said that he wanted to see all of the places I loved.
‘Okay, it’s a date. I love you.’
I texted that I loved him too, then held the phone to my chest as I sighed contently. God, I’d missed him. Anna just stared at me, an eyebrow raised. “Huh,” she muttered.
Adjusting my posture so I didn’t look so school girlish, I shook my head. “Huh, what?”
She smiled, then kissed my head. “Nothing…you’ve just got it bad, Kiera.” She frowned, just slightly. “I hope…I hope you get what you want.”
I started to ask her what she meant but she stood up and left the room.
Maybe she was just starting to have twisting feelings about Griffin and she was transferring that doubt onto my relationship with Kellan. If she knew something…I was sure she’d tell me right away. Sister’s code and all.
The rest of that day went by so slowly that I felt like another couple of months had gone by. Kellan and I being together again, even if it was just for one night, and he had to leave again tomorrow, was the best 235
Christmas gift I could have asked for. Better than any material object in the world.
Everyone dressed in their finest for our Christmas Eve meal. It was just the four of us, but we’d always fancied the meal up like we were serving the Queen; Mom even brought out the good china. Dad dressed in his favorite sweater vest, looking very academic and proper, like he should be in a leather-bound chair, smoking a pipe while discussing Thoreau. Mom put on her pearls, her dress neatly steamed and pressed. I scrounged through my old closet and found a simple black dress. Anna outdid us all in a sleek, fitted red dress that she nearly spilled out of.
Glancing at the clock on the wall as the food was set so appealingly that even Martha Stewart would be proud, Mom said, “Should we wait for Kellan, dear?”
My dad twisted his lips, not thrilled that a lazy, drug-smoking rocker was about to throw off his Christmas traditions. I didn’t bother telling him, again, that Kellan wasn’t like that. Instead, I sighed at the seven o’clock time staring me in the face. “No, he’s still a couple of hours away.
I’ll save him some for when he gets here.”
Mom nodded and began serving slices of poultry. Dad raised an eyebrow at me. “You know, we never fully went over where he’ll be staying, Kiera…it won’t be with you.”
Sighing, I looked down. “I know, Dad…no boys in the house.” Geez, you’d think I was still fifteen.
Anna crossed her arms over her chest. “Don’t be ridiculous, Dad.
Where exactly is he supposed to stay?” She pointed her finger out the window, to the main part of the city of Athens in the distance. “There were no rooms at the inn on Christmas Eve, remember?”
“Anna,” Mom warned, her visage disapproving of my sister’s analogy.
Anna sighed and shrugged. “Just saying, things are going to be full.
You can’t just kick him out if he’s got nowhere to be…that’s not very merry.” I smiled, loving that Anna was sticking up for him. Remaining 236
quiet, since Anna could sometimes sway our parents more easily than I could, I watched my dad frown, then consider.
Rubbing his lip, he thought for a moment. Finally, he raised his eyes to me. “He can stay in the tent out back. I’ll set it up after dinner.”
“A tent? Dad!” I finally exclaimed. “It’s snowing outside…he’ll freeze to death.” Crossing my arms now, I added, “You were going to let Denny stay with me last year…in my room.”
Dad sighed heavily, like he was conceding a great defeat. He couldn’t really argue with me on that point. My parents had acted hastily last year, in their attempt to lure me to their place when they thought I’d decided to go to Australia with Denny. Things hadn’t worked out that way, but still, the offer had been made. They should honor it, no matter who I was with.
Shaking his head, Dad muttered, “That was different. We knew Denny…and he was a good man. Made some bad decisions, left you alone when he shouldn’t have, but…a good man, I think.” I sighed as Mom silently filled my plate. “Yes, Denny’s a good man…and so is Kellan.” Looking at the both of them, I shrugged. “You just have to give him a chance.” Dad sighed again and I added,
“Please…I really love him.”
Mom paused, placing a hand on my shoulder and peeking at my dad.
He looked up at her, sighed again, then muttered, “Fine, he can stay in the house…” he pointed at me, “but he doesn’t go up to your room…ever, and he sleeps on the couch!”
I rolled my eyes but didn’t press my luck. Just Dad agreeing to him staying in the building was a huge victory. Anna smiled at me as she popped a forkful of stuffing in her mouth. She raised her eyebrows suggestively and I knew exactly what she was thinking— Don’t worry, I’ll cover for you.
After a leisurely dinner and a good helping of pecan pie, it was finally time to meet up with Kellan at my favorite park. I was giddy, thinking over how romantic the moment was going to be. After I quickly threw on 237
some warm clothes for my date, Dad sullenly gave me his car keys, complaining the whole while that Kellan should meet me here if he were truly a gentleman. Sighing for the hundredth time, I explained that it was my idea to meet in the park, that I’d wanted to show him a small bit of Ohio University.
Being a proud Alma Mater, that perked Dad up a bit. He watched me carefully as I took the keys though, and it was quite clear that he’d be listening for my return all night long. I sighed, the private part of our reunion was going to be a brief one. Getting into my dad’s Volvo, I started my drive.
The roads were kept pretty clear, so I didn’t have too much difficulty traversing through the falling snow. Within minutes I was at our meeting place. The parking area was empty as I looked around, but that wasn’t too surprising. It was late on Christmas Eve. Most people were snug in their beds, waiting for the big morning, not having a romantic rendezvous in a public place. Feeling an excitement starting to course through me, I started to make my way through the park.
The freshly falling snow was adding a soft layer to the few inches already covering the ground. I wanted to run to the spot where I knew Kellan would be, but I resisted. Looking around the park, I hoped the directions that I’d texted to him about an hour ago, were good enough for him to find this specific spot. Walking across the snowy lawn, my boots crunching a path through the pure white, I came up to a bench in front of a small duck pond. Even though I’d spent countless hours at this park while I’d been attending school here, this place oddly reminded me of Kellan’s and my park back home. Funny, I already considered Seattle my “home.” This place, my birthplace, was now the spot I visited.
Brushing snow off the wrought iron bench, I looked out over the pale, moonlit night as I sat down. There were no fresh tracks in the snow. The ground was pristine…beautiful and perfect. Grabbing my cell phone out of the purse slung over my side, I glanced at the time. Nine-thirty. The local airport wasn’t that far away. Assuming his flight was on schedule, it was more than enough time for him to get from the airport to here.
Glancing around the sloping white hills, I only saw where my tracks led down here though. Kellan wasn’t around yet.
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I tried to wait patiently, but I hadn’t seen him in so long that I was edgy. Nervous energy shot through me as my feet bounced up and down on the insulated-with-snow concrete path. Light flakes were still falling, collecting in my hair and eyelashes, melting together then bead-ing and rolling off my thick jacket. The longer I sat, the more I felt the cold. Sniffling a little, I suddenly cursed my romantic location. I should have just had him drive to my parents’ place. Less chance he’d get lost that way. Plus, parks weren’t exactly the best place to be waiting around in the middle of the night…even on Christmas Eve night.
That thought made me wonder what or who could possibly be in this park besides me. I startled when my phone vibrated in my hands. The tiny chime accompanying it seemed horribly loud in the still night and I cursed under my breath. Looking down, a puff of warm air from my mouth hazed the screen. Frowning, I wiped the condensation off…then I smiled.
New text message from Kellan Kyle.
Those words from my phone were some of my favorite. Right after, Incoming call from Kellan Kyle, actually. Pressing the view now icon, I waited to see what my man had to say for himself; he was nearly forty-five minutes late now. My heart dropped immediately.
‘I’m sorry…I can’t make it.’
Biting my lip, I willed the disappointment to stop. It was hard though.
It was crashing through me like the storms currently hitting the east coast. Idly, I wondered if that’s why he couldn’t make it. Maybe he’d gotten snowed in.
With heavy fingers, I typed back, ‘Really? But it’s Christmas…’
I hoped he didn’t think I was whining. I knew his schedule was hard. I knew he was trying to see me. Wiping a stubborn tear from my eye, I sniffed again for a different reason. I’d so wanted to introduce him to my family, to spend the holiday with him, to just…see him.
His reply came while I was wiping my nose with the back of my jacket sleeve. ‘Yeah, I know. I tried…I’m really sorry.’ While I tried to think of 239
something that was encouraging and sympathetic, not snippy and childish, my phone buzzed and chirped again. ‘Are you okay? You’re not crying, are you?’
Sniffling and wiping my nose again, I frowned that he thought I’d turn into a blubbering mess so rapidly. True, my stomach was twisted and tears were freely rolling down my cheeks now, but I didn’t necessarily want him to know that. ‘No…I’m fine. I know you tried. I’m okay…really.’
Thinking that I had no idea when I’d actually see him again, a stubborn sob escaped me. My phone sounded at me right after. I had to swipe my fingers under my eyes to read his message.
‘You’re lying.’
Sniffling as more tears embarrassingly ran down my face, I shook my head at the screen. “Am not…” My voice was a little petulant as I replied to a tiny piece of machinery that couldn’t hear or understand me.
Just as my thumbs came down to type him a message reiterating just how completely fine I was, even though I wasn’t, my phone chirped at me. Blinking, I opened his message.
‘Are too.’
I stared at my phone like it had just grown lips and talked to me. I did say that smartass comment out loud, didn’t I? Did I subconsciously text it too? I was a little worn out from travel, and the holidays…and my parents. Flipping through my outbox, I double-checked all of my messages.
“How did you know that, Kellan?” I muttered as I looked for a message I didn’t remember sending.
My phone buzzed while I was browsing yesterday’s texts. Shaking my head, I shifted back to the inbox. ‘I know that because I know everything.’
My eyes widened even more. Another message had come in while I was reading that one and I immediately opened it next. ‘I also lied…turn around.’
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