Page 75 of Finding You

His co-pilot noticed, but luckily, she was a mind-your-own-business kind of person, so the most she did was get him tea and remind him he needed to eat.

He stopped by the Big Bowl in Denver for some teriyaki chicken because he needed that sweet, sweet tangy comfort, and then he scrolled through his messages. Dallas hadn’t texted, but Kylen figured he wouldn’t unless it was an emergency. He was taking no news as good news.

But he still felt sick to his stomach and eventually caved, calling Dani because she would at least tell him to get his head out of his ass.

“I hate this,” he said as soon as she picked up.

“I hate that I don’t even have to ask what you’re panicking about,” she fired back.

That was…fair. He had been a little dramatic lately. And most of his problems were his own fault. He was supposed to follow the “don’t fuck with straight guys” rule and had failed terribly. Granted, it had worked out in ways Kylen never could have anticipated, but the fact remained, it was still a mess.

“How bad is it?” she asked.

Kylen sighed. “More court shit, I think. Can I just take a minute to tell you how much I love you?”

Dani laughed. “Because I don’t drag your ass in front of a judge?”

“Because you’re kind and lovely,” Kylen fired back. “You gave me the most amazing child that has ever walked the planet, and you always meet me in the middle.”

“Not always,” she said quietly. Which was true, but she hadn’t been stubborn in years. And neither had he. Their growing pains were long gone.

“None of that matters now, honey,” he told her. He leaned his elbow on the counter and glanced toward the hallway that led to his gate. DIA was always crowded, so he’d have to head back to the plane soon. “We have a great life.”

“I do. Yours is still kind of a shitshow,” Dani lamented. “Maybe we should have just gotten married.”

“I’m in love with Dallas, so honestly, I’m glad we didn’t. He pointed something out last night that made me think.” He’d pointed out a lot of things that had made him think, but talking about his family had been almost like a kick in the junk.

“That they suck?”

Kylen barked a laugh. “Well, yeah. But also that—God help me—I want to keep fighting for them to see me as I am.”

“I can get on board with that,” she said.

He grinned, wishing she was there so he could wrap his arms around her. He really needed a hug from his best friend right then. “I think I’m going to talk to my mom and sister when I get back. And go to the reunion.”

“With Dallas?”

Kylen closed his eyes. “Yeah. With Dallas. As my boyfriend.”

“Real or fake?”

“Does somewhere in the middle count?”

She laughed softly. “I have no idea. But maybe for the two of you, it’s not in the middle. Maybe it’s what’s right for you both. And fuck anyone else who doesn’t understand it.”

“Again, I love you so much.”

“I love you too. Now, get home so I can snuggle with you before my flight.”

Kylen pulled the phone from his ear and checked the time. Shit. He was going to be late. “Running now,” he said. “See you in a couple hours.”

His feet hit the ground, and he only got a couple of annoyed side-eyes from the flight attendants as he rushed the doors, gasping for breath. It felt like a metaphor for his life though, and that almost felt like motivation enough to get his shit together.

He shot a text to Dallas as soon as he was in his car, then headed for home. As much as he wanted to go back to Adele’s, Dani deserved his attention more. He wouldn’t see her for the next few months, and it was getting harder and harder to say goodbye. He wouldn’t begrudge her the life she’d made for herself, but he loved her and missed her.

Flora was asleep face down on the couch when he walked in, and he found Dani in her bedroom, zipping up her suitcase. She shot him a watery smile, and he opened his arms for her, letting her wrap around him.

“Tell me I have to go.”

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