Page 49 of Frayed Owner

“It was very fun,” I agreed, willing to give him that but still confused where he was going.

“And I am a bit too normal. Boring.” He frowned and looked away. “I’ve gotten that a lot. That I’m not exciting enough and—I’m normal. Average. My family—everything. I’m not super smart or cool. I just had enough magic to get in here.”

“That’s really selling yourself short,” I defended.

He looked a bit lighter but shrugged. “Fine, I’m normal, but I won’t say boring.”

“You’re consistent andclassic,” I offered.

Kelton smiled at me, and it was so damn disarming. “Thanks, sweetie.”

I gave a half shrug and pretended I had to look at my food.

“But your life has been—I don’t want to keep saying a horror movie. That’s mean, but you were abused. So extreme. Volatile and extreme. Fair?”

I nodded, thinking I saw where he was going now. “It’s probably always going to be like that even if now I’m not abused.”

“Yes, and that’s why someone different is perfect for you.” He pointed to himself. “Yin.” Then he pointed to me. “Yang. Or vice versa. However it works.” He waved at the flowers sitting next to me. “Yellow flowers after the guy is a jerk to apologize. Normal. Very normal. Well, should be standard.”

“I think every woman would agree,” I chuckled, glancing at the pretty yellow tulips he got me. They were really nice. I jumped when he moved closer and squatted down so he had my legs between his and his hands were on my thighs.

“Don’t give up on us, Bev. Let’s just keep taking things as we were and forget the rest. We’ll handle the crazy together—what happened with Kevin, my mom working for you—meworking for you—all of it. But you’ll give me that exciting too and I’ll give you normal. I know about the addition and renovations of your house.

“I immediately thought I should take you to IKEA and we can think of ideas. Maybe Crate & Barrel because Mom loves to window shop there and get ideas that are overpriced for her. So normal. And we can get boba like normal college kids and just have a couple of hours. More picnics and—I will make a list of normal.”

“I’ve always wanted to go to IKEA,” I admitted, letting my hands drop so I was touching his while still holding my sandwich. I figured that was… Something?

“You have guards now and we’ll figure it out. Your schedule is crazy, but we can pop anywhere. I need to get my head in the game of school too, but—I like being on the same team as you, sweetie. I feelalivewith you.” He rubbed my legs. “That’s worth the risk, and now that your dad’s out—”

Cold dread ran over me. “The threat isn’t gone just because he isn’t in charge. Jean is—Jean is just as bad, Kelton. She—things went bad yesterday, and I’m still waiting to see if—”

“Will she murder me?” he asked, clearly thinking there was a point to make.

“I have no idea what Jean is capable of because she was in hiding just as much as I was,” I told him firmly. “Donotunderestimate her or assume this is better. Don’t. Don’t disregard me again when Clare and I both know she’s a psychopath and hid—”

“I’m not disregarding you, and I hear you,” he said firmly, losing a bit of his gentle tone.

Right, he’d gotten upset when I’d said that before. He wasn’t wrong that he hadn’t disregarded me but still hadn’t thought the extreme level was real.

Fine, but I’d been right, and people needed to not act like things were all better now. They weren’t.

And I had several bones to pick with people over that.

“I’m saying I want to ride the waves out with you,” he whispered. “I think it’s worth trying to see what’s here. If you don’t like me or don’t want to spend time with me, that’s different. I think we’ve figured out the other parts now though, right? Let’s just do something calm tonight after work since I’m on shift with you at the factory?”

I let out a slow breath and decided to be honest. “I was listening to some of the—a few women were talking last week. They were saying that the loves of their lives weren’t their mates but an ex-boyfriend they met too young. That they wished they hadn’t dated them when they were young and stupid but later. Because things could have worked out then and them be happy.”

He searched my eyes for a minute. “And you’re worried these bumps of ours are signs that it’s good advice for you on us?”

“Yes,yes, that’s exactly what I’ve been feeling,” I admitted. “So much jumping in and—maybe it’s not our time.” I met his gaze. “I don’t know that I feel it’s our time.”

He went down lower so his knees touched the ground and cupped my hands. “I think I pushed you too fast and gave myself the label of your boyfriend so I felt more secure when you were clear you weren’t ready for that. I hear what you’re saying, but that could be true of whoever you date, or those women are completely wrong and it wouldn’t have worked still.

“Or it would have been perfect and one of them could have died like my dad.” His voice cracked when he said that. “But I’ve had that in my life, and I don’t want to wait until maybe a better time. Because I feel like the clock of my life started when I met you that day, Bev. Watching you and realizing you were falling off the edge—it sparked something in me.

“Chasing after you and even just how you trusted me. I felt—it felt right—like the gods maybe put me there to help. Put you in my path to bring something I needed into my life too. I wasn’t normally there at that time, but Homer needed something—it was all chance. Odd chance that put you in my path and a rare time I was bold to try and talk to you.

“So I hear you, and I hear that you need things to slow down. That’s more than fair. I accept that.” He searched my eyes for a moment. “But do you really want me to walk away? Or do you want to have another picnic this weekend and let’s go to IKEA tomorrow? Just go day by day and spend time together.”

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