Page 74 of The Run Home
The salt grinder froze in the air above the steaks. He looked at me, studying my face. “Yeah? You’d want me to move in? Officially?”
I grinned, finally seeing some uncertainty in the unflappable Boon Wolfe. “Yes, I would. I mean, it makes sense. You’re over here all the time, but never fully in one house. I keep needing more and more help, and I feel bad that you’re split between two houses. Kinsley can move in too if she wants. I have enough rooms.”
I left out the fact that this third trimester had made me equally uncomfortable and horny. The man spent half his nights taking care of my orgasms and then sneaking back into the other house like his mother and daughter didn’t know what he’s up to. Living together would just be easier on all of us.
Boon opened his mouth, but got cut off by the slam of the front door.
“Guys?” Kinsley’s voice was practically a squeak.
“In here!” Boon called back.
Kinsley came running around the corner, Boon’s laptop in her hands. “Guess what?”
Boon lifted an eyebrow. “You finally did that English paper that’s due this week?”
Kinsley bit her lip. “Uh, yeah, no. I’ll get to it.” Her face brightened, her gaze shifting between us both. “I just checked my email! Funny story, you’re supposed to check it daily.”
Boon rolled his eyes while I laughed. We’d been hounding her forever to start checking her email. Did these kids think an employer would reach out via Snapchat?
“Yeah, so anyway, I have three emails here to check the status of my college applications!” She plunked the laptop down on the bar and hiked herself up into a barstool. Boon rushed over and I followed, all of us staring at the screen.
Kinsley clicked on the first one and confetti rained down on the screen. She squealed and bounced around in her chair. “I got in!” Then she was clicking and things were flashing across the screen. “Oh! I got into this one too! Let me check the last one. This one’s in Nevada.”
“Hey. I thought we agreed on all California universities,” Boon said, clearly not happy.
“Well…” Kinsley singsonged. “Tatum’s going to Nevada for baseball, so I figured I’d just apply and see what happens.”
Boon looked at me for help, but I wasn’t sure what to say. Following a boy wasn’t smart at her age, but she also didn’t know what she wanted to major in, so any university would do. And frankly, Boon had the money for Kinsley to go out of state, so why not?
Kinsley squealed again. “I got in!” She jumped off the chair, giving us both hugs and made to run out the door with the laptop. Boon stopped her with a hand on her arm.
“Wait a second, young lady. Let’s talk about this.”
“But I want to tell Tatum.”
Boon let her go, but folded his arms across his impressive chest. “You can call him when we’re done talking. I don’t want you following a boy to college. You need to be going where it’s best foryouandyourgoals.”
Kinsley looked stricken. “But I love him.”
Boon’s face went a color of reddish purple that couldn’t have been healthy. I stepped forward, my hand on Boon’s arm.“How about we discuss this tomorrow when emotions aren’t so high? Right now, you should be celebrating getting into three universities. We’re proud of you, Kinsley. Right, Boon?” I dug my nails into his arm.
“Of course I’m proud,” he growled. “But I just got my family together and now you want to move out of state? For a boy?”
Kinsley looked like she was ready for a fight, squaring off with her hulk of a father. “I have to go live my life too, Dad. You’ll be too busy with the baby to even notice I’m gone, don’t worry.”
Boon’s mouth opened and closed, the deep red darkening on his face.
“Okay, again, let’s talk about the details tomorrow, okay? We have a lot to evaluate and lots of time to decide.” I tried to intervene, knowing Boon was seconds away from exploding and Kinsley would be in tears.
Kinsley’s grin was back in an instant and then she was out the door, off to call her boyfriend. I spun to Boon, seeing thunder crack across his eyes. He began to pace the kitchen, mumbling under his breath about women and stupid little boys. Despite what Kinsley had told me earlier today, there was still hurt between the two of them. And Boon erupting in anger wouldn’t help anything.
I waited until he’d cooled down enough to return to a normal color. Then I wrapped my arms around his waist and forced him to look me in the eye.
“Hey. Let’s talk logically about this, okay? Screaming at her won’t help. It’ll just drive her away.”
His eyes dropped closed for a moment. “I know. I just…”
I squeezed his waist, unable to hold him like I wanted with the baby between us. “I know. You love her and you want what’s best for her. And I agree following a boy isn’t necessarily what’s best. But she has to come to that decision. Us yelling at her won’t help.”
