Page 37 of Ky
After a fitful night of sleep, I rolled out of bed just as the sun was casting a weak glow through the sheer curtains. Not even fifteen minutes later, I was sitting on my board rocking with the vast ocean as we both greeted the new day. Sometimes it wasn’t even about trying to catch a wave, little as they may have been. It was more about putting the world to my back and giving into what I felt just sitting there with my legs dangling in the water.
I stayed there for a long time, letting the sun warm my face. I was tired and unsure of what was going to happen next. With the way Ky had been, there was no telling how he would react to what had happened last night. Me, well, I was sure that I wanted more. Maybe I had for a while now and had just done my best to shove that feeling away.
When Ky was relaxed, he was amazing. I loved his laugh as much as I liked his thoughtful face. That cute crease he got between his brows when he was staring down into the engine of a car, trying to figure out the next thing he was going to tinker with. The way his beautiful cheeks turned the lightest shade of pink when he was frustrated.
Yeah, maybe I’d watched him a little more than I cared to admit.
I wasn’t sure how it’d be when I went into the house. It wasn’t like I dreaded going home, in a sense, it was more like I didn’t know how Ky was going to act. That was the part that I hated. The unsureness of it all and the fact that if he was freaking out, he might not let me close enough to ease things.
There was no more putting it off. As I turned around to paddle in, I realized that I hadn’t actually even attempted to catch a single wave. It wasn’t like I had to go hardcore, push myself to my limits every day, but I did like to touch the water in some way. I tucked my board under my arm and half-jogged up the beach to my home.
I rinsed off the sand in the outside shower, grabbed a fresh towel, and made my way inside.
Instantly, my eyes connected with Ky’s. He was standing behind the island, Ingram beside him, humming as she pushed some eggs around in the huge cast iron skillet. I loved how they both smiled at me the moment they saw me. Ingram’s was sweet and wide while Ky’s was more sly, almost with a hint of knowing.
“Morning,” Ky said as he pushed a steaming cup of coffee in my direction.
Our fingers connected as I reached for it. His eyes immediately dropped down and mine followed, though neither of us pulled away. The rippling liquid in the cup just a shade lighter than the black coffee. Perfectly matched to the way I always made mine with a splash of cream. The color a perfect match to his beautiful tan tone.
“Morning,” I said back as I planted my feet hard on the wood floor so I wouldn’t round the island and kiss him the way I wanted to.
“I made breakfast,” Ingram said, completely unaware of what was going on.
“Smells good. I’m starved.” I sat down as she plated the food and set one in front of me. “Thank you.”
Ky sat on my left while Ingram took the chair on my right. I shouldn’t have been surprised because it seemed that I was often the buffer between the two of them, but there had been a little part of me that wondered if Ky would switch things up to get some distance. He didn’t, and it was all I could do to hold back a smile all throughout breakfast.
“Did you get an appointment with that doctor Cami suggested?” Ky asked after he’d cleared most of his plate.
“Oh, yes,” Ingram answered after she’d swallowed. “They are actually able to see me this afternoon. They told me to bring my insurance card. I told the lady on the phone that I had no idea what that was. I think she was not—wasn’tsure how to respond to that.”
Ky clenched his fork and I got the feeling he was trying his hardest to resist rubbing his head. I wouldn’t have said that I was used to the lack of real-world knowledge that Ingram had, but at this point, I’d just learned to roll with it.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it,” Ky answered and I had picked up on the fact that he liked to sweep things under the rug.
He didn’t take the time to explain the things she didn’t understand half the time. I knew he wasn’t frustrated with her, though. It was something I’d been meaning to talk to him about. He played the big brother and swooped in to take care of everything but I had a feeling he didn’t realize that wasn’t what she needed all the time. I could tell that little things frustrated her and that she wanted to know all the answers to the things she didn’t understand.
Communication was definitely a problem with Ky. He was the ‘handle shit’ and ‘get things done’ alpha male one hundred percent. He didn’t like to stop to figure out things beyond getting to the goal. I wasn’t saying it was a bad thing but it clearly wasn’t what Ingram needed all the time. She didn’t want to be sheltered anymore and I could tell with each passing day that she was growing irritated with the bubble that Ky had put her in.
“What time is your appointment?” Ky asked. “I’ll leave work and take you.”
“No,” Ingram said and suddenly I felt very stuck in the middle, both figuratively and literally. “You don’t have to do that. Cami is going to take me.”
That had been my idea and I was about to open my mouth and say so when Ky spoke again.
“Alright.” His head bobbed like he was trying to grasp the concept that she didn’t need him to take her. “Just give them that card I gave you and tell them to put the full payment on there.”
“Okay. Thank you.” Ingram got up and took her plate to the sink. She stood there for a long moment and I knew she was going back and forth in her head on what to do. I’d said it enough times I figured I’d let her come to this decision on her own. I smiled at her as she turned around, leaving the dirty dish in the sink, and walked away. “I am going for a walk. I’ll see you tonight, big brother.”
The way she was trying to figure out what to call Ky was just adorable.
“Hey, Ingram,” Ky called out just as she reached the back door. She paused and turned to face him. “Call me after. Let me know what they said, alright?”
“I can do that.” She gave a sweet smile then was out the door.
“I gotta get to work,” Ky said as he scooted his stool back and stood.
“Yeah, I know,” I replied not turning to look at him. I may have felt a little disappointed but I didn’t want it to show.
