Page 42 of Breaking My Silence

I helped her into my truck, and then I got in and backed out of her driveway. I grabbed her hand and kissed it as we started to head to Arrowhead Stadium.

“So, um, apparently Izzie had an ulterior motive for insisting on meeting you this weekend,” I told her. “She’s been seeing a girl at KU since April. I’d had a feeling that she was bi for a while, but she was a mess about telling Dad and Maya.”

“How’d they take it?” she asked.

“Gave her a hug and told her that love is love and they’re happy for her. Hillary’s coming home with her for Thanksgiving in a few weeks because she doesn’t have anywhere else to go. Her parents threw her out when she told them about Iz.”

Kyler gasped. “Oh, my God. That’s awful.”

“You’re invited too, by the way. Do you know if your mom’s working yet?”

“Yeah. She actually volunteered for it because of the holiday pay,” she sighed. “We’re doing breakfast and watching the parade before she leaves.”

“Wanna come over after she goes to work? The family from Wichita isn’t coming up until Christmas, so it’s just going to be low-key. Enough food to feed a small army and watching the parade and football.”

“That sounds amazing. Beats sitting around at home alone.”

I grinned as I turned the radio on. The station was one of the most popular in the area, and they playedeverythingfrom old classics to new independent musicians. I loved it because I never knew what was going to be on the air from one minute to the next and it had helped expand my musical knowledge. We caught the middle of a song called “Queen of the Angels” by an artist named Daphne DeVille, and Kyler’s face lit up as she started singing along.

“Do I have to give up my man card if I admit that I actually like Daphne DeVille?” I chuckled.

Kyler giggled. “No. She’s one of my favorite artists. Her music’s actually helped me a lot in the past couple of years.”

“You know she’s coming to town in February, right?”

Tickets were probably going to be crazy expensive, but Kyler was worth it, and I knew I’d get enough money from my grandparents for Christmas to cover it. And if Daphne DeVille’s music had helped her cope with her trauma, I knew going to that concert would mean the world to her.

“Yes,” she groaned. “I want to go so bad, but my mom hates her, so she refused to take me. She won’t let me go by myself and Liss can’t afford it, so I’m stuck staying home.”

“Nope, you’re not. But we might be sitting in the nosebleeds depending on how expensive tickets are.”

Kyler let out an adorable sound that was somewhere between a gasp and a squeal as she leaned over to kiss my cheek. I couldn’t help laughing.

“So that means I’ve got Valentine’s Day figured out,” I told her. “What do you want for Christmas? That’s coming up sooner.”

“Just you.”

I chuckled and kissed her cheek as we pulled up to a red light. “Something you don’t already have.”

She already owned me, body and soul.

“You don’t have to get me anything, Ian,” she said. “Especially not if you’re serious about that Daphne DeVille concert.”

“I’m dead serious. But I’m also serious about Christmas.”

“If you really feel like you need to do something, surprise me. What doyouwant?”

“Surprise me,” I chuckled. “Because allIwant is you.”

“Yeah, but according to your rules, you can’t ask for something you already have.”

“Which is why I said to surprise me.”

She giggled, and I turned her head for a quick kiss since the light was still red.

* * *

“Well, isn’t this cozy?” came one of the last voices Ieverwanted to hear again.

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