Page 85 of Awakened in September (Sleepless November Saga 4)

“Not surprised.” Her eyes roll and she comes closer again anyway. “Like usual, I won’t say anything.”

“No.” I stop her, putting my hand on her shoulder and lightly moving her away from me. “I said I met someone.”

“I heard you. It’s not like that’s ever stopped you before. I mean come on, it’s not like you love the girl or something.” She laughs like it’s the most humorous thing she’s said all night, but my whole world stops spinning. All the voices around me fade away and I’m left with one heart stopping realization.

Holy fucking shit. I’m in love with Kayleigh Jacobs.

Chapter Twenty Five

I honestly don’t know what surprised me the most – the revelation of my feelings for Kayleigh, my mother’s reaction to me finally admitting said feelings, or the fact that she paid almost $300 for an Uber to take me to Rhode Island. It took an embarrassing phone call to Dawson in order to get Kayleigh’s address, and he teased me for not knowing enough about the ‘girl I’ve been fucking’, but in the end, I got it. Now I’m sitting in the back of a car shaking anxiously for almost the entire four-and-a-half-hour car ride.

The driver pulls up to a rather large house that has cars circulating in and out of the wrap around driveway. To be honest, I never expected Kayleigh’s house to be this big. She doesn’t act like one of the stuck up rich girls I’ve met before. It’s just another thing that surprises me about her and makes her unique.

I tip the man another $50 and climb out of the car, taking my overnight bag from the trunk. I didn’t have to pack much. Our flight back to Maine is only in a couple days. I already changed mine so that Kayleigh and I can fly back together. Well, at least that’s the plan. For all I know, she could hate the fact that I’m here. Ugh, I really should have thought this through.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm myself, I step up to the door and ring the bell. An older man, maybe around his early fifties, opens the door. He’s wearing a suit with his hair gelled back. My head drops down to look at my black skinny jeans and button down shirt – I’m embarrassingly underdressed.

“Hello Sir.” I greet him, cringing at the way my voice shakes. “I’m here to see Kayleigh.”

His eyebrows raise. “Oh, are you a friend of hers?”

I nod. “We’re very close. We attend Maine University together.”

“That’s great! Come in and I’ll go find her.”

Taking a step inside, I close the door behind me before looking around. The outside is nothing compared to what it looks like indoors. A massive chandelier hangs down in the middle and there’s a bending staircase on each side of the foyer. I’m taking in the view when Kayleigh steps into the room. Her eyes widen and the breath is sucked right out of my lungs. She’s wearing a black dress that has just enough glitter to be flashy but not enough to be obnoxious. It does nothing to hide the shape of her body and I need to stop myself from getting hard on the spot.

“What are you doing here?!” She asks excitedly, coming straight over and embracing me like we haven’t seen each other in months.

“Well, they say how you spend New Year’s is how you’re going to spend the rest of the year, so I figured I’d come see you.” I pull back from the hug and take in her attire once more. “And I’m so glad I did.”

She’s still in disbelief as she shakes her head. “How did you get here?! What about your flight?!”

“A really expensive Uber, courtesy of my mom, and I changed it. We fly back together.”

I’m really scared while telling her this but her face lights up in a broad smile and all my nerves relax at on

ce.

“You’re crazy.” She giggles and connects her lips to mine.

I sigh into the kiss. Words can’t explain how much I missed this feeling. Unfortunately, it doesn’t last nearly as long as I had hoped. Someone near us clears their throat. Kayleigh takes her time in pulling away but once she does, we turn and see a woman looking at us both judgingly.

“Mom, this is Holden. Holden, my mom.” Shit, this is her mom?! I was really hoping to make a better impression than her walking in on me kissing her daughter.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Jacobs.” I extend my hand to shake hers.

She takes it, but it’s obvious she would rather be doing anything else. “It’s Hartman.”

“Hartman.” I correct my mistake. I’m batting 1,000 right now. “Sorry. Kayleigh hasn’t told me much about her home life.”

“I’m not surprised.” She murmurs, giving her daughter a look before turning back to me. “It’s very nice of you to stop by young man, but this is a private party. I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

“Mom!” Kayleigh gasps.

“O-oh.” This is not how I saw this going. “I’m so sorry.”

“Jess.” Another voice makes itself known. I notice it’s the same man who answered the door when I arrived. “Leave the poor boy alone.”

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