Right Back to You

26. Families

"This is so weird."

Angie's words barely registered and Kay had to force herself out of her beautiful daydream to focus on something potentially problematic.

Her friend did look a bit wary, drumming her fingers on the table top, her glass of lemonade untouched. Her eyebrows were the tiniest bit scrunched together as her gaze was focused on the very scene Kay had been contemplating before.

She, Jessie and Angie sat at a table in the backyard of Tanner Ranch, under the shade of a large tree, a pitcher of lemonade between them. The weather was wonderful, the garden was filled with flowers and birds sang.

The boys were on the patio, all three of them talking to Max. After Kyle had mentioned that he and his uncle had made up and that there might be something more to discuss, Jimmy and Tom had agreed to come over and meet him. Of course, as it was customary, they'd taken a short tour of the Ranch in the first part of the morning, with Max serving as their guide.

Since she and Kyle already knew the Ranch, they'd taken a short tour of Kyle's bed instead, because Kay had fantasized about being alone with him in his room for months. Since it was on his bucket list as well, they'd taken the opportunity to make it happen. Her first guess that the bed was the perfect size for getting down and dirty and then cuddling was confirmed. She just wished they had a little more time.

As it was, they had to make themselves presentable and meet the others as they returned. She was still a little pleasantly sore and the experience served as the reason for the dumb smile on her face. Problematic things could wait.

Especially because Tom and Jimmy seemed to have relaxed around Max, the tension in their shoulders lessening as their uncle talked. Kyle sat on the small sofa between Max and Jimmy, his hands folded under his head, a relaxed smile on his face. He winked at her when he caught her eye and it brought a pleasant heat to her cheeks.

Yep, she couldn't see what Angie found worrying or weird.

"What is weird?" Jessie asked, stiring her drink with her straw.

"It took me a while to get used to him being an orphan and now he found his family and I have to get used to that," Angie said, sounding a but unsure.

Kay straightened in his seat, the dreary tone putting her off a little. Even if she'd agreed to come with them, it felt like she was still fighting everything.

"Way to make it all about you," Jessie mumbled.

"Ouch," Kay said. "Let's not get catty."

"I'm sorry," Jessie said, her eyes drifting to the boys. "This is just getting a little... complicated."

"Speaking of complicated," Angie said, a slight edge to her voice, probably due to Jessie's comment. "How long are you planning to pretend to be engaged to Kyle?"

"The plan was until I turned eighteen. But now... " She let out a sigh. "April feels like a million years away."

Kay could understand that very well. After all, she longed to be able to just be herself in public, not pretend that she didn't exist. She wanted to hold Kyle's hand and lean against him and kiss him. And as she watched the way Jessie looked at Jimmy, she probably wanted that, too.

But Kay had promised herself that she would back Jessie and Kyle up for as long as it took. After all, she had him all night long and in every second they were not under public scrutiny. For Jessie, it was a lot more complicated since she and Jimmy were not technically a thing and she shared her room with Angie. All they had were stolen moments. Honestly, Angie had it the easiest. She didn't have to pretend to be someone she was not. And yet, she was the most stressed out.