Right Back to You

35. Big Surprise

The house was silent, but there was light flooding on the lawn from the kitchen window.

Kyle frowned, glancing from the window to the oak tree that shaded their backyard. So far, it had all gone according to plan. They'd reached Chicago and made their way to their supposed home without detection. Under the cover of darkness, they snuck into the backyard.

"Are you sure you don't want to just knock on the front door?" Angie whispered.

"I'm pretty sure," Kyle answered, then glanced over his shoulder at Jimmy and Tom. "As far as I'm concerned, there's no need to see our parents. Unless you want to."

"I think we want to see Jerry and Sam first, too," Tom said. He sounded nervous, a lot less lively than usual and it made Kyle resent their parents more. Was there even an explanation for this? And even if there was, could it be considered good enough?

"Let's just get this over with," Jimmy mumbled. "We're still out in the open."

"The backyard is safe enough," Jessie said, her voice soothing.

"I don't feel like getting assaulted by potential paparazzies though." Because it was fact that those assholes knew where he lived. Since he and Jessie had basically disappeared, it was one of the first places they would come snooping around for news.

"It's going to be fine," Kay said. "After all, there's nothing in the news yet about you guys disappearing."

She had a point and the sound of her voice managed to ease some of his tension. To be fair, he'd felt so much lighter after they got back together. She'd been right. They were much stronger together so what he'd done had been remarkably dumb, even if his reasons had been noble. He felt so much more motivated to live with her by his side.

"So, how do we get the two of them out here?" Tom asked.

As if to answer his question, the light came on in the room next to the kitchen. Kyle grinned at their luck.

"Watch this." He walked over to the window and looked in.

Sam had come into his room, looking upset for some reason, and started stuffing books into his backpack. Kyle fought the impulse to check out who was in the kitchen and maybe figure out if it was Jerry who had upset his baby brother or their dumb parents. Instead, he knocked on the window.

Sam jumped so high, it was comical. For a second, he just stared, then he hurried over and opened the window.

"Kyle! What are you doing it? Weren't you supposed to be on tour?" He faltered for a moment as if realizing something else was wrong. "Why didn't you come in through the door?"

"Hey, kid. I missed you, too." Funny how he never had the impulse to call Tom kid. For a moment, he just took him in, a bit shocked of how much he looked like Tom. Or the other way around. "Where are Mom and Dad?"

Sam's mouth twisted into a light snarl and Kyle had his answer about who'd pissed him off. "I think they went upstairs."

"What happened?"

"Nothing. Dad and his dumb agency again. Mom never saying anything about it. Them having no idea where you are or what you're doing. The whole idea of the arranged marriage."

Yeah, there was a lot wrong. "Found out about that, huh?"

"They didn't outright say it, but I know you. You didn't just randomly get engaged and left on tour with a stranger."

And that was why Kyle loved Sam so much. The kid was by no means an idiot. "Can you get Jerry out here? I need to talk to you two about something."

"Um..." Sam bit his lower lip. "You want me to get Jerry?"