In Their Arms

CHAPTER NINE

NINE 

KENT

Holls walks in the kitchen and he’s got a shit eating grin on his face. 

It’s irrational but I’m jealous as fuck that he was the one to find Kara and bring her home. He shot us a text in our group chat that he’d found her and to start getting dinner ready. Tyler looks like he wants to vomit but he knows he fucked up. Add in that he’s been stir crazy since a certain roommate has made herself scarce, he’s determined to make this right. Even if he hates every second of it.  

Grant narrows his eyes at Holls, which earns him an even larger grin in turn. Pursing my lips I turn back to the salad I’m making. I have everything chopped except the carrots which I’m finishing up now. Tyler has the steaks cooked and just took out the oven roasted potatoes and is doing a last brush of butter on them before putting them in a large bowl. Holls jumps right in to make lemonade.

“Pink?” He asks me with a raised brow when he sees the container.

I shrug at him which makes him frown in confusion.

“She likes pink lemonade.” Tyler rumbles quietly as he walks by with the steaks in one hand and the other steaming potatoes. 

“Tyler did the shopping for tonight, not us.” Grant says as he walks but with his own contribution of asparagus and rolls. 

“What the fuck?” Holls says mainly to himself but I answer him anyway.

“Tyler doesn’t show it much but he likes her. He knows what he did was wrong, even before we cornered him. He just can’t,” I pause as I think about how to word what I want to say. “He can’t go back to where he was, not without fighting it every single step of the way.”

“What? He’s scared?”

“No. He’s fucking terrified. Kara isn’t some bimbo to use and lose. She’s not forgettable. She’s here, all the time, and she fits Holls. That alone has him scrambling but that she’s under his skin without trying has him wrecked. Back off of them and let them find their own way, okay?”

He looks at me for a few, long seconds. 

“I forget how perceptive you can be when you want, Kent.”

“Everyone does.”

I toss the carrots on the very top of my salad. I scoop the toppings, dressings and bowl up to head to the dining room table. 

We’ve dressed it up nicely by putting a table cover showcasing flowers on it. The mish-mash of dishware in random colors has me scratching my head.

“We should have gotten new dishes.” Grant nods at me since we’re on the same page.

“I like the mix of colors, it’s pretty.” Kara says softly from the hallway as she walks out. “Do I need to help grab anything?”

She changed into a long sleeve tee and has her hands curled in the sleeve ends. It’s so thin I can see through parts of it but she looks comfortable. Tyler glances at her out of the corner of his eye but doesn’t say anything. Grant looks her over, no doubt noticing more than I do.

“You want to grab the napkins and utensils from the kitchen?” I ask gently. 

She perks up at having something to do and rushes past us.

“Hey maybe, I don’t know, talk to her when she asks a question instead of just staring at her?” I whisper angrily at my brother and Tyler. “She’s already terrified of you,” I point directly at Tyler making his scowl at me, “And you know that whole broody thing you do is too intense sometimes so back it off a notch, Grant.”