Begin Again (Again #1)(44)

“Why are you laughing like a fool?”

I rolled my eyes. As if the music didn’t appeal to him at all, the way it did to me. “I think you like it as much as I do.”

He sniffed. “The lyrics are bad, the sound disgusts me, and if I have to listen to a song where she complains about high school or one of her former boyfriends, I’m probably gonna puke.”

That made me laugh even more.

“All right,” I sighed after a while and opened the glove compartment. Rummaging through the CDs, I found one from Bon Iver that I loved, especially if I were in a somewhat quieter mood.

Kaden seemed to appreciate it.

“You’re looking forward to seeing your mom, aren’t you?” I ventured.

And even if he just shrugged, his smile was answer enough.

I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder. I ignored it. My dream was just too perfect. The hand disappeared. Then it came back, stroked first my thigh, then rested on my hip …

I jerked awake, my head grazing the ceiling of the car. I gasped. Vaguely, I realized that my seatbelt was no longer fastened. Turning to look next to me, I saw—Kaden’s bewildered face.

It was just Kaden. Just him.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

“We made it,” he said, looking at me somewhat warily. But he didn’t ask for any explanations. And I was grateful for that.

Looking out my window, I saw a small, white house with a welcoming, wraparound porch. There was a bench under the kitchen window, countless flower pots, and a gabled roof. A cozy atmosphere surrounded the whole place.

“You grew up here?” I asked in awe and opened the passenger door so I could step out. Kaden did the same and already was standing next to me as I lifted my bag.

“Partly. My parents divorced just after I turned eleven.” He crossed his arms behind his head and looked up at his mother’s house, wearing a crooked smile that didn’t seem all too happy. “After that I had to shuttle between her house here and my dad’s house at the other end of town.”

I could see he was trying hard to hide his feelings. And as usual, Kaden was pretty bad at that.

I heard a loud creak, and his face brightened. Now a real smile animated the lines around his eyes.

“It’s a tragic story with lots of crying; not really right for this holiday, don’t you think, Kaden?” a woman’s voice called, and I turned in its direction.

Kaden’s mother had opened the dark blue door and was standing on the porch. Right away I could see how much the two looked alike. She had the same hair, the same eyes and even the laugh lines—Kaden had inherited them from her. She was beautiful.

Kaden bounded up the porch stairs and wrapped his arms around her. He was at least one and a half heads taller than she was, and lifted her up for a second, which made her laugh in surprise. When he put her down, she cupped Kaden’s face in her hands.

“You need to shave! With this beard you look like a real man, and I’m not ready for that,” she said with a broad smile, so much like Kaden’s.

“Come on, I haven’t changed that much since last time, Mom,” Kaden said, earning a mock punch on the shoulder. She then looked past him and saw me.

“Come on up, Allie. I don’t bite,” she called out and waved me toward her.

Still lost in thought, I was frozen in place for a few seconds before I joined the two on the porch. Kaden’s mom looked me up and down and reached out to embrace me. A moment later, she placed her hands on my shoulders and held me back a bit, for another look.

My anxiety returned full-force, and my heart began to pound like crazy. I tried not to show it and looked back at her with a smile.

“I’m Rachel. Pleased to meet you,” she announced. And I was surprised that she sounded like she meant it.

“I’m Allie,” I answered, mustering another smile. “And the pleasure is all mine. Thanks for … taking me in.” Okay, that sounded sad. As if I were a lost puppy.

“Nonsense!” Rachel waved a hand for me to follow her inside. “Thanks to you we won’t be in the minority tomorrow night, so I’m grateful for your company. Come on, I’ll show you the house.” She looked back over her shoulder to Kaden. “And since you already know your way around here, you can bring in the luggage while I take Allie on the tour.”

Kaden saluted her like a soldier. I could see him rolling his eyes and trying not to grin.

I followed Rachel into the house and looked around. It was just as charming from the inside.

“This is the living room, over there’s the kitchen. All pretty manageable,” Rachel said as she headed for the stairs. The light wood creaked underfoot as we reached the second floor. We passed a few framed photos on the wall, pictures of Rachel with her sons. For the first time, I caught a glimpse of Kaden’s brother. There was an undeniable resemblance, but he had a paler complexion than Kaden’s and dark blond hair, to Kaden’s brown. I looked more closely. Kaden had been such a cute little boy, with his round face and chubby cheeks. His laughing expression was just as cheerful then as today. I smiled.

When Rachel noticed that I’d stopped mid-staircase, she turned and came back down to look at the photo with me.

“He was just knee-high to a grasshopper back then,” she sighed.

“I think he’s grown up nicely,” I quipped, for lack of anything better to say.