Breaking Kate: The Acceptance Series (30 page)

“Sounds like a good plan. Maybe you’ll get lucky and she’ll call, but in the meantime, keeping yourself busy is a great idea.”

“Yeah, and once I make it to Saturday I’ll be fine. It seems like it’s been forever since I’ve hung out with all of you guys. Even though all of you will have dates, it will finally be nice to meet the girls that have turned you into pansies. Speaking of, is she still wearing your ring?”

“Of course she is, did you think she would take it off after three days?” Mike pushes his plate away.

“God, I’m stuffed. This place is fucking awesome; makes me want to move here just so I can eat here daily. And no, I didn’t think she would take it off. I was just messing with you. It’s fun to see you so serious about someone. I’ve seen you date, but I’ve
never
seen you in love. Giving some chick a promise ring when your best bud hasn’t even met her yet must mean she’s really something special. I’m happy for you, really. Maybe if things don’t work out for me she can find me someone new.” I groan.

“Be careful what you wish for. Between her and Connor’s girlfriend, they will have chicks lined up for you. On second thought, it might be just what you need if things don’t work out with your ex.” 

“Yeah, maybe. Speaking of ex-girlfriends, did your dad tell you he thought he saw Vanessa outside of the office a couple of days ago?” My stomach drops. That is the
last
thing I need right now.

“Are you fucking kidding me? No, he didn’t say a god damn word about that. What the hell do you think she wants?”

“Man, I have no idea. He probably didn’t say anything because he wasn’t sure if it was her. He said it looked like her car but she looked a little different—he couldn’t put his finger on what was different, though. Pops kind of brushed it off because she didn’t get out and start any trouble. He said that wasn’t like her, so maybe he just decided it wasn’t worth mentioning.”

“Mike, the
last
thing I need right now is for Vanessa to come along and try to screw with my relationship with Kate. She hasn’t called, emailed, texted, or even messaged me on Facebook. What about you?” Shaking his head, he looks just as stressed as I am about this.

“No, man, like I told you a couple of weeks ago, she called some in the beginning, mostly just begging me to call her and give her a chance to explain. There was no explaining away that shit, though. Her timing couldn’t be worse for either of us. It’s one thing to have to explain all this if she gives me the time of day, but what if she’s willing to work things out and Vanessa starts being nasty and fills her head with lies? That bitch makes me so sick to my stomach. I don’t know what you ever saw in her.”

“Yeah, me either. Tomorrow, Kate is meeting Pops and he isn’t exactly on her side yet.  I hope he isn’t holding it in to bring up in front of her. Maybe I should tell her what’s up.”

“No way, don’t tell her anything. If he was going to say something he would have told you. Look, don’t tell him I said this, but the old man was practically shitting rainbows yesterday when I went by for dinner. Your mom was going on about what she was going to serve for lunch tomorrow and your dad was just smiling away. He kept talking about how you got one with a head on her shoulders this time and more than enough money that she doesn’t need to steal yours. They were both excited about how much better your mood has gotten, and Pops was saying how glad he was now that the money hungry-whore is out of your life. That’s when he told me he thought he saw her; maybe you should take him and get his eyes checked. I’m sure if that would have been her she would have absolutely made her presence known, right?”

I suppose he’s right, but something about this whole situation isn’t sitting well with me, and it’s not like my dad to see things that aren’t there.

“Yeah, she isn’t one to sit idly by, that’s for sure. Hopefully, she went back home to mommy and daddy’s house in Vegas. I would love to never have to bump into or hear from her again.”  I throw enough money on the table to cover the bill and leave the waitress a big tip. It reminds me of Misty.

“Hey, what about Misty? Are you going to call or go by and see her? That girl seemed really into you.” Mike’s shoulders are slumped and he’s kicking at the ground.

“I know I need to. She’s third on the list, right under my mom. She’s the only one I fucked that I feel bad about.”

“Have you ever asked yourself
why
you feel bad? Were there actual feelings there between you two?”

Leaning back on his truck, he pauses before answering.

“I don’t know, maybe? I got to know her, but we were friends and I really liked her and wanted to keep it that way. Misty reminded me of a better time in my life. She almost made me want to make amends way back then but not quite. Once I had sex with her, I just couldn’t face her. I knew she wanted a relationship and I wasn’t able to open up, so I shut her out and shut down. It sucked because I lost a friend, but another time in my life, if I was single and my shit was straight, she would have been a good fit for me I think. She’s a great girl, though—funny, compassionate, and not pushy at all. I miss her as my friend which is why she’s on the list.”

“That makes sense. Sounds like she might be a good prospect for the future; maybe she’s as forgiving as she is compassionate. Let me know if you hear from your girl before I see you on Saturday, and don’t do anything stupid like go wait her out. I can see you wanting to make it happen sooner, but you
gotta let her take the lead on this one.”

“I know, man, I can wait; I’ve waited this long. Thanks for listening to me whine about it so much lately.” Laughing, I pat him on the back.

“That’s what brothers are for. I’ll see you Saturday.”

I don’t get home until about eight o’clock and I’m exhausted. As much as I love Kate, I’m relieved that she changed her mind about tonight. I talked to her on my way home and she was having a blast with Lauren. Kate took her after school to get mani-pedis, which just picturing it in my head is fucking adorable. She promised she hasn’t checked any news or papers and that Jess and Connor are staying media free, too. I texted my parents’ address to her
earlier, and the plan is for her to drive out and meet me there around eleven thirty tomorrow. I’m a little nervous about her meeting my parents. Not because I don’t think they will get along, but after Vanessa I just feel like my dad will be leery of her. After what Mike told me, I can’t shake the feeling that something is going to go very wrong.
Damn Vanessa and her fucking horrible timing.
I also haven’t told them that I bought her a promise ring. My parents are romantics at heart, but they’re still my parents and will probably feel like I’m rushing things a bit.

I’m sitting on the deck, drinking a beer and listening to the ocean; nothing relaxes me more after a long day at work. My mind is sort of jumbled with thoughts that I’m trying to work through, and at the forefront is Mike. I want to help him get his ex-girlfriend back, but I can’t think of anything I can really do to help him since I’ve never even met her. Come to think of it, I think he’s only ever mentioned her name one time—it was something like Kathleen or Catherine or something. I don’t know her, so I obviously have no clue to even really help him fix this.

Truth be told, I don’t know if he should, but he needs to figure it out. I wonder, if he re-integrates into his past, will it erase him from our future? If he goes back with her will he ditch us? It’s stupid to even think like that, but Mike’s my brother and I would miss our relationship if that happened. I have a bad feeling about this whole thing but I can’t figure out why. Something’s just not right.

Today, I also got the ‘official’ word that my transfer will be effective in two weeks. I knew it was likely, but it could have taken two months. I haven’t told Kate that it’s official yet. I want to surprise her with the news tomorrow. It’s going to be a busy weekend—lunch tomorrow with the parents, afternoon with Maryanne, dinner with Connor and Jake’s family, and then sweeping my girl away for some alone time.

The girls don’t know it yet, but we set them all up for a spa day on Saturday. We managed to get all of the appointments in groups of three so that April, Jess and Kate can get all their stuff done at the same time and not have the stress of the moms and sisters around. April loves her family but they stress her out. Jake wanted to make sure she had as much stress-free time as possible, and since her and the girls really hit it off he figured this would be a nice distraction for her.

On top of everything else, now I’m thinking about Vanessa—about our relationship and how it ended. Kate knows the whole story, but I don’t know if anyone can truly comprehend how much I dislike her, except Mike; he hates the bitch. I never really took time and processed just what my relationship with Vanessa was or wasn’t until now. I liked her a lot, maybe even thought I loved her, but deep down I don’t really think that was the case. The sex was good but nothing compared to what I have with Kate.  I think I was just trying to make something work by any means necessary and didn’t want to let her go. I realize now that all of my moping after the breakup had nothing to do with my love for
Vanessa—I felt used. She wanted Mike and spent her time with me to finally get him, and in the process had me spend money on her. They say love is blind and I just ignored all the signs in front of me. Even when my dad and Connor tried to question her character, I ignored them. In the end, what it all really boiled down to was me being upset about another failed relationship.

I’m twenty-six years old, and I’m ready to settle down. I want the whole package—wife, kids, dogs, the works. I want unconditional love, and I see that with Kate. I know she’s going to want to finish school and get her center opened before even considering starting a family and getting married. I’m okay with waiting, but I wish it would happen sooner. Damn, I would marry her
tomorrow
if she would say yes. Meeting Kate is the best thing that has ever happened to me. The way she loves me is eye-opening and I am just so grateful that she’s in my life.  I hope that she truly realizes how deep my love for her is because if Vanessa shows up it could get ugly. There’s really nothing I can do about Vanessa right now, so I think I’m just going to take Kate’s advice and shower and hit the bed. Maybe thoughts of my beautiful girl can lead me to some interesting dreams.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Daniel! I’m so glad you’re here. Where’s Kate, sweetheart?” My mom’s looking all around me like Kate is going to magically appear.

“She was babysitting last night so we decided it would be best for her to meet me here. She should be here in about fifteen minutes or so. It smells good in here, what did you make?” I hear my dad chuckling from the table.

“What
didn’t
she make should be the question. She’s so damn excited and nervous she’s been cooking all morning.” My mom slaps him on the shoulder.

“That’s enough of that, Rick. Yes, I’m excited to meet the girl who put the smile back on my son’s face, and there’s nothing wrong with making a variety of food; I don’t know what she likes to eat. Daniel, I made blueberry muffins, broccoli and cheese quiche, fresh fruit salad, Belgian waffles, sausage and home style potatoes.”

“Wow, Mom, that’s some brunch. I’m sure Kate will love it. I’m going to wait out on the porch for her to get here.” I give her a kiss on the cheek and go wait on the swing.

A few minutes later, she pulls into the driveway and my heart races just knowing she’s here. I meet her at the car and open the door for her. She looks sexy as hell, and I suddenly wish my parents weren’t home. She’s wearing high heeled boots, dark blue jeans, and a deep forest green sweater that brings out the color of her eyes. My body is drawn to hers and I do the only thing I can do at the moment. I wrap my arms around her and kiss her like there’s no tomorrow, but she breaks away pretty quickly.

“Daniel, stop, your parents are inside! What if they walked out here and saw you with your tongue down my throat? That wouldn’t make the best first impression.” She’s flushed from our kiss but has a cute little irritated look on her face.

“My parents wouldn’t care if they saw me kissing you. They would just realize I love you so much I couldn’t wait to have you.” She still looks irritated so I flash
her the biggest smile I’ve got.

“Are you sure they wouldn’t think I’m some whore trying to have my way with their son in a very disrespectful way?” Kate’s serious but I’m laughing inside; she is the farthest thing from a whore I could ever imagine.

“They won’t ever think you’re a whore—nothing could be further from the truth. However, if it will make you feel better, I’ll try and keep my hands off of you while we’re here but no promises.” Finally, she relaxes and smiles. Reaching into the car, she pulls out a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers. They’re gorgeous and I’m touched that she brought something for my mom. None of my other girlfriends have done that before. The best thing is my mom
adores
sunflowers; they make her happy. I grab her free hand and walk her into the house.

“It’s really sweet that you brought my mom flowers. She loves sunflowers; did I tell you that before?”

“Nope, but I saw the garden she did at Connor’s and figured she would probably be the kind of woman to appreciate them. Besides, how could you
not
like sunflowers? Just looking at them makes me happy.” As we walk into the house, she squeezes my hand a little tighter and I can tell she’s nervous.