Kylie
We wrapped things up, and Hunter walked me to my car. I stopped just before we got to it and turned to face him. I had to see him one more time.
“Today was fun.” I was smiling from ear to ear as I took the gun case from him.
He returned the same smile I wore, seemingly sharing the same experience as I did. “You are a fast learner. A joy to watch.” He leaned closer to me, my heart beating fast again. That similar feeling I felt when he was at my back, teaching my how to shoot re-birthed inside of me. I closed my eyes, anticipating a kiss from him.
Only when his lips touched my forehead did I realize he was kissing me goodbye. I opened my eyes again, struck by his gentle kiss on my head. “See you soon, Kylie.”
“Yeah. Okay.” I got into the car, a little disappointment. I wanted a real kiss. We’d fucked in the barn the night before. Maybe it meant more to me than it did to him?
I ignored my internal questions and waved at him as I drove off, my heart still racing. I had never felt this before. Butterflies fluttered inside my stomach. Although my eyes were on the road, my head was somewhere off in space. Somewhere above the clouds, thinking of things that caused my body to ache and grow wet.
I got to the store and parked, freaked out that I had driven without thinking about it at all. I walked in to find my mother waiting for me, the look on her face showing that she had been nervous.
“How did the gun practice go?” Her eyes were on the new novelette she had just started yesterday as she manned the counter. It was late afternoon, but the store seemed a little bit empty. I walked toward her and stopped.
“It’s pretty great, Mom. I got Hunter to teach me how to use the gun with a target.”
I pinned my name tag on the chest portion of my shirt as I stood before the counter. My mother was still reading her novelette as if she did not care much about what I had to say. She was still pissed about me disobeying her advice.
I walked over to her, taking the book out of her grasp. She stared at me with her green eyes. Only then did I see that she was troubled and worried. I squeezed her shoulder and leaned over to kiss her cheek.
“Mom, we are going to be safe now. The gun will help us, in case things make a turn for the worse.”
She looked at me and ceded a weak smile. “And do you plan on using that scary thing if someone comes in here and threatens us?”
It was a good question. I shook my head, still uncertain about my intent. I hadn’t considered
what I was going to do with the gun. All I knew was that having it, and knowing how to use it, helped me feel safe. Shooting a man was not part of my thought process. I wasn’t sure I could do something like that, no matter what.
“I’m not sure yet, Mom. Maybe, but hopefully, we don’t have to face something like that.”
“Yep. Hopefully not.” She went back to her romance novellas and left me to my thoughts. It was a dangerous place to be.
*
After my shift had ended, I decided to visit Bailey before going home. She had been worried sick upon hearing that my house had been broken into by burglars, but I never got the chance to see her and update her on the investigation. Now that I had some free time, I figured I’d stop by and see her and Cat.
I knocked on their front door, and Bailey opened it. She had Cat in her arms but still managed to lean in and squeeze me tightly. Cat got pinned in between the two of us and cried out before squirming around.
The three of us laughed. I loved them both so much. They were a ray of sunshine in my life that I couldn’t live without.
“Come, have a seat.” Bailey walked toward the living room. “Take a load off.”
I picked up some of the toys that were scattered on the ground, putting them in Cat’s toy box. “Sorry for not calling or coming over sooner. I got a lot of things going on.”
She helped me in picking up the toys while Cat sat on the couch, occupied by the cartoons she was watching on the TV.
“It’s okay, Kylie. As soon as you have the time, you can visit us. You doing okay after everything? You sure moving back to your house is the best idea?” She looked at me with worried eyes resembling those of my mother.
“Yeah, things are back to normal, and I stayed there last night. It was good.” I shrugged. “Besides, Hunter keeps the neighborhood in check. And I feel safer now that he taught me how to use a gun.”
I picked up the last toy and placed it in the toy box. Bailey closed the chest, her eyes smiling at me. She looked like she just heard some new gossip in town. I looked at her with a questioning gaze, waiting for her thoughts. She pursed her lips. Pain in the butt.
“What?” I crossed my arms beneath my chest.
Finally, she ended my torment and spoke what was on her mind. “You’ve talked about nothing but Hunter these past few days. Is there something I’m missing?”