Page 35 of The Sweetheart
“You guys ready to go?”
Kai nodded.
“Can we have Thai for lunch?” Katie asked.
“Your Daddy must’ve read your mind. He said he will meet us at Thai Village in half an hour.”
Katie’s face lit up.
“He always knows exactly what I want. Myles, are you coming with us?” she asked as they grabbed their gear, migrating towards the door.
“No, sweetheart, I’m gonna head to the office, but you’ll see me at the Prince Henry Gala next week.”
“Is Kai coming to the Prince Henry Gala?” Nolan gave her an exasperated look that seemed to go right over her head. Kai glanced at Nolan awkwardly.
“How about you give me a chance to invite him?”
“You don’t have to if you already have plans,” Kai said, trying to give him an out.
Nolan gave him a curious look. “What other plans would I have?”
Kai blushed and shrugged, trying not to glance over at Myles.
“I was hoping you would come with me.”
There was one glaring problem though, and he sure as shit was not going to mention it in front of Myles. There was no way that Kai had anything appropriate to wear to agala.
“Can I let you know?” he asked reluctantly. Nolan squinted at him, and Kai looked away. Myles said his goodbyes, sliding into the grey Lexus parked in Nolan’s driveway while they slipped into a black SUV.
“You have to come, Kai,” Katie insisted as she settled into the backseat.
“Sounds kind of fancy,” he mumbled, not looking over at either of them.
“Oh, it’s very fancy. I have to wear fancy shoes and everything.”
Kai’s stomach sank.
“Girl, Kai and I will talk about it later,” Nolan said, reachingover and taking his hand. Kai glanced up at him, and Nolan gave him a reassuring smile.
Lunch went quickly. Kai didn’t say much around Chris, who seemed friendly enough but looked at him like he was waiting for him to slip up. It didn’t matter though, because Katie chatted enough for all of them. Halfway through their meal, both Chris and Nolan were called into a meeting, which meant they had to part ways after lunch. Kai tried not to look too disappointed, but he was pretty sure Nolan saw right through him. When they finished eating, Nolan pulled him aside.
“Can I drop you home?”
Kai shook his head.
“Fine, but I’m letting you know that I’m allowing this temporarily. Do you understand?” Nolan’s eyes narrowed when Kai hesitated. He knew that if he wanted this relationship to last, there was no way that he could keep Nolan and Liam separated forever, nor could he hide the truth of how he lived. He just needed time to reconcile those things.
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Alright then.” Nolan pulled him close and kissed him deep, which made it even harder for Kai to want to pull away. “We still have a date Friday night, right?”
“Yes,” Kai answered, leaning up, willing to agree to anything just to feel his mouth on his again.
“I’ll meet you at the restaurant at eight.” Nolan smacked him on the ass to send him on his way and, just like the last time, Kai felt his eyes on him until he turned the corner.
15
Nolan fumed into his beer at eleven o’clock on Friday night. He’d been stood up, and he was more pissed about the sick feeling in his stomach than he was about actually being stood up. Something told him that Kai wouldn’t stand him up without a good reason, and he had made sure that Kai had his phone number. Since he hadn’t called to cancel, every worst-case scenario played out in his head: Kai sick, Kai injured, Kai unable to call for help. Nolan wanted to comb the streets looking for him but didn’t know where to start. He had sat at the restaurant for far longer than a reasonable person would before going home, worried that Kai might go straight there if he thought Nolan wouldn’t wait for him.
