The Future of Love (Bachelor Billionaire #6) (20 page)

“
Is
everything okay?” Jenny asked.

“
With
me, yes,” Becky answered.

She
flipped the light on and started pulling out the drawers on Jenny's
dresser.

“
What
are you doing?” Jenny asked.

Becky
pulled out a pair of shorts, t-shirt, and sports bra and threw them
on the bed.

“
I'm
not doing anything. You're going running,” Becky said in a
demanding tone.

“
No,
I'm not,” Jenny said, as she pulled the covers up and fell back
onto the bed.

Becky
jerked the covers from the bed and threw them on the floor.

“
You're
damn lucky I don't sleep naked,” Jenny snapped.

“
You're
right about that. You didn't run yesterday. You go every morning. Get
your ass moving,” Becky said, as she stood at the end of the
bed.

“
No,”
Jenny said.

“
You're
not giving up the information here. I'm not dealing with another day
of your moping. Get your ass out there and run.”

“
I
can't,” Jenny said.

“
You
can, and you will,” Becky said. “Do you want me to go
with you? You run at the park over by the school. Come on.”

“
You
can't go,” Jenny said.

“
Why
is that exactly? Will I find something when I get there? I'm not
stupid, Jenny. You're going for that run. I've seen the way you look
at him. I figured something out yesterday.”

“
What's
that, smarty pants?” Jenny asked.

“
It's
him,” Becky said. “When you got married, you were
settling. You never got the man you wanted. That man was Kyle.”

Jenny
knew her eyes were wider than they had ever been in her life.

“
He
likes you,” Becky said. “I don't give a shit what Gavin
or anyone else thinks. I am here as your friend. You are not going to
ruin your friendship over something stupid. I don't exactly know what
it is, but I do know that it's not worth it.”

“
I
don't belong in his world. I figured that out at the event. He's so
much better than me and way the fuck out of my league. I'll never be
good enough for him,” Jenny said.

“
Am
I good enough for Gavin?” Becky asked.

“
Of
course,” Jenny answered. “That man is so in love with
you.”

“
I
was just a developer. He was my boss. You do remember that, don't
you?” Becky asked.

“
That's
different,” Jenny said. “I never even went to college.”

“
Did
you ever think to ask Kyle if you belonged in his world? That's not
your decision. He watched you marry someone else.”

“
He
doesn't like me,” Jenny said.

“
Bullshit,”
Becky said. “I know different. I can't tell you how I know, but
I do. I get that you're afraid to get hurt, Jenny. I feel for you. I
really do. Are you willing to let a great guy pass you by just so you
don't get hurt? What if you don't? What if he's the one? Would you
rather never know just so you can keep your heart whole? Gavin does
not know I am in here. He'd be pissed if he heard me. You are my
friend and my family.”

Becky
picked up the clothes she had gotten out of the drawer and held them
out toward Jenny.

“
You
can't let yourself lose this friendship. I've never seen you as happy
as I have since we got back from Hawaii. I can't let you do this. Put
these damn clothes on and get to that park, or I'm going to drive you
there myself.”

“
Don't
say anything to Gavin,” Jenny said.

“
I'm
here as your friend,” Becky said. “He'll know when you're
ready. He feels bad that he didn't save you from that asshole. It's
his way of showing that he cares. Clean yourself up. You're a mess.”

Jenny
got out of the bed, snatched the clothes from Becky's hand, and
stormed off to the bathroom.

When
she pulled her car into the parking lot, she was so afraid he
wouldn't be there. He was sitting on a bench, looking down at his
phone. She got out of her car, and he looked up at her.

“
I'm
sorry,” they both said at the same time.

Jenny
laughed.

“
It's
none of my business what you do. It was stressful being there around
all of those people. I'm not sure why Gavin took me with him. I'm
sorry for getting crazy about everything and saying that you act like
you don't know me. I do believe that I don't fit into that world.
That won't change. Seeing you standing there after donating five
million dollars was an eye opener. You've done great things. It's
great that you and Ethan do what you do.”

“
I
don't want to lose what we have, Jenny. I like spending time with
you. I get that you didn't want to dance with me. I'm okay with it. I
just want to get back to where we were,” Kyle said. “You
ready to run?”

She
nodded. There were so many things she wanted to say, but she was too
afraid to say them. Why wasn't she more like Becky and Julie, she
wondered? Why was she so afraid to speak her mind?

They
ran longer than normal. Jenny didn't want her time with him to end.
When they were finished, she wasn't sure what to do. She knew if she
just walked away there would be a chance they would stop talking.
There was no way she was ready for that.

“
You
hungry?” she asked. “Let me take you to breakfast.”

“
In
public?” he asked with a laugh. “I need a shower first.
Why don't you come over my house. We can make breakfast after we take
showers. I'll let you take me out later. Stop and get clothes at your
house on the way.”

“
I
already have them in my car,” she said.

She
saw the question in his eyes and didn't want him thinking that she
planned to spend the day with him.

“
Don't
get a huge ego. I never emptied my car when I came to get my stuff.
I'll see you there.”

Jenny
got into her car and pulled away. She hoped that they could just pick
up where they left off without everything getting awkward. When she
pulled into his driveway, she got out and went to sit on the swing to
wait for him. He pulled in moments later. When he walked up, he had a
smile on his face. Then he unlocked the door and opened it for her.

“
Are
you coming?” he asked. “I was out running the other night
when you came over to drop the key and laptop off.”

“
Can
we not talk about that?” she asked, as she walked into the
house. “It was a rough night for me.”

“
It
was a rough night for me too,” he said. “Go shower. You
know where your room is.”

Jenny
walked up the stairs and down the hall to the guest room. She
couldn't help but wonder if she would ever be more than just a friend
to him.

Kyle

Kyle
went to his room and took the longest, hottest shower he'd taken in a
long time. She was only one room over. What he wouldn't give to have
her pressed up against that shower wall, he thought. Being friends
would be okay for a bit, but that would need to change. He'd almost
lost the relationship they did have, and he wasn't going to risk it
again. If he was going to lose her, it would be with her knowing
exactly how he really felt. He knew after what had happened between
them that he needed to give it a little time. A little time was fine,
but he was going to put it all out there. What happened that Friday
was bullshit. She should have been there with him, he thought.

When
Kyle finally turned off the water that had gone cold, he got dressed
and headed downstairs. He could smell the bacon before he turned the
corner. She was standing at the stove, with her wet hair down to her
shoulders, cooking and singing. Kyle could see her every day and
never get tired of being around her. He walked up behind her quietly
and wrapped his arms around her.

“I'm
sorry,” he said, as her body shivered in his arms. “So
damn sorry.”

“Me
too,” she said.

He
felt her body relax against his before he pulled away. A little time,
he thought. He could do that.

Life
went right back to the way it was between them, but he could feel the
tension. He wasn't sure which of them was holding back or why they
were doing it, but something was different.

The
next three weekends, she went to his house. They spent time on the
laptops playing and learning. They cooked, watched movies, and
relaxed in the hot tub. She met him each morning to run as well. Kyle
did notice that she hadn't left anything in the guest room like she
had before. She brought things with her and took it all home at the
end of the weekend.

Kyle
couldn't take it anymore. He wanted things to change. They were in
the basement on the laptops, and she'd made her first program that
she'd be able to use at work. It was going to save her time, and she
was excited. Kyle stood up and looked down at her.

“Get
ready,” he said. “We're going out to dinner.”

“No,”
she said. “We can just cook here.”

“You
said you weren't embarrassed to be around me in public. Isn't that
what you said?” he asked.

She
looked at him and laughed.

“I'm
not embarrassed to be seen with you, Kyle. I enjoy cooking with you.
It's a lot of fun for me.”

“Me
too,” he said. “I want to take you out to dinner tonight.
You should be so proud of what you just did. Look at how fast you're
learning. I'm so damn proud of you, Jenny. Go get ready.”

Jenny
looked at him and shifted from foot to foot.

“Go,”
he said in a rough tone.

She
turned and took off up the stairs. Kyle changed into jeans and a
t-shirt and sat in the living room waiting for her. When she walked
in, he could tell she was nervous. He'd seen her a million times
dressed up for work. He'd even seen her in formal wear at the charity
event. Seeing her with her hair done in jeans and a t-shirt had him
just as turned on. She was beautiful inside and out.

“You
ready?” he asked.

“I
don't know about this, Kyle. You sure you want to go out there with
me?” she asked.

He
shook his head and laughed.

“There's nobody I'd rather take than you. Come on,” he
said.

He
opened the car door for her to get in. She laughed when he walked
around and got in.

“What's
so funny?” he asked.

“I've
never been in your car,” she said.

“This
is it,” he said. “It's nothing impressive. I spent all my
time working on the house when I wasn't at work. The last few months,
I've spent my time with you. I never really thought about getting
another car.”

“This
is a nice car,” she said.

Kyle
took her to an Italian restaurant he liked. They laughed and joked
all through dinner. She didn't think twice about reaching over and
taking a bite of his food. After she'd done it, he watched her eyes
widen.

“I'm
sorry,” she said. “I shouldn't have done that.”

“Why
not?” he asked. “You do it at home all the time.”

He
reached over with his fork and took a bite of her food.

“See,”
he said. “I like that you're comfortable around me.”

They
ordered three desserts and both ate off of each of them. Kyle had
never been on a dinner date and had so much fun before.

When
they were finished, he opened her door for her and then got into his
car.

“What
do you want to do now?” he asked.

“I
don't know,” she said. “I'm about to bust. That food was
amazing. I can't believe I haven't gained a ton of weight being
around you.”

“That's
why we run,” he said with a laugh.

“Can
we just go back to your house? Do you have anything you want to do?”
she asked.

“Would
you like to go shoot pool?” he asked.

“I'm
not good at it,” she said.

“I'm
not that great either. It's fun though,” he said. “We
don't have to go.”

“I'd
like to,” she said.

Kyle
showed her how to break. He won the first game, but he noticed her
getting better as they played. She was laughing so loud by the time
they finished their third game. Jenny left to get them each a soda.
When she came back, he saw a difference in her attitude. Kyle walked
over to her and put his hands on her arms.