Page 21 of Belonging: KT & Lolo (Good Hope: The Next Generation #2)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Tonight, the scent of buttered popcorn mingled with a cool breeze, and the sky overhead stretched wide and velvet-dark, studded with stars. A perfect night.

At Lolo’s suggestion, KT had loaded four lawn chairs into the back of his Jeep, though he wasn’t convinced much actual movie-watching would happen. Daisy had been all smiles when they’d picked her up, her effervescent energy seeming to loosen something in Braxton.

“Wow,” Lolo said as they pulled into the gravel lot, scanning the near-empty space. “Where is everyone?”

Only a few cars dotted the grounds, most parked near the old wired speakers, vintage relics that clicked and hummed with memory.

Daisy leaned forward, eyeing the layout. “People love the old speakers. But I say we park closer and claim the grass. You know, full picnic vibes.”

Braxton arched a skeptical brow. “How do we hear the sound from out there?”

Daisy tapped the oversized zebra-print bag on her lap. “I came prepared. FM radio. We’ll hear Gene Wilder loud and clear.”

Lolo smiled, already reaching for one of the chairs. “Honestly? Sitting under the stars sounds better than sitting in a car.”

KT pulled into a spot near the grassy area at the base of the towering screen. The view wasn’t the best, but he wasn’t here for the view. He was here for them .

They piled out and unfolded their chairs with satisfying snaps. Daisy set the radio on the cooler she’d brought, packed with sodas, licorice, gummy bears and two kinds of chips.

When Braxton blinked at the snack spread, Daisy just grinned. “Be prepared,” she said, smug.

Lolo looped an arm around her. “You thought of everything. You’re the best.”

Daisy struck a faux-glam pose. “I know.” Then, with a glint in her eye, she said, “Now, who’s going to the swings with me?”

Lolo caught KT’s hand, lacing her fingers with his. “I can’t remember the last time I was on a swing.”

Daisy turned to Braxton, clearly enjoying herself. “Pretty please? I promise not to kick my legs too high.”

Braxton gave a dry chuckle. “I’ll push you. But only if you say ‘pretty please’ twice.”

“Oh,” Daisy said, eyes sparkling. “You are so going to regret that.”

She grabbed his hand, tugging him toward the playground.

KT caught the flash of surprise on Braxton’s face before it gave way to a smile that was…not quite guarded.

“I think he’s met his match,” Lolo murmured, her arm sliding around KT’s waist.

KT’s gaze followed his brother. “He needs someone who makes him laugh like that. ”

Lolo nodded. “Then I’m glad we invited them both.”

“So am I.” KT’s voice dropped as he turned to her. “Daisy makes it easier. Otherwise, I’d want to spend all my time alone with you.”

“Three can be awkward,” Lolo said gently. “I never want your brother to feel like a third wheel.”

KT kissed her cheek, lingering longer than necessary.

She tilted her head, curious. “What was that for?”

His eyes didn’t leave hers. “For being exactly who you are.”

So much more hovered between them, unspoken but thrumming. Then he grinned. “Want to try the merry-go-round?”

Lolo laughed. “You mean the metal death trap that’s been banned in forty-seven states?”

“Not here.” KT took her hand. “I’ll keep you safe.”

Her fingers curled around his. “Then I’ll keep you safe.”

In that moment, under the stars, something shifted. KT wasn’t sure if it was gravity or something stronger, but he fell a little harder.

Lolo clung to the bar of the merry-go-round as KT spun it, faster and faster, the world around them blurring into a streak of starlight and laughter. When he finally leaped on beside her, they wobbled and laughed together, breathless.

Daisy strolled over, brushing sand from her legs. “Your turn,” she said. “I pushed Braxton to the heavens and back.”

Braxton rolled his eyes. “ I pushed you , Daisy Mae.”

“Mae?” Lolo asked, amused.

Daisy sighed. “That’s what he calls me. I pretend to hate it.”

Braxton smirked. “But you don’t.”

Lolo and KT exchanged a knowing glance, their hands instinctively finding each other.

“They’re cute,” Lolo whispered .

“He’s having fun,” KT said with quiet certainty.

“Are you going to make me push you to the heavens, too?” she teased.

KT pulled her closer. “Only if you bring me back again.”

She wound her arms around his neck. “I’ll push you there and back,” she said and kissed him, fierce and full of promise. “The ‘back to me’ part is the most important.”

The movie had ended with applause from the scattered cars, but KT barely remembered the last few scenes. Most of the second half had been spent with Lolo’s head resting on his shoulder, her fingers laced with his.

Now, as he walked her to her cabin under a quilt of stars, the night air carried the scent of cut grass and distant woodsmoke. A gentle hush had settled around them, the kind that followed a good night, a better connection and the kind of laughter that didn’t need explaining.

When they reached her door, neither of them moved right away.

Lolo turned toward him, her face illuminated by the porch light, eyes softer than he’d ever seen them.

“I had a really good time tonight,” she said.

“Me, too.” KT hesitated, then lifted a hand, brushing a wisp of hair from her cheek. “Watching you on that merry-go-round? Pretty sure that’s going to be hard to top.”

She smiled. “I’ll try to be less graceful next time.”

“Don’t,” he said, his voice dropping. “You were perfect.”

The words hung between them. For a moment, it felt like everything else fell away.

She reached for the door. “I should…” But then she paused, her hand resting lightly on the knob. “Would you like to come in? ”

KT’s chest tightened. His fingers twitched with the want of it—all of it.

He exhaled slowly. “I would,” he said, voice low, rough around the edges. “But Braxton’s back at the cabin. I should check in.”

Disappointment flickered in her expression before softening into something quieter. “Of course.”

He dipped his head and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Then, after a beat, a softer kiss to her mouth. It wasn’t hurried or hungry. It simply said, I want this. I want you.

When they parted, he lingered, their foreheads nearly touching.

“The invitation stands,” she murmured.

He smiled. “I’m counting on it.”

She stepped inside, and as the door clicked shut, KT stood for a long moment under the stars, the echo of her kiss still on his lips.

KT closed the door behind him, the soft thunk of the latch echoing in the quiet. The lights in the cabin were low, the storm from earlier long gone, leaving only the occasional creak of wood and the hum of the refrigerator.

Braxton was stretched out on the sofa, socked feet propped on the coffee table as he flipped through one of KT’s art books. He didn’t look up.

“Well,” he said, turning a page, “judging by how long you were gone, either she kissed you, or you joined her book club.”

KT tossed his keys into the ceramic dish by the door. “It was a kiss.”

Braxton smirked, finally glancing up. “Good. I like her.”

KT walked to the fridge, grabbed two club sodas and held one out in offering. Braxton nodded. They cracked the cans open in near unison.

“I wasn’t sure how tonight would go,” KT admitted after a moment, lowering himself into the chair across from the couch. “Her, me, you…”

Braxton tilted his head. “You mean you were worried I’d be the third wheel?”

KT didn’t answer directly.

Braxton took a drink, then gave a small shrug. “Daisy made it hard to feel like a spare tire.”

KT arched a brow. “You like her?”

Braxton grinned. “I don’t not like her.”

KT chuckled. “Careful. She’ll have you on a merry-go-round by next weekend.”

Braxton raised his can. “Only if she promises to push me to the heavens and back.”

KT laughed softly, the sound warm and easy. This felt good. Quiet companionship, a bit of teasing, a full heartfelt good.

“You’ve fallen for her,” Braxton said suddenly.

KT didn’t deny it. Instead, he lifted his can in return. “To whatever this is.”

Braxton tapped his can against it with a grin. “To beginnings.”

The cabin had gone still.

Though KT had reminded his brother he had an extra bedroom, Braxton had left. Outside, the breeze stirred gently through the trees, rustling the leaves like whispers. Inside, KT stood barefoot on the hardwood floor, paintbrush in hand, a faint light illuminating the canvas in front of him.

He wasn’t tired.

Not in the way that demanded sleep, anyway.

Lolo’s kiss still lingered on his mouth—soft and sure, a promise tucked between heartbeats. He could still feel the way her fingers had curled into the back of his shirt, the way her laugh had lifted into the air at the theater, free and real.

He dipped the brush into the blue he’d mixed earlier, a deep, storm-kissed shade that reminded him of her eyes in shadow. With a slow breath, he swept it across the canvas, following the rhythm pulsing in his chest.

There was no plan.

There never was when it came to her.

He layered in a streak of sunlit gold, then muted it with a haze of graphite gray, letting instinct lead. The forms were abstract—blurred lines, suggestions more than certainties—but he could see her there, hidden in the angles and motion.

The way her hair fell over one shoulder. The way she tilted her head when she studied him, like she was sketching something beneath his skin.

He thought of what she’d said earlier. I’ll push you there and back. The ‘back to me’ part is the most important.

His hand stilled.

He stared at what he’d just created.

It was only a beginning, but it was her.

Not posed, not polished.

Just pulsing with something real.

A smile ghosted across his lips, warm and steady.

He reached for the brush, hand sure, heart open.

The first two days of the week passed in a soft blur—lunch with friends, a yoga class, a little shopping for Lolo.

KT spent time with Braxton helping their grandparents tackle a long list of “strong young man” projects. Then he attended his nephew’s birthday party, which included cupcakes, chaos and more superhero costumes than he could count .

Late last night, KT had texted her. I’ve got tomorrow totally free. Want to take our sketchbooks and head up the coast? Make a day of it?

Now, standing on the porch of her cabin, he looked every bit the artist-adventurer, jeans comfortably worn, a sketchpad tucked under his arm, eyes warm with quiet invitation.

Lolo wanted to fling her arms around him and ask if he wouldn’t rather stay in and kiss her senseless.

But the entire northern coastline of Door County was only thirty-some miles—and he had said they had the whole day.

There would be time for other things later.

As she reached for the car door, he surprised her with, “Do you like motorcycles?”

She looked up. “I do.”

“Braxton and I were reminiscing last night about a trip we took one summer from Durango to Ouray on the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado. Gorgeous views. Sheer drop-offs. White-knuckle corners.”

She grinned. “Sounds exhilarating. Do you have a bike?”

He shook his head. “Sold it. But I keep my license current—just in case.”

“You’ve got something in mind.” Her tone turned playful. “Spill it.”

“I heard Good Hope Outfitters has motorcycles you can rent,” he said, a gleam in his eyes. “I thought we could get one and ride up the coast.”