Page 20 of Bonding with the Beta (Fated Souls #2)

20

KAYLEIGH

W e leave the hospital shortly after meeting Aurora. Ava and Jaxon need their peace with their little girl before things become hectic. I sigh as we stroll towards the car park and dig out my phone.

“I should probably call an Uber. I left my car at the shopping centre,” I say.

Kayden stops walking beside me, snatches my phone out of my hand, and places it in his pocket. I stare back at him, mouth hanging open, ready to protest, but he shakes his head at me. “I’ll drop you to your car,” he says. “How’s it running now?”

“Good,” I admit. “Much better than before.”

He had my car dropped back to my university after it was fixed, which was some kind of miracle because I had no idea how I’d go to collect it when it was ready.

“Good.” He smiles as we start walking towards his parked car. “And besides, I won the bet.”

“You did not!”

“Aurora is an unusual name,” he shrugs as he takes his keys from his pocket.

I shake my head. “No. Aurora is an old name. Full stop.”

“Unusual.”

I groan and demand my phone back. Kayden obliges when we reach his car, and I quickly type the name into the internet as I flick my eyes across the results. When I look up, Kayden is leaning against his Jeep, arms folded and eyebrows raised, waiting for me to answer.

“It was around in the seventeenth century.” I point at him.

Kayden scoffs and then grabs my wrist to tilt the phone towards him. “Yeah, but it says it was rare until the twentieth century.”

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

“That makes it unusual.”

I roll my eyes at him. “You’re impossible.”

“Nah, I just really want a date with you.”

My entire body stills at his declaration, and I stare up at him, moving my head to the side slowly. “You already had a date with me,” I state simply.

“A real date, Kayleigh.”

I shouldn’t shudder at how he says my name, but I do. Every. Single. Time.

His brown eyes glitter in the light, and his lips curl, showing off those dimples that make my knees quiver.

“But who said you won?” I quirk a brow.

Kayden laughs quietly. “I did.”

“I can see that.”

“We should celebrate, too.”

“Celebrate?”

“Being Godparents, of course,” he answers and nods. “That’s not something we should take lightly. It’s a damn honour.”

I bite back a small grin. I can’t believe I’m her Godmother.

“Come on.” He pushes off his door and pats the roof. “Get in the car, blondie.”

I don’t make a scene.

The drive back to my car doesn’t take long, and since being asked to be Aurora’s Godmother has put me on top of the world, I hardly notice the time anyway.

“Thanks for the lift,” I say as we pull into the car park and unbuckle my seatbelt.

“You’re welcome. So, I’ll pick you up on Saturday at seven.”

My eyes narrow. “You’re very persistent.”

“I know what I want,” he smiles, and those dimples taunt me. “And secretly, I know you want to go on a date with me, too. So stop playing around and come out with me.”

“I told you I don’t date.”

Kayden hums, sounding unconvinced. “Alright, fine. If you want to be in denial.”

“I’m not in denial. I’m—” I cut myself off before I say too much.

He takes my hand and runs his thumb over my knuckles. “I promise you won’t regret it. I just want you to jump with me.”

I chew my lip for a moment. Deep down, a part of me really, really wants to, but another part is holding me back, and I wish I could let go.

“What are you so scared of?”

Getting hurt again.

Kayden’s brow twitches for a moment. “Kayleigh, I?—”

“I’ll go on the date,” I blurt suddenly before I chicken out.

He pauses for a second. “What?”

“I’ll jump,” I whisper. “With you.”

Kayden grins widely at me, and my insides flutter. “I won’t let you fall, I promise.”

“What are we doing?”

His eyes flick down to my lips. “It’s a secret.”

“A secret?”

Kayden hums, clearly enjoying the fact I’m squirming. “I’ll come pick you up at seven. Dress fancy.”

My eyes widen. “Fancy?”

He chuckles deeply. “Yeah…you ain’t getting in looking like that.”

I gawk. “You’re lucky even to be getting this.”

“Stop flirting with me.” He winks. “I’ll see you on Saturday.”

My eyes roll into the back of my head once more before I open the door. “You’re an ass,” I murmur as I hear his laughter before I slam the door shut.

“Evie, this is so not me,” I whine as I stare back at the full-length mirror.

Evie claps her hands. “It looks fucking amazing, Kay.”

“Really?” I press my hands against the soft fabric.

“Yes!” she shouts. “It’s been sitting in my wardrobe for God knows how long. It needs a night out. Trust me.”

Her words warm my chest as I look over the dress once more. I rarely wear this colour because I fear it makes my skin look too pale, but I adore the way her wine-red, long silk dress sits on my frame. There is a slit up one on the sides, the waist is pinched, and it has a V-neckline that shows off the perfect amount of cleavage.

It feels like a lot.

But Kayden said fancy.

How fancy? Ugh. I hate surprises for this exact reason.

Evie flops back onto my bed with a devious smile. “So…how did this date come about then?”

I close my eyes and breathe through my nose. “We made a bet, and he says he won,” I start. “But really, I’m sure that I actually won. Anyway, we decided we’d get whatever we wanted from the other person. He wanted a real date.”

“Wow,” she chimes. “This guy really likes you, huh?”

I chew on the inside of my lip. “Not sure why,” I mumble under my breath.

Evie stands up and places her hands on my shoulders, even though I’m at least six inches taller than her right now in these gold heels. “Kayleigh, do not let your silly insecurities win. Not now. Not tonight. Not when you look so fucking hot that he’s gonna wanna rip that dress off you before you even get into his car.”

I laugh at this. “We’re abstaining, remember?”

“Oh, please,” she cries out. “Like you two are going to go on a date and not hook up after. He won’t be able to keep his hands off you.”

The thought does something weird to my stomach.

“I like him as a friend,” I blurt.

Evie steps back and folds her arms over her chest. “Uh-huh.”

“I do,” I admit. “I like spending time with him.”

“Yeah, well, this is a romantic leap.”

“Not sure I wanted to make a leap this big,” I whisper.

Evie grabs my bag and hands it to me. “The ball is in your court. He seems like a nice enough guy to respect what you want. I hope so anyway because I’ll be ready to chop his balls off if not.”

I smile, her words calming my erratic nerves. “Thanks, Evie.”

My phone buzzes a few seconds later, and nerves rise in my throat when I see Kayden’s name flash across the screen.

Kayden:

I’m trying to be chivalrous and come up, but the door is locked. I’m waiting downstairs by the door.

Can’t wait to see you, blondie.

A wave of panic blasts through me, and Evie spots it straight away. “Right, you need to calm down, Kayleigh. Alright? You look stunning. You’re going to have an amazing night. You’re not going to think of anything else. Go and have fun. You deserve it.”

I nod and swallow back the lump developing in my throat. “He’s here.”

“Have the best time,” she says and grins. “Don’t overthink this.”

My cheeks hurt from my forced smile. “Thank you, and thank you for the dress. I owe you.”

“You owe me for nothing.” She waves a hand.

I exit my dorm on shaky legs and somehow make it downstairs whilst giving myself a pep talk. Before opening the door, I check my heels to ensure they’re tied properly.

As I push open the door, I immediately spot Kayden leaning against the wall in a white button-up shirt rolled up to his sleeves, and a dark pair of check trousers that sculpt his leg muscles without clinging to them.

My mouth aches from the dryness of looking at him.

For a moment, my heart skips a beat. Or six.