Page 14 of Sky’s Guide To Getting His Man & Banishing Ghosts (The Dreamwalkers #1)

Chapter

Eleven

Skylar

Be My Little Baby by the Ronettes sang out from my phone, startling me. That was the song I’d set for Kingston, but he never reached out to me first. My heart thudded in my chest, and anticipation zinged through my veins.

The only way that big lug would actually call me was if it had something to do with ghosts instead of the date I desperately wanted. But I’d take whatever I could get. That man would be mine. I knew he was shy and a tad awkward, so I was being as patient as someone like me could be.

Taking a deep, steadying breath so I wouldn’t sound as freaking excited as I was that he’d called, I answered. “Good morning, Kingston.”

“Oh, Skylar. Good. I was hoping it wasn’t too early to call,” the crackly voice of an older woman said.

Pulling the phone back, I checked to make sure it really was Kingston’s number I was connected to, which, of course, it was.

He was the only one with that assigned ringtone since he was the only one I wanted.

After confirming his name on the ID, I put the phone back to my ear. “Um, hello. Who is this?”

“Well, if you get your way, you’ll be calling me Gran.”

Clutching my chest over my heart with one hand, I spun in a circle, checking to see if I was being punked somehow. “Is this Kingston’s gran?” Had he told her about me? Wait. Why was she calling me from his phone? Was something wrong with him?

She cackled, which halted my fears. Surely she wouldn’t be laughing if he was sick or hurt. “You’re delightful, aren’t you? Pops said you were.”

“Pops?” I’d never heard Kingston mention someone named Pops, and as far as I knew, it was just him and his gran in their home.

He didn’t really talk about why she didn’t leave her house, and Jetty had been kind of sketchy on the details when Chance and I asked him.

Such a good bestie for my Kingston, very protective of him and his privacy.

“Mhm. Kingston’s grandfather. Hopefully, you’ll meet him one day soon.”

“Uhh…” What?!

“But enough about that. We have more important things to discuss.”

“We do?”

She cackled again. “Yes, dear. We do. Kingston should be waking up soon, and I thought it would be nice if the three of us had breakfast together.”

“At your house?” I asked, already heading for my closet. What did one wear to meet their future grandmother, the most important human in your person’s life? Then I paused. “Kingston hasn’t left for work yet?”

“Mm. No. I already sent his boss a text saying he wouldn’t be able to make it in today. Can you come over, dear?”

“Yeah. Yes. Sure. I’ll, uh, jump in the shower right now.”

“Hurry then. It would be nice if we chatted before he gets up, don’t you think?”

Well, I wasn’t so sure about that. I’d tried to get Kingston to let me come over and meet his grandmother and hang out with him a zillion and one times since I settled in, and so far, it had been a no-go. Hmm…

“Maybe I should wait until he’s up and you’ve had a chance to ask him if it’s okay.”

She clucked her tongue. “No. No. He needs to speak with you, and I need to tell him some things. It’ll be best for him if we do it all at the same time, I think.

” She hummed into the phone. “Yes, definitely better. It’ll keep him from getting too nervous.

Would you prefer if Chance and Jetty came?

I can invite them, too, but I think it would be nice if it was just the three of us. ”

That might be a good idea if Jetty was there, too, but would it make it better or worse for Chance to be there?

I had to assume Pops was hanging around Gran’s house as a ghost, which meant Chance would see him and say something.

Kingston had never mentioned his grandfather wandering their home in his afterlife, so maybe Chance revealing that would be a little too much for one morning.

A part of me wanted to tell Kingston’s gran I really didn’t feel comfortable going over until he called and invited me personally, but ripples of anxiety were coursing through me now, making my hands shake.

Why was his dead grandfather talking about me to his grandmother?

Why had she reached out to me all of a sudden?

Had he ever told her about me, or was her information strictly from the other side?

No, I had to know what she needed, and I couldn’t risk Kingston saying no. It might be important.

“Okay, you’re right. Just the three of us sounds perfect.”

“Oh, good,” she said, sounding pleased at getting her way. “I think this will be such a wonderful surprise for my little prince.”

Her little prince? I pictured the huge man who was never far from my mind and giggled. “I’ll hurry.”

“See you soon.”

I ran into the bathroom with my phone and set it on the counter in case Kingston called to tell me not to come while I was getting ready.

He was usually up before the crack of dawn, so it was hard to imagine he’d be asleep much longer, but what did I know?

This invitation from his gran was the weirdest thing ever.

While brushing my teeth, I turned on the water in the shower to heat up.

A part of me wanted to call Chance and double-check whether I should be doing this, but if I asked him, he’d probably ask Jetty, and there was a strong possibility he’d tell me to wait on his bestie to wake up.

I didn’t want to do anything to upset my future man or make him uncomfortable, but I really, really wanted to meet his gran.

I also really, really wanted her to like me.

Like she said, she’d be my gran someday, so I wanted us to start out on the right foot, and not honoring her request could potentially ruin that.

Hurrying through my shower, I let my mind run through all the different possibilities of why she’d called me this morning. That was weird, right? Yes, it was odd, but from the little I’d ferreted out about her, she wasn’t ordinary.

I assumed that was why Kingston had never let me or Chance meet her. I’d thought either that or she didn’t like company, but that couldn’t be the case because she’d just invited me herself.

The first time I’d asked him in person if I could go to his house with him, he’d turned the most brilliant shade of pink, which was why I kept asking.

How could anyone so massive be so damn adorable?

I’d actually never expected him to say yes, since unless we were talking about ghosts or about the cool things Elyse was teaching me, he would hardly meet my eyes.

Once the supernatural came up, it was a totally different story. His gorgeous dark orbs shone bright, twinkling with the same excitement I had the first time another boy touched my dick, and that was saying something.

Normally, I’d take some extra time with my appearance, but I wouldn’t be meeting anyone new today if I didn’t get there before Kingston woke up, so I popped my contacts in and applied just enough makeup to cover those pesky freckles.

I had a feeling that if he was awake when I knocked on their door, he’d politely shut it in my face. Couldn’t have that.

Drying off as I raced for the closet, I thought about the best outfit to wear to meet the grandma while still wanting to display all my assets in the best possible light for Kingston.

Deciding to go for a casual look, I pulled on a tight pair of pink jeans, the ones I bought because they reminded me of Kingston’s beautiful blushes, with a black t-shirt that had a pink and white swirl lollipop on the front.

It would look sweet and innocent to his gran, but hopefully make Kingston think dirty thoughts, like me sucking on something. Preferably him. I giggled at my own ridiculousness and darted out of the house.

I’d been with Jetty and Chance a number of times when we picked Kingston up to go out on our explorations of Willowhope while Chance got used to his gift of seeing and helping spirits, so I knew exactly where to go.

As I pulled up to the house, I crossed my fingers, hoping that Kingston was still asleep.

Maybe I should’ve called Jetty and made sure this wasn’t a horrible mistake. If he thought it would derail my plan of progressing my relationship with Kingston, then?—

An old woman with stooped shoulders and a messy head of gray and black hair opened the front door and waved. Well, decision made, I guessed. After grabbing my phone from my passenger seat, I hopped out of my car. “Good morning.”

She beamed at me. “Sky. You’re cute as a button. Come in. Come in.” She waved me toward her.

I ran up the walkway, stopping before I plowed into her and knocked her back through her front door.

She put out her hands, palms up, so I placed mine in hers and waited as she held our arms stretched out to the sides and ran an appraising gaze from the top of my head down to the black Converse that I’d thrown on to match my outfit.

“Oh, yes. You’re perfect for my grandson. What a sweet aura you have, but spicy.” She stared pointedly at the lollipop on my shirt and waggled her thin, gray eyebrows, cackling.

Feeling caught and exposed, my face heated with embarrassment. “Sorry,” I said a little bashfully.

She shook her head and dropped one of my hands, tugging me in with the other.

“You have nothing to apologize for. You have to use all of your wiles to make sure Kingston gets the picture. I understand that. The boy spends so much time with his head in the veil that he misses the obvious things in this natural realm. His grandfather was the same way.”

I followed dutifully on her heels. “Kingston’s grandfather had dreams, too?”

She smiled that secret one people do when they’re thinking about their other half.

Chance and Jetty both did it when speaking about each other when the other wasn’t around.

I knew Jetty was the one for my bestie the first time I’d seen that fond, faraway expression on his face.

And Chance, well, he’d never looked like that when he talked about his ex. Not once.

“He did, and they evolved as he got older, just like my grandson’s are now.” She pointed at a chair at the small kitchen table. “Go ahead and sit.”

I obeyed, and she set a coffee pot in front of me, and I smiled gratefully.

I’d been in such a hurry that I hadn’t even stopped to drink a glass of water before I left the house.

Which also meant I hadn’t taken the capsules that Elyse had made me.

Oops . She said those were important for my training.

I poured us both a mug of liquid Heaven and was picking up the cream when I realized what she’d said. “Kingston’s dreams are changing?”

She leaned back against the counter and grinned. “Finally caught that, did you?”

“Gran, who are you talking to? And why didn’t you wake me up? I’m late for work,” the deep voice belonging to the man of my dreams called out from down the hall.

Gran put a finger to her lips to silence me.

Suddenly, Kingston’s big frame filled the doorway, and I gulped at all the naked flesh on display.

His chest was smattered thickly with the same black kinky curls as the top of his head and a drool-worthy happy trail going down into the top of his dark green sleep pants.

His unfocused gaze went from his gran to me, and his eyes widened in shock.

Ready to defend my presence at his kitchen table—in his house—I was taken completely off guard as he strode toward me quickly and reached down, yanking me out of my chair and into his big arms. “Sky,” he said, sounding…happy?

He’d hugged me before when we defeated the spooks at the manor, but never like this and never out of the blue.

I didn’t know what I’d done to deserve that reaction, but I wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so I wrapped my arms around his neck, squeezing him as tightly as he was me, and I held on for all I was worth.