His jaw creaked with the pressure he clamped down his words with. Forcing the control he'd worked for years on while willing his nerves to be steady. He was an idiot, that was the thing. The complete definition, because why did it have to take him so long to ask such simple of a question? Then again, the weight that asking one to be another's was more than just a simple question. She was now going to be tied to him, and he to her. The lives they'd spoken about and constructed, Kaden had just confirmed to be latched to him. The relief that left him in a sigh and replaced itself with a lightness to his chest. "Oh, thank fucking God."
A groan grew into a laugh as Kyle pulled her to him. Hands going for her waist where he pulled her in. "I said please, though. Okay. Be nice." When he looked down at her, he took her in. Truly looking at her with the cars' headlights cascading highlights and shadows across her features. She had derailed him from his objective, and he was... Glad. Completely content with this person being his and giving him life, because he deserved it. After what had happened, he was worthy of this. "We'll make it work," he confirmed before placing a kiss against her forehead. "I am a fuckin' idiot, though, 'cause I should've asked the moment I kissed your ass on New Year's."
"While I was wearing enemy colors?" she teased, "I don't think you had it in you." And, after she'd nearly made a fool of herself with that soda she'd been drinking at the party, after she'd made that sorry excuse to leave early since she needed to get home, and he'd managed to distract her long enough that fireworks had gone off anyway. It certainly hadn't been the New Year's Eve she'd been expecting, but she hadn't been expecting much of anything. Truly — and she wasn't being sappy with the thought — it'd gone far better than she ever could have hoped for. Her own life complications would complicate things eventually, but, for now, she could pretend that they lived within some secret life where it'd just... never come up.
Granted, hiding secrets was far easier whenever half a country laid between them, but, for now, it wasn't exactly like he'd be with her every night despite the fact that he'd be in the city over the summer. Her family business wasn't even technically a lie. Kaden merely felt a bit Sopranos-esque whenever she described it as such while knowing the actual truth behind her words.
"I'll be nice though," she breathed near his ear, her own arms having naturally wrapped around his neck when he'd pulled her in, "Pinky promise and everything." Fuck, she still couldn't quite believe that he'd be living in the city soon enough. It'd be an excellent test, trying to figure out if things still worked whenever they weren't long distance. If it did, she could only hope, and pray, and beg the universe that he'd manage the miracle of being drafted by the Yankees. She hoped. She hoped. She hoped.
"But, only if you're extra nice to me," she teased, "Of course."








