After parking the car, Burnett saw Perry as they walked through the gate, and called him over and asked him to see Kylie to her cabin.
"What up?" Perry asked, studying Kylie and then looking back at Burnett walking away. "I've never seen him looking so ... stunned. It's as if the lights are on but nobody's home."
"Nothing," Kylie said, and she wanted to cry, to smack herself for being so thoughtless.
As soon as Kylie got back to her cabin, she headed straight to her bedroom.
But Della shot across the room and blocked the door. "What's wrong?" Della asked. "First you come to class crying, then Holiday shows up acting all weird, and now you come in looking like a kicked puppy. And don't tell me it's none of my business, I'm your friend, that gives me all the rights in the world to butt into your personal life."
Kylie gave Della a hug. "I love you."
"Okay ... I ... I wasn't trying to get all mushy?" Della said, and pulled back.
"I know, but you were," Kylie said. "Unfortunately, I can't ... talk about any of this right now. I need to make a few phone calls." She motioned for Della to step away from the door. She did, but begrudgingly.
Kylie's first phone call was to warn Hayden that Burnett might possibly arrive and be on the warpath.
"Why? What the hell did I do this time?" Hayden asked.
"My grandfather showed up at the drugstore. I'm assuming you told him where I was."
"Oh, damn it! I did mention it, but ... I never thought he'd go there. I guess I'll start packing my bags,"
he muttered.
"No," Kylie said. "Please. Just explain that you didn't know he was coming. Just ... placate Burnett.
Say anything. But ... don't leave. I need you here. And ... don't be too hard on him. He ... he's having a hard day."
"What happened?" Hayden asked.
"He had to put up with me," Kylie said.
"Oh, that would be rough," Hayden said teasingly, but Kylie wasn't in a humorous mood.
Off the phone with him, Kylie called her stepdad. She talked to him a good five minutes, assuring him she was okay, and that she'd lost her phone, but now she found it and was sorry she missed his calls.She could tell from his voice that he was upset to learn that her mom was in London. Or maybe it wasn't just his voice telling her this, but his words. "God damn, she should have told me she was leaving the country!"
"I'm sure she just forgot," Kylie lied, unsure of anything else she could say.
Hanging up with him, Kylie suddenly felt her left pocket vibrate. Oh, crap. She'd completely forgotten she still had Holiday's phone.
Pulling her phone out, she saw Burnett had sent Holiday a text. Her gut said that Holiday needed to read it. She ran out of the room and hollered at Della. "Let's go."
Knowing Della would catch up, Kylie lit out the door. In a matter of seconds, Della was moving beside her.
"Where are we going?"
"To the office. I need to see Holiday."
"And you're still not going to tell me what's going on."
"Sorry." Kylie picked up her pace.
She asked Della to wait outside. The vamp rolled her eyes, but did it. When Kylie walked into the office, Holiday's door was shut. She knocked.
"Who is it?" Holiday asked, and Kylie sensed the fae was hoping it was Burnett.
"It's me." Kylie opened the door.
Holiday stood behind her desk. She sighed. Her eyes were a watery mess. The fae didn't cry much prettier than Kylie. "I'm so sorry." Guilt caused a knot in Kylie's throat.
"It's not your fault."
"Yes, it is. He shouldn't have heard the news like that. I was just so..."
"Mad," Holiday finished for her. "And you had a right to be. He completely jumped to conclusions. He has a really bad habit of doing that." Her voice shook.
Kylie saw the pregnancy test boxes in the garbage. "Did you take them?"
She nodded.
"And?"
She nodded again. "All three say yes. What's the chance of them being wrong?"
"Does Burnett know?" Kylie asked.
She shook her head. "He didn't even come into the office. Didn't say one word to me. He got in his car and left."
"Wait. He did say something." Kylie pulled Holiday's phone out of her pocket. "You got a text from him. That's why I came here. I thought it might be important."
Holiday took the phone and hit a few buttons almost in a panic. Tears filled her eyes and she put a hand over her trembling lips.
"Is that a good or bad reaction?" Kylie asked.
Holiday looked up, tears in her eyes but with a smile. "He writes: 'I'm at the florist, trying to figure out which flower says I'm an idiot and please forgive me.'" She inhaled. "He is an idiot!" She hiccuped.
"But I'm your idiot!" Burnett said from the doorway.
Kylie looked back and saw Burnett walk in carrying the biggest, and the oddest-looking, bouquet of flowers she'd ever seen. Holiday dropped into her desk chair. A few tears rolled down her cheeks.He moved past Kylie and set the flowers on Holiday's desk, pretty much taking up the entire desk, too.
"You didn't get back to me with the kind of flower, so I got one of everything they had."
Burnett's eyes cut to the garbage, where he obviously spotted the pregnancy test packages. He looked up at Holiday. "Are we pregnant?"
She nodded and wiped her cheeks.
"Forgive me," he said with pure emotion in his voice. "I'm just scared. I didn't have a father and most of my foster parents weren't what you would call good examples. But then I realized that you are going to be such a great mom, that it won't matter if I suck at parenthood a little bit."
"You're not going to suck at it." Holiday hiccuped.
"But if I do, you'll straighten me out, right?"
She nodded. "You bet your cold feet I will."
Kylie grinned and started to back out. She almost got to the door when Burnett turned. "I owe you an apology, too."
Kylie nodded. "And I owe you one."
Burnett smiled. "Accepted."
"But no more secrets," Kylie said. "Even between you and Hayden. If it involves me, I want to know."
He sighed. "Deal. Now that we got most everything cleared up, can you leave so I can kiss the mother of my child and not worry about offending virgin eyes?"
"Make it a good one." Kylie smiled and started out.
"Kylie?" Holiday said.
Kylie turned back. "The Brightens called while we were away. They're still planning on coming tomorrow. I just wanted to remind you."