Love Me Patiently, Love Me Honestly

Before I could knock on the door Kennedy opened it, a sweet smile on his face.

“Hi, beautiful.”

I blushed and he let me in. He was wearing black pants and a satin blue button down shirt. He looked nice.

He shut the door and faced me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him softly. He kissed me back but pulled away after a few seconds and laughed. “You’re gonna give away the whole date if you keep dong that.”

I smiled, “Fine, lead the way,” I said.

“So sorry this is so lame, but we had to keep Emma today and Jade is watching her, they’ll be in the nursery all night though,” he said.

“Oh no, it’s cool.” Except for the part that Kennedy’s room was right across from the nursery.

He grabbed my hand and led me to the kitchen. The family table was covered in a red table cloth, tall candle sticks in the middle, and the fine china placed at opposite ends of the small table.

“This is beautiful,” I said. I turned to the oven and inhaled. “What are you making?” I asked.

“Chicken Parmesan.” He smiled.

“You sure know the way to a girl’s heart, Kennedy.” I smiled.

He pulled out my chair for me and I sat. He pulled the dinner out of the oven and made our plates. He had garnished it and gave it a beautiful appearance.

“This looks great, Kenny, really,” I told him, placing my cloth napkin on my lap. “I feel like an adult.” I smiled to myself.

“You are,” he laughed. “What are you going to do now that you’re an adult?” He raised his eyebrows and didn’t fight the smile tugging at his lips.

“Oh, you know probably go buy cigarettes, maybe look into stripping,” I said sarcastically and he laughed.

“How were your dates?” he asked.

“Fantastic! I had so much fun on…most of them!”

“Most?” He asked.

“I told John that I am picking you,” I took a bite of chicken.

He sat down his fork. “Didn’t take it too well?”

“That’s an understatement,” I sighed.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked.

I smiled lightly, “No, I do not want to talk about John right now.”

He grinned, “Me neither.”

We continued eating our dinner and I told him about my day. When dinner was over he put the dishes in the sink and led me to his bedroom.

He opened the door and let me step in first. The room was lit with sweet scented candles, and rose pedals were on the floor. It looked like something you’d see in a movie.

I turned to face him as he closed his door quietly. He looked so hopeful and so gorgeous. I knew this was right, and this was what I wanted.

He walked towards me, turning on the radio he had on his dresser. A jazz song was playing and he clasped my hands in his.

“Maddie, will you dance with me?” he asked.

I couldn’t even speak, I just nodded my head yes.

He grabbed my right hand in his left and wrapped his right arm around my waist. I rested my head on his shoulder, and he sat his chin on top.

“This is nice,” I told him.

He didn’t say anything but I felt his heart beat speed up. I laughed lightly.

“What?” He asked.

“You’re anxious.” I looked at him, keeping our faces only inches apart.

He released my right hand and wrapped his around the back of my neck. He smiled at me. “I’ve just been waiting for this for a really, really long time.”

I took a deep breath to calm the butterflies, “Me too.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck as we continued swaying back and forth. “Kennedy? Can I ask you something?” I said hesitantly.

“Anything.” I could taste his breath on my tongue and I savored it.

“Is there… anything I should know?” I didn’t know quite how to word what Garrett and I had talked about earlier and by the look on Kennedy’s face he didn’t know what I meant.

I continued, “Like…anyone else? You know what I mean?” I asked and he still didn’t answer. “I’m sorry, I feel stupid.” I looked down.

He didn’t say anything and that made me feel even worse. After about a minute he finally spoke up. “No Maddie, there’s nothing you need to know.”

His face was straight and I could tell he was hiding something. His eyes were scared and his skin was clammy.

“Are you sure about that?” I asked.

He looked down for a second, then back up, “I’m positive, Madds, there’s nothing you need to know. Unless you want to know, but nothing is important.”

“How do you define important?” I asked, getting seriously worried.

He chuckled and cupped my chin in his hand, “I won’t hurt you, Maddie.” He said and I one hundred percent believed him.

I looked down and touched his hand that was resting on my cheek, “You know I’ve never done this before, right?” I was embarrassed. I knew for a fact Kennedy wasn’t a virgin.

“I know you haven’t, and like I said, I won’t hurt you.” He said whole heartedly.

“Kennedy, I love you.” I told him, absolutely sure it was true. It had always been true.

“I love you too, Maddie.” He said and kissed me.

He held onto my waist with one hand, my face with the other. We kissed until we reached his bed. He lay me down gently and kneeled over the top of me. He let me undo the buttons on his shirt while he kissed along my jaw line and down my chest.

He slouched out of his shirt and I let him pull my dress over my head. I undid the button on his pants and he took them off. Two garments separated us, and he looked at me now.

“I love you,” He said to me and kissed my lips again.

**
I woke up from the daze I was in and Kennedy was holding me in his arms. I had my back to him, and when I faced him he was staring at me.

“You have to get going soon,” he frowned.

“I don’t care,” I smiled and kissed him.

He pulled away. “But John will if he comes in here and finds you like this.” He tapped my nose.

I ignored his statement and adjusted myself, resting my head on my right hand. “So, is it not sexy to ask you how that was?”

“It was perfect,” he smiled, “You were perfect.” He leaned in and kissed my forehead.

Before I could respond Kennedy’s door opened. I immediately hid myself under the covers, thinking it would be John. But when I looked up I saw it was Jade holding Emma in her arms.

“Jade, get out of here!” Kennedy exclaimed, covering his lower half with the sheets.

She looked at him, then to me. Her mouth dropped and she looked panicked. “Kennedy, I was supposed to get off at seven o’clock, I have places to go.”

“Okay, then go!” He said.

Jade held Emma out and tapped her foot, waiting.

Kennedy looked back at me, his mouth in a straight line. “I’m sorry.”

I smiled, “No, its okay. I should go change.” I kissed his cheek before I got out of bed. I wrapped the sheet around me, picked up my bag of clothes, and walked to the bathroom in the hall to change.

I studied myself in the mirror. My hair was tousled and was falling out of its barreled curls so I slowly swept it to the right side of my neck and fastened it into a loose bun. It was the only way of hiding the mop of sex hair that sat on my head, which would no doubt be noticed by the guys.

I changed into the outfit I had bought with Garrett. I put on black tights before I put on the jumper. I adorned chandelier style earrings with blue and purple jewels, matching my heels I had bought. They stood about four inches tall, so I would still be shorter than most of my friends.

I knew that I looked great, and I felt great, too. I was unbelievably happy with what had occurred between Kennedy and I in the next room, I didn’t regret it, which is absolutely how it should be.

I loved him, that’s why I gave him my virginity. People would understand that, right? Sure, people would, its high school, and most of my friends lost their virginity years ago. Yes, people would understand. Most people would.

John would hate me; he’d stop talking to me for a while. That’s a consequence of my action, but it would pass. He’d get over it, he would have to.

Before I opened the bathroom door I heard Jade begin to talk to Kennedy in his room.

“You have to tell her, Kenny!” She hissed.

“Get out of here.” He tried to not raise his voice above a light roar.

“Tell her, Kennedy,” She said again.

“Tell me what?” I asked, leaning against the doorway. I couldn’t help but smile when I saw Kennedy’s eyes get wide as he looked up at me from his seated position on the bed.

He stood and glided to me. “You look, amazing,” he had trouble putting the words together. He was dressed now in what he had worn earlier, and I was still stricken by how great he looked.

He leaned down and kissed me, but I couldn’t enjoy it because I was still aware of Jade’s present in the room, holding Emma and leaning against the bedpost.

She cleared her throat and Kennedy pulled away.

“Right, what do you need to tell me?” I asked.

“It’s nothing,” Kennedy shot a look at Jade.

She rolled her eyes and lay Emma down in the cradle next to Kennedy’s bed.

“I’ll tell her then.” She said quickly. “Maddie, why don’t you ask Kennedy who Emma’s real father is?”

I looked back at Kennedy. His fists were clenched and he was turning red. I put my hands on his waist and I noticed him flinch. “What is she talking about?”

He didn’t answer me, he wouldn’t look at me. “Kennedy?” This was bad, this was very bad.

“Jade, it’s time for you to go.” He said quietly, still staring at the floor.

“I’m not leaving until you tell her.” She folded her arms over her chest.

“Jade!” Kennedy screamed as he rubbed his hand over his face. He was so angry it scared me. I took my hands away from his waist and took a step back.

“Fine, if that didn’t get the ball rolling enough, Maddie, ask who Emma’s mother is.”

“It’s Haley, isn’t it?” I asked Jade. She didn’t answer and I turned back to Kennedy. “Emma is your sister’s daughter, right?”

She looked away, “I’ll go now.” She walked to the door and stopped when she was beside me. She looked me in the eyes, “I’m sorry,” she said before she walked away.

“Kennedy, what is she talking about?” I asked. My voice was at a high pitch; I was so scared.

He looked up at me and grabbed one of my hands in both of his, and placed it against his chest. His eyes were filled with tears and that’s when I knew I had been a fool.

I pulled my hand away, “Kennedy! Tell me who Emma’s parents are!” I demanded.

“Maddie, Emma is my daughter.”

I heard his words and I got dizzy. I couldn’t focus and my knees fell out from under me. He caught me and helped me over to his bed.

I sat up, staring in front of me. He paced around the room for a few minutes, before he finally kneeled down to my eye level. “Maddie, say something.”

“Do I know the mother?”

He flinched again.

“Who is it, Kennedy?”

He wouldn’t answer me. He just stared.

Suddenly my heart sunk. Everything fit together.

My mind flashed back to when I told Kennedy I loved him the day before I left for England.

“I..I think I’m in love with you.”

“Um, Maddie, that’s flattering and everything, but I just…I...I don’t feel the same about you.”

“Oh, I see. I’m too much like a sister?”

“No, no, it’s not that. I’m...I love someone else.”

Then I thought of Carly crying at the airport and the confusion I felt when I heard her words.

“I’m so sorry about Kennedy, I’m so, so sorry.”

“Oh my god.” I jumped up and ran to the cradle Emma was lying in.

I studied her bright blonde hair and her deep hazel eyes, the slope of her nose and her rosy red cheeks. “Carly?” I was barely audible.

Kennedy walked up behind me as I stared at the baby. Emma looked exactly like Carly; same hair, same lips, same nose, but with Kennedy’s eyes. The same eyes I couldn’t even look into now. I didn’t know the boy that stood before me, he couldn’t be the boy I had fallen in love with.

I had fallen in love with a liar.