Best of Me

It had been a few days since the accident, and Kat was doing much better. She had some aches and some headaches, but it was nothing she couldn’t handle. The most painful thing to come from the accident was her car and insurance.

Kat had quickly gotten a new car, a Jeep Wrangler, and had been trying to get the insurance swapped over. The company had been taking their sweet time processing the paperwork, and it was driving her insane.

With a sigh, she placed her phone on the coffee table and leaned back against the couch. The sound of footsteps reached her ears and she glanced up to see Brian approaching. He had changed into some dark jeans and a black v neck t-shirt.

“Everything okay, babe?” Brian asked as he observed Kat’s annoyed facial expression. She rolled her eyes, a brief nod following.

“Insurance is finally sorted out, thank god. I’m just glad that my car was payed off before the accident.” Kat admitted.

Brian leaned over her, bracing his hand on the back of the couch and on the armrest. “I’m just glad that you’re okay.” He pressed his lips against hers quickly before pulling away. “We have to leave for dinner.”

Kat smiled as she gently pushed Brian away from her, sliding off the couch so she could go change. She made it quick, settling for jeans and a black fitted Henley. After pulling on her shoes, she raced back downstairs.

Brian quickly fed Pinkly before snatching up his keys and leading Kat outside. They had been invited over for dinner at Kat’s dad’s house. She was excited to go. It felt like she hadn’t seen him much recently, so this dinner would give them all a chance to talk about things.

***

“So, Kat decides she wants to do it all by herself, loses her balance, and pulls the chair over on top of herself.” David chuckled as he told a story from Kat’s infancy.

“How did I never know this? That’s how you got that scar on your lip?” Brian asked with a bright smile, noticing the slightly embarrassed look on Kat’s face.

“I don’t remember that.” She shrugged, popping a small scoop of mashed potatoes in her mouth. David laughed and leaned back in his chair.

“You wouldn’t, you were just a baby. Your mom lost her mind though. She wanted to rush you to the emergency room.”

Kat had the sudden horrifying thought of her son or daughter getting hurt like that. She knew that she would react the same way, and she made a mental note to baby-proof everything possible. David saw the worry in his daughter’s eyes and smiled gently at her.

“Kit Kat, kid’s get hurt. It happens and there isn’t much you can do about it. You got hurt all the time, thankfully nothing serious.”

“Not helping, dad.” Kat teased with a roll of her eyes.

“It’ll be fine, babe.” Brian gently rubbed her shoulder, trying not to worry about the same thing.

“So,” David started, his tone becoming a little more serious. “I think we need to get the heavy stuff out of the way. Brian, what’s the plan for touring after the baby gets here?”

Kat’s eyes widened as she looked to her dad. “Oh, my god, dad!”

“What? I just have to make sure that my daughter is gonna be okay.”

Kat opened her mouth to speak, but Brian interrupted her. “It’s fine. I get it. I’ve, uh, been thinking about the same thing. Obviously, she won’t be by herself, but I wanna be around. After the baby’s born, we’ll be taking some time off. It’ll be a while, but we’ll have to work things out after that.”

“Well, I’m willing to help, you guys know that.” David smiled as he stood from the kitchen table, leaning down to plant a kiss on the top of Kat’s head.

Dinner continued normally after that, and once they were done, Kat tried to help her father with the cleanup, but David shooed her away. Relenting, Kat wandered through the house until she reached the backdoor. Brian was outside smoking a cigarette, scrolling through his phone.

Kat smiled softly as she stepped out, tugging her sleeves down over her hands. Brian hadn’t heard her come out, so she quietly walked up behind him. Her arms slid over his shoulders, causing him to jump.

“Jesus, Kat.” He breathed out, quickly stubbing out his cigarette. “You gotta stop coming around this shit.”

“Sorry, I’m still getting used to all this.” Silence. “Bri, talk to me.” Kat could tell that something was off.

Brian grabbed her hand, threading their fingers together. Keeping the contact, Kat maneuvered around to sit in the patio chair next to him. Brian was silent for a few moments as he thought.

“This was the first time I’ve had the chance to think about what happens after. Kat, I don’t want you alone with a baby for months at a time. It scares the hell out of me.” He admitted, his thumb brushing over her knuckles.

Kat sighed and scooted the chair closer to him. She understood where he was coming from. Hell, it was something she had thought about many times. But like all things in their life recently, they would figure it out.

“I won’t lie and say I’m not worried. Let’s face it, I have no idea what I’m doing yet. But it’s going to be okay. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Brian smiled and kissed her, his fingers running through her long hair. “You’re awesome, you know that?”

“Hmm, I know.” Kat grinned. “We should probably get home.”

“Yours or mine?” Brian asked as he stood up, gently pulling her with him. Kat quirked an eyebrow, a tiny smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.

“I was thinking ours.”

Brian breathed out a laugh, his arm draping over her shoulders. “So, it’s our place now?”

Kat rolled her eyes playfully, bumping her hip against him. “I mean, I could just take my stuff back to my house and call it a day.”

“You’re an ass.” Brian replied, pressing his forehead to the top of hers.

Things with Brian were surprisingly easy. Kat had spent a lot of time worrying about what could go wrong, but they were good. She had been so terrified of ruining the friendship, but it seemed to be what made their relationship easy.

Kat and Brian quickly said goodbye to David before leaving. The pregnant brunette yawned, feeling completely exhausted. She settled into the passenger seat with her head leaning against the door. She fought to keep her eyes open, but she was losing quickly. Brian smiled to himself as he reached over and rested his hand on her thigh. His thumb rubbed over the denim material in comforting circles, lulling Kat into a light sleep.