Free Getting Kole for Christmas by Kimberly Krey Page B

up the stairs, the added height making me feel extra tall in the narrow stairwell, and pass each of my sisters as I walk through the dining area. They’re lined up like little checkpoints along the way.
    Trina’s first. “Perfect,” she says while inspecting my hair. She rests a hand on my shoulder and leans in. “Kole looks smoking hot, by the way,” she whispers.
    I smile, stepping up to Tiff next. “If you went to school everyday looking like this,” she says, twisting the cap off her lip gloss. “I don’t think you’d have any friends.”
    I laugh, tighten up my bottom lip while she applies, and then rub them together to get the top. I’m ready to move on to Melanie when Tiff snags my arm. “Kole is gorgeous, Kylie. You two are going to look perfect.”
    “Thanks,” I say, proud of myself for taking the compliment. “You guys all look amazing. Thanks so much for your help tonight.”
    Melanie tugs me into her and gives me a hug. Once she lets go she spins around and snatches a paper towel off the counter. “Blot,” she says, holding it out to me. “You’re going to have such an incredible time tonight.”
    The flutters pick up in my belly. “I hope so. You’re going to too! Your first date – I can’t wait to hear about everything once we all get back.”
    “Let’s have a campout in the family room tonight,” Melanie says. “We can tell each other about everything that happened on our dates.”
    “Hey, we want to come too,” Tiff says.
    My dad clears his throat from the other room. My eyes widen as I look at the  twins in horror. “Dad’s already in there with him?”
    Trina nods.
    “And Mom too?”
    They both nod. “And Dad has already taken pictures of Kole all by himself by the front door,” Trina adds.
    “You’re killing me. Coming,” I holler, a fresh urgency pushing me on.
    Melanie scurries over to the fridge and pulls out the boutonniere I picked out for Kole. The other three will be pulled from the fridge soon, and placed on my sisters’ dates while the camera pops. For now, it’s my turn.
    I let out a slow breath and round the corner in my non-wobbling heels.  My breathing stops at the sight of him. Stops! I’ve seen Kole dressed up in white shirts and khakis on game days at school during baseball season. Some days he even wears a tie. I didn’t think it could get better than that. But as my eyes run over the tall wonder dressed in black, white, and a tie that matches my dress, my ankles feel like they might give out completely.  
    His eyes hold mine once I get to his face, but soon they drift down the length of me appreciatively. “You look incredible,” he says, his cheeks warming with color.
    “So do you,” I gush.
    He holds up a clear box that looks like the one in my hands, only bigger. “Can I put this on you?”
    I nod.
    “Wait, let me get some pictures,” my dad says.
    Flashes pop as Kole slips the gorgeous ivory roses onto my wrist, their fragrance strong in the air. His fingers graze over my skin once he’s done, and a rash of goosebumps race up my arms. “It’s pretty,” I say. “And it smells good too.”
    His eyes catch mine again, holding them for a blink. I can see him hedging, like he’s holding something back. “You smell nice too,” he whispers before his eyes dart over to my parents.
    I grin. “Thanks.”
    It takes me a while to pin on the boutonniere, but once I’m done we face the camera and let Dad snap away while my mom and sisters – who’ve snuck into the room – gush.
    After a few quick goodbyes, we’re on our way. We go to dinner at some place I’ve never been to. Meg shares tales of what it’s like at her new school. Cassie – while dousing her hands in sanitizer – asks if we can have a new waiter because the one they gave us ‘looks a little red-nosed’ and ‘is probably fighting a cold.’
    There are moments when it’s just me and Kole too, caught up in our own quiet conversation as the others talk. He tells me