Kyle and I were walking to his front porch. He drove me to his home and I was surprised by how open he was with everything. He was letting me see his address, letting me see exactly where he lived without hesitation. And my heart felt warm as I realized Kyle truly trusted me.
"Are you nervous?" Kyle asked, hesitating before he opened the door.
"A little," I admitted.
"They'll love you. Trust me, they will."
I nodded and took a deep breath in, and Kyle gave me a reassuring smile. He then opened the door for me and I stepped through, and immediately upon entering, I saw Kyle's mom and siblings.
Kyle's mom was stunning, I realized as I stood frozen at the doorstep. She was a petite women with blonde hair and the same striking blue eyes Kyle had. And glancing at his siblings, I saw the same blonde hair and blue eyes on them as well. His brother was the same man I saw at the bar when I first met Kyle, and the little girl was the mini version of his mom. The entire family was stunning and feeling shy, I just stood there gawking at them.
"Enough of the staring contest," Kyle said, chuckling as he shut the door behind us. "This is Clarissa. Clarissa, this is my mom, Marigold, my brother, Ryan, and my little sister, Daisy."
"Hi," I said, feeling unusually nervous.
Kyle snorted beside me and I shot him a look. He smiled smugly at me and I rolled my eyes, annoyed he was making fun of me for being so shy around his family.
"Hi, it's nice to meet you," Marigold said. "Please, come in."
Kyle and I followed Marigold to the kitchen and I took in their house. It was a small house with just two rooms on the main floor; one of the rooms was the living room and the other was the kitchen. And as my eyes scanned the area, I took in how neat everything was and how every corner was full of pots of flowers. As I thought about Ryan's mom's name and his little sister's name, I thought about the coincidence for their fondness of flowers.
"Have a seat Clarissa," Marigold said. "Let me make you tea."
"Thank you," I said.
Daisy then ran up to me and both Kyle and Ryan leaned against the wall across from me. Ryan was glancing at me, his eyes curious and I looked to Kyle who, to my surprise, was glaring at Ryan. Frowning, I wondered what that was about.
"You know," Daisy said, bringing my attention to her. "You're beautiful. Like really beautiful."
"Oh, thank you," I said, touched.
"I thought the same thing when I saw you," Marigold said, turning to look at me. "My son is really lucky to have a girl like you in his life."
Ryan snorted and Kyle shot his mom a look. I blushed, realizing her implication.
"Oh, we're just friends," I said, hoping to clear the air.
"Really?" Ryan said. "Kyle won't shut up about you, so we all thought he finally got a girlfriend."
"Shush," Kyle said. "Ignore my brother. Seriously, ignore everything he says."
"Hey!"
I laughed as they glared at each other and I looked to Daisy who was also giggling. Marigold was smiling to herself as she stirred two cups of tea.
As a family, we continued to talk and learn more about each other, and with every minute that passed I saw just how close the Rivers family was. Everything they did was so fluid, whether it be to help Marigold cook dinner or to tease each other. I was amazed by the sight before me and my heart even ached as I wondered if this was what it was like to have a healthy family.
Suddenly, Kyle's phone rang and he glanced at it and his eyebrows furrowed. I stared at him, wondering if it was one of his customers.
"Sorry, I'll be back in a few minutes," Kyle said. "I'll be outside."
I nodded and Kyle rushed outside to pick up his phone call, which left me alone with his family. Although I was more comfortable around them now, I was still nervous.
"I'm sorry we've been keeping you trapped in here as I make dinner," Marigold said, shooting me a sympathetic look. "You can explore our home. I'll call you over when dinner's ready."
"Okay, sure," I said.
I got up, thankful for a moment away from the people I'd just met. Although they were all so nice and friendly, I felt awkward without Kyle at my side.
Walking to the living room, I scanned the area and noticed the walls were full of pictures of their family. I walked to one wall and smiled when I saw a picture of what looked like Kyle as a baby. He was so tiny and his big, blue eyes shone with an innocence that left my heart feeling warm.
Looking to the next picture, my heart then sunk when I spotted Kyle's family with a man who looked like Kyle's dad. His dad was just as handsome as Kyle was, but with dark hair and green eyes and I stared at the photo and thought about what happened to his dad. I didn't bother to ask to be polite, but I dreaded the truth.
Going from picture of picture, I took in every picture that hung on the wall. There were many pictures of Kyle and his siblings as kids, looking so full of joy as they spent time with each other. And there were also a lot of pictures of his parents young and in love, which left me smiling. I soon landed on a picture of Kyle when he was a teenager and my heart blossomed at the sight of the young and gorgeous Kyle. Even at his young age, he was still so beautiful, but the joy in his eyes had vanished in that photo. He looked drained and I brought my hand up to touch the picture frame, wondering if this was when things began to change for him.
But the second I pressed my hang against the picture, someone unlocked beside me and I jumped. I whirled to see what happened and my eyes widened when I saw the door I hadn't noticed to the right of me had become unlocked and slowly, it was opening up. Utterly confused, I walked towards it.
At the doorway, I hesitated on closing it but upon seeing that it led to the basement, I looked behind me and saw that Kyle's family were all still in the kitchen cooking. And because curiosity got the best of me, I stepped onto the stairs and began to make my way down to basement.
With every step I took, my heart began to sink further and further into my chest. I knew I wasn't supposed to be doing this, I could tell this area was private, meant only for the Rivers family, but I couldn't help it. The spy in me wanted to figure out what was going on, so I made my way all the way downstairs and gasped at what I saw.
The entire basement was basically one huge garden filled with marijuana plants. It was like they had their own farm of it and I realized with a sinking heart that this was Kyle's supply. He was growing it in his own basement and then selling it, and my throat tightened as I realized I caught him. I had evidence for what he was, but I didn't move. Instead of pulling out my phone and taking pictures of what was before me, I stood frozen as I took in that Kyle really was a drug dealer.
"So, you've discovered our source of income," Marigold said, leaving me jumping.
I whirled around and stared at her, horrified. Speechless and horrified that I'd been caught, I was left frozen.
"Once my husband died, we were basically homeless. We had no money, no future. We were immigrants who had nothing," Marigold said. "That was, until Kyle's friend offered him a job to grow weed and sell it in Linhedge. And after that moment, we were finally able to make an income great enough to keep our house and live happily without my husband. I know it's not an ideal situation and I do worry about Kyle, but it's the life we were given. It's what needs to be done."
"It's illegal though," I said. "There are better ways to make money. Kyle can get an actual job. He can make money through other ways."
"To live in this city you must be crazy rich. Even if Kyle got another job, it wouldn't pay enough to support our family. He only has an high school diploma and he won't be paid enough to raise a family. We have to do this to survive."
I found myself biting my lip and questioning everything. Everything Marigold said made sense. I understood where she was coming from. But, it didn't change the fact that this was illegal and that my job was to catch people doing illegal acts.
"You know Kyle. And I know him more than anyone else does because he's my son," Marigold said. "He has a heart of gold, Clarissa. He tries to hide it and act like a tough guy, but you'll never meet someone with a bigger heart than his. He scarified everything to support our family. He doesn't want to do this, but he does this for us. And I know that one day, when things settle down and I can figure something out, we'll move on from this. We just need a few more years to adjust and for my children to grow up so we can be rid of this lifestyle."
At the words of Kyle giving up everything to support his family, my heart grew warm. And despite the sight in front of me and despite my horror, I knew Marigold was right. They were doing this because they had to. In the city of Linhedge, in order to survive you have to make six figures and it was hard to without a degree or a specialized job. And knowing Kyle, knowing his heart, I knew he was sacrificing his own life just for the family he loved.
"I understand," I said. "I really do. I admit seeing this left me horrified, but I understand. You all seem so sweet and kind. You wouldn't do this unless you had to."
"Exactly dear," Marigold said. She began to tear up, surprising me. "Don't let this change what you think of Kyle. He really doesn't want to do this, but he does it because he has to. It's my fault, I never worked because I was so dependent on my husband and now Kyle has to suffer for it."
"It's okay. Everything is going to be okay." I stepped towards Marigold and hugged her, feeling sorry for her family. I couldn't imagine being in their position and being forced to take illegal actions, just to survive. "You'll figure things out. And I'll help you. I'll make sure everything turns out okay."
Marigold hugged me back and for a moment, we remained hugging and I sighed lightly as I thought about Kyle. He was all I could think about and the more I thought about him, the more warm my heart grew as I realized how kind Kyle was. To risk jail time and his entire future for his family was notable and something I realized took a big heart to do.
"Don't tell Kyle you found this," Marigold said, pulling away from me. "He'll be crushed."
"I won't tell him," I said.
Marigold nodded and together, we went back upstairs and into the living room. Thankfully, it was empty and Marigold shut the door behind her, locking it once more. We then went to the kitchen and I smiled when I saw Kyle carrying Daisy upside down and she was shrieking and laughing.
"Kyle!" Daisy screamed. "Let me go. Please!"
"Not until you promise you'll eat your beans," Kyle said, shaking her lightly.
"Fine! I will. You're so annoying Kyle."
Kyle chuckled and put Daisy down on the ground. Ryan was at the table and he shook his head, seeming amused. I smiled at the sight.
"I only do this because I care," Kyle said, ruffling Daisy's hair.
"I know, I know," Daisy said. "And I could never have asked for a better brother. You always make sure to give me the world."
Kyle smiled widely and he hugged Daisy who immediately hugged him back. Ryan smiled at the sight and I teared up as I thought about what their family had to go through. They didn't deserve this life, but it was the life they got and they were just trying to make the best of it.
"Kyle," I said. "Can I talk to you outside?"
"Sure," Kyle said, whirling to face me.
Marigold glanced at me, looking uneasy, but I simply shook my head. It wasn't what she was thinking. In fact, it was probably the opposite of what she was thinking.
Walking to the front door, I stepped outside and found my heart blossoming with a feeling I'd never felt before. My hands were shaking with nerves as I felt this overwhelming feeling I wanted to share with Kyle. As I thought about the loving and caring man who would do anything for his family, and as I thought about everything he'd done for me as well, I realized how I felt for Kyle. I realized just how much he meant to me as I knew I would help him and his family overcome this.
"Hey, so what's up?" Kyle asked, walking up to me.
I whirled around and without a word, I threw my arms around his neck and pulled him to me. I pressed my lips against his and gently, I kissed him to express everything I'd been feeling. For weeks I knew I'd been falling and no matter how hard I tried to deny it, the truth was I had fallen for Kyle. As I grew to know the real Kyle, the Kyle with such a big heart that he sacrificed everything for his family, I knew he was someone I wanted to be with. He was someone I wanted to protect and love no matter what.
Kyle hesitated before kissing me, seeming caught off guard by what I'd done, but then he melted into me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me to him, and we made out as he held me and I smiled between our kisses. It felt so right being with him. I'd never felt such an overwhelming urge to kiss someone, but Kyle had changed me. He made me alter my values and feelings, all because he was special and worth it.
Pulling away, I giggled at how red Kyle was. He was breathing heavily, out of breath and I blushed as well. I had never been so bold, but with Kyle I couldn't quite control my actions.
"What was that for?" Kyle whispered.
"Because I like you, Kyle Rivers," I said. "I really, really like you."
Kyle seemed caught off guard by my confession and even scared. A pained look spread across his face and my heart ached at it.
"Really?" Kyle asked.
"Yes, believe me," I said. "Trust me."
"I do. I like you, too, Clarissa Hart."
And without hesitation, I pulled Kyle to me again and once again, we were making out. Despite my discovery, despite my job, despite my mission and despite what would come, I knew I meant what I said with all my heart. I liked Kyle. I liked everything he represented and every moment we spent together made me happier than I'd ever been. So despite what was right and what was the law, all I knew was that I'd be at Kyle's side and I'd help him get through this.