“I think I need to see this…contraption,” I tease her.
“Hey, Lex loves it.”
“Uh-huh.” I stand and pick up our dishes. “I’ll clean the kitchen real fast and grab a quick shower.”
“And we,” she lifts Lexi from the floor, “will go pack your bag, little miss.”
Chapter 34
McKinley
Today, Evan, Lexi, and I leave for Alabama. We decided to drive since little miss requires so much gear. It’s an eight-hour drive, so here we are at five in the morning, piling into the car. My family, as well as Evan’s grandparents, will be flying out this weekend for the wedding. We’ve decided to keep things as simple as possible, but all the family needs to be there for appearance’s sake. His grandparents don’t get around all that well, but insisted they be there. Evan tried to tell them we understood, but like I said, they insisted.
Evan loaded the Durango last night, and I spent the night here; it was just easier. Not to mention, when we come back from Alabama, this is where I will be living. I will continue to use my studio at my parents’ and Mom is still going to help out with Lexi on the days I cannot be with her. Everything’s falling into place.
“Okay, I think I have everything. I loaded the last of our bags with toiletries. You girls ready to hit the road?” he asks.
“She’s oblivious,” I laugh. Lexi is now three months old and sleeping through the night. When Evan got her out of bed this morning, she just stretched and fell right back to sleep after her diaper change. She’ll be ready to eat around seven, which will be the perfect time for us to stop and eat breakfast as well.
“Let’s do this.” Evan swoops down and picks up the car seat before holding the door open for me. Just like that, we’re on the road to Alabama to be married.
I’m marrying Evan Chamberlin!
“Can you believe Aaron got ordained?” Evan laughs.
“I know! I mean it makes sense, keeping it all in the family, but it’s going to be weird, right?”
Evan reaches across the console and rests his hand on my knee. “It’s going to be fine,” he says with confidence.
During the past few weeks, we’ve kissed a lot. There’s been more a few times, but not much. Neither one of us talk about it. We slip into his room late at night, and then the next day, it’s like it never happened.
Except it does.
My heart knows it and so does my body. I ache for his touch and long to be in his arms each night. After this trip, we’ll be sleeping under the same roof every night. So far, it’s just been the occasional evening when he has to work late, so I watch Lexi and end up staying instead of driving home. It’s a weak excuse, considering my parents’ house is not a five-minute drive from his.
“So, depending on how she does, we should be there tonight. We’re in no rush, so if you decide you want to stop somewhere and spend the night, we can.”
“Sounds good. Everyone else will be there on Friday. I’m glad you’ll have a few days to spend with your parents and grandparents with Lexi before everyone arrives.”
“And you,” he says.
“Me?”
“Yeah, they get to spend that time with the three of us.”
He’s been doing that a lot lately—including me in the small group that is made up of him and Lexi.
“The way our mothers are acting, you would think we’ve been dating for years.”
Evan chuckles. “I know. I mean, our families have been intertwined for as long as I can remember, but they know, you know what I mean?”
I know what he means. This isn’t a real marriage. We’re not madly in love and suddenly going to live happily ever after. We care about each other and I love his little girl. We’re doing this for her.
“Yeah,” I finally say.
“You can catch some more sleep if you want. I’m going to drive until she decides to wake up. No sense in waking her.”
“I think I might. I can drive whenever you want.”
“I’m good, babe.”
That’s new too. He’s been calling me babe more often than my name, no matter who’s around. When it’s just us, he calls me baby and I love it. I shouldn’t—I’m only setting myself up for more heartbreak when this “arrangement” is over—but I can’t help it. You try having a sexy as hell, shirtless, abs on display Evan call you baby and see if you’re not wet in zero point two seconds.
It’s not possible!
I close my eyes and get comfortable in the seat. I’m not all that tired, but it’s easier to think about the way I feel about him when he can’t read my eyes. He’s too damn perceptive when it comes to me.
Instead, I’ll pretend to be asleep while he draws lazy circles on my thigh, driving me mad with want. I should have ridden in the back with Lexi.
Chapter 35
Evan
My girls and I are on the road to Alabama. In just five short days, McKinley will be my wife. I have to keep reminding myself it’s not real, that she’s not really going to be mine, but then again, she is. The problem is it feels real—every smile, every touch, and every simple gesture. When her body is pressed tight against mine as we sleep, it’s all real.
I’ve been driving for about three hours, one hand on the wheel and one on Kinley. I can’t seem to help myself. If she’s near, I need to touch her. It was a desire before, but after we decided that getting married was our course of action and since the night I first tasted more than her lips, it’s turned into a need.
Lexi starts to babble and I know she’s in need of a diaper change and a bottle. Pulling into a small bakery, I turn off the engine and look over at Kinley. She’s facing toward me, looking so damn beautiful. She hasn’t been asleep as long as she would like for me to think. She was faking, or hiding—however you want to look at it. Eventually, the ride with her eyes closed lulled her to sleep.
Leaning over the console, I kiss her forehead. “Time to wake up, babe.” I slide my hand behind her neck, my thumb trailing back and forth. Her skin is so damn soft. “Kinley,” I whisper against her ear.
Her eyes flutter open and a soft smile graces her lips. “Hi.”
“Time to stretch your legs, beautiful. Lexi—” Before I can say anymore, Lexi shrieks. It’s not an ‘I’m starving’ or ‘Get me the hell out of this seat’ shriek; no, this is a ‘I just learned I can do this’ shriek. She started it a few days ago.
We both laugh. “—is awake,” Kinley finishes for me.
“Yeah.” Not able to resist her lips being so close, I give her a quick, chaste kiss and pull away. “I’ll get Lex. You mind grabbing the diaper bag?” I ask.
We take a small table in the back and I remove Lexi from her seat. She’s all smiles this morning.
“Oh, your little girl is so cute,” the waitress says.
“Thank you, do you have a restroom?” I ask.
“Yeah, we actually have a changing table in the women’s. I keep telling my manager we need to get one for the men’s, but he won’t listen,” she rambles on.