“Beckett Cosmetics,” he clarified. “I never really wanted to work as a chemist. That’s Kinsey’s passion. It just seemed easier to follow that path than to fight what Dad had planned for me and have him turn his attention to Morgan.” He pushed off the wall, his shoulders feeling lighter than they had in a decade. “I quit, effective immediately. Sheva is a phenomenal number two, and she’ll be even better when she’s in charge of everything.”
She would. The woman was smart, innovative, and had a passion for her job that Griff had never had.
He started toward the door, words already partnering up to form sentences and then paragraphs and then a speech for Kinsey, explaining everything he’d done, everything he was gonna do, and everything he hoped could be in their future together.
“Where are you going?” Nash asked, a deep V of worry forming between his eyes.
He grunted and shot them all a where-do-you-think look and pointed in the general direction of Morgan’s apartment. Really, his cousins were incredibly dense sometimes.
On the way, he grabbed the folder with Archambeau’s logo on it. Even if she didn’t give him a second chance, she deserved proof to share with her boss’s boss that she hadn’t stolen anything.
No one said anything as he marched to his front door, more than ready for the rest of his life to start right now. They came back to themselves when he opened the door, and by the time he was closing it, the decibels in his living room were at true Beckett levels.
He was almost to Kinsey’s front door when it swung open and she walked out with Archambeau’s CEO and another woman. They were all smiles and excited chatter. At the same moment, his own front door blasted open and Morgan, Nash, and Dixon all came rushing out, still hollering about the fact that he was quitting the family business.
Kinsey jerked to a stop in the middle of the hall, her blue eyes wide. “You’re quitting?”
This was when all those words and sentences and paragraphs and the whole damn speech was supposed to come out of his mouth, but old habits died hard, and all he could do was grunt. The light in Kinsey’s eyes dimmed, and she sighed, her attention dropping to the floor as she turned and stepped toward the elevator.
Way to go, fucknuts. Get out the words before she’s gone.
“I love you,” he said, his voice booming in the hall.
Okay, that’s what it had sounded like in his head. To his ears, it all came out in one loud growl of “Iloveyou,” each word squished together.
“All right then,” Morgan said, putting a hand on Dixon’s and Nash’s backs and shoving them toward the elevator. “Everyone get in the elevator. Come on.” She hit the Down button once, twice, and a third time as she yanked Nash closer to her side. “No, Nash, you cannot stay and watch.” She used her free hand to swipe Dixon’s phone. “No, you are not allowed to record this.” In a motion so fast, it should have scared Griff if it hadn’t been done on his behalf, Morgan’s glare at their cousins turned into a friendly expression as she smiled at the women beside them in front of the elevator. “Hi, you must be Leigh and Billie. Kinsey told me all about you and you both sound like the kind of women I’d love to go have a glass of wine with right now.”
“That sounds marvelous,” Leigh said. “It’s been a helluva week.”
“Lots of drama,” the other woman said. “I agree.”
“Excuse me, Leigh.” Griff’s words stopped her, and she turned to face him. He shoved the envelope into her hands. “Proof my shit father conspired with Kinsey’s boss to sell your new formula. I did not open the envelope and want no part in stealing our way to bigger profits.”
Both ladies’ eyes narrowed on the envelope as Leigh reached to take it. “Thank you. I know a police officer who would be delighted to receive this information.”
Griff nodded. His father dug that bed; he could damn well sleep in it now.
“We need a bottle of rosé stat.” Morgan hooked an arm through the crook of Nash’s and Dixon’s arms in a move that gave the appearance of there’s-no-escape-trust-me. “I know the best wine bar, has this great PB&J rosé from a winery owned by one of the Ice Knights, so we’ll have to dodge some of the puck bunnies, but it will be worth it.”
Finally, the elevator dinged its arrival. Morgan started shoving people inside as soon as the doors opened, then she planted herself in the front of the bay, blocking anyone from exiting.
“Now kiss and make up,” she hollered as the doors closed.
Now that was his sister. And he’d thought he had to watch out for her? It sure looked like the tables had turned.
“You love me?” Kinsey asked, her attention still on the floor. “Since when?”
He crossed over to her in two strides but lost his nerve to reveal everything at the last second. He shoved his fists deep in his pockets and considered his next words. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to tell her everything, beg her forgiveness, but he had bottled up his words for decades. He was worried if he ever truly let all his emotions out—neither he nor Kinsey were prepared for that.
“Since when?” he repeated, his chest aching with hope and fear and love, so much love. “Forever. I’ve loved you forever.”
There, that summed it up nicely. Forever was a long time.
But Kinsey didn’t seem impressed, the corners of her mouth turning down farther.
He rushed on to add, “Since you showed up at the gym.”
There, that had to be enough. But she seemed even less excited by this revelation.
“Okay. Well, thank you for sharing,” she said and turned to go back into the apartment.
Griff’s pulse was hammering so fast, he thought he might vomit. Or pass out. Or both.
Jaysus, this was going badly. And it was all his fault. He knew what he wanted to say, but he’d never been good with words. He was terrified he was going to screw things up, although he had no idea what would be worse than losing Kinsey. What if he told her everything and she couldn’t respect a man who let his father twist him up so much that he dumped her? If only he could find the right words to tell her how he felt.
Wait, why was he standing here worrying about how he could talk to Kinsey? He never had a problem talking to this woman. He just had to open up and let her in.
And like a tsunami, the words came to him.
“I’ve loved you since I heard you at the gym solving everyone’s problems and putting Eggsy’s friend Wade in his place without breaking a sweat. I loved you when you tried to dance and I realized that there were people in this world with negative rhythm—really, it was impressive.”
It was like he’d turned on a faucet that had been rusted shut for years but when it came to Kinsey, he wasn’t sure there was such a thing as too many words. “I loved you when you told me everything I never realized I wanted to know about maple syrup, shared your meemaw’s secret biscuit with a slab of butter recipe with me, and explained to my neighbor why everyone has a green thumb, they just have to find plants that need their kind of loving. I’ve loved you since the first time I touched you, since the first time I saw you bite down on your bottom lip, and since the first time you looked at me and asked for more.”