“Do you have certain chores you need to do?” Kennedy asked her.
“Yes. I have to make my bed and brush my teeth every morning and night. I have to make sure the animals have water. And I have to pick up my toys and put them away. One time Daddy stepped on a Lego, and he was really mad.”
“Jenna is a genius with Lego kits,” he said. “She reads the instructions all by herself and does a great job.”
“I’m better than you, right?” she said.
“You sure are.”
The second his feet hit the sand, Jenna squirmed out of his hold. “Last one to the water is a rotten egg!” She quickly shucked her shoes and made a run for the placid waves.
“She keeps everyone on their toes, doesn’t she?” Kennedy asked, removing her shoes and placing them on a nearby log.
“She definitely does. In the best possible way,” he added. He put his shoes next to Kennedy’s, then took her hand to walk down to the water. The feel of her small palm inside his relaxed every muscle in his body. Soft sand, a few seagulls overhead, the salty air, a winning combination all around.
When they reached the ocean, Jenna wormed her way between them so she could hold each of their hands. Glancing at his niece and Kennedy, he experienced a punch to the gut. For a split second, he pictured this future. A daughter. A wife. His heart full.
Kennedy laughed at something Jenna said, and he yanked himself free of such notions.
“Will you swing me, pretty please?” Jenna asked. “When the wave comes.”
“Sure,” Kennedy answered.
In perfect sync, he and Kennedy lifted and swung Jenna when the wave came onto shore. “Whee!” Jenna sang. Followed by, “Again!”
After numerous times, his niece finally tired of the game and insisted the three of them look for treasure.
“What kind of treasure?” Kennedy asked.
“Any kind!”
Over Jenna’s head, Kennedy smiled at him. He smiled back, his face muscles getting a good workout this week.
“Did you know Uncle Mav gave me my first treasure?” Jenna picked up a broken shell piece and put it in her pocket.
“He did?”
“Uh-huh. It was this.” She reached inside the collar of her princess T-shirt and pulled out the necklace he’d given her for her fifth birthday. She lifted it for Kennedy to get a good look.
“It’s beautiful,” Kennedy said of the tiny silver sand dollar.
“I never take it off. Ever.” She tucked it safely back inside her shirt. “It’s my most prized possession.” She skipped ahead to pick up a piece of driftwood.
“I’d say you win favorite uncle,” Kennedy said.
“No doubt. Which bugs the crap out of Hunter. He wanted to get her a pony to one-up me, but Cole said not until she’s ten. Buys me a few more years of favoritism.”
“You’ll still be her favorite.” Kennedy rocked sideways to bump his arm.
“What makes you say that?” he asked, genuinely interested.
“Hunter will always be the fun uncle, I suspect, but you’ll be the one who pulls her heartstrings. And that’s a pretty powerful place to hold.”
The words that came out of this woman’s mouth.
He pulled her to a stop and, not caring if Jenna took notice, kissed Kennedy square on the mouth. Lips, tongue, he poured his soul into the kiss before lifting away.
Her dreamy expression told him mission accomplished; his thanks and gratitude were well received.
They resumed walking, hand in hand. A few sunbathers dotted the sand, including Andrew, who, by the grin on his face and the thumbs-up, had witnessed their kiss. Kennedy groaned. “I guess I forgot to mention Andrew was down here.”
“Wouldn’t have mattered.”
She gazed up at him in surprise.
He couldn’t say it aloud, but boy did she throw him off-balance. She made him forget everything but her, and kissing her just then had been on instinct. Necessary. Important. “I doubt I’m the only guy he’s seen you kiss,” he said instead, hating the thought of her kissing anyone else.
“True,” she tossed out breezily.
Touché.
He released her hand to pick up a flat gray rock. Brushing the sand off, he placed it in his palm.
“It’s shaped like a heart,” Kennedy said keenly.
It was. And because his own heart was off-limits, he gave her the rock. “For you. A treasure to remember today.”
Chapter Twenty-One
One day until the wedding
“You’ve fallen for the enemy.”
“No,” Kennedy lied.
“You’re such a liar,” Andrew said, knowing her too well. “That kiss on the beach today was hot as hell. Not to mention there’s The Sleeping Bag Sexcapade.”
“Shut up.” Her cheeks heated at the memory. “And I can’t help it if he kisses me.” Sitting on the edge of the bed, she slipped on her heels, head down, so she could replay the beach kiss in her mind without further scrutiny. Maverick had taken her breath away. Every kiss from him took her breath away.
“You don’t have to kiss him back, ma chéri.” Andrew fastened the belt on his slacks, not paying her any mind.
There was no denying anything with her best friend. She didn’t know why she even tried. Because the truth hurts. You’re leaving for a life far away from Maverick’s.
“Fine. I like him more than is advisable.”
“Hey, what happens in Windsong stays in Windsong.”
“You’re such a goober,” she said, even though truer words had never been spoken. She stood, ran her hands down her wraparound dress.
“Yeah, but I’m your goober.” He checked himself in the mirror. Handsome as always, he turned to her and added, “You look great.”
“You too.”
“Let’s go cocktail it up.” He put out his arm for her to take.
Her phone rang as she slipped it inside her purse. She caught Hugo and Maria’s names on the screen and thought about answering before deciding to let it go to voicemail. She’d call them tomorrow morning when she had more time. Tonight she was anxious to see Maverick. He’d agreed to meet her in the parlor at seven, the entire Owens family included in tonight’s party, and it was currently three minutes after.
Slipping her arm inside Andrew’s, they walked to the gathering. Finding it in full swing, Andrew made a beeline for Liam while she strolled over to the bar for a drink. To her disappointment, Maverick hadn’t arrived yet. “A glass of wine, please?”