Bailey smiled. “I know you do. It’s serious, huh?”
Kayla felt suddenly shy. The conversation was so normal, but she was aware she was engaging in a tiny bit of deception. Justifiable.
“Yes, it is.”
“Well then. Okay. I’m happy for you.”
“And slightly worried,” Kayla added as they walked out of the room and stood in the hallway.
“You know me well. I don’t want you hurt, Kay-Kay.”
“I don’t want that either. But if I don’t take the chance, how will I know?”
“That’s true.”
They said goodnight and Kayla traipsed back to her in-law suite. She left the inner door open to the house so the monitor would pick up Ana if she cried, and went to get ready for bed. When she lay down, she had a text from Zach.
I’m home.
Kayla frowned as she texted him back. I’m sorry A was waiting for you.
Zach: Wasn’t a problem. He knows I’m serious about you.
Kayla’s belly fluttered. Is that all he knows?
Zach: For now.
She let out a breath. I feel like I’m causing trouble for you. I’m sorry.
Zach: I thought about the consequences before I agreed to marry you. Camel was always going to be protective. I’m glad. But we’re brothers. I said I’m serious and that’s enough. I’ll pick you and Ana up tomorrow and take you to lunch if that works.
Kayla: Sounds good. 11:00?
Zach: I’ll be there.
Neo arrived promptly at eleven a.m. Kayla was waiting outside, dressed in a long flowery skirt that went to her ankles, and a sleeveless blue top that tied at the waist. She was wearing sandals, and her blond hair was loose. It hung almost to her ass, and he swallowed at the sight. He loved a woman with long hair.
She had Ana on her hip, a diaper bag slung over her shoulder, and a car seat at her feet. She also had one of those small folding strollers. She was beautiful and his heart thumped once in response. He parked in the drive and got out. Camel’s truck was gone so he assumed Bailey and his teammate weren’t home.
Kayla smiled at him, and his chest tightened. Damn she was sweet. And she was all his. He couldn’t wait to taste that sweetness again. When the time was right, of course.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he said as he brushed his lips against hers. “You look amazing today.”
Her color was high as he straightened. “Thank you.”
Neo dropped his gaze to Ana. She was a rosy cheeked baby, and she was currently grinning up at him with the cutest little grin. A grin remarkably like her mother’s. He knew she had traits that belonged to James Dunn, but he couldn’t see them. All he saw was Kayla.
“Hey there, cutie pie. You ready to go for a ride?”
He tickled her belly lightly and she grabbed his finger. Then she tried to put it in her mouth.
“No, baby girl,” he said, pulling his finger gently away. “No icky fingers in your mouth.”
Ana squealed happily and pumped her little arms up and down. Kayla laughed as she handed her a plastic key ring with huge keys. Ana immediately stuck one in her mouth.
Neo got Ana’s car seat anchored into the back with Kayla’s supervision. It occurred to him as he contorted himself that a Camaro wasn’t exactly a family friendly vehicle. Getting that car seat in and out was going to be a pain in the ass. Maybe an SUV was a better option. He said as much to Kayla after she buckled Ana in and she stilled. Her eyes widened as she met his gaze.
“I don’t want you to have to give up your car, Zach. Mine works fine with the car seat. We could take it in the future.”
He shook his head. “I don’t mind. I was starting to think about trading this thing in anyway.”
On a new model Corvette, but he wasn’t telling her that. He expected to feel a prick of disappointment at the idea he wasn’t getting that C-8 body style after all, but he didn’t. The idea of a big SUV wasn’t such a bad one. He liked sitting up high. He’d had a truck before the Camaro, so going back to something big wasn’t going to be a problem.
“I guess I didn’t think about all the ways you’d have to change your life when I asked you to marry me. I should have.”
He held the door for her while she got into the passenger seat. “I thought about it. And I said yes.”
Her eyes shimmered as she gazed up at him. “Only after I told you about the guy who called me. You wouldn’t have said yes if not for that.”
“And you wouldn’t have asked. Baby, we’ve moved beyond the question of if and we’re on the when. Tomorrow we’re getting a license. Later this week we’re getting married.”
She nibbled that plump lower lip he wanted to suck. “I know. But I didn’t expect you to sell your car.”
He bent and kissed her lush mouth. It was a quick kiss, but it shut her up. “Give me a chance to get in the car and take us to lunch, okay?”
She nodded and he closed her door, then went around and got into the driver’s seat. The car started to life with a rumble. He glanced in the rearview, but Ana didn’t seem upset by the sound. She was still gumming the keys.
“Where are we going?” Kayla asked as he put the car in reverse.
“I was thinking about a café with an outdoor seating area not too far from here. The patio is shaded and cool.”
“Sounds good.”
They reached the restaurant and got a table on the patio. He’d timed it to arrive just before the church crowd so they didn’t have any trouble getting seated. Another half hour and the place would be jammed.
Kayla put Ana in the high chair and gave her a handful of Cheerios. The waitress came and they ordered—a burger for Neo and pasta for Kayla. Once the waitress returned with their drinks and glided away again, Neo reached for Kayla’s hand, threading his fingers through hers. She didn’t resist, but she looked at him with a question in her gaze.
“We’ve got to start somewhere,” he told her. “If we don’t seem natural with each other, we won’t sell this to your sister.”
“You’re right. It’s just that I’ve spent the past two months being embarrassed around you, and now we’re acting like it never happened.”
His senses prickled. Was she ready to talk about that night? “Why were you embarrassed?”
She shrugged and looked away. “That night… I didn’t give you a chance to say no.”
And there it was. Finally. She wasn’t talking about last night when she’d asked him to marry her. She was talking about the night they’d spent together. He knew he needed to tread carefully now that the subject had come up.
“Do you honestly think I couldn’t have said no if I really wanted to?”
She wouldn’t look at him. “You were always so nice to me, and then I had to go and make it into something it wasn’t supposed to be. Afterward, you were stand-offish with me. I figured you had to be pissed as hell.”
Neo sat back in his chair. He felt like someone had smacked him over the head with a two-by-four. She’d thought he was ignoring her?
“You ran out on me, Kayla. Not the other way around. When I woke up, you were gone. You didn’t leave a note, didn’t text me, didn’t call. Nothing. We had a fantastic night together and you ran away the next morning. I figured you’d tell me what was wrong but you never did. Yeah, I did get pissed. But not because we had sex. I got pissed because you pretended like it never happened.”