Chapter 75
Josephine
I wake to the unmistakable pattering of rain on the windows.
Kendrick’s arms tighten around my waist, though based on his deep, even inhalations, he’s still asleep.
I blink open my eyes to find Kylian peering at me through his glasses, the light from his phone reflected in the lenses.
“Storm’s still about twenty minutes away,” he whispers. He caresses my cheek with his free hand but turns his attention back to his device. “Do you want to head upstairs now?”
I suck in a deep breath and close my eyes, considering. I take inventory of my physical state and my stress level and determine that I don’t sense one iota of panic. Nothing but satisfaction, safety, and love course through every cell of my sleepy, sated body.
I am here. This is now.
“No,” I whisper. “I want to go outside.”
We wake the others, quickly assuring them that nothing’s wrong. They’re slow to rise, but more alert once they notice just how eager I am to get out onto the deck.
The grumbles start as I head for the sliding door off the kitchen, because, on the other side, it’s pouring rain. I grin over my shoulder, silently assuring them that I’m okay, that I’m better than okay, in fact, and slip outside.
“What are we doing out here, Hot Girl?” Nicky hollers as the wind whips around us. It’s a cold wind, a sure sign that fall is giving way to winter. It’s a reminder that, just like the seasons, life is inevitably about to change again.
I cling to his massive frame, shivering when he wraps me up in a bear hug.
“We’re embracing the storm.” Pulling back, I take his hand and spin under his arm.
Kendrick catches my hips, pulling my back to his front.
“You want to dance in the rain with me?” he asks, nipping at my earlobe as he sways to a rhythm only we can hear.
“I want to dance with you always, K.”
With my arms overhead, I circle his neck. He leans down and kisses me, skimming his hands up and down my sides as I grind back into him.
“I feel you, Mama. I feel you and I see you. You’ve never looked more beautiful.”
My stomach dips, just like every time he makes those kinds of declarations. I’m so distracted by Kendrick’s moves that I don’t notice Nicky’s covert attack until he swoops in and scoops me up in his arms.
“My turn!” he declares, shaking his head back and forth so water droplets fly off his hair and soak my face.
I laugh, relishing the pure joy emanating from him. His pain is under control, and despite the heaviness of yesterday’s events, there’s a deep contentment in his eyes.
He lifts me off my feet and spins me a few times before hoisting me onto the railing of the deck.
“It’s slick out here, Locke. Put my wife down.”
Nicky buries his face in my chest and snickers at the scolding, but he obeys without argument, turning me around to hug me from behind as he leans against the rail.
“We’re about to be subjected to a lifetime of ‘my wife’ this and ‘my wife’ that, aren’t we?”
Decker catches my eye and cocks one brow. If I have any say in the matter? We most definitely are. He knows what those two words do to me.
I duck out of Locke’s embrace and approach Kylian. He’s got one hand in the pocket of his sweatpants as he watches the radar on his phone.
“Dance with me, Kylian,” I urge.
He doesn’t look up. “I don’t dance.”
I expected as much.
So I pluck the device from his hand, stash it in his pocket, and wrap my arms around his torso in a tight embrace.
“Then just hold me in your arms and promise to never let me go.”
“Never, baby,” he vows as he bends to kiss me. “I’m never letting you go.”
I sway back and forth slowly, savoring the sense of security Kylian imbues in me as rain pelts our heads. He follows my lead, moving to the rhythm I set.
Tipping my head back, I grin. “Look at us. We’re doing it.”
His brows pull together as he processes my words, then, with a nod, he kisses me again. “I guess we are.”
I’m facing the lake when it happens.
A bolt of illumination that splits the sky. The first official strike of the impending storm.
Without uttering a word, Kylian hugs me tighter and turns so I’m facing the house.
“You’re safe,” he murmurs, running both hands up and down my back.
My heart aches, knitting itself back together just a little more. I can’t help but tear up.
Not from panic or overwhelm or the memories that lightning usually inspires.
But because of him. Because of them.
“I know,” I whisper against his lips. “I’m always safe with you.”
He holds me as thunder rumbles in the distance, until my T-shirt is soaked through and I’m shivering from the cold.
“Can I cut in?”
It was only a matter of time.
Kylian guides me into Decker’s arms. Decker, naturally, holds out one hand while resting the other on the small of my back, assuming a formal stance like we’re in the middle of a ballroom, not out on the deck in the pouring rain.
I roll my eyes and throw my arms around his waist instead, breaking his perfect posture.
“You’re the most precious thing in my life, Josephine.” He rests his cheek on the crown of my head. “The most crucial piece of the puzzle. The most important part of this family. It’s an honor and a privilege to get to spend a lifetime loving you.”
I tip my head back and press my chin to his chest.
“Promise me we’ll dance in the rain?”
“Always, Siren. Through every storm.”