Chapter 46
CHAPTER 46
JACE
It’s been one week since Kinsley got her memories back.
A week of us making up for lost time.
Of finding each other again.
Of relishing on our past while making new memories with each other and our boys.
We’ve spent days in the rare stretch of sunshine in the UK, chasing ducks in the park, swimming at my parents, and picnicking in the garden. The nights are filled with movie marathons, pillow forts, late night ice cream sundaes, and all the cuddling you could ever ask for.
We’ve shared stories with them about how we met, laughing about how similar both instances were.
“You couldn’t help but crash into my life, could you?” I asked her through a laugh.
“Never been happier for my lack of coordination,” she hummed, kissing me softly.
This week has been one straight from my dreams. I have everything I’ve ever wanted right here back in my arms. My girl and our boys.
But you have to wake up from your dreams eventually.
And between all the lasting memories we’ve shared and made, the uglier parts of our reality have started to creep in.
Since the day Kinsley got her memories back, Angie has been in the wind. No one can track her down and no one has heard a single peep from her. Not her work. Not her parents. Not her so-called friends.
Every other day we’ve been meeting with detectives or taking calls from them. When Kinsley told me she remembered everything, I never expected to hear her say she remembered who it was that pushed her the night of her accident.
And I never expected her to say it was Angie.
So far the investigation into Kinsley’s accident has been put on hold until they can locate my ex, but I wish there was something more I could do.
I’ve held her in my arms as nightmares from that night haunt her dreams, whispering against her damp skin that I’m right here and I won’t let anything happen to her ever again.
I’ve installed security cameras around the property and installed the app on our phones, giving the people closest to us access to the app. We’ve given the boys phones with location services turned on so if they aren’t with us, we still know where they are at all times.
Every day we wake up thankful to be back in each other’s lives, but there is still that lingering fear that it could all be ripped away from us in a blink of an eye.
And last night, I blinked.
Lawson and I were pulled away for a meeting that ended up running into the night at the team headquarters. I was listening to Mitch review the plan for the second half of the season when I picked up a frantic call from Kinsley.
I’ll never forget the terror in her voice when the line opened. Her screams that she saw someone standing just outside the fence of our back yard, hiding in the shadows of the untamed bushes.
I practically broke the sound barrier getting back to the house. Flashing lights lit up the dark street and I left my car running in the driveway as I sprinted inside.
Kinsley stood in the kitchen with two police officers and when her eyes met mine, my heart shredded at the relief that flooded her panicked eyes. I held her as she described everything that happened to the police officers and she leaned her head against my chest, breathing me in as I recounted my side.
They told us that since the person that was there was too far into the shadows without any distinguishing factors to identify them, then there wasn’t much else they could do. They did, however, promise to have a car come drive by periodically both day and night.
It took hours for Kinsley to fall asleep and just like every night, I held her close and whispered against her forehead that I loved her, I wasn’t going anywhere, and I won’t let anything harm her or our family ever again.
Now the morning rays peak through our curtains, casting a warm glow over her smooth skin. She’s curled into my side, her leg and arm thrown over my waist, head on my chest, and her thick chocolate waves spread out over my arm.
I reach over with my free hand and brush her wild waves back from her face, cupping her jaw. She hums, nuzzling into my touch.
Leaning down, I press my lips to hers. A low chuckle rumbles my chest when she chases after me as I pull away.
Her eyes blink open slowly and she smiles. “Hi.”
“Good morning, angel.” I steal another kiss.
Propping herself up with her arms crossed over my chest, she leans her chin down and hums. “Morning, handsome. Did you sleep okay?”
“I did.” I didn’t sleep at all actually. “How about you?”
Her small smile wavers. “Yep.” Oh, my pretty little liar.
She tossed and turned the few hours we were actually in bed—only gaining at most four hours of broken sleep where she kept whimpering and hiding from the nightmares. It took me a while but eventually I realized that her memory from the night of her accident collided with the events of last night.
Before then, her terrors seemed to be getting better. She was staying asleep longer, the crying out and quick breaths were getting farther apart. She was getting better.
But now it’s like everything has resurfaced when she’s barely had the time to recover.
I cup the side of her face, my thumb tracing her cheek. “I have an idea. Why don’t we get out of here for the weekend? We can go anywhere you want.”
Eyes I’ve seen slowly dim over the last couple days shift, lighting up with relief. With hope. With love. “Really?”
I nod and she beams, throwing herself on top of me. I laugh as she peppers my face with kisses before my mouth.
“Where shall we go?” she asks breathlessly.
“Wherever you want.”
She hums. “The beach?”
I smile, leaning up for a kiss. “Done.”
She squeals, hopping up to her knees and dancing. I smile, watching pure happiness take over her for the first time in days. Falling back over me, she kisses me deeply and I moan when she rolls her hips.
“Nope.” My head drops back against the pillow with a huff, my hard cock weeping as she hops off of me and the bed, skipping to the bathroom. “No time for that! I have to pack and you have to go wake up the boys!”
Grumbling under my breath, I roll out of bed and walk up behind her at the bathroom vanity. “You’ll pay for that little tease later, angel,” I murmur in her ear, thrusting my hips forward.
She giggles, smiling around her toothbrush as I hop in the shower. Her eyes heat as they move down my naked body.
I tisk, turning away from her. “Nope, you have to pack and I have to go wake up the boys.”
I smile, listening to her mumbling as she packs our toiletries before moving back into the bedroom. After getting ready, I kiss the back of her head as she packs a suitcase and walks down the hallway to the boys’ room.
“Time to wake up, little monsters.”
I flick on the bedside lamp and sit down on Cooper’s bed. I had another bed brought in the moment Kinsley agreed to stay with me over the summer break. It turned into a whole redecorating of Beckham’s room because he wanted Cooper to feel like it was his room now too.
“What’s going on?” Cooper mumbles, rubbing his eyes.
“How would you two like to spend the weekend with Granny and Grandpa?”
They both immediately perk up, Beckham bouncing over to join us on Cooper’s bed.
“Really?”
“When?”
“Are we leaving now?”
“Do we get to have another messy s’getti night?” Cooper asks.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so excited.”
“Can we bring our new toys to show them?”
“Will Auntie Sydney be there too?” Beckham inquires.
“I hope we get to go feed the ducks again.”
“Okay, okay.” I chuckle, raising my hands in surrender from the rapid fire commentary. “You two were both just knocked out cold, how do you already have this much energy?”
They shrug and I shake my head, smiling. “Both of you get ready, and me and your mum will be in shortly to help you pack a bag.”
“You know, when I said the beach, I would have been fine with the one right down the road.” She looks up at the grand foyer, the sound of crashing waves echoing through the quiet reception.
I wrap my arm around her waist and she giggles when I pull her against my chest, sealing my mouth over hers. “I wanted to get away with you. ‘Down the road’ wasn’t nearly far enough.”
“But Italy was?”
“Kinsley, I’d go to the ends of the earth for you. A two hour flight to Italy is nothing.”
She smiles, pressing up on her toes and kissing me. “I’ll never know what it is I did to deserve you, but thank you. You’re amazing.”
You’re everything.
“Do you think the boys are okay?” she asks, her moods sobering slightly.
“They’re fine. You should have seen Mum and Dad’s faces when they opened the door. They are looking forward to having our little monsters all to themselves.”
“Okay,” she hums.
There’s a whistle behind us and we turn back towards the entrance. Kinsley squeals, running over to the girls as Lawson and Ryder walk over to me.
“Oooh, this is niiice, giiirl,” Sydney drawls as she looks around.
Blake snorts, walking over to one of the chairs of a small seating area. “How do you get sparkles in the back of an animal? What is this?” She matches Sydney’s drawn out voice.
“She needs to stop sending memes back and forth with the girls. This is getting out of hand. I swear half the things she says is an inside joke with one of them or is a meme that goes right over my head.” Ryder sighs, shaking his head at his cackling wife.
“Is that what that is? I’ve just been smiling and nodding whenever Kinsley does that.”
The girls finally make their way over to us and Kinsley tucks herself into my side. After getting checked in, we follow the resort employees to our cluster of suites down by the beach.
We drop our bags in our respective villas before meeting up at one of the many restaurants the resort has and dig into the incredible food Italy has to offer. Kinsley’s handy dandy notebook makes an appearance as she writes down the name of each dish we got so she can look up recipes to make back at home.
Home.
I don’t think she’s realized it but she’s been calling my house home more and more over the past week. And every time, my heart stumbles.
Because the place we live may be home to her, but for me, my home is where she and our boys are. Where they laugh and smile. Where they tell stories and make funny faces. Where I get to show each of them the love they deserve.
After dinner we retire to our suites, promising to meet up for breakfast in the morning. Walking out of the shower, I stop in the doorway and watch Kinsley where she stands at the large sliding door out onto our private terrace.
Slowly walking over to her, I wrap my arms around her waist and she leans back against my chest. I lean down, kissing her neck. “Are you happy?”
She turns in my arms, her fingers sliding into my damp hair. “Immensely,” she whispers. Tracing a finger down my naked chest, she flattens her palm over my heart. “And it’s all because of you.”
A breath rushes out of me as she pulls on my towel. It drops to the ground around our feet and I shiver at the cool air on my body.
She leans in, brushing her lips over my chest, slowly trailing her tongue down my abs as she lowers to her knees in front of me.
“What are you doing?” I grit out when she wraps her hand around my already hard cock.
“Showing you how happy I am. Now watch the most beautiful view I’ve ever seen and let me show you how thankful I am.”
I don’t take my eyes off of her as she takes me in her mouth, one of my hands bracing against the glass, the other tangling in her still damp hair.
I groan when she pushes me deep, swallowing, and my hips involuntarily press forward. She glances up at me and pulls me out of her mouth with a pop. “I thought I said?—”
“You are the most beautiful view I will ever see,” I cut her off, my heaving breaths echoing with the sounds of crashing waves.
Her eyes water and she stands, slamming her mouth to mine.
“I love you,” she whispers against my lips.
I pull back leaning my forehead against hers as she continues.
“I think—no, I know I fell in love with you eight years ago. I’ve loved you even when I didn’t know I was loving you. And I fell all over for you again years later.” Her lip wobbles and my thumb catches a tear rolling down her cheek.
“You found me, even when I didn’t know I needed to be found. You brought me back, Jace. I’m here because of you. I’m here for you. Thank you for not giving up on me.”
“I love you with everything I have, Kinsley. I loved you when I was just a boy at twenty-one. And I still love you now. I don’t think—no, I know,” I sigh, repeating her words, “I never stopped loving you. I won’t ever stop.”
“Please, don’t.”
I slam my lips down on hers and lift her into my arms. Her robe falls open and I walk us over to the bed, trying not to stumble when she rolls her hips, brushing her wetness over my ready cock.
We fall onto the bed and I prop myself above her, pulling back. “I thought I lost you,” I whisper, cupping her face.
She turns her head, kissing my palm. “I’m right here.”
“I won’t lose you again. I can’t lose you again. I won’t be able to survive it.”
“Jace.” She pulls my hand over her chest, her heart beating strong under my palm. “This is yours. I’m yours. I was then. I am now. I will be forever.”
“One day?—”
“And every day after.”
Our lips meet in a moan filled kiss as I slide into her and she hooks her legs over my hips. I lift up and yank the robe from her body, shuffling us farther up on the bed.
My hips move slow but heavy as our bodies move in sync.
Everything in this moment aligns. Me. Her. Us.
The stars shine brighter. The sheets feel smoother. The ocean sings a romantic chorus.
And when she comes, everything shatters until there’s only her.
My home. My love. My life force.
I’ve lived for years with the hope that Kinsley would find her way back to me.
I will live the rest of my life showing her how thankful I am that she did.
Rolling onto my back, I grasp her hips as she braces herself with her palms on my chest. “Ride me. Let me watch the most beautiful view I’ve ever seen, while you soak in yours.”
She glances up, realizing I’ve positioned us so she can watch the stars dance over the waves and sparkling sand. Her eyes meet mine and she leans over, flattening her chest to mine. Her hair falls, creating a curtain around us as she speaks against my lips. “You are the most beautiful view I’ve ever seen.”
I groan as she lifts herself up before lowering back down. She rides me in slow, smooth, long strokes. My hands run all over her body and her nails dig into my chest as she picks up speed.
I bend my legs and she squeals when I shift, thrusting up into her. Her giggle turns into her moaning my name as I meet her thrust for thrust, hitting just the right spot.
“Oh god. I’m going to?—”
“Come for me, angel.”
My spine tingles and I slide my hand between us. She gasps, shivering when I swirl my thumb over her sensitive clit. Our movements falter as we chase our joined euphoria.
“Jace!”
“Come,” I growl.
Her back arches before she curls over and bites my shoulder, smothering her scream. She flutters around me, sending me right over the edge with her.
We settle onto the rustled sheets, her laying against my chest, my dick still inside her. I brush back her hair when she turns her head, taking her mouth in a soft kiss.
“Still happy?”
She giggles, brushing her lips over mine. “Absolutely. Are you still happy?”
“How about I show you?” I thrust my hips, my cock already hardening.
She smiles, nodding. “Please?”
She doesn’t even have to ask. I already planned on showing her just how happy she makes me, every single day. For the rest of my life.