Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Rowan might not have planned on kissing Enya with her parents right around the corner in his kitchen.
But there wasn’t a chance in hell that he was calling it—or would ever call it—a mistake.
He’d walked into the house, still coated in the grit of the mission, the scent of gunpowder and sweat clinging to his skin despite the shower he’d taken at the airstrip.
He’d expected to find the kitchen empty, maybe Gael lurking with some smartass remark about how he looked like the damn cat had dragged him in through the new fucking cat flap that had appeared in the door since he’d left.
What he hadn’t expected was Enya’s parents sitting, comfy as you please around his dinner table, telling her she should go home with them.
He wasn’t ready for her to leave, damn it.
Everything he was, every single fiber of his being, fucking loved that she was here on the SHR waiting for him to come home.
So here he was giving her an ‘I don’t care who’s in the next room’ kiss.
His hands were in her hair, her back against the wall, and she was kissing him back just as hard, her fingers digging into his shoulders like she was trying to anchor herself to him.
The taste of her made his head spin. He’d straight-up missed her.
It should’ve scared the hell out of him, especially as he’d all but declared his intentions of—what?
He wasn’t entirely sure what intentions he’d declared.
Did he care?
Not when Enya was kissing him like she’d missed him just as much as he’d missed her, he didn’t.
He pulled back first, but only because his lungs had a stupid requirement for air. His thumb brushed her slightly swollen bottom lip, and he exhaled sharply through his nose.
“Your parents are ten feet away.”
Enya’s breath hitched, her chest rising and falling fast. “I don’t care.”
That was the problem. He didn’t care either.
A floorboard creaked in the kitchen. Birdie-June’s voice floated down the hall, light and warm. “Y’all coming for pie or what? It’s gettin’ cold.”
Rowan dropped his forehead against Enya’s, his pulse still hammering. “We’re gonna have a conversation about this later.”
She smirked, just a little, like she’d won something. Maybe she had. “Promise?”
He didn’t answer. Mostly because the only answer he wanted to give was to toss her over his shoulder and make a beeline for somewhere there weren’t so many people… hell, he’d even give bonus points if it came with a bed.
The kitchen was too bright, too normal after the darkness of the last forty-eight hours.
Rowan sat beside Enya at the long farmhouse table, their thighs pressed together under the wood, close enough that he could feel the heat of her even through his jeans.
Across from them, Camden shoveled pie into his mouth.
Looks like Nora-Mae’s pie has claimed another victim.
He’ll be addicted for life.
He winked at Birdie-June as she sipped coffee, her sharp eyes missing nothing.
Keeping her momma on my side might be a good thing.
Camden said around a mouthful of crust, “When will your folks be comin’ on home?”
Normally, it would bug the crap out of him if someone asked him for his parents’ travel plans, but he pounced on the question like the lifeline escape from the ‘what are your intentions toward my baby girl’ vibe that oozed from Camden’s pores.
“About six months.” Rowan cut into his slice of peach pie, the tines of his fork scraping the plate.
“Maybe a year or so. They’re living the high life on a cruise in Monte Carlo this week.
” He lifted one shoulder and gave a wry grin.
“Or maybe that was last week. I don’t know for sure.
” He had their trip planned within an inch of its life.
Both he and Gael knew exactly where they would be.
But not everyone at the table needed to know it.
Enya’s foot nudged his under the table. He didn’t look at her, because she was one of the few who knew where they were.
Birdie-June set her mug down with a soft clink. “You look like you lost a fight with a freight train, sugar.”
“Feels like it, too.” Rowan took a bite, the sugar hitting his bloodstream like a jolt.
He hadn’t eaten since… hell, he couldn’t remember.
Somewhere over the Atlantic, maybe. Someone, Titan maybe, had shoved a protein bar at him on the jet, but he’d thrown it back, as he’d been focused on Mikey’s debrief.
“You always this charming after, ummm, work?” Enya asked, her voice laced with amusement.
Rowan shot her a look. She was leaning into him just slightly, her shoulder brushing his arm. Like she belonged there. As if she had every right to be just there in that spot, within kissing reach. “You always this mouthy after I come home?”
“That’s my girl.” Camden barked a laugh. “Mouthy and bold.”
Enya’s smile faltered for half a second before she schooled her features. Rowan felt the shift in her and the way her body tensed just a fraction. About to reach for her, he set his fork down.
Birdie-June, ever observant, slid her chair back. “Well. We best be headin’ out. Long drive back home.”
Camden wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Yeah. Thanks for…” He trailed off, glancing at Enya, then Rowan. “Everything.”
Rowan stood when they did, because that’s what you did. His momma would box his ears and ban him from eating peach pie for a month if he forgot his manners.
Enya stayed seated, her fingers twisting in her lap. Her momma rounded the table and pulled her into a hug, murmuring something Rowan couldn’t hear. Enya nodded against her mother’s shoulder, her eyes squeezed shut.
When they parted, Birdie-June cupped Enya’s face, her thumb brushing across her cheek. “Call me anytime you need or want to, and don’t forget to eat.”
Enya smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”
Fuck she’s beautiful.
Stop that, her father is in the room.
This is a boner-free zone until they leave.
Camden clapped Rowan on the shoulder, hard enough to rattle his teeth. “Take care of my baby girl.”
Rowan met his gaze. “Yes, sir, I plan on doing just that.”
For a second, he thought Camden might tell him that Enya wasn’t his to keep.
Or that she had a life, a home, and a father who’d spent the last twenty-odd years making sure she was safe.
If he did that, Rowan wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop himself from clapping back with, ‘until you didn’t.
’ Thankfully, it didn’t come to that as Camden just nodded, turned, and followed Birdie-June out of the house.
The screen door slammed behind them, and within minutes, the truck engine roared to life.
Gravel crunched under tires, and then they were gone.
Silence settled over the kitchen, and Rowan exhaled.
Does this count as surviving the meet-the-parents thing?
If not, it totally should.
He reached for Enya’s hand under the table. Her fingers were cold. “You okay?”
She swallowed. “I don’t know.”
Fair enough.
Rowan tugged her hand until she turned toward him. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and her lashes damp.
That was a stupid question.
He jerked his chin toward the hallway, and Gael took off, giving them some space.
The second his brother was out of the way he pulled Enya onto his lap, her legs straddling his thighs, and held her there while she buried her face in his neck.
She smelled like cinnamon and hay and something uniquely her. He breathed her in.
“Talk to me,” he murmured against her temple.
Enya shook her head. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Then don’t say anything.”
She laughed, a broken little sound. “You’re a walking contradiction, you know that, right?”
“Yeah.” His hands found the hem of her hoodie, his fingers tracing the warm skin of her lower back.
“But it turns out, I’m your walking contradiction, so there’s that.
” That got her, and she pulled back just enough to meet his gaze, her brown eyes dark with something he didn’t have a name for.
Not yet. But he wanted to. He wanted to learn every damn shade of her, every flicker of emotion, every unspoken thought.
“Yep, there is that,” she whispered. “Rowan.”
“Right here.”
“Did, um.” She stumbled over the words. “Did everything go okay?”
“Yeah, we did what we had to do and more.” He wanted to tell her the man who haunted her sleep was gone, but he also didn’t want to shatter the moment.
It can wait.
“Come on.” He hugged her for a second, soaking her in. “What’s this I heard about a new foal at the barn?”
“Dusk had a colt earlier. He’s so dang cute I can’t stand it.” She scrambled off his lap. “Seriously, Rowe, wait until you see him.” She caught his hand and almost dragged him toward the door.
It’s damn good to see her this excited about something.
By the time they made it to the barn, Rowan already knew the newborn foal was no longer his. From the way Enya’s eyes lit up and happiness radiated from deep inside her as she filled the evening air with chatter, he knew that baby had her name on it.
Let’s just see how he grows first.
But damn, look at that smile.
Dusk nickered softly from her stall, and her ears pricked forward as they approached. The foal stood pressed against his dam’s side, his tail switching like he was already annoyed at the world.
Enya made a soft sound, something between a laugh and a sigh, and stepped forward, her hand outstretched. Dusk snorted, but she didn’t pin her ears or shift away. Enya’s fingers brushed the foal’s forehead, her touch light, sure.
“Hey, little man,” she murmured. “You’re gonna be a handful, aren’t you?”
Yup. Called it. He’s already hers.
Rowan leaned against the stall door, watching. There was something he loved about the way she moved with horses. It called to his soul and demanded he sit up and take notice.
Not noticing her will never be a problem.
Ever.