Chapter 3
Three
Kellan
From her seat beside me on the sofa, Tate radiated annoyance.
I doubted anybody but me would’ve noticed.
She was too well-bred, too polite to give voice to whatever was running through her head.
Which, after the past several hours, had to be something along the lines of For fuck’s sake, let us be alone already so we can talk!
As curious as I was to get the story about exactly how our “engagement” had come about, I was as perversely determined to let this ride as long as possible because it played so neatly into my own plans to prove to her we could be something other than the friends and business partners we always had been.
So I’d played in to every single effort my well-intentioned family had made to keep me in the center of everything with Tate by my side.
All through lunch she’d been nervy, twitchy as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.
Again, not so obvious that anyone but me was likely to notice.
That was the benefit of having been best friends since kindergarten.
I could read her like a book most of the time.
Honestly, if somebody had asked me before I got off that bus today if Tate Cavanaugh ever surprised me, I’d have said no.
She was as predictable as the sunrise, a lover of organization and spreadsheets.
A child of divorced parents, she liked to know what The Plan was for everything, always.
She needed that stability. I got that. Those were all the reasons I’d known Mountain Laurel Landscaping would do just fine without me during my deployment.
And yet she’d shocked me today. Down to my very marrow.
I’d imagined that homecoming kiss a thousand times over the past year.
In quiet moments between missions. In the dark, before sleep claimed me.
During endless hours of training. But I’d never once thought I’d get it.
Not without talking to her, confessing the feelings I had no idea what she’d do with.
But I’d sure as hell gotten that kiss, and the reality of it had blown every single one of those fantasies clear out of the water.
Her lips had been soft, eager. There’d been nothing hesitant or tentative about the way she’d pressed against me, her fingers curling into the front of my uniform.
The scent of her—honeysuckle and sunshine—had filled my head, dragging me under like the sweetest kind of drowning.
And when I’d cupped her face, angled her head just so to take her mouth exactly how I wanted, she’d made this sound.
.. Christ. I was gonna hear that sound in my dreams for the rest of my life.
But the thing that kept playing on repeat in my head—the detail I couldn’t let go of—was how she’d kissed me back.
There’d been heat there. Real heat that had nothing to do with putting on a show to back up whatever lie she’d gotten caught up in.
Her tongue had tangled with mine, hungry and desperate in a way that spoke of genuine want.
And yeah, maybe I was fooling myself. Maybe I was seeing what I wanted to see because I’d spent the better part of a year trying to figure out how to move us out of the friend zone without destroying everything we’d built together. But I didn’t think so.
So I’d let my family run interference. Let them monopolize my time and attention while keeping Tate close.
Because that kiss? That hadn’t been faked.
And until she managed to get me alone and try to explain whatever circumstances had led to this engagement charade, I was going to savor every second of having her exactly where I wanted her.
Right beside me, where she belonged.
I shoved up from the sofa. “Reckon we should head on over to the MacAvoys’ for the cookout.” There’d be more people there. More excuses to draw this whole thing out.
That set off a whole slough of goodbyes to the extended family. I accepted hugs and handshakes and promises of seeing them all soon. Then it was down to my parents, sister, and Tate.
Mom fussed with my collar one last time. “Now you’re sure you don’t want to change before heading to the MacAvoys’?”
“Let the man breathe, Carol.” Dad clapped me on the shoulder. “He just got home.”
“I’m good, Mom.” The familiar routine of her mothering settled something in my chest that had been wound tight for months.
Tate jangled her keys. “We should get going.”
“Oh, I’ll ride with you guys!” Sadie bounced down the front steps of the house, phone in hand.
Tate’s shoulders went rigid. “We need to talk.” The words were so low no one else could’ve heard them.
I slid my hand across her lower back, feeling the tension there. “We will. It’s fine,” I murmured close to her ear.
Her hair tickled my jaw as she turned toward me, those blue eyes of hers full of apology and frustration. But underneath all that was something else. Something that made my pulse kick up a notch.
“Shotgun!” Sadie called, already headed for Tate’s truck.
“Like hell.” I caught my sister by the collar. “Back seat, squirt.”
She rolled her eyes but complied. “God, you’re home five minutes and already bossing me around.”
“Somebody’s got to keep you in line.” The familiar bickering felt like slipping into my favorite boots.
Mom and Dad would follow in their car. Which meant I finally got Tate to myself. Sort of. Close enough to touch. Not close enough to talk. Yet.
The late afternoon sun caught her ring finger. No ring. If we managed to keep this charade going, I’d have to fix that.
For now, I was content to be home. To breathe in the scent of autumn leaves and fresh-cut grass.
To have my family close. To have Tate beside me, even if she was so tense she was practically vibrating.
My mind spun out a fantasy of all the fun ways we could expend that energy.
The crotch of my jeans got tight, and I shifted. Time to think about something else.
By the time we made it to Rhett’s folk’s place, I had myself under control.
Rhett’s sister, Austen, met us at the side gate to the backyard, her smile bright and welcoming. “Welcome home, Kellan! Welcome to the party, everybody.”
“Thanks. It’s great to be home.” I lifted Tate’s hand to my lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. The tiny shiver that ran through her made my heart race. Real or part of the act? I was dying to find out.
Tate’s smile went a touch manic when Austen gave her that questioning look. The silent conversation between the two women was fascinating to watch. I’d have to remember to ask Tate about that later.
“There are burgers and brats, and about a million sides. The food tables are just over that way.” Austen gestured toward the back deck. “Please, enjoy yourselves.”
I kept hold of Tate’s hand as we made our way through the crowd. Chief MacAvoy worked the grill with military precision, while his wife Patty fluttered between guests with the energy of a hummingbird.
“Kellan!” Patty abandoned her hostess duties to wrap me in a fierce hug. “Welcome home, sweetheart. And congratulations! I couldn’t believe it when I heard about you two.” She released me to give Tate a squeeze. “I always knew you’d figure it out, eventually.”
My face hurt from grinning. If she only knew how right she was.
“Thank you, Mrs. MacAvoy.” Tate’s voice wobbled a bit.
“Oh please, it’s Patty. You’re family now.”
The guilt that flashed across Tate’s face made me squeeze her hand. I’d figure out what was going on soon enough. For now, I was going to enjoy every second of this.
“Fox!” Chief MacAvoy’s booming voice carried over the crowd. “Get over here and tell these boys how it really went down in that sandbox.”
I pressed another kiss to Tate’s temple, savoring her sharp intake of breath. “Duty calls, sweets.” The endearment rolled off my tongue like I’d been saying it for years. Like I’d been wanting to. “Save me some potato salad?”
“Um, sure?” She tightened her grip on my hand. “But after this, you’re all mine.”
Oh, darlin’, you have no idea.