Chapter 57 Kendra
FIFTY-SEVEN
kendra
We arrived in the owner’s suite hand-in-hand. Had anyone asked me in March if I’d thought our relationship could have survived the stress of this year, I would have laughed in their face. Somehow, we’d grown stronger.
That morning, we’d run together, and then fucked in the shower, in the bed, and he’d tormented me with Lucifer for several rounds. We hadn’t grown bored with each other, and he remained my favorite person.
I knew I was his, but when my niece Willow arrived, he dropped me and took over, giving Kylie a moment to relax.
“What’s that look for?” Kelsey nudged me as I watched him hold the baby and coo at her.
“Oh, shut up.” Her laughter rang loud enough to catch Jonathan’s attention. Whatever ice I had left protecting my heart, it melted when his eyes burned into me.
“You’re next,” she whispered before gesturing to her pregnant belly.
Did I dare allow myself to want that? And just as doubt crept in, he looked at Willow and then right at me. Yup, I wanted it. “I hope so.”
“Oh my God, Ken. You shared your feelings, and I didn’t even need to force you.”
I gave her a weak punch in the arm. “Yeah, well, I’ve been learning some things from the people surrounding me.”
“What’s this I hear? Did you get soft in your old age?” Kylie joined in with Kelsey, teasing me.
“Look at him.” Their eyes followed mine once more. “That would make anyone grow soft.”
Kelsey nodded. “I remember when I first watched Sam with Crew. It had been a big part of why I felt ready to have this baby, even with all the craziness.”
“How is the nanny situation?” I asked, and Kelsey and Crew’s father had recently hired a nanny to help bring Crew between Colorado and Boston since Kelsey could no longer fly this late in her pregnancy.
“She’s perfect. But if they haven’t slept together, I’d put money on that happening soon. And while I’m not one to ever propose limits on other adults’ sexual activities, I’m gonna be pissed if it blows up in their faces. For purely selfish reasons, of course.”
Jonathan passed Willow back to my sister in time for the National Anthem. I stood next to him and looked out onto the field. No, the team hadn’t made it this year, but fuck if I would ever be caught saying it was a waste. When the song finished, I noticed a flash out of the corner of my eye.
Jonathan had dropped to one knee and stared up at me. I heard rustling as our family backed away to give us privacy.
“Ken, this last year has been the best one of my life. Through everything we have been through, all the stress and bullshit, you made me look forward to every new day. Together, we’ve already accomplished so much. Will you marry me?”
I dropped down to my knees, throwing myself into his arms. The ring box went flying across the room, but I didn’t care. I grabbed his face in my hands and stared into those eyes, those eyes that had been a deep well of comfort, support, and love.
“You went to a lot of work to ask me something you could have asked in the shower this morning.”
“Haven’t I told you before that you deserve to be worshipped?”
“Yes, you have. And the answer is yes, I’ll marry you. Even though we never ended up getting the damn dog.”
He laughed through tears, and we heard the crack of the bat. “That sounds like a homerun ball.”
“What are the odds that our guys hit it?” I asked.
“Less than zero. Next year, baby. We got it.”
The End