Chapter Forty-two
Carter
We’re finally pulling back up to the house, my car completely packed with all their stuff.
I didn’t want to wait another second to have Kenna and Amelia under my roof again, but their things were still at the cabin.
So, Kenna and I spent the afternoon packing and cleaning while Amelia stayed at Allie’s.
Amelia stayed at Allie’s. All day. It’s the first sign that Kenna is trusting that things may actually be okay.
Christian is sitting at the kitchen table doing homework when we walk through the door.
He pushes his glasses up on his nose, looks at Kenna, then to me.
“What’s going on, Dad? Amelia was in the car when Mr. Anderson picked us up from school.
And he said it was fine for me to be home by myself, but he didn’t say why. He told me I needed to talk to you.”
“Well, son, we have some good news. The threat no longer exists. That Cyrus character was arrested, and he won’t be bothering anyone for a long, long time.”
He cracks a smile and turns to Kenna. “So you guys are moving back here?”
“We are,” Kenna says, parking one of the suitcases by the basement door.
Christian eyes the basement door with confusion. “To the basement?”
“For now,” I say, and put an arm around Kenna’s shoulders.
“Your dad told me you know how we feel about each other,” Kenna says, “but for Amelia’s sake, we’re going to take it slow. Make sure this is the best thing for everyone.”
Christian scoffs. “Obviously this is the best thing for everyone.” His eyes roll. “She’s smarter than you guys think. Kids pick up on things.”
“Even so,” I add, “we’re going to do this on Kenna’s timeline. Okay, kiddo?”
“You were going to move to Florida for them, but now you’re ‘taking it slow’,” he air quotes. “Whatever.”
“Are you okay with this, Christian?” Kenna asks. “Us being here. Possibly indefinitely.”
I squeeze her arm. “Definitely indefinitely.”
“Yeah,” he says without hesitation. “Who else is going to help me with all the calculus stuff next year?”
Kenna looks relieved. I have no clue what she was worried about. Christian loves her. Everyone loves her.
“I’m always happy to help,” she says, smiling. “We’d better get this stuff downstairs and get started on dinner.”
“We’ve been invited to the Andersons’,” Christian says. “Ms. Allie said something about you guys having a long day and they were cooking burgers and we should go over around six thirty.”
I defer to Kenna, not knowing if she’s ready to be around other people before we’ve even fully comprehended everything that’s happened today ourselves. She just shrugs.
“Okay then,” I say. “Six thirty it is.”
Downstairs, Kenna pulls one suitcase into the bedroom and I put a box behind the couch. When I look over, she’s standing in the doorway, leaning against the door jamb.
“How come you didn’t tell him about the money?”
I sit on the arm of the couch. “Because it’s not my place to. It’s your money, Kenna. Not mine. Will it affect his life? Maybe. But that’s not for me to say or even speculate about. Like I told him, this is all being done according to your timeline. What makes you comfortable.”
“You know…” She sighs, then grins. “You may be the only person who found out about the lottery who hasn’t run off to tell everyone they know.
” Her smile fades. “I take it back, Cyrus never told anyone. Probably because he wanted it all for himself. I can’t believe he didn’t even mention it to my dad when he called him last month. ”
I stride forward until I’m standing right in front of her. “Let’s not ruin this evening by talking about that asshole.”
“But we will need to talk about him. We’ll need to keep tabs on him, especially now that we’ve decided to keep the money. What if he gets out of jail in a few years and resumes his blackmail attempts?”
“Not possible. Babe, by that time he will have been disbarred. Not to mention he’ll be a convicted felon.
He will get zero protection from anyone he used to rely on.
If he so much as comes to town, we’ll slap him with a restraining order.
As an ex-con, if he’s stupid enough to violate it, he’ll end up back in jail.
” My hands land on her shoulders and I lower my head to look directly into her eyes.
“You do not need to worry about him anymore. You’ve been through enough.
Time to start enjoying your life, Kenna. ”
She blows out a long, deep breath. “I’ve been looking over my shoulder for so long, I’m not even sure I know how to do that.”
I take her hand. “With the help of those who love you.”
She leans into my chest and I wrap her in my arms. Damn, I can’t wait to start the rest of our lives together.
~ ~ ~
The second we walk into her house, Allie hands Kenna and me glasses of wine. Really good wine. “You must be exhausted,” she says, nodding to the kitchen. “Dinner is ready now if you want to eat.”
As if on cue, my stomach rumbles.
Christian, Bug, and Amelia entertain the rest of us during dinner.
Bug seems beyond happy. I guess Christian broke the news that we’re staying put.
It makes me wonder if Kenna will want us to live in my house or if she’s going to want something nicer.
I wouldn’t blame her if she did. But I suppose living halfway across town from each other would still be a win for Christian and Bug.
Then again, I think of where I am right now, eating dinner at Allie’s middle-class-ish house.
Allie—a millionaire herself, and one of the heirs to a billion-dollar winery.
“Can we go watch a movie now?” Amelia asks.
Apparently, she hasn’t stopped talking about the ‘movie theater’ in Bug’s basement since she discovered it was there earlier today.
“Baby,” Kenna says. “You’ve been here all day. Why don’t we give Mr. and Mrs. Anderson their house back?”
Amelia frowns. “But they have Toy Story. The one with Jessie. Please, Mommy?”
“It’s no trouble,” Asher says. “Listen, I know you’ve had a long day. Bug can put the movie on for the three of them. Allie and I will get the twins to bed while you two relax in the living room with another glass of wine.”
I look to Kenna. She smiles. “It is good wine.”
I laugh and hold out my glass to Asher. “Sounds like a plan.”
A half hour later, Allie and Asher rejoin us. Allie pulls Kenna in for a hug. “I’m so glad you’re safe now. I didn’t want to say anything when Amelia was around, but what you’ve been through with your horrible ex, it must have been a nightmare.”
“Thanks for not bringing it up around her. I’ve done my best to protect her from all this. I thank God she’s not old enough to realize why we’ve had to do the things we’ve done.”
“He really tried to kill someone?” Asher asks, shaking his head. “That’s all kinds of fucked up.”
“Yeah, but the timing couldn’t have been better.” I put my hand on Kenna’s. “Another week or so and she’d have been gone. And I’d have gone with her.”
This isn’t news to them. They knew my plans. Still, they look relieved.
“Oh.” Allie puts down her glass. “I’m so sorry I didn’t text you back yesterday, Kenna. I got busy with a tasting tour, and when I got home, the twins were being little terrors. I simply forgot. But to answer your question, yes, the receptionist position is still open. When do you want to start?”
Kenna scrunches her nose. “Thanks, Allie. But you should go ahead and fill the position.”
“You got another job?” Allie asks. “Since yesterday?”
“No. Uh… well…” Kenna looks at me, not quite knowing what to say.
“It’s okay. You can tell them. Look, the first thing you need to know about living in a small town? Everyone’s going to find out sooner or later. And who better to start with than these two?”
She knows what I mean by that. They have money.
They won’t act like circus imbeciles when they find out she does too.
They also won’t go blabbing about it to anyone.
And who knows, they might even have some pretty damn good advice.
Most importantly, Kenna could definitely use a friend who she’s sure won’t take advantage of her.
Asher cocks his head. “Everyone’s going to find out what?” His eyes flit to Kenna’s stomach. “Are you pregnant?”
Kenna snorts out an incredulous puff of air. “Not pregnant.” As if to punctuate the statement, she lifts her glass and takes a sip of wine.
Over the next few minutes, Kenna and I tell them everything about her winning the lottery as they both sit wide-eyed, hanging on our every word.
“That’s…” Allie stutters. “Jesus, that’s a lot to deal with.”
“Dad?”
The four of us turn to see Christian and Bug standing in the far doorway.
Aw, fuck. Did they hear?
“What is it, bud?”
If his slack jaw is any indication, they most definitely did.
He marches forward on his crutches, Bug at his side. “Are you serious?” He turns to Kenna. “Did you really win the lottery?”
“Son,” I scold. “It’s not nice to eavesdrop.”
“We were coming up to tell you Amelia fell asleep,” Bug said. “So sue us if hearing you guys talk about winning the lottery had us stopping to listen.”
“Darla,” Asher warns.
Kenna holds out her hand. “It’s okay. They’d have found out soon enough. Come. Sit. Ask me anything you’d like.”
“Ask anything,” I add. “But none of this goes beyond this room until Kenna says so. Got it?”
Bug and Christian nod. “Got it,” they say in unison.
After explaining to them what an annuity is and that Kenna won’t actually have all the money at once, that it will come in over a period of about thirty years, they don’t look half as excited.
Especially not after explaining that while after all those years, Kenna will have more money than most people dream of having in a lifetime, these next few years she will only get about as much as a successful CEO, or maybe a heart surgeon.
Though the example I offer does bring Christian down to earth again, he continues with the questions. “Will we move to a bigger house?”
None of us miss how he’s looking at Bug.
Me—I’m looking at Kenna.
“I… I… no,” she says. “Your house is perfectly fine. I mean, we might slap on a coat of paint, replace some appliances, and maybe, in the future, add on.”
I raise a brow. “Another bedroom?” My eyes flit to her belly.
She just smiles and shrugs, but inside, my heart is soaring. Because having a child with her to add to our already amazing kids would be a dream come true.
“Will you quit working?” Christian asks.
“No, son, I’m not going to quit working. It’s not my money.”
“You don’t have to work if you don’t want to,” Kenna says.
“Ha! What would I do, sit around watching Netflix eating Bon Bons? I love cars. I’m not going to stop doing what I love.”
When Christian is done asking all the questions, and the bottle of wine is long gone, I head down to gather a sleeping Amelia into my arms and the four of us head back home.
Home. It has a whole new meaning now. It’s not just my home. It’s our home. It’s the home Amelia will grow up in. The one we may bring more children into.
After tucking Amelia into bed, Kenna is back upstairs, sitting next to me on the couch.
“Christian’s question got me thinking,” I say. “What will you do now? Do you want to work? I mean, not as a receptionist, but maybe something else? Invest in a business?”
She nudges me. “Haven’t I already done that?”
I chuckle. “Oh, right. But I doubt you’d have very much fun being involved in the day-to-day operations of the shop. Seriously, what are your dreams? Is there anything you want to do?”
“I’m thinking of going back to school, actually.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “School?”
“You said CCU is a good school. Maybe I’ll finally earn my degree.”
I smile. “Personal finance?”
She nods. “If I’m doing this, I need to learn how to be a good money manager. It’ll mean more for our kids and for the charities we donate to.”
I tug her closer. “I think that’s an excellent idea.”
“Maybe one day I could even run my own charitable foundation for CP.”
“I think… wow, I think that would be incredible.”
She turns and puts her legs in my lap. “Do you really think I could do it? That I’m smart enough?”
I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “Sweetheart, you’re a lot smarter than you give yourself credit for.”
“I appreciate the vote of confidence.” Her gaze meets the floor. “But if I were smart, I never would’ve been in the situation I found myself in.”
I put a finger under her chin and make her look at me. “You were scared. You were being blackmailed. Manipulated by a master manipulator. That doesn’t mean you weren’t smart.”
“I feel like I haven’t made one intelligent decision in my entire life.”
“Hey now.” I look mock-offended. “I’m one of those decisions you know.”
She laughs. “With the exception of falling in love with you.”
My eyes close. “Say it, Kenna.”
Her warm, fruity breath flows over my ear. “I love you.”
Every time she says it, I feel like the luckiest son-of-a-bitch on the planet.
Every time she says it, I see a future full of love, laughter, and happiness.
Every time she says it, I know with complete and utter certainty I’ve found my one true soulmate.