Book 27 Renewal After Dark #10
He reaches out to take Jax from her and continues to dance around the kitchen, delighting her little boy with his singing and his moves. “You gotta love Chris Stapleton. What a voice.”
“I do love him.” And you. I love you, too. But she can’t say that. It’s far too soon for such things, and besides, who knows if he even wants a little insta-family?
The insecurities hit hard, one right after the other. Every man leaves. Her father left. Eric left. Others before him… How does anyone who’s been through that ever take a chance on someone new?
“Something wrong, sweetheart?”
His voice tugs her out of her deep thoughts.
“No, just thinking.”
He turns down the music. “About what?”
“Everything.”
He shows her the high chair he found on the side of the road that he brought home and cleaned up for Jax.
He puts Jax in the chair and gives him some animal crackers to eat.
With Jax occupied, he comes over to McKenzie, singing along to “Think I’m in Love with You.
” He holds out his arms, inviting her to dance with him, and her heart is completely and absolutely lost to this dream of a man.
He holds her close as he sings and moves her around the kitchen.
“Whatever you’re thinking or stressing about, knock it off.
I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere as long as you and Jax want to be with me.
I hope you want to be with me for a very long time, because I’ve never felt better than I do when you’re in my arms.”
McKenzie melts into him, swept away by his words, the song lyrics and the way they move together like they’ve been dancing together forever. The high chair was the kicker, she will decide later. The absolute send-her-over-the-edge kicker.
After dinner, they play with Jax until bedtime.
Everything is moving fast, but she can’t seem to bring herself to slow it down.
She doesn’t want to slow it down. She wants to jump in with both feet to whatever this is and wallow in the nicest thing ever to happen to her.
For a girl who’s been so badly burned in the past, alarm bells should be sounding loudly.
But there are no bells. Just lots of butterflies, excitement and anticipation.
She kisses Jax good night. “Mommy loves you to the moon and back.” After adjusting the bumper that Duke made from a blanket to keep him on the bed, she tiptoes from the room. She finds Duke sipping bourbon in the living room. “Is the little guy down for the count?”
“Yep.”
“He’s such a good baby.”
“He’s the best. The first couple of months were rough. He barely slept and was a bit colicky, which is no fun at all. But thankfully, he’s become super easy.”
He twirls a strand of her hair around his finger. “I wish I’d been there then.”
“I do, too.” She ventures a glance at him. “This is starting to feel oh-so-serious.”
“Is that okay?”
“I want it to be. It feels so good to be with you this way. It feels better than anything ever has. It’s just…”
He reaches for her hand and links their fingers. “Tell me.”
“I know I have nothing to be afraid of where you’re concerned, but I feel like I’m tossing all caution to the wind and diving in headfirst, which would be totally fine if it was just me. But it’s not just me. I have to think of Jax, too.”
“I hear you, and I get why you feel the way you do. All I can tell you is I’ve never wanted anything more than to make the three of us a family.
I hope you know that I’m already most of the way in love with both of you, and I want more nights like this one.
I want a lifetime of nights just like this. ”
What can she say to that? How can she deny that’s exactly what she wants, too? She can’t, so she takes his glass, puts it on the table and reaches for him.
Their kiss is hot and desperate and full of longing.
“God, MK, what you do to me.”
“What do I do?”
“You make me feel everything.”
“Same.” She puts her hand on his face and draws him into another deep, sexy kiss. “Let’s go to bed.”
Pulling into Duke’s driveway feels like coming home to the place she’s always been meant to find. She takes Jax up to the apartment to change him and put him down for his nap. Even though she has a million things to do for several of her new clients, she stretches out on the bed and passes out.
That’s where Duke finds her when he comes home. She stirs when she feels Duke snuggle in next to her.
He puts his arm around her. “I hope that’s Duke,” she whispers.
“Who else would it be?”
He’s been there two seconds and already has her smiling like a fool in love. “I thought it might be my boyfriend.”
“It is. Now, go back to sleep.”
“Hi.”
He kisses her. “Hi yourself. Missed you. It was a long two hundred and thirty-five minutes.”
“Yes, it was, especially since I was trying to stay awake the whole time.”
“Same. A wild vixen messed with my sleep last night.”
“Right. Who messed with who?”
“That’s my story. Sticking to it.” He kisses her again and again until they’re clinging to each other and straining to get closer. “We’re supposed to be sleeping.”
“But this is way more fun.”
A loud car horn sounds from the yard.
“What the hell?” he mutters as he sits up.
“McKenzie! Come out here!”
“Who’s that?”
“I… I think it could be Eric.” She follows Duke off the bed and out of the bedroom to the window to look out at the yard. “It is.” God, what is he doing here?
“Stay here. I’ll get rid of him.”
Duke goes outside to confront Eric, telling him to get off his property.
When Eric refuses to leave without talking to McKenzie, Duke calls the police.
Eric continues to scream for McKenzie until she comes out behind Duke and tells him to go.
Once the police show up, he leaves, and the police officer encourages them to file a report in case Eric bothers them again.
After the officer leaves, Duke comes up the stairs to where she’s frozen with shock over the incident. He puts his hands on her shoulders. “It’s okay. He’s gone, and if he knows what’s good for him, he’ll stay gone.”
“I… I can’t believe he came here, that he tracked my phone. I didn’t know he’d done that. I’m so sorry, Duke.”
“For what? You didn’t do anything.”
“I brought this mess to your home.”
“That’s not all you’ve brought to my home. Please, don’t blame yourself for what he did.”
“It means everything that you stuck up for me. You didn’t even hesitate to go out there and confront him.”
“Don’t you know by now that there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you and Jax?”
“I’m beginning to see that.”
He puts his arms around her and draws her into his embrace. “I’m here. I’ve got your back. You’ve got mine.”
“No one’s ever had my back before. Not like you do.”
“Same. Never had someone who had mine. I love you, MK. I’ll always have your back.”
“I love you, too.”
They’re the biggest and yet also the simplest words she’s ever said to anyone, and as she stands in the arms of her love, she has no doubt at all that this leap of faith will turn out to be the one that makes her life—and her son’s life—complete.
Over the next month, McKenzie’s new life falls into place in every possible way.
She has more work than she can handle, with clients lining up to meet with her.
She proposes group payroll and health insurance options to lower the cost many businesses are paying currently and has landed the McCarthy family and all their island businesses, which is almost a full-time job on its own.
Her clients have insisted on paying her no less than fifty dollars an hour for her time, and she’s amazed at how much money she’s making doing something she loves.
When Kendall hears about Eric’s visit, she doubles down with his attorney.
He makes a one-time offer of one hundred thousand dollars, and she must agree never to ask for more.
McKenzie asks if she can think about it.
She talks to Tiffany to get her opinion.
Tiffany assures her she’s a strong, capable woman, building her own business and a whole new life for herself and her son.
If she never sees a dime from Eric, she’ll be fine, but the money will help pay for Jax’s education.
McKenzie appreciates the confidence Tiffany has in her.
With McKenzie working late, Duke goes into town to see his friends for the first time in weeks. When he walks into the Beachcomber bar, a cheer goes up from the regulars, who greet him like returning royalty.
“Look what the cat dragged in.” Jace Carson pours a beer for Duke from the tap. “Where you been, old man?”
Amused by the reception, he takes the beer from Jace. “I’ve been around.”
“He’s in love,” Sierra says as she makes kissy faces.
He catches up with his friends and finds out Chelsea and Kevin are expecting again, and that Niall and John don’t seem to be happening, but nobody knows why.
Cindy Lawry says something changed with John after he went to Providence with Jeff, and they can’t seem to get through to him.
Jace catches Duke up with the goings-on with his sons, Kyle and Jackson.
As someone who’s never had a family of his own, Duke is endlessly fascinated with the concept of “found family,” or the family one creates for oneself. He’s been enormously blessed in that regard, thanks mostly to the people in this room and a few others, such as Rosemary.
After sipping his second beer for more than an hour, he settles up with Jace to go home to the two people who are quickly becoming his new family.
McKenzie is still working when Duke arrives.
She tells him that they missed him. Jax didn’t want to go to sleep without his Doo Doo, the nickname Jax has given Duke.
McKenzie tells him about Eric’s offer. Duke says they need nothing from him, but she wants Eric to take some responsibility for Jax, especially after the way he treated them.
Duke agrees and says they can invest the money and pay for college for all their children.
Her brows lift. “All our kids?”
“Yeah, we’re gonna have a bunch of them.”
“Is that right?”