Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
Kinsley
I took a few steadying breaths before heading to the rooftop deck. Shep wanted to talk about last night, but I wasn't sure what he would say. Would he tell me that he wanted me to move out, that he didn't want to see me anymore?
I had a lot of questions about what happened and what it meant.
I'd had difficulty eating dinner and watching the movie with the thoughts swirling in my head. When I reached the attic, Shep stood at the railing, looking out over the water.
His shoulders were tense and his head bowed. When I opened the door, he lifted his head but didn't turn to face me.
"You wanted to talk?" I asked him softly, not sure whether I should sit or stand.
He turned away from the railing, keeping one hand on it as if for support. "I wanted to talk about last night."
My stomach sunk. "I get it. You want to be free to see other people. I wouldn't want to hold you back."
His brow furrowed. "Why would you think that?"
I shrugged, feeling uneasy, as if he could see through to my insecurities. "You allowed those women to approach you. You didn't seem uninterested in their attention."
He scowled. "Were my intentions clear?"
I folded my arms over my chest. "I didn't want to stick around and find out."
He sighed heavily. "I didn't talk to you before we went out about where we stood. I thought that how we spent our time together spoke for itself. I thought I'd made myself clear Friday night."
Was he talking about when we had sex? Sure, it had been intense, but he hadn't said he loved me or that we were exclusive.
He curled his fingers over the railing. "I wanted you to know that you're the one for me."
I huffed. "You have a funny way of showing it."
"I wasn't sure how to handle those women. A year ago, I would have loved the attention, but I haven't been into that scene in a long time, even before you moved in. I told you I wanted something more. I was looking for a serious relationship, specifically with you."
I was afraid to read too much into what he was saying. "I remember you saying that, but we never talked about our relationship and where it was going."
"You're right, and that's my fault. I should have talked to you. I shouldn't have assumed that my feelings were obvious." He looked away. "I've never done this before. My brothers told me that I'm bound to screw this up."
"Your brothers told you that?"
He moved away from the railing. "But I don't want to mess anything up. I want to get this right."
My heart caught in my throat. "What do you want to get right?"
He lifted his hand to my jaw, cupping it before he spoke.
"This. Us. I don't want those other women.
I don't want them in my space. I don't want them touching me or talking to me.
And if I'd told you how I felt before, maybe we could have gone out as a couple last night, and none of that would have happened. "
"What about your dad? I overheard him that night in the office telling you that I needed to move out."
Shep growled. "We're taking the business over from him. It will all be ours soon enough, and I want you. I don't care if you're our employee. I intend to make you mine, and no one is going to fire you."
I raised a brow, a little surprised by his vehemence.
"I've been trying to please my father all this time, and I'm done. This is who I am, and I do things differently from my brothers. And it's not wrong that I want you."
I tipped my head to the side. "Do you?"
He stepped closer, forcing me to tip my head up to maintain eye contact. "I love you, Kins, and I hope you love me too."
"I was afraid of falling in love. I wasn't sure I was the one for you. I was worried you'd go back to your old ways. I can't compete with those women." My eyes stung with a rush of tears because my insecurities were out there for him to see.
Shep chuckled. "There's no competition. There's only you. I know you're the one for me, if you'll have me."
I nodded shakily as he pulled me to him. "I love you, Shep."
"I love you too." He lowered his head, kissing me with an intensity that reminded me of Friday night. He was trying to tell me that he loved me then, whether he knew it or not.
He broke away, sitting on the couch and pulling me to straddle his lap. I couldn't believe that I was here with him like this. I settled on his thighs. "I looked at apartments today."
He winced. "I don't want you to move out, but if it's what you want—"
"I want to know what you want." I enjoyed hearing him voice his desires, especially after we'd held everything in for so long.
"I don't want you to leave. I intend to spend every spare minute I have with you, so it only makes sense for you to stay here with me. But I understand if you need your own place. It will suck, but I respect your decision."
"I should talk to Maya about what she wants." I had a feeling she wouldn't want to leave. This place was a playground for a little girl like her.
"I built her a princess bathroom, and I had these ideas for a castle bed." He pulled out his phone and showed me a picture of a castle inside a bedroom. The bed was on the bottom, and there was a play area on top. "This is amazing. You know she'll love it. You don't even have to ask her."
He set his phone aside. "I want to build a life with you and Maya. This isn't a temporary thing or a whim. You're it for me."
I looped my wrists over his shoulders. "Then you're stuck with me."
He grinned. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."
I lowered my mouth to his as thunder sounded. We kissed as the rumble continued around us. When the first splashes of rain landed on our heads, he lifted me so that my legs wrapped around his waist and carried me inside.
He gently laid me down on his bed, covering me with his body. The room lit up with lightning, and the thunder rumbled, but inside, we were safe and warm.
He kissed me again , letting his fingers trail over my body. We took our time, removing our clothes and kissing. I never wanted to stop touching him.
When we were naked, he eased inside me. I was so slick; he had no problem stretching me, filling me.
I moaned as he moved. Every thrust felt like a declaration of how he felt. He loved me. He wanted me. He wanted to build a life with me.
He was everything I ever wanted. I never would have guessed that I'd fall for him. But he was a different person when I got to know him, sweet and kind. He made me feel desired and cherished.
But the best part was that he loved Maya. He didn't even need to tell me. I got that from the tender way he held her and the gentle way he taught her about renovations and even how to make popcorn.
He was the man for us, and I couldn't wait to start our life together.
The next evening, I picked up Maya from school and headed home. I'd told Ivy I wouldn't need to be looking for an apartment. Even though Shep and I had decided to live together and tell everyone that we were in a relationship, we hadn't talked to Maya.
I hoped we could do that tonight.
When I parked in the driveway, Shep opened the door and stood on the porch, waiting for us.
"Shep!" Maya cried as she jumped out of the car and ran up the porch steps to get to him. As always, he smiled and lifted her into his arms.
He poked her stomach. "How was school?"
"It was so fun! We went outside for recess and had an assembly."
"What was the assembly about?" Shep leaned down to kiss me as I approached.
Maya didn't even miss a beat. She continued to talk. "He played basketball. He did all these neat tricks."
"Is that so? I'd love to see them."
She pointed her finger in the air. "He spun the ball on a pencil."
Shep's eyes widened. "Wow. That's neat."
Then her face fell. "But I didn't get a signed ball. They gave it to Jackson."
"That's okay. It still sounds fun," I said to her as I put her things on the bench just inside the door.
"What's for dinner. I'm starving," Maya said dramatically.
"I have a special treat for you," Shep said.
Maya wiggled to get down. "What is it?"
"It's on the beach by the edge of the trees. If you run out there, you'll see it." Maya took off through the slider and disappeared.
"That was sneaky," I said as Shep pulled me against him.
"I wanted to do this." He kissed me then, slow and sweet.
I grinned up at him, feeling content and happy. "I could get used to this greeting."
He gazed down at me. "Mmm. Me too."
"What's the surprise?" I asked, curiosity overcoming my desire to be held.
"You have to go outside to see," he said with a smile.
We walked outside, holding hands. It felt good to be openly affectionate with him.
Before we reached the area with the lights hanging on the trees, Shep held up a hand. "I just want to say that we agreed to move in together, so I'll be the one to help—"
"Mommy! Look," Maya cried, drawing my attention to where a black puppy sat in her lap. She was sitting cross-legged on the ground, petting him.
"A puppy?" I asked.
The puppy was on a leash that was looped around a nearby palm tree.
"As I was saying, I'm home a lot, and I can take him with me on the job. So there won't be an issue of us taking care of him."
"I can't believe you got a dog," I said at the same time Maya said, "Is he your dog?"
Shep dropped to his knees next to Maya. "That's what we want to talk to you about."
I sat next to him, my heart beating more rapidly. Would she be okay with us dating? I hadn't wanted to think about the possibility that this couldn't work. Shep pulled my hand onto his thigh, drawing Maya's attention. He was waiting for me to take the lead in this conversation.
"Shep and I wanted to see if you'd be okay if we dated."
Maya frowned. "Like boyfriend girlfriend?"
Shep sandwiched my hand between us. "Yeah, your mom would be my girlfriend."
Maya was quiet for a few seconds, watching us and absently patting the dog.
I could see why he gave her the dog first, to keep her calm. I wasn't sure what she was thinking about this situation. We'd never discussed me dating anyone because I'd never come close to finding anyone I'd introduce her too.
"Dad has girlfriends."
I winced at that. "I don't know how he handles relationships, so we might be a little different."
She looked from me to Shep. "Would we still live here?"
"That's something else we wanted to discuss with you. We'd be dating, and we'd continue to live here. At some point, I might sleep in Shep's bedroom, if that's okay with you."
Her eyes lit up. "Like a sleepover? Can I sleep with you too?"
I shook my head. "You can sleep in your bed, or in a tent if we're camping together."
Her face fell.
"But you can come in, first thing in the morning," Shep promised, and I'd have to warn him how she'd interpret that. She might show up at one a.m. We'd have to see.
"I love you so much, and I want to make sure you're okay with this new arrangement." I reached over to pet the dog with my free hand, worried about how she'd react.
Finally, she said, "I want to live here with Shep."
I exchanged a relieved look with Shep.
"Does this mean we're a family?" Maya asked tentatively. I knew she was sensitive that the other kids had a mommy and a daddy, even if not all kids did.
"We're a family." Maya launched herself at us, sending the pup scrambling. Her arms came around our necks, and we squeezed each other.
When she pulled back, I said, "What should we name this guy?"
"Lucky," Shep said. "Ever since you two moved in with me, I've felt like the luckiest guy in the world."
Maya grinned. "Lucky!"
The pup must have sensed our excitement because he wiggled his butt and wagged his tail, bucking his head against Maya's hand.
Shep put his arm around me, holding me against his side while Maya played with our new dog.
I couldn't believe that this was our life.
We were going to live here in this house with Shep and build a life together.
Maybe one day, it would be us getting married on the beach and adding another sibling for Maya.