“I have no doubt that he will.” He looks over my head at Max. “You take care of my little girl,” he says, his voice more stern.
“With my life,” Maxton says as he stands. He walks to us and stands behind me. His hands go to my hips and I lean my back against his chest. I can’t fight it no matter who’s in the room with us.
“All right, kids, Max, Bright, thank you both for having me. Girls, you don’t wait so long before calling an old man.” He taps a finger to my nose and turns for the door. Max laces his fingers through mine and pulls me to follow my dad. We walk him to the door. Releasing Max, I give him one more hug and a kiss on the cheek. We stand on the front porch, Max cradling me in his arms, and watch him pull away.
“He’s a great guy.”
“Yes, he is. I seem to be surrounded by those lately.”
“It’s you, sweets. You make us better,” he says, placing his hand on the small of my back and leading me back into the house. “You make me better, Kens,” he says, once inside.
I turn to see him watching me. This man has slid into my world and is now the most important part of it. I have no words for the fact that he thinks I make him better, when inside, I know he’s the one who healed me.
“Thank you for today, for inviting him. He likes you.”
“It was nice to have it be more than just me and Bright. I like your dad. He reminds me a lot of mine.”
“It was nice to have a group together. I’ve missed it.” I slide my arms around his waist and look up at him. “Thank you.”
Leaning down, he softly touches his lips with mine. “Anything for you, Kensi. Anything for you.”
BRIGHT AND NICOLE are still curled up on the chair when we get back in the house. I take my place on the couch and pull Kens down on my lap. It’s what I wanted to do earlier, but I decided to tone it down a little with her dad sitting right beside us. A little was all I could do and that was a struggle.
“So what are we—” My phone rings in my pocket. Pulling it out, I look at the display. “Shit,” I say.
“What?” all three of them ask in unison.
“It’s JT. He’s texted me a few times and I read them with the intentions of reply and keep forgetting.” I swipe my thumb across the screen and place the phone to my ear. “Hey, man,” I greet
“He’s alive,” JT retorts. “Finally decide to stop dodging me?” he asks.
“Not dodging. Just been busy,” I say as I drop a kiss on Kensington’s temple.
“All right, I hear ya.” He laughs. “Listen, the reason I’ve been trying to get ahold of you is next weekend we are getting a group together out at the farm. I haven’t been there in years and it’s been forever since I’ve seen you. I have Mark and his girl Tabby, Rick and his girl, I don’t know her name, it’s a new one each week, and me and this girl Angie I’ve been seeing. You and Bright should come,” he says.
Kensi settles against my chest. I run my fingers though her hair. “Yeah, man, let me check with Bright and our girls and see what they say.”
“Girls? You’ve both been caught?” he asks, shocked.
“More than caught, but yes, we both have girlfriends. Besides, you’re one to talk. It’s been what, high school since you’ve had a serious relationship?” I ask him. JT was dating a girl he seemed to really like, but then his brother got into some shit and went to jail. JT was never quite the same after that. I never knew the specifics and figured it was none of my business unless he wanted it to be.
“Yeah, well, when shit went down with Joe, it was a while before I was willing to dive into anything more than casual. Angie’s a great girl.”
“You deserve to be happy, man. Listen, the girls are here, so let me talk to them and I’ll send you a text tonight and let you know if we’re in or not. Sound good?”
“Sounds like a plan. Hope you all can make it. It’s been forever since we’ve gotten together and I want to meet this girl.”
I laugh. “Sounds good, happy Thanksgiving, man.” He says goodbye and I end the call.
“JT?” Bright asks.
“Yeah, he said a group is getting together out at his parents’ farm; he invited us up.” Kens sits up to look at me. “JT is a friend from way back. Our parents were friends back in the day and we would vacation together when I was younger. It stopped once I got into high school. By then, Mom was already cheating on Dad and the vacations stopped. She said he worked too much and there still wasn’t enough money. In reality, she would take weekend girls’ trips and meet with her lover.” It’s not until the words are out that I realize that Nicole just heard the story. Bright knows and Kens knows a little, and, well, now Nic knows. It’s not like it’s some big secret. I just hate thinking or talking about it. However, that’s really the exact opposite when Kens is around. Words fall out of my mouth and I feel lighter, better. Just like I told her, she makes me better.
“His parents own a farm about two hours away. It’s about a hundred acres or so. No one lives there, but they keep the place because JT and his brother loved it. We go there and spend the weekend, take the quads. It’s a good time.” I turn to Bright. “He said Mark and Rick are going. All three of them are bringing dates.”
“What do you think, Nic? You up for a weekend trip?” Bright asks. I don’t hear her reply because all my focus is on Kens.
She’s snuggled back into my chest, her head resting on my shoulder. My fingers find their way through her silky soft hair. “You up for a trip, baby girl?” I ask her.
Without missing a beat, she replies, “If you’re there, that’s where I want to be.”
It’s on the tip of my fucking tongue. I love you. I want to tell her. I want to shout it from the fucking rooftops. Every damn day this girl burrows her way further inside my heart. I don’t want it to be a blurted confession. I want it to be something she will always remember. She deserves nothing but the best.
“We’re in if you are.” Bright’s booming voice catches my attention.
“Kensi, babe, are you sure?”
She raises her head and smiles. “A weekend away with my three favorite people? Count me in. Besides, I can sleep anywhere in your arms.”
She does too. Every damn night I make sure we are in the same bed. I don’t care who’s but she needs to be beside me. It’s been that way since the beginning. I want it that way forever.
“We’re in,” I tell him.
“I have class Friday until one,” Nicole groans.
“Why don’t you guys leave Friday morning and Nic and I will come Friday afternoon. It’ll give you time to catch up before we get there,” Kens suggests.
“No, we can wait,” I tell her.
“Dude, it’s not a bad idea. It will still be daylight when they get there, so they won’t be traveling at night,” Bright chimes in.
“Really, it’s a two hour drive, that’s what you said. We’ll be there by five for sure,” Kens says.
“All right,” I sigh. Kens wraps her arms around my neck and hugs me. I hold her tight against my chest. “Babe, you better not change your mind. I can’t sleep without you,” I whisper in her ear. “If you decide you don’t want to go, call me and I’ll come to you. You’re what matters, Kensington,” I tell her.
I don’t know why, but I just feel like I need for her to ride with me. Irrational I know, but it’s just a feeling I have. Like I need to stay close to her.
“I won’t back out on you. I don’t sleep without you wrapped around me, Cooper.” She winks at me. It does little to alleviate my concern. I can’t shake this feeling.
“It’s settled. I’m excited for a weekend away. Then a week to study for finals and we’re out of classes until January,” Nicole says. I feel Kens slightly stiffen in my arms at Nicole’s words. I chalk it up to me being panicked for some unknown reason. I need to relax.