Meant To Be Family (Meant To Be Series Book 3)

by Amelia Foster

  When their lips finally parted, he took three deep breaths. “Not perfect, but damn grateful that you think so.”

  Auburn locks flew out from her head with the violent shake. “Connor, you don’t understand. When I woke up, I just stared at the ceiling and had no idea what I was going to do next.” She pushed the hair back that was perpetually falling in his eyes. “And I still don’t know what the hell will happen, but I am starting to believe that it will be okay because of you. And because you’re with me.”

  He lowered her slightly so her hind end rested on the table. “I will always be right by your side. We can handle anything as long as we’re together.”

  Her lips twitched into a hesitant smile, and she gave a small nod. “Anything.”

  Everything had completely changed in a moment with the fire, and he was no longer certain his plan should still move forward…until Kelsey claimed his mouth again and whispered her love against his lips. Now there wasn’t a chance he would change his mind or put it off past Friday night.

  ***

  Kelsey

  Four years earlier

  If she thought running a business had been tiring, rebuilding it took everything to a new level. Thankfully her father had driven in and spent the week working on sorting everything out, contacting the insurance, and repeatedly reassuring her that he wasn’t angry and was just as devastated by the loss.

  A small smile crept over her face. The older man had always liked Connor, but her boyfriend managed to earn mega brownie points when he laid out the rough design for her new office. The two had brainstormed and bounced ideas off each other late into the night Monday. Feeding off their positive energy had given Kelsey a glimmer of hope that they could not only resurrect the practice, but make it even better.

  By the time she’d laid her head down and curled into Connor’s side that very first night, a large part of the pain and uncertainty had melted away. There was still a mountain of stress and duty ahead of her, but the quiet support of the man she loved mingled with his proactive spirit and gave her the strength to tackle it all.

  But now it was Friday and her father had gone back to Richmond, promising to return in a couple of weeks to help her start over. A heavy mantle settled on her shoulders. This being an adult thing sucked.

  She pulled into the parking space in front of their townhome and collected the mountain of papers the insurance adjuster had given her to review and fill out. She snorted, climbing the stairs and fumbling with her key in the lock of the front door. What a fun-filled weekend lay ahead for her.

  “Hey, Picasso, I am thinking the greasiest damn pizza you could find would be perfect for dinner tonight.” Echoing silence answered her call.

  Kelsey drew her brows together and turned her lips down. She set the stack of paperwork on the stand inside the front door and put her keys on top, dropping her purse to the floor. “Connor?”

  He was always home first, and if he went somewhere, he would always let her know. Connor Carlisle was conscientious to a fault. She couldn’t imagine where he could possibly be that he wouldn’t have shot her a quick text just to ease her mind unless…an emergency. Worst case scenarios immediately flooded her brain.

  She flicked on the kitchen light, and the large paper in her favorite shade of teal taped to the front of the refrigerator managed to make her laugh and calm the anxiety chewing through her gut. Peeling it off gently, she read the words aloud to the completely empty house, even if she felt like a moron afterward:

  Hey gorgeous, we are going to play a little game. It’s a scavenger hunt, but I promise the end will be worth it.

  Your first clue is an easy one: Our forever home.

  Her teeth sank into her bottom lip. She was something beyond exhausted mentally and physically, but she could practically hear the note in Connor’s voice. And maybe a distraction from the administrative headache of rebuilding her practice would be a good thing for them both.

  She grabbed her keys off the stack of papers, locked the door, checking it twice, and skipped down the steps. Yeah, a distraction and what was sure to be a date night were exactly what she needed.

  Without even engaging her brain, she drove out to the empty parcel of land that would one day be the build site for their house. Everything kept getting pushed out from the contractors being overbooked to, now, the office.

  Five feet from the edge of the road where she parked, an aquamarine balloon stood waving in the breeze attached to a garden stake. Another piece of paper that matched the one on the refrigerator was dangling from it.

  She pulled the balloon down and peeled off the note.

  I tried to come up with a clever poem that told you I loved you more than the highest peak on the Appalachian Mountains and deeper than any valley, but we both know I don’t have a literary bone in my body. Instead, meet me here.

  Tears trailed down her cheek as she saw the sketch of the Linville Gorge he had drawn on the paper. With more energy than she’d had in days, she hopped back into her car and pointed it east. In less than an hour, she was parked and hiking up the trail that would lead her to the overlook.

  When she crested the top, her breath caught in her throat. “Connor?”

  The man she loved stood wearing the same khaki pants and polo shirt she’d spilled tomato soup on when they first met. The red stain had never come out, but it had faded over time into a mottled pink that looked even less appealing than the bright red.

  He stood by a blanket spread across the ground with rose petals scattered around him. Tiki torches flickered behind him. “Hey, Kels.”

  She grinned and walked toward him, stopping at the edge of the blanket, her arm waving out in a small gesture. “This is one hell of a date there, Picasso.”

  Connor dropped his head, shaking it slightly. “This…isn’t a date, Kels.”

  Her lips pressed together and eyes darted around at their surroundings. “Okay, I give up. What do you call this? I gotta tell you, I don’t really care what the title is. This was a damned good distraction from a shitty day.”

  His mouth fell open, and his face dropped. Her heart stuttered in her chest. He looked disappointed but…

  Before she could even formulate the question, he moved to the center of the blanket, only a foot from her, and went down on one knee. “This is a proposal, gorgeous. Maybe…it’ll make your bad day better.”

  With a flick of his wrist, he opened the blue velvet box, and the breath exited her body on a heavy whoosh. A stunning cushion-cut diamond sparkled up at her from a vintage rose gold setting surrounded by an ornate halo of smaller identical stones.

  “I love you, gorgeous. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I want a family with you. Will you please marry me?”

  Twin paths ran down her cheeks, fat tears she was incapable of stopping. “You kept those clothes?”

  The tension etched on Connor’s face melted away into a broad grin. “I knew way back then that something special happened the day you dumped your soup on me.” He winked. “Hoping my good luck holds out.”

  Kelsey fell to her knees in front of him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a firm kiss. “There’s nothing more in the world I want than to marry you, Picasso.”

  He held her close and lowered her to the blanket, his body stretched across hers, running his tongue along her lower lip, silently requesting entrance.

  Countless minutes later, she remembered the ring and dragged her mouth from his. She held her hand out, palm down. “I think that third finger is a little bare.”

  Chapter

  Twenty-One

  Connor

  Present Day

  The single most absurd moment in Connor’s life came when his hands shook putting on the pale pink polo shirt after he’d spent thirty minutes styling the much shorter hair he still wasn’t certain he loved, only to wash out all the product and start over. Sure, it was a date, but it was Kelsey. The woman he’d been certain he was meant to be with since the fir
st time he met her. The woman he’d shared a home and a bed with for more than five years. The woman who had begged for a second chance just a few days ago. And the same woman he could never deny.

  He rolled his eyes to the ceiling when the doorbell chimed but couldn’t repress the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. Relying far more heavily on the cane than he wanted to, he hobbled to the front door. “You rang the bell? Really?”

  Mischief turned her eyes from their startling gray into a sparkling pewter. “Isn’t it typical to wait for someone to welcome you in on a first date rather than just barging in?”

  Connor grabbed her hand and pulled her inside, slamming the door behind her. “First, I sure as hell hope that you haven’t had a first date recently enough to know.” He pressed her against the door and dropped his head, lips hovering a breath above hers. “And we both know this isn’t actually a first date.”

  She smirked and linked her arms behind his neck. “It most definitely is our first date, but if you play your cards right, you might just wind up getting lucky.”

  An overly confident smile spread across his face. “Well, gorgeous, if the damned accident taught us nothing else, it’s that I am one lucky son of a bitch.” He winked. “And a walking, talking billboard for your rehabilitation skills. Emphasis on the walking part.”

  Her sassy expression melted away, and her face tightened. She gripped his face firmly between her palms. “Your accident will never be a joke to me, got it?” Her chin quivered and lower lip protruded slightly. “I could have lost you, lost everything, all because I didn’t…I couldn’t…Connor, I am so sorry.”

  Connor’s thumb swiped beneath her eyes, clearing away the tear that escaped. “Hey, it’s okay. I told you that I forgive you. We’re here now, and that’s all that matters.”

  She nodded and released the tight hold on his neck, slipping her hand into the one that had been gripping her side. “But I’ve got a date planned.”

  He joined his lips with hers in what he intended to be a light kiss that quickly turned much deeper and more passionate. She offered a small sigh, and he moaned into her mouth, pressing her more firmly against the oak door.

  “Date.” She gasped out the single word when they finally broke apart.

  Connor shook his head and tried to capture her lips again, but when she turned her head, he landed on her neck instead. “We can order takeout and stay in bed. I’ve been completely cleared, thanks to your professional assistance, just in case I haven’t mentioned it.”

  She groaned and fitted her body with his like the perfect completion to his puzzle that she had always been. “You have. About ten times over the past week.”

  “Just want to make sure you know what a damn good therapist you are, gorgeous.”

  Kelsey laughed and ran a hand up his forearm. “Yeah, that’s the only reason. Not at all because you’re looking to get laid on the first date.”

  He skimmed his fingers up her spine beneath her shirt and sucked at the pulse point at the base of her neck. “It isn’t our first date,” he growled against her skin before pulling back to stare at her, making sure she was assured of the sincerity in every word. “And you belong here. This is your house, and that’s your bed, and dammit, Kels, I’ve missed you like crazy.”

  “Do you forgive me?”

  Her simple question, asking what had already been answered, brought him up short, nearly one hundred eighty degrees from what he had expected her to say. Or at least hoped for her to say. “I’ve already told you that I do. I’m not gonna say that it doesn’t hurt like hell, even now, because I’m not going to lie to you. I hate that there was something, especially something so damn important, that you felt like you couldn’t tell me.”

  Connor cradled her face in his palms and locked eyes with her. “But even after everything, I trust you and I love you. Maybe we shouldn’t get married tomorrow, but we also aren’t going to pretend like we are starting from scratch. I’m not okay with what you did, but it hasn’t made me stop loving you, and it sure as hell hasn’t made me stop wanting a family with you.”

  Creases formed between her brows. “Even if a family is just us?”

  His hand slid back to cup the back of her head, tangling in her hair. “Kels, from the beginning, it’s been you. It’s not even if it’s just us; it’s especially if it’s just us.”

  She tugged on his neck and pulled his mouth to hers in desperation. “We can pretend that we had dinner first, right?” She panted the question between heady kisses, grabbing at the hem of his shirt.

  Connor whipped the shirt over his head, spun her around, and walked them toward the bedroom at the back of the house. “I had a late lunch. Need to work up an appetite.”

  Kelsey tossed her jacket across the room and tugged off her sweater before joining his lips with hers once again. “That sounds completely legitimate and not at all like an excuse to get me in bed before our date even starts.”

  The limp that he was increasingly self-conscious of chose the moment they crossed the threshold of the bedroom door to become increasingly more pronounced. Grabbing his cane was a mood killer, but he regretted not having that particular safety net right now.

  Three steps from the bed, she stopped and looked down at the legs that were still covered by his jeans. “Completely cleared? You’re totally sure?”

  “Straight out of the doctor’s mouth.” He nodded and nudged her toward the bed with a bump of his hip, seriously needing to get off his feet. “I just…need to go slow.”

  Her lips curled up in a saucy smile. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

  ***

  Kelsey

  Present Day

  She fell back against the fluffy comforter she’d spent far too many hours agonizing over before committing to the navy paisley jacquard set. And then she’d bought it in triplicate, so in love with the pattern and feel that she needed to replace it with an identical one when she washed the covers every three days to placate her need to slide between nearly pristine bedding.

  Connor stood in front of her, his face pinched. “Things might be different.” The mattress dipped as he took a seat beside her. He stretched out, propping his head on his fist.

  Kelsey rolled onto her side and shimmied up the bed further to lock eyes with him. She stroked a hand down the side of his face. “It’s us. It doesn’t matter what has changed or what’s happened; it’s still us, and it will still be perfect.” She levered up enough to meld her mouth to his in a much more tender and loving kiss than before. “We can take it slow.”

  With a smirk, Connor reached behind her and flicked open her bra. “I like that idea.” He tossed the satiny undergarment aside and lowered his head. His tongue made lazy circles around one firm pebble before moving to the other side.

  She whimpered and rolled onto her back. Connor took shameless advantage of the opportunity and moved to hover over her, the bulk of his body weight resting on the much more muscular forearms Kelsey couldn’t resist stroking her fingers along. “We can make anything work.”

  “Mmmm,” his hum of approval vibrated her already overly sensitized skin. “Taking my time to worship every gorgeous frickin’ inch of your body really isn’t a hardship, Kels.” His tongue trailed down to her belly button, swirling inside.

  Kelsey sucked in a sharp breath of air and released it on a shuddering sigh. “You’re gonna be the death of me, Picasso.”

  Dropping to the floor, he pulled her to the edge of the bed and tugged down her underwear and leggings at the same time. He shot her a completely unrepentant grin. “But what a way to go.”

  She levered up on her elbows and looked down at him as one finger took a slow journey down the aching center she was desperate for him to focus his attention on. “You shouldn’t be on your knees with all that pressure on your hip joint and—”

  He slid two digits smoothly inside her, stealing the end of her statement with easy precision. “Don’t worry your pretty little head there, gorgeous. I have
the world’s best physical therapist who got me into tip-top shape.” The tip of his tongue followed the path of his fingers, and as it replaced them inside of her, he took every molecule of air from her lungs. “Remember, Kels, the doctor cleared me for everything.”

  The simple phrase should not have fanned the flames of desire within her, and yet she nearly exploded from just those few words. Years together hadn’t dulled their need for each other, and neither had their few months apart, but it had given them each an insight into exactly what the other wanted, needed, and liked the most.

  So when his tongue curled at the perfect angle as his thumb circled the small nub, throbbing with desperate want, her body erupted in response. She screamed out his name on a strangled cry. He turned his head and kissed her inner thigh as her breathing slowed slightly. But once the trembling in her legs ceased, he moved back into place and continued his ministrations.

  “Holy hell, Connor…” The three words were all she could manage as her body reignited even faster the second time to his expert touch.

  Every ounce of her energy was zapped as his fingers worked their magic for a second time, the release plunging her into an even deeper well of pleasure than before.

  He laid down on the bed beside her again, planting soft kisses to her dewy flesh. “I’ve missed you. So damn much.”

  With more effort than the simple task should require, Kelsey turned onto her side and ran her palm up and down his arm. “You know I love you, right? I didn’t leave because I stopped loving you. I left because I would rather break myself than force you to live a life you didn’t want.”

  Connor hooked a finger beneath her chin. “What I want is a life with you. Everything else is just extra frosting.” His brushed his lips along hers.