His voice trailed off, and he buried his face in her neck with a muffled choking sound. Kitty hushed him, pressing a kiss to his cheek, using her free hand to stroke his hair, his back, every inch of him she could reach.
But her right hand…
Her right hand remained entwined with his, resting lightly over the child growing in her womb. She wasn't sure if that hand would ever move, because it felt too perfect just where it was.
"You don't have to explain it," she whispered, pressing their hands softly so that they could include the baby in their embrace. "You didn't have to realize. Our bodies realized for us. And look what an amazing job they did."
"Thank God for that," he muttered against her throat. "Thank God."
* * *
Epilogue
KITTY CALLED HER PAPAW FIRST THING ON WEDNESDAY morning—which ended up being Wednesday afternoon in the Eastern time zone—to tell him she was happy, she was safe, and she was getting married. Both of them cried.
She promised she would come to visit as soon as she could and would bring her new husband to meet him, but in the end it was two more weeks before Max pulled their rental car to a stop behind the rambling old farmhouse in which she'd grown up.
"You know, it's not too late to book that flight to Tahiti," he murmured, eyeing the kitchen door with deep suspicion.
"Don't be silly. Papaw is going to love you," she told him, and she thought there was a chance she might actually be right.
When she'd told Papaw her news, he had immediately demanded to speak to the "no-account cardsharp" who had stolen away his little girl. Though she had only really heard Max's end of the conversation, that had been enough for her to understand that her grandfather might have given her mate a wee bit of a hard time. But really, she was convinced that once they met and Papaw realized how happy Max had made her, the two men would get along famously.
Maybe.
Sighing, Max unfastened his seat belt, climbed out of the car, and walked around to help Kitty to her feet. "All right, but I hope this makes you realize what a favor I've done you by not having any family of my own," he grumbled, bending down to kiss her, lingering over it for just a moment. "And if he shoots me, remember that I always loved you."
"That's not funny," she said, smacking him on the shoulder and then taking his hand to drag him up the porch steps. "Papaw!" she called out, reaching for the back screen door. "We're here!"
"I've got eyes in my head, girl. I can see that for myself." Lonnie Sugarman emerged from the shadows at the end of the porch with a scowl on his face and his old shotgun in his hand.
"Papaw!" Kitty gasped, staring at the shotgun. "What in heaven's name do you think you're doing?"
"That's a question I'd like to ask you, baby girl," he answered, but his gaze was fixed on Max. "I'd also like to know who raised you to go running off to Vegas and to marry a man you hardly know, because it surely wasn't me and your mamaw."
Kitty opened her mouth to protest, but Max took her by the arm and gently tugged her backward, positioning her behind him. It was the man's favorite place for her.
"Mr. Sugarman, I'll say I'm pleased to meet you because I know how much Kitty loves you," Max said evenly, "but I think you should know that she's my wife now and I won't permit you to speak to her that way. Kitty is one of the sweetest, kindest, most loving, and most decent women it's ever been my pleasure to meet. I'd say that you and her grandmother did a fine job raising her, because she's also strong, capable, and intelligent. And what's more, she's an adult fully capable of taking care of herself and making her own decisions. I think she deserves to have you respect that."
Jaw dropping, Kitty stared wide-eyed at Max's back and wondered who the heck that man was who looked like her husband but said things she never in a million years thought she'd hear her husband say. Reaching down, Kitty grabbed a piece of skin and pinched herself, just to make sure she wasn't dreaming.
For a long moment, the porch was silent but for the wind whispering through the trees and the soft lowing of the milk cow out behind the barn. Then her grandfather carefully leaned the barrel of his shotgun up against the wall of the house and held out his right hand.
"In that case," Lonnie said, a smile breaking out over his weathered features, "I'd like to be the first one to welcome you to the family."
Kitty stared at her grandfather, then turned her head and looked at her husband, who was shaking the other man's hand and grinning like a loon, so she stared at him for a minute, too. Then she stared at each of them again for good measure, planted her hands on her hips, and scowled at the two of them together.
"I will never—not if I live to be older than Methuselah—," she proclaimed, "understand men."
Her grandfather laughed and slapped her husband on the back.
"Oh, we're simple creatures, kitten," Max said, wearing the smug expression she'd seen more often than she liked since he'd realized she was pregnant. "Just give us food, family, and affection and you'll have us eating out of the palm of your hand."
"Sure," she snorted. "Because that's clearly how I keep you in line."
He grinned wickedly. "Maybe not, but the methods you use with me work even better."
Lonnie shook his head and waved the two of them into the house. "Well, come on inside so we can sit a spell and talk. I want to hear some more about what y'all got up to out there in Las Vegas."
Kitty shook her head adamantly. "Not until someone tells me what just went on out here."
"But it was so simple." Max tried for an innocent expression and failed miserably. "Your grandfather wanted to let me know how he would respond if he found out I wasn't treating you well. So I assured him that I hadn't manipulated you into an unhealthy relationship or entered into a marriage I didn't intend to work at for the rest of my life. I also let him know how much I love you and respect you, and he gave us his blessing. And that was that."
" 'And that was that,'" Kitty repeated. "The two of you got all of that out of a scold and a couple of compliments."
Both men nodded, looking rather pleased with themselves.
Kitty sighed and placed both palms flat against her belly. "I swear to you right now, Max Stuart, if this baby turns out to be a boy, I am going to demand a refund."
Lonnie burst out laughing so hard he nearly popped clean out of his overalls, but Max just smiled and leaned down to kiss her sweetly and thoroughly on the lips.
"No refunds," he murmured as he pulled back, his eyes gleaming. "But I'd be glad to offer you a do over."
It was the way he wriggled his eyebrows that finally got to her. Chuckling herself, Kitty wrapped her arms around her husband's neck and kissed him back in full view of her approving grandfather. "I'm sure you would. And I'll be glad to let you practice until you finally get it right."
It only took him two more tries.
Walk on the Wild Side Page 28
