by Kaylee Ryan
“McKinley.” His mouth falls from my breast. I watch as he squeezes his eyes closed and bites down on his lip. It’s a heady feeling, having him fighting his control.
“Touch me,” I whisper, raising up to capture his lips. He moans deep in the back of his throat and deepens the kiss. His hand still under mine, I begin to move his fingers where I want them. It takes seconds for him to give in to whatever he was fighting and slip inside.
Turning my head, I break our kiss. His hands…finally…he’s driving me crazy.
“I got you, baby. Just feel,” he whispers in my ear. It’s with those words that I let the pleasure roll through me and fall off the blissful cliff that is Evan.
My body slumps against the bed, sated and relaxed. Evan kisses my neck, then my lips. Guiding me to lay on my side, he wraps me in his arms. I know I should repay the favor, but I’m putty at the moment. Instead, I allow him to pull my body close, and he buries his face in my neck. “Fucking amazing,” he mumbles. My heart swells at his words. I refuse to let my worry over, well…everything take this moment from me. I focus on what it feels like to be skin to skin with him and drift off to sleep.
Chapter 33
Evan
The sunlight shines through the curtains and I fight the fact it’s time to get up. I just want to curl my body around Kinley’s and hold her a little longer. The thought of Kinley has me reaching for her. When I find cold sheets, I force my eyes open. I’m in bed alone. Damn, I really wanted to wake up to her.
After a quick stop in the bathroom, I throw on a pair of shorts and head out to find my girls. Kinley’s laughter travels from downstairs, and I take my time with each step while enjoying the sound. When I reach the bottom, I see Kinley lying on her side beside Lexi on the floor. Lexi is under the baby gym, kicking her feet and flapping her arms. Her baby jabber is a mile a minute.
“Is that so?” Kinley asks her. I couldn’t prevent my grin if I tried. “Well, okay then,” she laughs, continuing on like Lexi has something important to say.
This girl.
“Morning, ladies,” I say, taking the spot on the other side of Lexi on the floor. She turns at the sound of my voice, and I maneuver my way through the gym to kiss her cheek. Then, leaning over, I do the same to Kinley. She tries unsuccessfully to hide her shocked expression.
“You girls had breakfast yet?”
“Miss Lexi just finished hers and was telling me how good it was.” She taps the end of Lexi’s nose, which causes her legs to move even faster.
“If you’ve got her, I’ll fix us something.”
“Yeah, we’re good, aren’t we, Lex?”
I leave them to play and head for the kitchen. Kinley is always taking care of me, so I like the fact that I get to make her breakfast. Too bad it’s not in bed, preferably with her naked. She didn’t mention last night, and I won’t either. That’s not what we do.
I’m not exactly the best cook, but I can make a mean bagel—toasted with bacon, egg, and cheese, melts in your mouth. It’s also quick. I make two plates, grab two bottles of water and a couple of napkins, and head back into the living room.
“Your breakfast, my lady.” I hand Kinley her plate and settle back on the other side of Lexi before giving her the water and placing the napkins out of reach of little fingers. Lexi has a firm grip for such a little thing.
“Do you have her today or does your mom?”
“Me. I had a message this morning saying the shoot I’d blocked most of the day for cancelled. Triplets who are sick.”
“Does that happen a lot?”
“When it comes to the little ones, yeah. It’s hard enough to get a three-year-old to sit still for pictures, add in the fact they don’t feel well, and it’s…a long day,” she laughs.
“I’m such a bad dad. I haven’t taken any ‘professional’ pictures of Lexi yet.”
“Pshh,” she waves her hand in the air, “I’m all over that. I took newborn, one month, and two months. We are almost ready for month three, aren’t we, Lex?” She speaks to her like she’s a little adult. I think it’s adorable. I know I sound like a lovesick fool, but it just can’t be helped.
“Thank you, McKinley. For everything.”
“I love her, Evan. I can’t let those people take her. They told Misty to…not have her. Now they want her? Not on my watch.”
Reaching over, I run my fingers through her hair. “I have some errands today, but it won’t take me long. I’ll try to get back early, so you can get some editing done.”
“No rush. Lex and I play, and then I edit while she sleeps. I’ve even done a shoot with her.”
“Really? How did you manage that?”
“I used the swaddler. I picked it up at Target. I put it over my head then place her in it, and she rests tight against me. I had both hands free to do the shoot. She was fussy that day and Mom couldn’t calm her, but when I held her, she was pacified. I decided to try it out and she seemed to love it.”
“You already had this carrier thing?” I ask her.
“Yeah, I kind of always make a trip through the baby section when I’m at Target. I found it on sale and thought it might be useful for you to get stuff done, being on your own and all. I just kept forgetting to give it to you. It worked out.” She grins.
All I can do is grin back at her. She’s so carefree. I expected her to be consumed with this marriage we both agreed to. I expected her to be…different, I guess, about last night, but I should have known better. This is McKinley. She’s tough as nails.
“I think I need to see this…contraption,” I tease her.
“Hey, Lex loves it.”
“Uh-huh.” I stand and pick up our dishes. “I’ll clean the kitchen real fast and grab a quick shower.”
“And we,” she lifts Lexi from the floor, “will go pack your bag, little miss.”
Chapter 34
McKinley
Today, Evan, Lexi, and I leave for Alabama. We decided to drive since little miss requires so much gear. It’s an eight-hour drive, so here we are at five in the morning, piling into the car. My family, as well as Evan’s grandparents, will be flying out this weekend for the wedding. We’ve decided to keep things as simple as possible, but all the family needs to be there for appearance’s sake. His grandparents don’t get around all that well, but insisted they be there. Evan tried to tell them we understood, but like I said, they insisted.
Evan loaded the Durango last night, and I spent the night here; it was just easier. Not to mention, when we come back from Alabama, this is where I will be living. I will continue to use my studio at my parents’ and Mom is still going to help out with Lexi on the days I cannot be with her. Everything’s falling into place.
“Okay, I think I have everything. I loaded the last of our bags with toiletries. You girls ready to hit the road?” he asks.
“She’s oblivious,” I laugh. Lexi is now three months old and sleeping through the night. When Evan got her out of bed this morning, she just stretched and fell right back to sleep after her diaper change. She’ll be ready to eat around seven, which will be the perfect time for us to stop and eat breakfast as well.
“Let’s do this.” Evan swoops down and picks up the car seat before holding the door open for me. Just like that, we’re on the road to Alabama to be married.
I’m marrying Evan Chamberlin!
“Can you believe Aaron got ordained?” Evan laughs.
“I know! I mean it makes sense, keeping it all in the family, but it’s going to be weird, right?”
Evan reaches across the console and rests his hand on my knee. “It’s going to be fine,” he says with confidence.
During the past few weeks, we’ve kissed a lot. There’s been more a few times, but not much. Neither one of us talk about it. We slip into his room late at night, and then the next day, it’s like it never happened.
Except it does.
My heart knows it and so does my body. I ache for his touch and long to be in his arms each night.
After this trip, we’ll be sleeping under the same roof every night. So far, it’s just been the occasional evening when he has to work late, so I watch Lexi and end up staying instead of driving home. It’s a weak excuse, considering my parents’ house is not a five-minute drive from his.
“So, depending on how she does, we should be there tonight. We’re in no rush, so if you decide you want to stop somewhere and spend the night, we can.”
“Sounds good. Everyone else will be there on Friday. I’m glad you’ll have a few days to spend with your parents and grandparents with Lexi before everyone arrives.”
“And you,” he says.
“Me?”
“Yeah, they get to spend that time with the three of us.”
He’s been doing that a lot lately—including me in the small group that is made up of him and Lexi.
“The way our mothers are acting, you would think we’ve been dating for years.”
Evan chuckles. “I know. I mean, our families have been intertwined for as long as I can remember, but they know, you know what I mean?”
I know what he means. This isn’t a real marriage. We’re not madly in love and suddenly going to live happily ever after. We care about each other and I love his little girl. We’re doing this for her.
“Yeah,” I finally say.
“You can catch some more sleep if you want. I’m going to drive until she decides to wake up. No sense in waking her.”
“I think I might. I can drive whenever you want.”
“I’m good, babe.”
That’s new too. He’s been calling me babe more often than my name, no matter who’s around. When it’s just us, he calls me baby and I love it. I shouldn’t—I’m only setting myself up for more heartbreak when this “arrangement” is over—but I can’t help it. You try having a sexy as hell, shirtless, abs on display Evan call you baby and see if you’re not wet in zero point two seconds.
It’s not possible!
I close my eyes and get comfortable in the seat. I’m not all that tired, but it’s easier to think about the way I feel about him when he can’t read my eyes. He’s too damn perceptive when it comes to me.
Instead, I’ll pretend to be asleep while he draws lazy circles on my thigh, driving me mad with want. I should have ridden in the back with Lexi.
Chapter 35
Evan
My girls and I are on the road to Alabama. In just five short days, McKinley will be my wife. I have to keep reminding myself it’s not real, that she’s not really going to be mine, but then again, she is. The problem is it feels real—every smile, every touch, and every simple gesture. When her body is pressed tight against mine as we sleep, it’s all real.
I’ve been driving for about three hours, one hand on the wheel and one on Kinley. I can’t seem to help myself. If she’s near, I need to touch her. It was a desire before, but after we decided that getting married was our course of action and since the night I first tasted more than her lips, it’s turned into a need.
Lexi starts to babble and I know she’s in need of a diaper change and a bottle. Pulling into a small bakery, I turn off the engine and look over at Kinley. She’s facing toward me, looking so damn beautiful. She hasn’t been asleep as long as she would like for me to think. She was faking, or hiding—however you want to look at it. Eventually, the ride with her eyes closed lulled her to sleep.
Leaning over the console, I kiss her forehead. “Time to wake up, babe.” I slide my hand behind her neck, my thumb trailing back and forth. Her skin is so damn soft. “Kinley,” I whisper against her ear.
Her eyes flutter open and a soft smile graces her lips. “Hi.”
“Time to stretch your legs, beautiful. Lexi—” Before I can say anymore, Lexi shrieks. It’s not an ‘I’m starving’ or ‘Get me the hell out of this seat’ shriek; no, this is a ‘I just learned I can do this’ shriek. She started it a few days ago.
We both laugh. “—is awake,” Kinley finishes for me.
“Yeah.” Not able to resist her lips being so close, I give her a quick, chaste kiss and pull away. “I’ll get Lex. You mind grabbing the diaper bag?” I ask.
We take a small table in the back and I remove Lexi from her seat. She’s all smiles this morning.
“Oh, your little girl is so cute,” the waitress says.
“Thank you, do you have a restroom?” I ask.
“Yeah, we actually have a changing table in the women’s. I keep telling my manager we need to get one for the men’s, but he won’t listen,” she rambles on.
“Looks like it’s you and me, Lex.” Kinley reaches for her and slings the diaper bag over her shoulder, and off they go.
“I’ll be back in a few,” the waitress says, and then she’s gone.
I’m looking at the menu when I get a text.
Aaron: You all get on the road okay?
Me: Yeah. Lexi just woke up, so we stopped to feed her and get some
food ourselves.
Aaron: Good. Have a safe trip.
Me: Will do.
I’m sliding my phone back into my pocket when the girls make it back to the table. “All better,” Kinley says, sliding into the booth with Lexi on her lap. “I thought I would just hold her while we eat. Give her a break from that seat.”
“I can take her,” I offer.
“I don’t mind.” She grins at Lexi as she sits on the table. She’s loving the attention. The waitress comes back and we order. I make Lexi a bottle at the same time and push it across the table to Kinley. My little girl, who is all crazy arms and legs with excitement, immediately settles down once she starts to eat.
Kinley eats one-handed. I offer to take Lexi, but she just smiles and says she’s fine. We hang out for about twenty minutes after we’re all finished eating, letting Lexi get a break from the seat. When she starts to get restless, we know it’s time to move on.
“Want me to drive?”
“I’m good, babe.” We are already three hours into our total eight-hour drive time. Five hours to go. Depending on how Lexi does will determine how many stops we’ll need in the future. So far, my girl travels like a champ.
“Aaron texted me,” I say once we are loaded back up and on our way. “He just wanted to make sure we got on the road okay and to say have a safe trip.”
“He’s surprisingly doing really well with all this.”
“Yeah, I mean, I’m sure it has to be weird his best friend marrying his little sister and with the circumstances and all,” I admit.
“He knows this is what’s best.”
My phone rings before I can answer. I see it’s my attorney, Mr. Fields. “Hello.”
“Evan, I’ve been doing some research. My paralegal has it documented Misty insisted, on the record, her parents never wanted to have anything to do with Lexi. This should help your case.”
“That’s good, but I told you they don’t have a leg to stand on. I’m getting married this weekend, so their claim that she doesn’t have a mother is null and void.”
“But you don’t have to get married. I think this is the piece we need.”
“I know I don’t have to. I want to.” It’s true. I want to marry Kinley. Not just so I can keep my daughter, but for reasons I cannot allow myself to think about. I know she’ll be leaving once this all blows over, and I’ll need to be able to let her walk away, but the thought already causes panic to set in. I don’t know how I’m going to do that.
“Oh, I just assumed—”
“Yeah, well, you shouldn’t,” I fire back. I didn’t tell him we were doing this for Lexi. The less people who know the truth, the better.
“Did you think about that pre-nup?” he asks.
“No, no pre-nup. We’ve talked about this. I’m driving us there now. Anything else you need to tell me?”
“Evan, I wish you would reconsider.”
“No,” I practically growl.
“Fine, have a safe trip.” I don’t wait for him to say anything else before ending the ca
ll.
“You know I’ll sign anything you want, Evan.”
I drop my phone in the cup holder and place my hand on her thigh. I always have to be touching her. “That’s the thing, babe. There is nothing I want you to sign except for the marriage license.” No truer words have ever left my mouth.
Chapter 36
McKinley
We made it. We only had to stop one other time for lunch. We changed and fed Lexi, ate, and then went to the mall. We walked around for a bit, stretching our legs. They had a play area that was not busy at all considering it’s Monday. I laid out a blanket on the couch in the center of the mall and let Lexi stretch and play. She loved it. After that, we loaded up and drove the rest of the way. So here we are. I’m nervous as hell. Our parents are close, so I’ve known Evan’s parents my whole life, but seeing them this time is different. Now I’m not just McKinley, their son’s best friend’s sister and their friends’ daughter. I’m here to marry their son.
Evan pulls into the drive and shuts off the car. Before we have a chance to get out, his mom is rushing toward us. “Prepare yourself, Lex. Grandma is about to unleash some major hugs and kisses,” he chuckles.
Sure enough, his mom goes straight to the back door of the Durango and rips it open, tears streaming down her face. “Oh, Evan, she’s beautiful.”
I feel like I’m invading on a family moment, so I climb out of the car and go stand at the back, giving them time. Not a minute later, Evan is rounding the back with a concerned look on his face.
“What are you doing?”
“I just felt like it was a private moment for the three of you. I didn’t want to take away from that, so I was giving you time.”
He steps in close, his hands resting on my hips. “Baby, look at me.”
I tilt my head up and the look in his eyes tells me, whatever he’s about to say, he means every word.
