“I love that you love me.” She smiles. “Because it makes loving you that much more worth it. I’ve heard wanting someone when they don’t want you back is horrible.”
“It is,” I tell her with a smile knowing she is referring to the point in time when I first wanted her and I to give this a shot and she fought me at every turn.
“I wanted you then too, I was just too stupid to realize that no matter how hard I tried I wouldn’t be able to run from it.”
“So no more fighting?”
“Oh there will be fighting,” she smirks, “just not fighting this.” She waves her finger in between us. “You should know by now Ican’t help fighting as often as I possibly can. I’m a stubborn hard to live with kind of girl.”
“Yeah you are, baby.” I drag the pad of my thumb along her jaw. “But I wouldn’t have you any other way. I told you before I don’t want to change a thing about you. All I want is for you to let me in and know that I’d never hurt you. I want you to trust me and love me and I want you to allow me to do those same things in return.”
She nods.
“I love you,” I tell her and she closes her eyes and is silent for a few seconds. Almost like she is committing those words to her memory. “You make it all better.”
“I don’t know about that.” The corners of her mouth tip up in a smile. “I tend to trigger heartaches and heartburn.”
I chuckle then grab my ribs as that familiar ache shoots through me.
“Rest,” Kendall pushes, forcing me to settle back. Curling at my side, silence settles in around us.
Then just as I am about to give in to the effects of my pain meds, I hear her voice. “And I love you too,” she whispers right before she dozes off herself.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Kendall
“Things must be going good,considering reports have come in that your Jeep has been parked in his driveway practically every night this week,” Sutton says like she’s just solved the mystery of the century.
“Nosy bitch.” I roll my eyes at her but I can feel myself fighting my smile.
Sutton shrugs her shoulders and tries to get comfortable in the chair. “Aaron’s mother has noticed and may have mentioned it to my mother. I can’t help that they are gossiping about Aaron’s night guest. But I will say his mother is over the moon. Because apparently you Kendall are amazing and she she’s happy that her son found you and that he has you at his side.”
“Maggie is pretty great,” I confess. “You know me with mothers, never really had one so I don’t know how to act around them. But her, she’s made it so easy.”
“Maggie is pretty great.”
“I’ll admit I underestimated her. I thought she was this stuffy woman who would only ever be happy if her son ended up with some snobby rich girl, who drank tea and sipped wine.”
“Don’t let Maggie fool you, she can put away beer when she is in the mood. Also never let her convince you that she can’t play pool. She uses that innocence to her advantage.”
“No way.” I laugh imagining Aaron’s mother scamming the people that would dare underestimate her.
“Your future mother-in-law is a beast when necessary.”
I roll my eyes at her insinuation of further marriage. ‘“Okay preggo, let’s slow things down. I swear you all are riding high on these pregnancy hormones. What in the hell is happening with all of you anyway? Did you get together and decide let’s all get knocked up together?”
Sutton laughs. “I know my excuse. When you go to bed every night with a man that looks like that at your side, it was bound to happen.” Sutton waggles her brows as she looks over at her husband. It’s so out of character for her I can’t help but laugh.
“Well, I have a man like that one.” I jerk my head in the direction of Aaron. “And my womb is baby free. It will remain as such for a long time if not ever.”
“No babies, ever?” she asks with hope in her voice.
“Always said I didn’t want kids.”
“So did Adley and now she is carrying two.”
“Yeah, she always has to be the overachiever, the center of attention who needs to outdo everyone else.” I smile and Sutton laughs. Adley is anything but the type and we both know that.“I’m happy for you all, truly I am. But I don’t know if I’ll ever reach that point where I’ll want to be a mom. I love kids, you know that, but having my own I’m not sure about.” I pause once again looking at Aaron and imagining him as a father. “For now I’m happy with the way things are. I’ll stick to spoiling all the babies you whores are popping out right and left.”
