She, too, lightened up in a deliberate bid to remove the tension. “A retirement plan?”
“Sure. Hey, I can’t stay young and healthy forever.” He thought of Addie, now in her early seventies, and it scared him like nothing else could. She might be a little slower these days, but she was still going strong. He wanted to be able to pamper her, so she’d last through the rest of his lifetime.
Of course, Addie knew that wouldn’t be possible, and that’s why she’d spent so much time talking to him and Tanner about finding the right one, the person who would make you feel whole even when problems tried to tear you down. She’d had that once, but her perfect someone had passed away too soon. According to Addie, she’d had a lonely life until God had given her Tanner, and then Kam.
He liked how she looked at it, as if they’d been special gifts instead of burdens.
Absently, he crushed Glory closer, pressed his cheek to the softness of her hair, and then kissed her temple.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, fine.”But somehow holding you has become a habit.“Tell you what. Write out what you think I should get, and how much you think it’ll cost, and I’ll figure out what I can get and when.”
Showing her pleasure, she pressed back to clap her hands. “You’ll let me help?”
“With choosing and arranging if you want, but not with buying.”
Her playful pout was cute, making him grin.
“Take it or leave it, babe.”
She put up her nose and said, “I’ll take it—for now. But don’t think for a single moment that you can boss me around, Kam Norwood.”
No, he wouldn’t even try. But neither would he let her get away with flaunting her money. Not for him anyway. An upbringing of wealth showed in her decorum, how she moved, and the ease with which she indulged her life—but that wasn’t him. Hell, he’d crawled from the sewer, and now he preferred to make it on his own.
Yes, Glory had chosen a moderate house, and her Mustang was sporty, not a luxury car, but he doubted she had to budget very often.
Working for Callie’s parents, he assumed she had a high income. Liz might criticize her too often, but she’d raised Glory alongside Callie, so she had to consider her a daughter.
That probably accounted for a lot of financial pampering.
Kam preferred making his own way. As much as he loved Addie, he was ready to embrace complete independence.
If he got to embrace it with Glory, that only made it better.
Dinner, Glory soon discovered, wasn’t just with Addie. They arrived a few minutes late and found the driveway full of cars.
“Looks like a party,” Kam said, as he got out to circle theSUV. It was obvious by his careless tone that the idea of a crowd didn’t bother him at all.
Unfortunately, Glory didn’t feel the same. She recognized Frank’s BMW, meaning Callie’s parents were joining them. Overall, she’d had a nice day, but now the glow faded and a chill left her stiff.
She should have changed her clothes and touched up her makeup. Too late now.
Painfully self-conscious, she got out when Kam opened her door. Dreading the evening, she allowed him to tug her along until, near the large garage, he paused and looked down at her.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
A smile and stiff lips didn’t mesh well. “Nothing. I’m fine.”
“Bull.” Scrutinizing her, he curved his hand around her jaw and lifted her face. “Tell me what’s going on.”
He had a bad habit of wanting to look her in the eyes. Usually, she didn’t mind, but now, while she was feeling cornered, she didn’t appreciate it. “We’re running late. I hope they didn’t hold dinner for us.”
“Five minutes is not late.”
She could debate that with him.
“Besides, Addie always waits. It won’t be a problem.”
