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“No, I do worry about it. I was a dickhead. You were only telling me how you felt and honestly how I felt. That’s why I snapped. You were just saying everything I was feeling, and the guilt was eating me alive.” I give her a weak smile and she puts her menu down.
“Braden, I was drunk and totally out of line. You had every right to yell at me. It’s none of my business when or how you tell the girls about McKinley,” she says.
The waitress comes over and gives us our drinks before taking our order. Once she is gone, I lean back in my seat and stretch my arms out over the back of the seat.
“I decided next time the girls are here; I am going to tell them about McKinley.” She gets a huge smile on her face, but I keep talking before she can interrupt. “They deserve to know that I am in love.”
Her eyes get huge, and she covers her mouth. I chuckle as she starts bouncing in her seat. “Holy shit. I knew it, I knew you loved her. She loves you too, you know. It is so obvious when you two are together.”
I smile and take a sip of my beer. “Oh, I know she loves me,” I say with a wink.
“You guys said it didn’t you?” I nod my head and she practically screams. “Oh Braden, I’m so happy for you. You deserve this more than anyone else.”
Our food gets dropped off and after thanking the waitress I turn my attention back to Kallie. “That’s not true. Everyone deserves to fall in love.”
The rest of lunch consists of talking about what is going on in our lives and our mom and all her movie dates. After I pay the bill, which of course she argued about, I walk her to her jeep.
“Thanks for meeting for lunch,” I say, kissing her cheek.
“Thanks for paying jackass. Hey, if you and McKinley don’t have plans this weekend, we are all going over to Blake’s, you guys should come,” she says with pleading eyes.
I chuckle and start walking away. “I’ll check with McKinley, but I’m sure we’ll be there.”
When I get home, I fire up my laptop to finish a few things for work. Just as I start my phone rings and I grab it. When I see it’s my lawyer I answer quickly.
“Hey, Braden. Hope you’re ready because I’ve got a date for the custody hearing,” he says, and I grab my calendar out of the drawer.
When he tells me it’s only two months away, I smile writing it all down. He tells me that he will call me, and we will go over everything when it gets closer. I hang up and lean back in my chair with a smile. I have no doubt in my mind that my girls will be living here soon. Once they are, things will be perfect. I’ll have everyone I love in one place. Great things are going to happen, I can feel it.
Chapter 17
McKinley
* * *
“Beautiful. Now take the bra off and drape your arm across your breasts,” Kallie says, snapping away.
We are almost done with the shoot. Kallie has taken some great photos. Not because of me, but because she is so great at what she does. She knows exactly where to tell me to look, move or turn. Talented doesn’t seem like the right word to describe her.
Aside from the shoot at Blake’s, this is my first outdoor shoot. We’re at this stunning lake in the woods. The sun, green trees, and tall grasses bounce their reflections off the clear water. The most breathtaking thing is the waterfall. It’s the perfect background and the sound of it hitting the water is so relaxing to me.
Once I have my bra off, she has me stand just in the water, with the beautiful waterfall behind me. I was worried I would be nervous, especially not having clothes on. That’s not the case though. Kallie makes me feel so comfortable and it’s very secluded here. The odds of someone seeing me are slim to none.
“Stunning McKinley. Last shot and I know it will probably be cold, but I want you in the water enough so you can squat, and your breasts are covered just enough,” she says, motioning to the lake.
I start walking out, with my arm still draped across my breasts, and holy shit it is cold. I make it out until it’s almost up to my stomach and turn to face Kallie. She is right behind me, which impresses me. I figured she would just zoom in, but no, she’s right here. This is what I’m talking about with her, she is amazing. I kneel down and once my breasts are covered; I drop my arm.
“Holy shit, it is cold,” I say, trying not to shiver too badly.
Kallie giggles and holds the camera up. “I know it is, but I’ll be fast. I want you to straighten up just a bit to show more of your breasts. We just really want your nipples covered.”
I do as she instructs, and she starts snapping away. She has me close my eyes, turn to look at the waterfall, and gaze out past her. Even though I’m freezing, I am able to keep it together for every single shot. Although when she says we are done, I jump up and cover myself, nearly running for the shore.
“Damn, I’ve never had someone run out of the water before,” she says, laughing when she finally reaches me.
I’m already wrapped in a towel and I smile. “I’m so sorry, I just hate when the water is that cold. I mean what the hell is in there, ice?”
“I’m not exactly sure why it’s always so cold, maybe something to do with the waterfall,” she says, packing away her camera. “McKinley, you did great today. Such an improvement from the first few photos I took of you. You have definitely found your confidence and it reflects in each shot.”
