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“Are you sure you don’t mind?” This time her eyes hold mine.
“I insist. It’s not gourmet, but the company is top-notch.”
She smiles. “I’ll find you.” With that, she pushes her empty cart back to the front of the store.
“Are we leaving?” Blakely asks.
“No. We still have some shopping to do.”
“Is Kenny leaving?”
“No. She’s going to follow us home.”
Blakely tosses her little arms in the air. “Yes!”
I know how you feel, baby girl. I know how you feel.
I move on down the aisle, tossing in what we need before moving on to the next. I said I didn’t want to rush this, but I don’t linger like I would have before running into Kennedy. I tell myself it’s because I don’t want her to wait on us. It’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
“She’s out,” Kennedy says softly.
We’re sitting in the living room. Blakely is curled up on my lap where we were watching her favorite princess movie in the chair, and Kennedy is sitting on the couch. Her boots are off, and her legs are beneath her, the throw from the back of the couch tossed over her lap.
“She’s usually in bed before nine. She didn’t want to miss a minute with you.”
“She’s really great, Declan.”
“Yeah, she is.” I smile at her. “Let me put her to bed, and I’ll be right back.”
“I should go.” She says the words but makes no move to leave the comfort of my couch.
“Stay.” There’s a plea in my voice that I don’t recognize, but she nods, so I’m calling it a win. “I’ll be right back.” Standing without waking Blakely, I head down the hall to her room. I’m grateful I had her change into her jammies and use the bathroom before we started the movie. Placing her on her bed, I pull back the covers, tucking her in tight. “Sweet dreams,” I whisper. “Daddy loves you.” Reaching over, I turn on her small night-light and pull the door mostly shut and make my way back to Kennedy.
“Can I get you something to drink? Beer? I think there is a bottle of wine in the fridge from the last time that Ramsey was here.”
“I’m good.” She smiles.
I sit on the couch, closer than I should but still leaving some space between us. “All right, adult movie it is.” I reach for the remote and begin to browse. “What are you in the mood for?”
“You watch porn with your daughter just down the hall?” She places her hand over her chest and pretends to be offended, but she loses the battle with her laughter as it sputters from her soft lips.
“Ha ha, funny girl.” I tickle her side and she squirms.
“I thought so.” She reaches behind her and pats herself on the back.
“I don’t really watch many movies, so you pick.”
I can’t seem to find anything, and I know it’s because I’d rather talk to her than watch a movie. Turning off the television, I stand and turn on the small Bluetooth speaker connecting my phone and choose a general country playlist. “Country music?” I ask her.
“Yep. Actually, I like a lot of different genres, but I find that I listen to country more often.”
“Me too.” I make my way back to the couch and sit. This time, I turn to face her. “Tell me about you.”
“Me? Why do I have to go first?” she counters.
I chuckle. “Fair enough. Declan Kincaid. Thirty-one years old. Never married. Single father to Blakely Kincaid, who is going to be five in May, but she talks and acts like she’s fifteen.” That gets a chuckle out of her. “I own Kincaid’s Auto Repair in town. I went to trade school in high school and worked there as a part of the program. Old Man Jennings hired me on after graduation, and five years later, I bought the place from him and changed the name.”
“Impressive.”
“Your turn.”
She wiggles in her seat. “Okay. Kennedy Edwards. Recently divorced from my college boyfriend. We were married for just over four years. I’m a self-employed literary editor. My client base is primarily independent romance authors. I prefer books to movies and TV. The books are always better.” She grins. “I live in Tallahassee, Florida, where my parents, who are empty nesters and spend most of their time traveling, live as well.”
“Divorce is tough.”
“It is,” she admits. “However, it’s what needed to happen. Looking back, I can see it now. We never should have gotten married. We were best friends in college. Met freshman year and hit it off. It was quite some time before we started to date. We were graduating from college, he was a year older than me, and marriage seemed like the next logical step.”
“No kids?”
Something changes. Her eyes turn sad. “No. I can’t have kids.”
“Kennedy.” I breathe her name. “I’m so sorry.”
