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“I’ll just swing by her place. Kens and I are just riding around town right now anyway.”
“Sounds good. See you in a few.” The call ends.
“I guess we have guests for the night.”
“You don’t sound happy about that?”
“Is it selfish that I want you all to myself?”
“Not selfish. Sweet. It’s been a long time since anyone has wanted me all to themselves.”
“Lyle?” I ask her.
“He was good to me. He loved me, but I don’t think either one of us were ever in love. You know that deep ‘feel the other person in your soul’ kind of love. We just stayed together because it was comfortable.” She releases a heavy sigh. “Lesson learned. I’ll never settle for less than the kind of love you only see on the big screen or read about in books. Maybe it’s because I work mostly with romance authors, and I made myself believe that kind of love was fictional.”
“It’s not. Look at my parents, hell, two of my brothers, and my sister, well, Ramsey,” I amend, “have found that kind of love. And your parents, they’re still together, right?”
“They are. They’re still madly in love. I guess I just lost my way. I went with easy.”
“No judgment here. I got drunk, slept with my best friend, and got her pregnant.” I chuckle under my breath. I can laugh about it now. It still hurts that Cassie is gone, but I have the best part of her still with me. She lives through our daughter every single day.
“What is it with you Kincaid men having women as best friends?” Her voice is lighter, and I’m glad that the heavy of the conversation has passed.
I chuckle. “Just Sterling and me. Maybe we’re just big ole softies?” I’ve already got a soft spot for her, so it’s a valid assumption.
“Oh, that’s a given. Have you seen all of you with your daughter? So soft,” she teases as I turn into Alyssa’s driveway.
Sterling and Alyssa come out of the house. He opens the back door, and Alyssa steps in, moving to the passenger seat while Sterling sits behind me. “Good to see you again, Kennedy,” he says. “You remember Alyssa?”
Kennedy turns in her seat to look at them. “Hi, yes. Good to see you both.”
“So where are we headed? I’m starving,” he asks.
“You’re always starving,” Alyssa reminds him.
“Hush, woman. It takes a lot to fuel this.” I don’t have to glance in the rearview mirror to know that he’s motioning toward his body. We all like to stay fit, and we’ve all been known to boast about it from time to time.
“So cocky,” Alyssa replies, and it’s a line I’ve heard her say to him. Hell, she’s said that same line to all of us many times over the years.
“What are you in the mood for?” Kennedy turns in her seat again, and I can tell from the angle she’s asking Alyssa. Sterling and I both keep our mouths shut because we know damn well if the ladies make a decision, that’s where we're going.
“What about Mexican? I’m craving some chicken maxi and a margarita.”
“Yes! Oh, nachos.” Kennedy hums, and my cock thickens at the sound. She turns back around and settles into her seat. I glance over, making sure she’s still buckled in, before putting my eyes back on the road.
“What do you think, Declan? Mexican.”
“Done.”
“Sterling?” Kennedy turns her head to ask his opinion.
“The ladies have spoken,” he quips, making her laugh.
I love the way the sound wraps around me. I’ve been on a few dates where the woman was fake, from her tits to the pound of makeup on her face, to her laugh. There is nothing fake about Kennedy. She is who she is, and she embraces that. I love that about her.
“Just like that? No arguments?”
I can feel her gaze. “No arguments. We like Mexican, so why would we?” I ask her.
I watch her out of the corner of my eye as she shrugs. “Just not something I’m used to.”
Reaching over, I take her hand in mine, lacing our fingers together and resting our joined hands on her thigh. “Looking forward,” I say softly, hoping my brother and his best friend are ignoring us. They’re chattering back and forth, so I’d say my chances of that are good.
“Looking forward.” She nods.
I know that she said that they never should have married, but he doesn’t sound like he was very loving or romantic. The selfish bastard didn’t appreciate what he had.
“All you want is nachos?” I ask Kennedy.
“Have you seen a plate of nachos? They’re huge, and I won’t be able to eat it all, but I’m craving them.”
“She’s right,” Alyssa chimes in. “It’s a huge plate of chips and beans, and chicken, and sour cream, and lettuce, and all the wonderful things.”
Kennedy raises her hand over the table for a high five, and Alyssa slaps her palm. “I’ll share them with you,” she assures her.
