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Smirking, I replied, “I said I would try.”
A loud knock had me turning around.
“You two make up yet!” my brother shouted. “I have more important things to take care of back in New York than your teenage drama!”
Rolling my eyes, I looked at Kali, who was trying unsuccessfully to hide her smile.
Montana, the ever-impatient asshole, banged on the door repeatedly, until I flung the door open and shouted, “Jesus Fuck, stop! We’re fine. Just leave!”
My brother grinned. “You sure about this, Kali?”
“He’s a work in progress.”
Slamming the door in his face, I turned to face Kali, who asked, “Are we? Are we fine?”
Her words propelled me forward until she was in my arms and I was kissing her. I wasn’t giving up on us. Never that. If I had to reassure her every damn day for the rest of my life, that was exactly what I was going to do. Releasing her lips, I leaned my head against hers and whispered, “We will be. I promise.”
Thirteen
Kali
The big house was coming along nicely and if everything went as planned, the kids, Kansas and I could move in, in two weeks. Construction took a lot longer than I had hoped, but it was worth it. The house looked beautiful.
We stayed in the clubhouse until they repaired the smoke damage and wired and installed a new stove. Kansas wasn’t taking any chances and insisted that a building inspector and the fire inspector check out and sign off on the work before he allowed me or the kids anywhere near the place. He even had all the other apartments checked to ensure everyone was safe.
Life seemed to slow down after the fire and Kansas’ freak out. I understood why he did it and accepted his apology, though a small, tiny part of me was still worried about next time. The man had been through so much in his life, losing two women, both of whom were pregnant at the time. His reluctance was understandable. Any man would think twice before embarking on another relationship with that past.
Reality prevailed and when sanity returned, I knew Kansas would do the right thing. I wasn’t lying when I told everyone that he loved me. I knew he did and I knew a man like Kansas wouldn’t just walk away from someone he truly loved. He wasn’t made that way. He just needed time to get his head right.
With everything the both of us had been through, I talked Kansas into talking to someone, anyone who could help him understand and assimilate what happened in his life. He was reluctant at first, damn near hostile about it but after agreeing to see a therapist myself, he relented, and now we both go once a week. It’s been helping to get a lot of the stuff we both keep bottled out into the open and it’s also brought us closer together.
The only thing we still worry about is John.
It’s been months since anyone has seen him and the longer he is out there, the stronger he will get. Kansas tries to tell me not to worry about him, but I can’t. I know the man. He will never give up. It’s not in his nature. I know when I least expect it, he will show his face again and my fear will return. I try not to dwell on it, but it’s there, waiting in the back of my mind to resurface and consume me.
“Hey,babe,” Angel says, sitting down next to me on the back deck of the house. Newly built, it’s one of my favorite places to sit. The scenic view of the surrounding acres is absolutely stunning with the thick surrounding trees and rolling hills. “What are you doing out here?”
Angel has been a godsend. Well so has everyone, but Angel and Ashe’s construction company, Angel-Ashe Construction, has spearheaded and brought my vision to reality. Without them, my lovely new home would still be a hot mess. They’ve stuck by me every step of the way, even butting heads with me a few times. In the end, they helped me bring the house back to the grandeur it was once.
“Just thinking.”
“About what?”
“How beautiful it is out here,” I lied. Since the fire dust-up, all the brothers took a keen interest in how I was feeling and what I was thinking. Almost as if they were reassuring themselves that I wasn’t going anywhere. I thought it was sweet of them. They cared about me so much, but sometimes it was overwhelming.
“You know you can talk to me, Kali.”
Nodding, I whispered, “I know. It’s nothing, Angel. I promise. Just thinking about stuff that doesn’t matter.”
“What kind of stuff?”
“John.”
Angel sighed, leaning forward, placing his elbows on his knees. “We haven’t given up looking for him. He’s our number one priority, Kali, right after you and the kids. None of us will rest easy until he’s found and taken care of. You must believe that.”
“I do. It is just hard sometimes to get excited about this house and life with Kansas when he’s still out there, plotting and planning his return. He won’t ever give up, Angel. Never. He wants what he believes he’s owed, and he won’t stop until he gets it.”
“Fucker will get what’s coming to him. Just wait and see. In the meantime, I need you to get off your ass and pick another color for the living room paint because I refuse to paint that magnificent room red after all the hard work I put into it.”
