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Was I blushing? Fuck that. I didn’t blush. I cleared my throat. “Right, well, let’s hope she drops some of those walls. Now that she’s got my baby inside of her, I want us to be a family. I hope she’s willing to let me prove to her we can do it, and we can be good together. Kennedy, I’ve wanted to be with Amara since we met almost a year ago on the deck right out there,” I said, pointing just over my shoulder.
“She took my breath away, and the more she pushed me away, the more I wanted to get to know her. But she has all these walls up. Hopefully, now she’ll see the baby as a good enough reason to let me in.”
Kennedy wrapped her hands around her mug and let out a long sigh. “I think it’s partly my fault. When everything happened with Chloe, I leaned pretty heavily on Amara for support. She saw how the press mobbed me, how freaked out I was about everything and how my pictures were all over the tabloids with all sorts of crazy made-up headlines everywhere.” Her gaze drifted past me, and I could tell she was reliving some of that shit in her memory.
Blinking, she said, “You have to understand Amara was raised by really traditional Indian parents. They wanted her to become a doctor and marry some stuffy professional who could secure her future. Her biggest rebellion against them was going to MIT instead of Harvard because she wanted to become an engineer. They didn’t talk to her for an entire year while she adjusted to going to school far away from home. Once she moved onto her master’s, they finally came around, but it took years. I think she’s just scared of letting you in and disappointing them again.”
I rubbed my hand over my face taking this all in and wishing Amara had been the one to tell me.
“I’m not betraying her confidence or anything because I’d never do that, I just want you to understand where she’s coming from. I think you can get through to her, True. I know she likes you a lot. Every time you text her, she’s smiling down at her phone, but she doesn’t know I’ve been watching her. Just don’t give up on her even if she doesn’t make it easy.”
“I’m not going to give up, Kennedy. This is my future, my family, and I’ll do whatever it takes to fight for it.”
“Good,” she said, reaching across the island and squeezing my hand. “What’s your plan?”
“Fuck if I know.”
“Let’s figure it out together.”
* * *
Later that night,Grayson stood in front of the stove, stirring something that smelled like garlic and onions. One thing was for sure, that bastard could cook. It wasn’t a surprise to me that his new restaurant was already earning him rave reviews and it hadn’t even opened yet.
Everyone was here except Amara. Her nap had lasted the entire afternoon. As I glanced around the room, I noticed Maddox, Zen, and Jericho playing Xbox on the almost theater-sized TV and Harrison on his phone out on the deck. Montana and Kennedy were sitting by the pool, having an animated discussion about whatever it was girls talked about. Zen wasn’t focused on the game because he couldn’t keep his eyes off his wife. They had the kind of love my parents had, and I was determined for Amara and me to have it, too.
“What’s for dinner?” I asked Grayson.
“I felt like Italian, so lasagna, garlic bread, and Caesar salad.”
“Dude, my stomach thanks you in advance.”
He laughed.
I heard a noise behind me and turned to find Amara stepping off the bottom stair looking rumpled and adorable from her nap. Her hair was messy, and she wore a tank top and sleep shorts that showed off her incredible curves. I wanted to run my hands up and down every inch of her body, but I was more concerned about everyone here getting a peek at what was mine.
I doubted she knew anyone would be here, or she just didn’t think about it. She shuffled straight over to me and fell into my arms, surprising both Grayson and me. I wrapped my arms around her, and she rested her head against my chest. I laid my chin on top of her head and inhaled her sweet cinnamon scent.
“You okay?” I asked.
She nodded. “Just had a bad dream and needed a hug.”
I squeezed her a little tighter and kicked myself for not being up there to hold her when she woke up and needed me. I made a mental note to lay down with her when I could whenever she wanted to sleep. I was determined to show her she could count on me.
I thought it might be a quick hug, but she clung to me like she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and I caught Grayson’s raised eyebrows over her head and hiswhat the fuckexpression.
I ignored him, choosing instead to close my eyes and enjoy the moment and the feel of her soft body pressed up against mine.
“What’s that delicious smell?” Her words were muffled into my chest, and I chuckled.
“Grayson’s making dinner for the fam, lasagna.”
She leaned back and looked up at me. “The fam?”
“Yeah, Kennedy puts on ‘family dinner’ every week for all of us. You just happen to be here for this one.”
“Oh, that’s kind of awesome. Who’s here?” she asked, glancing around for me the first time and noticing we weren’t alone.
“The guys, Montana and Harrison. Obviously, Gray, Z, and Kennedy, too.”
