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“I’m sure they had help, right?” she asked.
“Yes, but they were always there for us. Or at least, as much as they could be. And sometimes I wonder if they stayed busy so they wouldn’t have time to think about all they’d lost. And if, somehow, that was ingrained in me. This need to be productive. To constantly be doing something so I wouldn’t have to feel that pain.”
She placed her hand over my heart. “How does it make you feel to admit that?”
“It feels like…like it rings true. But also, like I don’t want to live that way anymore.”
“Why do you think that is?” she asked.
I smiled, setting my hand over hers as I turned to face her. “Because of you,mi cielo. Kendall,” I said, pulling back to look at her. I took a calm, steadying breath. “I love you.”
A silent tear rolled down her cheek, and I couldn’t decipher what she was feeling. She swiped away her tears. “I love you too.”
“Are those happy tears?” I asked, my voice wavering with hope.
She shook her head against my chest, her skin warm where her body was pressed to mine. “They’re…” She sighed. “I don’t know what they are.”
I stilled. “Because of Jude.”
She nodded.
I drew in a deep breath. “I think we should tell him.”
She leaned back and gaped at me, eyes wide. “Knox. We can’t.”
“We have to,” I said. I couldn’t keep doing this to her. To us. “It’s either that or we end things, and I don’t have the strength to do that.”
She chewed on her lip. “Yeah, but telling Jude?” She blew out a jagged breath. “That’s…that’s serious.”
I took her hand in mine, our fingers dancing. “I’m serious about you. About us. I want us to be together. I’m tired of keeping this a secret. Of sneaking around. You deserve better.”
And I’m too old for this shit.
“What about my mom?” she asked just as the house alarm chimed three times.
I frowned, wondering who Vincent would’ve let in. I stood and grabbed a shirt just as the double chime signaled a door had opened.
Emerson called out, “Oh. Hey, Jude.”
I met Kendall’s eyes, our faces mirror images of alarm. I might want to tell Jude about us, but not like this. Not without some preparation first.
“Jude’s here?” Kendall hissed.
“I left the game early, without an explanation. He’s probably worried.”
“What are we going to do?” She scrambled around, looking for her clothes. “What the hell are we going to do?”
“Get dressed then meet me downstairs. I’ll figure something out.”
Finally, she nodded. “Okay.”
“Okay.” I pulled her to me, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “It will be okay. Promise.”
I pulled on my shirt and jogged toward the stairs. Jude was standing in the foyer with Emerson, and I silently thanked her for diverting him.
“Hey, Jude,” I said.
“Dad, hey. I wanted to come by to check on you. But it—” he studied Emerson, a puzzled expression on his face “—looks like you have company.”
