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Dad’s words follow me as I drive over to Mrs. Kendall’s house. He’s right. Even with all the money and success I’ve accumulated over the years, I’ve never truly been happy.
Except for when I was with Kylie.
With her, everything seems right in the world. She fills the empty void that I’ve been carrying around since I was nine years old.
Now, after all this time, I finally let myself listen to Dad’s side of the story. And I realize that everything I’d thought had been wrong, or at least a misconception. Mom never wanted the family-style life. It was nothing we’d done or that my dad didn’t do. She would have never been completely happy with us. She was never given a choice to begin with, and would have left one day or another.
The knowledge eases the vice grip around my heart. I’ll never understand why she chose not to get in contact with us, but now I realize that it is all on her. That has always been her choice. Dad never prevented her from calling or seeing us. And, no matter how much it hurts, I just have to accept the fact that my mother didn’t value us as much as she did her own freedom.
But Kylie isn’t like my mom. Kylie values friendships and relationships. She doesn’t just get up and leave when the going gets tough. She left me because I gave her no reason to hope. All of my actions showed her that I refused to change, and she had every reason to believe it. Every reason to doubt I would ever open my heart up enough to let others in.
Well, now I’ve come to show her that Ihavechanged. That I’m worthy of another chance. That we belong together and I’ve finally figured that out.
When I get to Mrs. Kendall’s house, I pull into the driveway and get out of my rental. As I’m walking up the sidewalk to the house, Knox, Sam, and Madi are walking out. Sam gives me a hesitant look—Madi looks pissed. She glares at me, eying me up and down as if in contempt.
Shit.
I try to smile, but the motion is a bit foreign to me. I’m not used to smiling, laughing, or showing any true emotions, really.
As they walk by me, Knox reaches out and squeezes my shoulder. “Be the man she deserves,” he says quietly. “You got this.”
I nod absently and continue into the house, making my way through the door in the kitchen, out to the garage where Kylie has her studio set up. She doesn’t hear me come in and I take a moment just to watch her. At first, I only notice her. Her stunning, curvy figure and the way her long, curly red hair hangs down her shoulders and back. But then I notice she’s holding a painting and staring at it. When I look closer, I realize it’s the one of her posed so erotically, naked and bound.
“It’s us,” she says.
I blink and look at Kylie. She’s still sitting with her back to me and it doesn’t look like she’s moved even an inch. “What?”
She turns around and looks at me with sad eyes. “The painting,” she says, glancing down briefly at it. “It’s us. It’s always been us.” She sets the painting aside and stares at me unblinkingly. “Why did you do it? Why did you hurt me?”
Her words, filled with sadness and hurt, tear at my heart.
“Kylie,” I whisper urgently. I stride over to where she’s sitting, grab her by her shoulders, and pull her into my body. As I feel the press of her plush, soft breasts against my chest, I lower my head and devour her mouth. She tastes like Heaven. Like home.
“I’m so sorry,” I say once I’m able to break the kiss. “I know I messed up. It was an awful thing for me to do to use you and your talent just to make a sale.”
One large red curl slips down across her cheek. I reach out and tuck it behind her ear. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth. I was so caught up in making the deal that I didn’t stop to think how you might feel about it. Mr. Moore wasn’t even supposed to see this painting. I took a picture and he caught me looking at it. He demanded his own and I agreed, but that was never my choice to make—it was yours.”
She stares at me for a minute, then offers a small smile. “You know, Dante, if you would have just asked me, I would have done it. There was no need for subterfuge.”
I sigh and let my hand drop from her hair down to my side. “Ever since I was young I’ve been convinced that Mom left because we didn’t have enough money or success to keep her happy. It changed how I looked at people. I didn’t trust anyone, fearing that they might abandon me at any time, and knew that I could only count on myself.”
“But that isn’t true,” she argues softly. “You’ve always had your dad and Knox?—”
“I know,” I cut her off gently. “At least, I know that now. But not then. Not until recently.” I stop to look at her. “Until you.
“Why me?”
“I’ve been a ruthless businessman for so long, it never occurred to me that someone would do something for me out of kindness. Everyone I work with and deal with are always looking for what’s in it for them. But not you. You value people for who they are, not what they can give you, and I’ve never realized just how much I needed that.”
“That’s a sad way to live,” she says softly.
I nod and reach up to rub the back of my knuckles over her smooth cheek. “I’ve lived closed-up for so long, I didn’t know how to live any other way. At least, not until you.”
Leaning forward, I kiss the tip of her nose, then press a quick but soft kiss to her lips. “You brought me out of that darkness and I couldn’t be happier. I’m trying to change, Kylie. For you and for me.”
Her eyes glimmer with unshed tears. Reaching up, she cups my cheek and smiles at me. “I don’t expect or want you to change… much,” she adds with a chuckle. “You are all I’ve ever wanted.”
We stare into each other’s eyes for a moment longer, then I step back and retrace my steps to the door where I’d set my briefcase on the floor before coming into the studio. I bring it back over to her and set it on the workbench and open it.
