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“It’s not what you’re thinking.” He reaches for my hands. “I just?—”
“Just kiss the girl!” Liam yells, interrupting him from across the hall, and Paxton can’t help but chuckle.
Thankfully he listens to Liam.
The kiss is urgent and deep as he pushes me against the doorframe. I wrap my arms around his neck with the same urgency, letting go of any doubts. His hand presses into the curve of my back, as if not able to get close enough.
“All right, all right. That’s enough. You are at work,” Liam jokes.
Paxton chuckles against my swollen lips and pulls back, resting his forehead against mine as we catch our breath, the warmth of his skin creating an intimate connection in the unlikely setting. I make a mental note to give Liam a fantastic birthday present next year.
Paxton stands taller, cradling my face with his hands, and his brown eyes search mine for an answer.
“Will you ever be able to get over how we got together? Will you always question the validity of our relationship? Because I need to know now.”
I thought about this. A lot. Last night in my hotel room, in the night’s quiet where sleep eluded me, thoughts of the lengths Pearl went through to get me with her son played over and over. Is that really why we’re together? Because of her? I’ve been introduced to people in the past, and just because there was an introduction, it didn’t mean there was instant chemistry. She did not force my heart to fall in love. It did it of its own accord.
“I didn’t fall in love with you because of what your mom did,” I say, our eyes locked, my expression serious, but then a smile plays on my lips. “I fell in love with you because of your dog.”
Epilogue
PAXTON
“You do not get the middle seat,” I say, snapping at Riggs to keep moving. Kali’s laugh echoes behind me. I never imagined I’d be competing for my girlfriend’s attention with my own dog. If he could talk, I’m sure he’d be cursing under his breath, plotting his revenge as he settles by the window. “You’re lucky I didn’t stick you in a crate.”
“Aww. Be nice to him,” Kali says, giving me a playful poke in the back. Of course, she’s always on his side. I know my place in this relationship. He’s become our spoiled rotten kid.
I lift her carry-on and stow it above us as she slides into the middle seat. She rubs Riggs’s ears, and I swear he throws a spiteful glance my way. I throw it right back when the second I sit down, her hand slides into mine.
“Are you sure your grams and pops are okay with me coming for Christmas?”
More than sure.
We’ve been officially dating for six months now, and Grams has been bugging me five of those months to meet her.
Kali took a couple of weeks off work. If you ask her where she lives, she still says Phoenix, but she’s in my bed every night that she’s not flying. She’s mentioned to people that she’s moving back to Austin. I’m not pushing because she needs to do this on her own timeline, and as long as she’s with me doing it, I can be patient.
Despite my mom, everything has worked out. I don’t even care if she thinks we’re together because of her while she rots away in prison. She wasn’t lying when she said she was sick. But fortunately, the tumor was benign, and she’ll live a long life behind bars. Where she belongs.
But it’s time Kali meets the family. The part that I love dearly.
“Oh shit,” I snap. “I knew I had forgotten something,” I mutter.
She tilts her head, confused.
“I forgot to tell them you were coming.”
She gasps. “What? They don’t know?” I can’t help but laugh at her panic. It’s cute. I’ve already reassured her they’re excited to meet her. Someday she’ll realize that she’s worthy of love and she’s not alone in this world. She slaps me on the chest. “You’re a horrible boyfriend. I’m so nervous. What if they hate me?” Her fears run deep.
“They will love you. Just like I do.”
We land in Grand Rapids but still have an hour drive ahead of us. Snow blankets the fields on either side of the highway, glistening under the sunlight and turning the landscape into a winter wonderland. The cold air seeps into the car whenever the heater isn’t blasting, and I can almost taste the sharp crispness of winter.
“I hope I brought enough clothes. This type of cold calls for layers.”
“I saw what you packed,” I say, recalling the two heavy suitcases in the trunk, both for her. The ones that tipped the scale at fifty pounds each. Plus her carry-on. “You’re good. For a month.”
Without even looking at her, I know she’s narrowing her eyes at me. I chuckle, glancing over to see her pouting.
