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Even if he has a point, Chris and I had gone through so much heartbreak by then that I think we’d become lost to each other.
“No, I probably shouldn’t, but right or wrong, I’m trying to get you to see that you’ve been alone in your marriage long before you caught Chris cheating.”
And, to give myself some credit, I did try multiple times to get him to talk to me, or to go to therapy to work on our marriage, but he always brushed me off. He would say it wasn’t the right time or that we were fine and didn’t need some doctor sticking their nose in our business. Now look at us.
I sigh. “Then why is he dragging this out? If he checked out of our marriage years ago, why is he putting up such a big fight against this divorce?”
“Because he got complacent. You’d been there for so long, he never thought you’d actually leave him. Now that you have, he’s realizing what it is he’ll lose if he lets you go, and he’s too selfish to let that happen without a fight.”
“What do I do, Jake? How do I make this end?”
He pulls me into his chest again. “I don’t know, sis. But we’ll figure it out. Holt’s going to do what he does best, and we’ll make sure you’re not hurt in the crossfire.”
CHAPTER 35
Grayson
My eyes drag down Kylie’s body, unashamedly checking her out while she moves through our closet to find something to wear. She’s so fucking beautiful. The silky blue robe is almost too short to cover her because of her belly, and the opening at her chest teases the rounded curves of her breasts.
She looks over, her gaze getting caught on my bare chest. I slowly put my shirt on, doing up one button at a time until she blinks out of her stupor. Her cheeks flush when she realizes I’ve been watching her.
I stalk toward her, my body buzzing with the need to have her. I pull her into me, running my nose up her neck. She smells fucking delicious. “Maybe we should skip dinner and go straight for dessert?”
The heat in her eyes tells me she’s more than tempted. “If you were a minute man, I would say let’s do it quick, but you’re not, and we have a reservation to get to. Not to mention, your daughter is right down the hall.”
“Damn my stamina. Gets me every time.”
Kylie snorts. “It’s not just your stamina. You also insist on giving me more orgasms than you.”
“So now I’m being punished because I’m generous? What kind of fucking birthday is this?” I tease.
“The kind where you’ll be well rewarded later for your patience.”
I reach down to adjust myself in my slacks at the mental image of her on her knees for me. “Well, fuck. Now I’m going to be thinking about that all night.”
Kylie raises onto her toes to kiss me long and sweet. “I love you, birthday boy.”
“I love you more, Ladybug.”
“Will you two quit kissin’ and finish getting ready?” Luddy huffs from our bedroom door. She has her hands on her hips, trying to come off as annoyed, but the little smile curving at the corner of her mouth gives her away.
“Probably not. Come help Mama pick out a dress.”
She skips into the room, going straight to Kylie’s side of the closet, and pulls out a red dress that matches the one Luddy is wearing. “Will this one work?”
“That one’s perfect, sweetheart. Thank you.” Kylie takes the dress off the hanger and goes into the bathroom to put it on. I guide Luddy out of our room to wait.
A few minutes later, Kylie strides into the room, stopping my heart with a smile. The red bodycon dress molds to her every curve, and I swear if I didn’t know better, I’d think she teamed up with Luddy to kill me. She pulled her dark hair back into a half-up twist thing that frames her face and makes me want to kiss the hell out of her. Again. All night long.
Fuck, I just got my boner to go down. “Damn, Mama.”
Her cheeks flush. “Are you guys ready?”
“Ready!” Luddy bounces up and down.
I snatch my keys off the side table and hold Kylie’s hand out to my truck. I open Kylie’s door first to help her into the cab before getting Luddy settled into her seat.
“This is already the best birthday I’ve ever had,” I say as I drive to the Chateau. Holt asked if he could host a party at his house for me tomorrow because Kylie asked to take me out on my actual birthday. I didn’t care what the plan was as long as I got to hang out with my favorite people.
