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The waitress arrived and took everyone’s order. Max kept his hand on her thigh beneath the table and kept glancing at her, sharing a smile and his happiness that she was here with him, even as he, his brothers, andtheir dad talked about the ranch and their hopes for their hockey team.
Max ended up with Eliza and Lana in his lap multiple times. The little girls adored him. He didn’t mind being wrapped around their little fingers. Or that Eliza ate all his bacon.
Kenna kissed his cheek. “You’re a really good uncle.”
“I love being with them.” He leaned over and whispered in her ear. “I love that you’re here with me. This is how it’s supposed to be.”
She pressed her forehead to his and didn’t have to say a thing because he saw reflected in her eyes everything in his heart.
“What are your plans?” Chase asked Max.
“Marriage and babies,” he responded, still looking at her. He turned to his brother and the whole family. “Just like you guys.”
Chase grinned. “Good to know. I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say it’s been a long time coming and we’re all happy for you.”
Max nodded. “Thanks. We’re not wasting any more time.”
“You shouldn’t,” Chase agreed. “But I was asking about your plans for today.” Chase’s grin and everyone else’s made Max chuckle.
“Oh. Yeah. We won’t be back to the ranch until later. Kenna’s place is still kind of a mess after the break-in. Plus she’s moving in with me, so we’re going there to box up her stuff and turn in her keys to the landlord.”
“Are you excited about moving to the ranch?” Shelby asked.
Kenna didn’t hesitate when she answered, “Yes. I’ve always loved it out there.”
“And you’re okay with the commute to work?” Cyn asked. “You start much earlier than I do at my shop, so the extra-long drive means you’ll be up early.”
“Max is up early anyway, so it won’t be so bad. Plus I won’t be going home to an empty apartment. My place was only supposed to be temporary because Max and I had planned to get married. I’ve been wanting to move into something bigger for a long time—I just never did.”
“I’m so happy everything is finally working out for you two.” Shelby said the words, but everyone around the table nodded and smiled their agreement.
It was so nice to know that everyone wanted her and Max to be happy.
Well, Hillary didn’t want them to be happy. But Kenna wasn’t going to think about her anymore.
Unhappy people sucked the life and joy out of others and Kenna wasn’t going to fall into that trap. She had better things to think about, like moving in with Max and waking up in his arms every morning.
Kenna settled into the cozy diner atmosphere, the family chitchat, and her chocolate chip pancakes and let everything else go. It took at least five minutes to say their goodbyes. Mostly due to Eliza smooching Max’s whole face a dozen times because she wanted to and it made her uncle laugh, so she kept on doing it.
By the time Kenna and Max made it to her apartment, she was filled with a sense of peace she hadn’t felt in a long time.
“Looks like you lost some of your worry,” Max pointed out as they parked outside her apartment.
“I wasn’t sure this morning if I’d ever let it go, but being with you and your family, them accepting me the way they did—it makes me feel one step closer to the future we planned.”
Max leaned over and gave her a long soft kiss. “Good. Next step, we take care of your apartment. Are you sure you’re ready to go back in there again? If not, I’ll do it myself and you can wait out here.”
She shook her head. “I need to face this to close the chapter on the past. I can do it. I feel like I need to literally clean up the mess so I can move forward.”
“I get that. But if at any time you feel overwhelmed or like you simply can’t finish, take a break, walk out, and I’ll do the rest.”
Max was always so supportive and caring about her feelings. “I’m fine. Let’s just get it done.”
He slipped out of the truck on his side and grabbed the flattened boxes they’d brought out of the truck bed.
She met Max in front of the truck. Their hands went to each other’s just like they always used to and their fingers linked. She squeezed to let him know how much she liked being connected to him. He smiled at her and gave her a little tug to go ahead of him at the door so she could unlock it.
She hesitated for a moment.
