Jeremy
I knew better than to expect Kenzie to stay and finish her classes for the day after dropping that on her. It took all my control not to hunt the sick bastard down and finish what Ryder started years ago. But the cops had it handled. They came, they asked questions. They left. It was all very fast. Detectives and investigators were coming at some point to dust for prints and take the cameras back as evidence, but being the small town it was, the un-fucking-efficient PD had to outsource their crime teams. Could be a few hours before someone got there, maybe tomorrow, then who knew how long it would be until they arrested and charged Chace with stalking, breaking and entering, spying, and whatever other charges they could come up with.
Cole was sitting on my living room floor watching TV—because I yanked him out of that apartment the instant I noticed the cameras—when Kenzie showed up. She came rushing through the front door and swept him up in her arms and pressed kisses to his head.
“Thanks.” She gave me a small smile.
“For what?” I tucked my hands into my back pockets.
“Everything. Getting Cole out of there. Changing my locks. Finding the goddamn cameras and calling the police.” She stood and walked over to me. “I’m glad you were there.”
“Nowhere else I want to be.” Could I sound any cheesier? I rolled my eyes at myself and reached for her but hesitated. Glancing over her shoulder, I shot a cautious look at Cole, but he was too engrossed in whatever kids’ programme he was watching on TV to notice me leaning in toward his mother. Kenzie smiled at me.
“What?” I asked, placing a hand on her hip, sliding my fingers under the hem of her shirt.
“You being all careful around Cole.” She lifted her hand and placed her palm on my chest.
“Well, I’m still trying to make a good impression. And I don’t want him to think I’ll catch girl germs. Then he won’t want to be my friend.”
Kenzie tipped her head back and laughed. “We wouldn’t want that, would we?”
“Absolutely not.” I tugged her over to the sofa and sat down.
Curling up beside me, she rested her head on my shoulder. “What did the police say?”
“Not a lot. Wanted to know why I was in your apartment first. Then I explained the entire situation and told them if they’d done their damn jobs properly and gave you a restraining order against him, this wouldn’t have happened. They didn’t like that very much.” I chuckled. “But they said detectives would be here at some point to go through your apartment and to talk to you. In the meantime, I’m trying really hard not to lose my cool and do something stupid.”
“Like what?” Her hand brushed my forearm, tracing the ink on my skin and leaving goose bumps.
“Find Chace.”
She shook her head. “Don’t. The police are on it now. Hopefully, it’ll all be over soon.”
“How can you be so calm?” I was puzzled by her reaction. She didn’t seem to be freaking out. I pictured her coming home a mess, on edge. But she just shrugged like she expected it. I was climbing the walls, itching to go beat his head in, and Kenzie just sat there watching her son watch TV.
“I’m not. I’m terrified of what he’s capable of. Of what he’s done that we don’t know about. But I can’t afford to break down. I don’t want Cole to see me fall apart. I feel sick knowing he’s been in my apartment at least twice without my knowledge. Who knows how many other times he’s been lurking in the shadows? But I need to put on a brave face for Cole. He can’t know anything is wrong. “
I wrapped an arm around her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I kind of like you, you know?”
She smiled up at me. “Kind of?”
“Yeah. I kind of like the way your biggest concern is your family first. Cole, Ryder, Bailey. I kind of like the way you look at things with a level head. Anyone else in your shoes would be crazy right now. I kind of like the way you take care of everyone.”
She closed her eyes, her lips tugging up at the corners. “What else do you like?”
“I kind of like the way you smell. Like raspberries. Your crazy wild hair. The way you don’t take sh—” I caught myself before I cursed. “Crap from anyone. Your sassy attitude. The way you think.”
“Go on.”
“I kind of like your scrubs. And your ass too,” I whispered so Cole wouldn’t hear.
“Only kind of?” She arched an eyebrow and smirked.
“Kind of a lot.” I pinched her chin between my fingers and darted my gaze over to Cole. He was still staring at the screen, completely oblivious to us, so I lowered my head and captured her mouth.
“I kind of like you too,” she said, pulling back and smiling.
And together we sat on the sofa watching Cole until Ryder and Bailey arrived to pick him up.
“What the hell happened?” he growled the moment he walked through my door and rushed to Kenzie. “Are you okay?”
“I’m okay. A little shaken, but okay.”
Bailey crouched down and kissed Cole on the head.
“He’s a dead man.” Ryder began pacing my apartment, ruffling Cole’s hair each time he walked past.
“Don’t be an idiot, Ryder. Promise me,” Kenzie demanded, standing in front of her brother and making him stop.
He looked at her with a clenched jaw.
“Promise me,” she repeated.
“He promises. Don’t you, Jones?” Bailey smiled sweetly, folding her hands in front of her.
Ryder shot Bailey a look of disbelief. He didn’t promise anything. “I can’t make any prom—”
“He. Promises,” Bailey said again through clenched teeth.
Ryder laughed. “Oh, really? And why should I?”
“Dammit, Ryder.” Kenzie punched him.
“Because there’s too much at stake now.”
“I don’t care if I get arrested, B. It’d totally be worth it, just to have a crack at him one more time.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about.” She shook her head slowly and bit her lip. “You can’t get arrested because I need you.” She paused, flattened her hands on her stomach and continued. “We need you.”
Everything went quiet. Ryder pinched his bottom lip and tilted his head, watching his girlfriend curiously. Kenzie gasped, and Bailey just stood there smiling.
“Cole, buddy. Block your ears for a minute and sing a song,” Ryder said.
Cole turned and frowned but did what he was told, inserting his fingers in his ears and singing the lyrics to Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog.”
I shot Kenzie a look, but she just lifted one shoulder and turned back to look at her brother. This kid was possibly the coolest kid ever. What other five-year-old knew who Led Zeppelin was?
“No fucking way!” Ryder exclaimed before dropping to his knees in front of Bailey and kissing her stomach. “I’m gonna be a dad?”
“Yeah,” she laughed.
“I knew it,” Kenzie said.
He jumped to his feet, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her in a way that should be saved for the privacy of their bedroom. “I fucking love you,” he said and fell to his knees again and whispered, “And you too,” to her stomach.
“You little witch. You knew the other day, didn’t you?” Kenzie wrapped Bailey in a hug, followed by Ryder.
“I wanted to go to the doctor to be sure first, but yeah.”
“This is incredible. Congratulations. I’m going to be an Aunty. Cole!” She leaned down and tugged Cole’s fingers out his ears.
“Oh, man, I was just coming up to a good part in the song.” He frowned, causing everyone to laugh.
“Guess what?” Kenzie said.
“What?”
“Uncle Ryder has something to tell you.”
Cole looked at Ryder, who gestured for him to come over to him and Bailey.
“Bailey has a baby growing in her tummy. You’re going to have a cousin,” Ryder told him.
“How did it get there?” Cole looked up with wide eyes. “And how do we get it out?”
“Kenz. That’s all yours.” Ryder laughed.
“No way, daddy-o. You knocked her up, you can answer the question.” Kenzie winked, an amused expression on her face.
“Well, you see…” Ryder cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair, at a loss for words. I didn’t blame him.
Bailey crouched. “Me and Uncle Ryder made the baby, with lots of love.” She brushed his hair out of his face. “And he or she needs to stay in my belly a little while longer, so they can grow big and strong. And when the time is right, the doctor will do what doctors do best, and help me get the baby out.”
Cole furrowed his eyebrows. “Did you have to kiss to make the baby?”
“Well, when two people love each other, they do kiss a lot, and I guess it does help to make the baby.” Bailey looked at Kenzie with wide eyes and twisted her mouth in way to say she had no idea what she was saying. Kenzie gave her a thumbs-up and nodded.
“Hmmm.” Cole thought about it for a moment and then turned to Kenzie. “Are you going to have a baby now?”
“What? No. I have one. You.”
“But you kissed Jeremy before,” he tilted his head in the exact same way Ryder did.
Ryder burst out laughing, and Bailey giggled behind her hand. I shuffled on my feet and looked anywhere but at the four sets of eyes focused on me.
“No, buddy. I’m not going to have a baby. You have to kiss lots for that.”
“Okay.” He nodded and turned back to the TV.
“Well, ah…congrats.” I held out my hand to shake Ryder’s and pecked Bailey on the cheek.
Ryder wrapped his arms around Bailey, setting his hands on her stomach. I looked at Kenzie, who was grinning, showing those dimples in her cheeks as she wiped the tears from her eye.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Yeah, just…overwhelmed.”
“Some birthday, huh?” Ryder said. “At least one good thing happened today.”
“Whose birthday is it?” I looked between them.
“Ours.” Ryder said.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked Kenzie. I had no idea it was their birthday. I would have…I didn’t know what I would have done. But I’d have bought her a gift.
“Because it’s just another day. We never celebrate it.”
“You should.”
“We will from now on,” Ryder said. “Our birthday, the day I found out I was going to be a dad. Pretty good cause for a celebration, don’t you think?”
“Definitely.” Bailey nodded enthusiastically.
“Anyway, we should be off. You coming with us Kenz?” Ryder asked.
“I have to stay and wait for the detectives to get here.”
“Okay, we’ll see you in the morning, then, for Cole’s first day at school. Come on, little man.”
Cole jumped up and kissed Kenzie goodbye before slipping his hand in Bailey’s and walking out the door, asking about the baby.
I closed the door behind them and turned to Kenzie, pulling her to me. “Happy Birthday.” I kissed her jaw, smiling when she sighed and angled her head to the side so I could kiss down her neck. “We should celebrate.”
“I never do.” She pressed her body against mine, her warmth flooding me.
“Which is why we should. Let me take you somewhere.” I kissed her again, slowly, savouring every second.
“Where?” Her fingers threaded through my hair.
“On a date.” I lifted her up.
“We have to wait for the detectives. We can’t go anywhere now.” She wrapped her legs around me.
“Tomorrow night, then?”
“Okay.” She smiled against my lips and then…
We were interrupted by a knock on the door.