Chapter Fourteen
When Kendall emerged from that conference room almost two hours later she expected to find a message on her phone from Damian that he’d meet her at the hotel. Instead she found him in the lobby as promised. Sitting on a sofa with his tablet and a notebook spread out in front of him he looked every bit the successful cowboy businessman he was in his rumpled suit with the tie long removed and the jacket hanging over the arm of the sofa.
Such a ruggedly handsome man with those glowing hazel eyes framed in thick lashes, and the dark hair falling over his forehead. She had loved this man nearly her entire life and now he was hers. Finally.
At least that’s what it had sounded like back in that conference room when he’d held her hands in his and stared into her eyes, practically begging her to believe him, trust him. He looked up from his work and a slow smile curved his lips when he spotted her. She froze mid-step for a moment before his chuckle snapped her out of her stupor. Quickly he gathered his belongings and threw them in his backpack before standing and pulling her toward the elevator.
They held hands, but said nothing. She felt as nervous as a high schooler on her first big date…not unlike the one she’d gone on with Damian years before. The conversation they were about to have was a biggie, no way around it. Everything they’d been through, everything they’d endured was merely practice for what lay in front of them.
The Uber that Damian had called from the lobby was sitting at the curb and delivered them back to her hotel within twenty very long minutes. When they finally made it to her room he released her hand and pushed her toward the bed.
“Damian, stop. We need to talk.” He pushed on her shoulder and she sat on the bed where he kneeled in front of her and took her boots off.
“So talk, baby,” he said and sat next to her on the bed. How could he be so damn calm when there was a tornado of emotions ripping her insides apart?
“Don’t you want to know what happened?”
“Of course I do. But I want you to tell me when you’re ready,” he said, confidence oozing from him.
“How can you be so calm? Ugh. I gave them the check, Damian.” She clutched her fists at her sides.
He laughed, an arrogant chuckle. Like he knew she was going to give them the money, like there hadn’t been any question that she wanted to go back with him. “You knew that?”
“I had hoped you would. I think you made it clear you wanted to come home.”
“I did.”
“You did.”
She cleared her throat, which suddenly felt dry. “I, uh, told them I’d be interested in writing songs, but not recording them.” She shifted her hands to her lap and looked down.
“That’s great, baby.”
“Really? That’s all you have to say?”
“Nope,” he said and dropped to his knees with a small box in his hand.
“Damian. I already have a wedding ring.”
“I know.” He flipped the box open to reveal a platinum charm bracelet with one single charm, a jeweled goat, dangling from it. “This is more of a promise, Kendall. I’m going to buy you a charm to mark every important event in our lives moving forward.” He pulled it from the blue-velvet-lined box and fastened it around her wrist. The simple action felt like so much more. It was a promise and a commitment and an anchor to her home and her man and the life she was meant to have. No more running.
“It’s beautiful. But there might be one more charm we need to add,” she said quietly.
“And which one is that?” he asked, raising a brow.
“I’ve been sick to my stomach the past couple days. On a whim I bought a test and took it before I left this morning.” He grabbed her hand and held it tightly still on his knees in front of her.
“And…” He reached up to touch her face, like he always did, seeking that deeper connection.
“I don’t know. I was afraid to look. It’s in there.” She held her breath and gestured to the bathroom. Damian jumped up and pulled her to the bathroom until she dug in her heels and stopped. “What if it’s positive, Damian?”
He turned around and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into that safe place of love and comfort and Damian. “Then we’ll be parents, Kendall.” He stroked his hands down her hair and she leaned in to him.
“But what about what my grandma said?”
“Probably bullshit. Even if it’s not, it doesn’t matter.” His mom had told her that her grandma’s claims were wrong, but hearing Damian say so was more important. And the relief that flooded through her body was like sunshine and waterfalls and butterflies all wrapped up in one big giant pink bow. “Ready?”
Kendall smiled against his chest, before turning and walking into the bathroom. The simple plastic wand sat on the edge of the sink, taunting her. Did she deserve to get everything? Was she going to get her happily ever after in the form of this incredible man and a baby? Her own family?
Damian squeezed her hand again and kissed the back of her neck. “If not now, then later. And if not later, then we have each other. Forever, Kendall.”
He was right, of course. He always was. “I can’t look and it’s probably too early and I don’t feel sick now and I’m still pretty young and we just got back together.” Everything froze and narrowed down to Damian’s big hand as it reached down and picked up that little stick. She studied his face as he stared at, but he gave nothing away.
Finally a grin so big it stretched his face into one she hadn’t seen since he was a teen, and he asked, “What does a plus sign mean?”
Then he dragged her to the bed and spent the next two days showing her exactly how he felt about her.