He shakes his head. “I don’t want to lose anyone else in my life—you, Logan.” The paper that he pulls out of his jacket pocket looks familiar. He takes them and rips all the pages in half, stands up, and drops them in my lap.
“I have a lot of work to do to earn your trust again and, frankly, build back our relationship after what’s happened. After talking with your Gram, it became really clear I was dead wrong—about everything. I thought Kendall was the problem, but in fact, Gram pointed out I’m the problem. I’m putting all my fears onto your relationship. It was wrong.”
“Yes, you are completely wrong.”
He stares at me. “I’m sorry for barging into your life and making threats to the woman you love.”
I interrupt him. “Wait. How do you know that?”
“Son, I saw it written all over your face when you were talking with your brother. I remember your grandfather talking about Gram, and he had that same look. One of admiration, happiness, and love—the love of his life.”
I blow out a breath. He’s just as observant as I am. “You listened in on my conversation with Logan?”
“I did.” Hanging his head low. “That tone, the way you talk about Kendall, it was also how I used to talk about your mom. At first, it was good, perhaps too good. Your conversation about Kendall hit a nerve, and I went off the deep end.”
“Yeah, you did. I never expected you to go to these lengths. It was shocking and hurtful. My heart literally hurts because you have Kendall questioning everything about our relationship. And I can only hope that this mess doesn’t sever what we have—the love we have.”
“If there’s anything else I can do, I’ll do it. I’m sorry, son,” he says, shaking his head.
We haven’t had a conversation like this in a while. I’m somewhat shocked that he opened up to me about my mom. That’s usually an off-limits conversation. Telling him how I feel about Kendall seals it. I love her with all my heart, and I’m not letting this be the end for us.
I move to stand up and say, “It’s really important that you understand this cannot happen again. You need to not meddle in my life again. You’ve talked about doing the right thing; now you need to follow up with actions. It’s going to take some time to fully trust you again, but I love you, and we aren't going anywhere.”
My dad stands up and steps closer to me, putting his arms around me, and says, “I love you, too, son.” He pats me on my back a few times instead of pulling away like I would expect.
Surprised by his emotional state, I hug my dad back. Squeezing him one more time, I say, “Tell me what happened with Kendall. I haven’t heard from her. Why didn’t she let me know? Is she upset?”
“No, I asked her to wait until later so I could talk with you.” We sit back down, and he tells me the entire conversation with Kendall. She is the most amazing, loving, and caring woman, and I want her in my life forever. My hope is high that she’s choosing herself, and then she’ll choose me.
She has to choose me—please let her choose us.
“Dad, I love her.”
“I know you do, son. I’m not interfering again. It’s your life.”
The thought of losing us, Logan and I, clearly weighed on him. He can’t just bulldoze his two sons. Forgetting he’s our dad and taught us well. I chuckle.
I check my watch to see the time. It’s been talking for over two hours.
He stands up and says, “You need to tell her you love her.”
“I do.” I stand up, and we walk to our cars.
With a deep breath, I knock on her door. All I wanted to do was gaze into her eyes; there was no time for texting. I leaped outof my car and ran to the door. Composing myself, I run a hand down my shirt.
She opens the door. A sight to see. Her fiery red hair sprawls around her shoulders. I pause for a split second before I wrap my arms around her and almost tumble on the floor. Feeling her arms wrap around me, it's a small gesture, but it sends all my nerve endings firing. Tears well up in my eyes. I can’t lose her.
“There’s no more waiting for me.” I brush her hair off her face and gaze into her sparkling emerald green eyes. Her shock gives way to a bright smile. “I love you, Kendall. I can’t hold back anymore. I was trying to give you time and space. It was too much. My heart is literally going to burst out of my chest.”
Her hand slides to my heart and taps it. “You love hard, don’t you.” It wasn’t a question. She knows and kisses the spot she was tapping—my heart.
“I fall fast and love hard,” I shrug, like I’m confessing my sins.
Lifting herself up on her tippy toes, she guides my face down to hers. So close to each other, her eyes close. “I love being loved by you…” She opens her eyes and says, “I love you, too. There’s no denying we sprinted into this relationship.” We both laugh.
She presses her lips to mine. To feel her again, my blood pressure skyrockets, and my dick stands at attention. Our lips move, starving for each other. It feels like forever.
Breaking away from me ever so slowly, she says, “We should probably talk.”
