“Men.” I shake my head, and she smiles.
A dashing older man enters the room, blowing on his hands. “Christ, it’s cold out there. How are we fixed, folks?”
“I’ll grab my brothers, and we’re good to go then,” Rick says, shaking hands with the man. “Thanks for doing this, James. We appreciate it.”
I squeal as his name clicks with me. “Oh, my—”
Kai’s hand is over my mouth again. “Excuse my girlfriend. She has a bad case of foot-in-mouth disease.” Rick is smirking as he exits the room, heading to find Harley and Joaquin, no doubt.
I’m momentarily blindsided as Kai’s words reverberate inside my brain. His use of the wordgirlfriendhas me all hot and bothered, and I hate that I like how it sounded rolling off his tongue.
Time to regain some control.
I ram my elbow into Kai’s rib cage, and he winces, his hands instinctively dropping away. I jump up, straightening the front of my dress as I walk toward Kyler’s father. I thrust my hand out. “I’m Abigail Manning. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kennedy.” He shakes my hand, smiling warmly at me. “I apologize for the caveman over there.” I cast a sharp glance over my shoulder at Kai. “I just wanted to say that Alex designed our pool house and she did an amazing job. I’m a big fan of her work.”
“I’ll pass on your compliments, Abigail. She’ll be thrilled to hear that.” I’m not sure of the current status of their marriage, but Alex and James Kennedy are still close despite being separated for years. Having met them both, I can see where their sons get their good looks and charisma from.
The Kennedy men are infamous around Boston, and tales of their escapades are widely reported. They’ve had their fair share of family drama, and there were plenty of skeletons in their closets, so I’m guessing that’s why they’re comfortable helping us out with our predicament.
“We’re all packed,” Rick supplies, appearing in the doorway with his younger brothers in tow.
“Great. Let’s get cracking then.” James tips his head at Kaiden. “Stay safe, young man.” He smiles at me. “And look after this young lady.”
Kai stands, nodding before he walks to where his brothers congregate. James leaves to get the plane ready, and I stand beside Faye and Kyler, a little awestruck, if I’m honest.
Kyler pulls his wife into his side, pressing a kiss to her temple. “I know the circumstances are less than ideal, but I hope you’re enjoying your stay here,” Kyler says.
“I am. Thank you for letting us stay.” I skim my eyes around the room. “You have a beautiful home. And now that I know who owns the property, I can see Alex’s touch everywhere. I don’t know why I didn’t pick up on that before.”
“She did an incredible job,” Faye says in a soft lyrical tone. “And she has a wonderful eye. This is one of our favorite places on the planet.”
“I’ll bet. You’re both at Harvard too, right? That’s how you know Rick?” They nod. “It must be nice having a place to escape to on weekends and during school breaks.”
“It is, and that’s exactly why we purchased this place,” Kyler agrees. “It’s been a Godsend.”
Now I understand the high-tech security and choice of location for their vacation home. I thought living under a spotlight in Rydeville was bad, but it’s nothing compared to the attention the Kennedys garner. It must grate on their nerves.
Kai appears with Sawyer and Jackson, and I make my goodbyes to the Kennedys, walking toward Joaquin, Rick, and Harley. “Stay safe, guys.” I hug Joaquin and Harley, holding in a smile as Harley’s cheeks stain red.
“You too.” Rick lifts his duffel bag. “Go easy on him.” He jerks his head in Kai’s direction. “He feels things deeply, Abby, even if he doesn’t show it.” I don’t acknowledge his statement because I’m making no promises.
I walk to the kitchen to grab some breakfast, and I’m sitting at the stool in front of the island unit, munching on some toast, when Faye walks in. “Hey. Do you have a couple minutes to talk?” she asks, moving to the Keurig and pouring herself a mug.
I finish chewing and set my toast down. “Sure.”
She slides onto the stool beside me. “I just want to check you’re okay.” She peeks over her shoulder, but we’re alone. “It’s my first time meeting Kaiden, and while he seems like a good guy, I couldn’t leave here today without checking you’re here because you want to be here.” She peers into my eyes. “Things seem intense, and I have some experience of dealing with hot-headed arseholes.” Her wide grin is warm and meant to relax me.
“Kyler was like that?” I can’t keep the incredulity from my voice because that isn’t the image I have of him. If the media reports are true, he’s always surprising Faye with romantic gestures, and he got shot trying to protect her a few years ago. He’s swoon-worthy in the extreme.
She grins. “He was a total pig when I first met him, and he did some stuff that really hurt me.” Her face contorts unpleasantly. “All because he thought he was protecting me.” She rolls her eyes, and I snort.
“Yep. I have one of those too.”
She nods sagely. “I recognized that.” Propping her elbows up on the counter, she rests her chin in her hands. “But the thing I’ve learned is guys like Kyler and Kaiden might appear abrasive, and they might drive you to distraction, but there is no guy more loyal or more protective, and when they open their hearts?” A dreamy expression appears on her face. “There is nothing more intense than being loved by a guy like that.”
“He doesn’t love me.” I shake my head. “And I don’t need or want the complication of loving a guy like that.” It’s cold, and not entirely true, but I say what I need to.
“You sure about that?” Her face showcases her surprise.
