His lips were on hers in the next breath. This time, his kiss was driven, heated, and strong enough to make her weak.
He wrapped a solid hand along her lower back, pulled her onto the reclined seat with him, attending to her every step of the way with fervent kisses. When his heated mouth moved to her ear, a rush of goosebumps rippled over her skin.
A whimper passed her lips as his kiss was hers once again. A thought occurred to her that he’d been holding back before. As wonderful as their honeymoon kisses were, Zander had likely been conflicted in those moments.
It was obvious now, as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss, that he was not holding back any longer. That knowledge was a thrill of its own.
Sure, their official honeymoon in the Maldives had been cut short, but the way Kat saw it, this was the beginning of round two. She and Zander’s chance to go deeper—this time, unhindered by the secret he kept.
A vision of a butterfly came to mind. Kat assumed she’d transformed long ago, when she gained confidence as a young adult. But now, as she curled up to the man she hoped to spend her life with, she could feel a new transformation taking place.
Finally, after years of mistrusting herself and men alike, Kat had reached new heights. She’d been able to forgive Zander for deceiving her. She’d been able to see that—inwardly—he was truly the man he’d claimed to be.
Finding that faith again, feeling that trust once more, gave Katrina Aponi wings she never knew were there. And though she was bound to the man in her arms—in more ways than one—she had never felt so free.
Epilogue
“So do you guys always make such a big deal out of St Patrick’s Day?” Kat asked Betzy as they prepared a pan of bright green Jell-O blocks.
“Oh, yes. It’s a very big deal for the Benton Family. We always come up to the cabin for at least a night or two. There’s a funny story behind the whole Irish thing actually.” Betzy leaned far over to see into the cabin’s front entry room, where the grandparents were entertaining the little ones with a shamrock toss.
Looking satisfied that they were out of earshot, Betzy continued. “My mom thought she had Irish on both sides. In fact, that’s where we figured my red hair came from. And while that is still probably true, I did one of those tests…you know, to discover your ancestry, and it turned out I was less than a quarter percent.”
“And Claudia figured you’d be half?” Kat asked.
She nodded and leaned in. “I didn’t tell her about the test. She likes blaming her temper on being full-blooded Irish. We don’t want to take that away from her.”
Kat chuckled. “No doubt.”
“How are things coming over there, ladies?” Betzy asked the gals at the other end of the large kitchen. “We on schedule to eat by around four o’clock?”
Camila and Jeanie stood up to the sink, prepping a bowl of baby potatoes and cabbage wedges.
“Yep,” Camila assured. “The corned beef is well on its way to perfection, and we’re just about to throw the rest of this goodness into the pot.”
Jeanie shook her head. “Kat, you lucked out getting a personal chef in the family.”
Kat nodded. “I know.”
“Well,” Camila said, “Kat’s family is our family now, so that means you do too.”
A rush of warmth filled Kat’s heart at the words. She liked the sound of that. In the month since she and Zander had been back in LA the family had been welcoming indeed.
Of course, the fact that Kat was still more technically married to Duke than she was Zander—seeing that his name was on the marriage license—had become prime joking material among the Bentons.
Not that Kat minded. The setup had a comical note for sure. Still, she looked forward to the time when—once the contract was up—she and Zander could rectify that.
“It’s funny,” Kat said, “I never would’ve guessed that the Bentons were such a close-knit family.”
“Yeah,” Jeanie added. “You guys really stick together, don’t you?”
Betzy and Camila looked at each other across the kitchen. “We do,” Betzy said. “And I can’t tell you how thrilled I am that we ladies are finally evening things out. I grew up with nothing but brothers. Having sisters now…it’s the best thing ever.”
Camila let out a wistful sigh. “When I started dating James, I was surprised by how…normal the Bentons were. I didn’t come into this with a family of my own, so I’ve really loved all the get-togethers they have. Fun ones. Activities that make you want to hurry up and have kids so they can join in on the fun too.”
“Oh, yeah. Sawyer’s already talking about it.”
“James too,” Camila said. “How long did you and Craig wait to have kids, Jeanie?”
