Page 85 of Until The Stars Don't Shine

And with those words, Stonewall knew he had lost.

* * *

The ride home went past in a blur.

All Lexi could feel was the joy in her heart that Kane had put there. His love was filling a wound that she didn’t know she’d had and for the first time in her life, she felt part of something special, something that was uniquely hers.

She was back in her bed in her room that had been carefully put back together after the police had turned it upside down. Propped up by a mountain of designer cushions and pillows, Mandy was seemingly taking root on the sofa as Stonewall fielded off calls from the media as well as friends and family. Kane moved around awkwardly, not sure where he should be or what he should do with them both side-eying his every move while Bud lay by Lexi’s feet, his head across her ankles.

“Honestly, you don’t have to be here. I’m perfectly safe now.”

This was directed at her parents, but neither seemed inclined to leave. Mandy gave her a tender smile.

“You can’t blame us for wanting to keep you close, Dear. You are our only child after all.”

“But your only child needs rest and she’s not going to get any with you both hovering around her.”

As if to emphasize her point, Stonewall chose the moment to snap down the phone.

“If I see another shot of her on either your website or any printed publications, you’ll be hit with a lawsuit so large you won’t be able to count the zeroes!”

He hung up the call to Lexi’s bemused expression. “What have I missed?”

“Lexi would like us to leave so she can recover,” Mandy replied smoothly, standing up and brushing invisible lint off the Chanel sundress she wore.

“Of course, we’ll all leave you alone.” He reached out to Kane, clearly meaning to usher him out.

“Not Kane. I’d like him to stay.”

Stonewall bristled. The muscles on his neck bulged as his hands turned to fists. An amused smiled started to appear on Mandy’s lips and she had to look down to hide it, not wanting to upset her husband further.

Kane moved to Lexi’s side, still awkward, like a colt just learning to walk. He went to sit on the bed, thought better of it and perched on an armchair beside her.

“For how long exactly?” Stonewall spat out the question.

Lexi tilted her head at Kane, a silent question in her eyes.

“I don’t know. We haven’t exactly had time to discuss any of this.”

“I’ll stay as long as you want me to,” Kane began. “But not here. I don’t think there’s a house big enough for the two of us.” He clearly meant Stonewall.

“But there’s plenty of room. Dad will behave, I promise.” She sent him a look that spoke volumes of what she’d do to him if he didn’t.

“Lexi… Bud and I, we need our own space to retreat to.” He left the sentence hanging, but she picked up on his message. Sleeping in someone else’s home wouldn’t feel safe for him, regardless if he was the one in charge of the security.

“Then I’ll move into the trailer with you.”

“I’m sorry, did you say ‘trailer?’” Stonewall was looking like he was ready to explode again. “Don’t you have a house?”

“No. Never really felt the need for one before.”

He might as well have said he was an alien. “This is the man? This is the one you’ve chosen?!”

Lexi chose to ignore his comment, not wanting to encourage more ranting. Clearly, her father would need a little more time to get used to the idea of the two of them being together.

Kane thought over Lexi’s offer but knew it wasn’t the right one for her. As much as he loved her, he couldn’t see her living in that tiny cramped space.

“Why don’t we compromise: I’ll move my trailer onto your grounds here. I’ll still be close by but with my own space.”

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