Page 23 of Hooking Her Up

“You’ll fail,” he says bitterly. “You don’t know how hard it is without backing, without connections. I do—”

“That’s right,” she interrupts. “You made it on your own. Why do you think I can’t? Do you think so little of me?”

He scowls, caught in his own trap. “This isn’t what I have planned for you. Stop being childish and stubborn. You won’t have a safety net. Your mother and I won’t look kindly on you when you crawl back after he’s bored of you. Or sooner once you get a taste of hard work and decide you don’t like it.”

I grip her tighter, and she looks up at me. Through her tears I see the love shining there. “Liam won’t get bored of me.”

“Damn right,” I snarl.

She keeps going. “And I’ve never been afraid of hard work. I’ve done everything you ever asked and never enjoyed any of it. The future might be difficult, but I’ll love every minute of it because it’s what I want.”

There’s a moment of silence between them. Kayla pleading and her father looking like he might explode. Once more he waves the papers at me.

“Last chance for someone in this room to see reason.”

“Once again, respectfully?” I say. “Fuck all the way off. Try giving your daughter what she needs from you. Not money, but unconditional love.”

Kayla gasps as he storms out, slamming the door behind him. I pull her against my chest and wrap her tight in a hug. “I’m so sorry,” I murmur into her hair.

After a moment, she looks up at me, a tremulous smile on her face. I kiss away her tears and her smile grows.

“Don’t be. You stood up for me.”

“For us,” I correct. “I’m always going to do that.”

“Is this really happening?” Her eyes are wide with wonder at all the possibilities ahead of us, then her brows knit together. “There’s so much work to do. Should we start cleaning that apartment today? When do you think we can put it up for rent? I can probably get a job at the deli if your friend Debbie really needs help, and—”

I stop her with a kiss, tangling my fingers in her hair. Her body melts against mine and her hands clasp behind my neck. Our tongues tangle and our hearts pound, pressed close together. My cock twitches against her soft curves as she moans into my mouth, writhing against me.

“You’re mine,” I remind her, barely coming up for air before I claim her lips again. She answers with a sigh and wriggle, driving me wild.

When she’s good and limp in my arms, I pull back, grinning down at her glazed eyes.

“We can start on the apartment tomorrow. Today we’re celebrating our first day as an official couple.”

She beams at me. “What do you want to do first?” she asks, glancing at the bedroom with a mischievous look.

I pick her up and carry her toward it, all thoughts of baking cookies forgotten for now. Everything is forgotten except the pure joy welling in my chest, and her trusting smile.

“The list is way too long, Kayla.”

She nestles her head against my shoulder. “Good thing we have the rest of our lives.”

Epilogue

Kayla

Seven years later

“Why are you working on your birthday?” my lifelong bestie, Lily, asks, getting my two-year old, Jack’s, shoes on.

“Merton Elementary was my first ever big customer,” I remind her. “That’s how PB&J cupcakes got so popular. I pretty much owe the fact I have three franchises now to them, so I always do their orders myself.”

Jack kicks his shoe across the shop and it bounces off the sandwich display glass. He rolls over in a fit of giggles while Lily crawls for the shoe with infinite patience.

“You can leave them here, they’re not trouble,” I say, praying she won’t take back her very generous offer to keep them at her house while she helps prepare for my birthday barbecue later this evening.

My four-year old daughter Sam is practicing pirouettes and nearly knocking over a display of wedding cake toppers while she waits. She stops dead and lets out a long whine.

---