Page 42 of The Beautiful Mess

Keegan imitated the clicking sounds Kerry had made the previous evening. Betty trotted over and stretched up to sniff his offering. She swiped them out of his palm and devoured them off the floor. Then she purred and rubbed against Keegan’s stool, begging for more.

“That’s enough, my darling hellcat,” Kerry said. He picked up the plates and carried them to the sink. “Want me to pack this back up so you can take it home?”

“Nah,” Keegan said. “You can eat it after you wake up.”

Kerry yawned as if on cue.

“I can take a hint,” Keegan teased. “Text me later.”

Kerry snagged his waist and held him in place but kept his grip light. “One more kiss before you go.”

One more kiss stretched on for another twenty minutes. Keegan’s phone chimed, and he snarled adorably.

“A work calendar reminder,” he said. “I better take off.”

Kerry walked him to his truck but kept their last kiss short. “Be careful.”

“You too,” Keegan replied. “And try not to strip down to your underwear in front of news cameras.”

Kerry grimaced. “They caught that?”

“Caught it?” Keegan asked. “Hell, they zoomed in and broadcasted it live. There are so many thirsty videos and memes out there now.”

Kerry buried his head in his hands and groaned until a thought hit him. “Is that why you came over here? To stake a claim?”

“Hell yes.”

Kerry laughed. “This bossy side of you is sexy.” He pressed one last quick kiss to Keegan’s lips, then stepped away from the truck. “Better go before the wolf takes over again.”

Keegan expelled a shaky breath and climbed into his truck. Kerry watched him drive away before returning inside, where Betty waited for him on the back of the couch.

“We need to work on your manners,” Kerry said. A big yawn stopped him from naming her most egregious crimes. Damn, he felt good. Tired, but in the best possible way. The warmth he felt in Keegan’s presence was still there, a silent blanket wrapped around him. “Damn it,” Kerry swore. “Am I on the cusp of turning into a sap like Seth?”

Betty’smeowseemed like a resounding yes, and Kerry decided he was okay with it. He went upstairs and fell into the deepest sleep of his life. When he woke a few hours later, Kerry found a text from his mom. Lucinda wanted to meet for lunch at the diner during her break at the salon. Kerry recognized a summons when he saw one and agreed to the meeting. It was better to conserve his energy for the interrogation ahead than waste it resisting Hurricane Lucinda.

He arrived at the diner first and chose a corner booth in the back. Kerry caught several heads turning in his direction as he walked by and remembered what Keegan had said. Had all these people seen him in his underwear? One elderly gentleman at a neighboring table gave Kerry a thumbs-up, and a woman at another winked at him. Kerry decided they approved of the mission and not the fit of his underwear and turned his full attention to the menu. He stared at the damn thing until his mother arrived, even though he could recite each item by memory.

Lucinda’s radiant smile had him reaching for the menu again to shield his retinas from permanent damage. “Turn that down a notch, will you?”

She snagged the menu from his hand and laid it on the table. “Just let me have this.”

He’d said something similar to Seth not that long ago when his cousin caught him during an unguarded moment. Kerry had been observing Keegan with his family and admiring the way he fit.Belonged.It hadn’t been the first revelation of the sort, but it was the one that rocked Kerry the hardest. He’d allowed himself a moment to wonder what a future with Keegan could look like if he weren’t so messed up.

Kerry’s face must’ve betrayed the joy he’d glimpsed and had drawn Seth’s attention. Kerry had zero intentions of acting on his attraction at the time, so he’d waved off Seth’s concern for Keegan’s heart and told his cousin to just let him have the moment. Kerry might resemble the Harts, but Lucinda’s influence ran deep. He didn’t need to rely on their mother-son bond to know the source of her happiness. “Let me guess. Sven called you when he got home last night.”

His mother responded with an indignant snort. “It’s like you don’t even know your brother, Ker. Sven called me before you even pulled out of the parking lot.” Her smug expression turned somber. “Sven promised you didn’t kill anyone. Was he telling the truth? Do you need me to help hide Danny’s body?”

Kerry chuckled. “The asshole is still among the living, as far as I know.”

“Sven told me that Keegan followed you home totalk.”

He didn’t miss the emphasis she’d placed on the last word. “And I received an emergency phone call before we could get to our conversation.”

Lucinda leaned forward and said, “Conversation orconversation?”

Kerry shook his head at the innuendo she’d bled into the word the second time around, but he kept his expression neutral. “I’m not discussing this with you.”

She studied his face for only a few seconds before her lips twisted into a knowing smirk. “Your body language tells me everything I need to know, and you’re welcome that I insisted you include the fireplace and fancy shower in your bedroom suite.” She held up her hands before Kerry could respond. “Again, just let me have this moment.”

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