Page 167 of Giddy Up, Daddy

“I wouldn’t have let you! Just like I’m ending this, whatever this is, before my heart gets broken. Again.”

“Who broke your heart, babygirl?”

Her eyes widened and she bit on her lip.

“Did I break your heart, Kennedy? Tell me because though I’m not usually wrong, I freely admit when I am.”

She pulled her hair up into a ponytail, her eyes blazing with heat, but something else tempered her anger. Sadness? Fear? Kennedy didn’t clarify. Instead she turned away from me, likely intending to continue her retreat, when I wrapped the end of herhair around my palm. I could tug to get her attention, but she froze.

“Let go.”

“Not until you tell me what you mean.”

“In general. I don’t want another heartbreak.”

“I can’t promise to be perfect, but I’ll never intentionally hurt you. I thought I made that clear.”

“Maybe notyou.”

“Is this about Wyatt?” I tugged on her ponytail once.

She let out a string of curses. “He’s not here.”

“Answer me.”

Instead she stomped her foot twice and refused to admit what the deep-seated issue was.

“I’ll handle Wyatt,” I stated, in case his involvement was the heart of the matter. “I’ll get him on board, but you don’t have to worry about it. I’ve got this, baby.”

Kennedy tried to untangle my fingers from the end of her ponytail. I gave her the satisfaction and then slid my hand so it was flush against her scalp. It gave me more leverage.

“Did you and Wyatt get into a fight over me? Hm? Wrasslin’ over who gets to be mine?” I interjected what I hoped was humor into an otherwise serious conversation.

“Please! I’d kick Wyatt’s ass.”

“Only because he would never lay a hand on you. He’s been in his fair share of fights.” Kennedy attempted to break free again, so I yanked her to me by her hair. I knew it stung, but she was wired differently.

“You’re pissing me off,” she said, almost growling.

“I’m turning you on. Keep talking.”

“Red.”

“This is not how colors work,” I said, sighing. Releasing her hair, I stepped around her and placed a hand on each cheek. Her face was a mask of indifference. I’d expected anger or tearsbut her perfectly calm features made me more concerned. A safeword or the stoplight system were typically used for scenes, punishments, times when you needed a quick check-in system. I’d never had someone safeword out of a conversation before, but there was a first time for everything, I supposed.

“I’m done with this conversation,” Kennedy confirmed. “Please Alden.” There was sadness in her voice, but she was calm.

“Babygirl,” I pleaded. “Tell me what’s wrong.” My mind was racing, trying to figure out where and why the conversation had taken a turn. Every time I landed on Wyatt. That was a problem I wasn’t quite prepared for, and one I hadn’t seen coming.

“It’s Wyatt, isn’t it?”

Her silence told me everything I needed to know. Well, maybe not everything. She loved him, I knew she did. And having a babygirl of our own, someone he was equally responsible for, someone he loved the way I knew he loved Kennedy… that was exactly what Wyatt needed to settle the storm inside him.

I knew I was right. But with the mood Kennedy was in, that was the last thing she needed to hear. What she needed was to be heard. So even though it went against everything in me, I nodded, and let her go.

“If you need to go, I’m not going to stop you. But it’s a reprieve, not an abandonment.

I’m not giving up on us. But no more big conversations today. We’ll circle back when you’re ready.”

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