Page 93 of Keep On Loving You

“No more than usual.” He grinned. “Kidding.” His smile faltered, and he gazed down at her with such tenderness she almost started to cry again. “You’re grieving, Kat. And that’s okay, because grief isn’t a straight line. You lost your dad and that’s incredibly hard. There’s no right or wrong way to deal with that. Add onto that all these extrachallenges that you’ve all had to go through, and of course there are all kinds of strong feelings. It’s okay.”

He kissed her on the top of her head and pulled her close again. “Feel whatever you need to feel and just know that I’ve got you. Through it all. I’m here. Always. I’m not going anywhere, Kat. Never again.”

Chapter Thirty

The wind diedat some point in the night and the rain fell softer, until it, too, stopped completely. By morning, when Kat unzipped the tent and stuck her head out, the sky was blue again, the birds chirped, and the only indication that there’d been any foul weather at all was a handful of downed branches scattered on the ground. Miraculously, none of them hit their tent, although she and Andy had been so lost in each other, she wasn’t entirely sure they would have noticed.

“Can I convince you to come back in here and cuddle a little longer?” Andy tugged at her hips and tried to pull her back down into the little nest they’d made of dry clothes and the one sleeping bag.

She twisted her head around and winked. “I would love to, but my bladder has different ideas. And I’m starving.”

On cue, her stomach growled, and they both laughed.

“Okay, okay.” He released her and sat up. “I think I’d like to see this place in the daylight anyway.”

She turned to look outside again. “You’re going to love it. It’s magical.”

Less than thirty minutes later, they perched on flat rocks along the lakeshore and ate a simple breakfast of the dried oatmeal packets as they shared a mug of peppermint tea.

“It is pretty incredible here.”

Kat nodded without looking away from the reflection in the water. “I can’t even believe I’m saying this, but I think I’d like to do it again. But maybe not in a storm.”

“And maybe with company next time?”

“Maybe.” She winked at him but a moment later, the playfulness was gone. “Oh no! You’re here.” She sat up, her breakfast forgotten.

“I am.”

“But you’re not supposed to be.” She turned to stare at him. “I was supposed to do this on my own, remember? The list. It was a solo trip.”

Her mind spun. Had she just gone through all of that just to screw it all up? If she hadn’t just spent the last few days crying, she probably would have burst into tears again. As it was, Kat was pretty sure she was fresh out of tears altogether.

“Hey.” Andy reached over and grabbed her arm, grounding her in the moment. “Don’t spiral. There’s nothing we can do about it now. Besides, there were extenuating circumstances, Kat. I’m sure it will be fine. Why don’twe pack up and go back to town? You can talk to Steven in person and see what he says about it all.”

It was the only reasonable solution.

Besides, even if the trip didn’t count as far as the will requirements were concerned, it counted in every other way that mattered, and she didn’t regret anything.

“I’m glad you’re here, Andy.”

“Kitty Kat, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

The family meeting was officially called for later that night. Andy still wasn’t convinced that he’d be welcome in the big house, or anywhere near the family, but Kat had insisted that he come with her.

It hurt, but ultimately, it didn’t matter what the rest of them thought about him; he needed to be there for Kat. She was a strong woman. One of the toughest he knew, despite the way her family thought she needed taking care of. But the last few days—hell, the last few months—had taken their toll and as long as she wanted him, he’d be there for her.

That’s all that mattered.

Still, Andy hesitated before they walked through the front doors of the house he’d up until now felt very much at home in.

“It’s fine,” Kat said. “You belong here. With me.” She kissed him on the lips. “I’m glad you’re here.”

It was all he needed to hear.

Everyone was already gathered in the living room whenthey walked in hand in hand. Steven made it clear that everyone in the family was welcome at the meeting, not just the siblings, as this was to be the last meeting.

All heads turned in their direction when they walked in. Craig jumped out of his seat, but Symon—who should have been in Switzerland—stood and grabbed his arm. “Sit down, Craig.”

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