Page 33 of Make Me Stay

I backed up a step. “Don’t tease me, Kai.”

“I’m not.” He moved forward until there was no room between us.

I looked around. “You can’t.” I whispered.

“The hell I can’t.”

“Wyatt is right over there,” I said furiously, under my breath.

“I know.” He curled his arm around my lower back and crushed me into him.

Then I noticed his split lip. Before I could stop myself, I reached up to touch it. “What happened?”

“I told your brother I was in love with you.”

“In lo—” I couldn’t even finish that word.

No. He couldn’t be.

I tried to pull away and he only firmed his hold. “I love you, Lexi Howard. It wasn’t a long fall, either. I think I’ve known that I had feelings for you for a damn long time. I just didn’t want to face it. The minute you gave me the option to touch you, I should have known I’d never let you go.”

“Wait. You haven’t talked to me all week, and you think you can just say you love me and it’s all good?”

People started turning around as my voice rose.

“Well, I think it’s a start. More than a start. Unless you don’t love me back.” Suddenly, he looked unsure, then his chin tipped up. “If that’s so, I’ll wait.”

My fingers curled into his shirt. “You can’t say that to me.” I could feel the tears coming. “You can’t.”

“You make me want to stay, Lex.”

“You can’t put that on me.”

“It’s not.” He slipped his hands into my back pockets. “You make me want to stay in one spot. You make me want more than just my truck and a duffel bag. You know, we worked on a deck for a family this week and I looked around and thought about how I wanted one like that. I wanted a stupid pool and a yard to take care of. I wanted a place to make a home. A place for kids—and the only person I wanted that with is you.”

“Kids?” My heart tripped.

“Pretty sure I don’t need six of them, but yeah. Maybe two.”

I laughed, not sure I could keep up with this new Kai.

He grinned down at me. “So, what do you think?”

“I think I like the idea of a house and kids with you, Kai Murdock.”

“I mean, if you want kids. We can have a bunch of dogs. Even cats if that’s what you want. I just want you.”

I pressed my forehead into his chest. “How the hell am I supposed to catch up?”

He moved his arms up to wrap around my shoulders until I was tight to his body. “Well, you better give it a try. My mom is on her way down to us right now.”

“God.” I pushed him away and he moved to the side, slinging an arm around my shoulders.

“Hey, Ma.”

“Don’they Mame.” Anna rushed down the hill where we stood. “Are you two together?”

He glanced at me, then to his mom. “Ask her.”

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