Page 112 of Defending her Heart

I kind of regret all the lame-ass advice I gave to Riley when she and Walker were having problems. No wonder she stopped confiding in me and figured her shit out on her own. She was better off that way.

I probably would have told her to sleep around and get over Walker. Now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure thatwasmy advice. If Jackson cracks a joke like that, I’m sure I’ll throat punch him.

When Nash gets home from the stadium a little after six, I have dinner waiting for him and Paisley. It doesn’t take long for him to notice one plate is missing, and he cocks his head to the side. “You’re not joining us?”

We haven’t had a chance to talk about his profession of love. Sunday’s drive home was filled with Paisley’s chatter, and Nash dropped me off at my house with an innocent kiss on my doorstep.

While his parents are away, I’m taking care of Paisley in the afternoons until he gets home. He wants me to sleep over every night, but I’m not ready to cave yet. Once I do, I fear I won’t be able to step back and look at our relationship objectively. Hence the 911 call to the girls.

“I’m having dinner with Riley and Rowan tonight. It’s been forever since I’ve been out with them.”

Nash’s disappointment quickly turns to guilt. “Shit. I’m sorry, Kendall. I’ve been selfish with your time. Hell, you haven’t had a second to yourself since you’ve been helping me with Paisley. And I took you away this past weekend—”

I press my finger to his lips as he did to me Saturday night. “No apology necessary. Riley and Rowan have been busy. I wouldn’t have been doing anything else other than spending time with my sister, which I’ve still been doing with Paisley.”

“When will I see Dani again?” Paisley asks from her place at the counter.

I turn and stroke Paisley’s hair. “Someone ate all the cookies we made last week so we’ll need to make some more.”

“Can I help decorate them again?”

“We will absolutely need your help.”

“Can Daddy decorate them too? Dani and your mommy can come here and we can make cookies.”

“Your family is more than welcome to use my kitchen if you’d like.” Nash curls his hand around my hip, no longer tryingto hide his affection from his daughter. “Whatever you need, Kendall, don’t ever hesitate to ask. Hell, just take. I’ll always say yes.”

“Always?” I wiggle my brows to lighten the moment. I don’t want Nash to feel guilty about the time I’m spending caring for Paisley. “I’ll be cashing in on that promise soon,” I tease.

“How soon?” he growls in my ear before planting a kiss on my temple. While we’re not hands-free in front of Paisley, we haven’t exactly locked lips in front of her yet.

“I like keeping you on your toes.”

We haven’t had sex in weeks, yet I feel closer to him than I’ve ever been to anyone before. There’s still a niggling part of my brain that is cautioning me to wait for the other shoe to drop, hence my meeting with the girls.

“It’s not my toes I’m worried about.” He squeezes my hip, and I slip out of his hold to give Paisley a hug.

“I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

“Can you have a sleepover here?”

“Not tonight, kiddo.”

“Soon?” she asks.

“Yeah, soon?” Nash repeats, a wicked gleam in his eyes.

“You two eat your dinner. Don’t throw the broccoli away. I’ll know if you do.” With that, I hightail it out before they convince me to stay.

Riley is already at Tequila Sunday when I arrive, and Rowan comes through the door seconds after I take my seat.

“What did I miss?” she asks, unwinding her scarf from her neck and draping it over the back of her chair.

“Nothing. I just got here too.” I give her a sideways hug like I gave Riley upon my arrival.

“Let’s not waste your time. What’s going on, Kenny?”

I roll my eyes. “You just want to hurry back to your husband, you freaking nympho.” I have to start light or I’ll never make it through this conversation.

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