Page 73 of Defending her Heart

Kendall lowers herself to Paisley’s height and hugs her. “Happy birthday, sweetie. Thank you for inviting me to your party. It’s the most fun one I’ve ever been to.”

“It’s my favorite party too. Thank you for my fancy dress and for making Daddy’s house look so pretty for my party. I love you.”

My heart stutters in my chest as I watch the two of them in their embrace.

I love you.

Hell, my daughter has no problem expressing her feelings, if only I could do the same. Is it love I feel though or a combination of a trailer full of lust and an ocean of friendship? I truly enjoy being with Kendall, and not just during naked times.

But love? I’m not sure. Maybe. I think so. It could be. I want to spend more time with her. Hell. Ineedto spend more time with her.

When Paisley heads upstairs, I corner Kendall against the wall. “Stay.” I kiss her neck and she stiffens before she ducks under my arm.

“No can do, Hump. On my period.”

“I don’t care.”

“Yeah, not my kink. You have an early day and a big game coming up.” She pats my chest like we’re passing acquaintances. “Good luck in your game Monday night.”

Kendall rushes out of the house and I’m too stunned, too hurt, by her reaction to chase after her.

“Daddy,” Paisley calls from upstairs. “I need you.”

Fuck. I wish Kendall needed me too.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

KENDALL

After Paisley’s declaration of love and the warm looks Nash gave me all night, I had to hightail it out of his house as quickly as possible last night. Being on my period was only part of the reason.

We could have fooled around and done other stuff. I’d have loved to have his dick in my mouth again, but what's freaking me out is how much I love spending time with him and his daughter. Every time I’m with them, I find myself being drawn in deeper.

This is what I wanted to avoid. Why I proposed the friends-with-benefits relationship. I don’t trust my heart to make good calls anymore. I believed in Jason for too long and was blindsided by his betrayal. How could I have missed all the signs?

Never meeting his family, the weekends away. How sterile his apartment was.

While I highly doubt there’s a secret family tucked away, Nash still has secrets I’m not privy to. Not that I expect him to bare his soul to someone he’s sleeping with on the side. I’m curious about Paisley’s mother, though. How she fits into the picture, or why she doesn’t.

But there’s no reason for Nash to confide in me if we’re in a strictly sexual relationship.

Lately, he’s lowered his guard. He’s more at ease around me and not just with his body. The touching at the Friendsgiving table last night. The many times I caught him watching me at Walker and Riley’s. Not out of curiosity and not necessarily in a sexual way. I can tell the difference between lust and like.

He’s been watching me with morelikelately. And while it’s...nice, it’s also scary. I’m not in the right headspace todecipher between true feelings and something that’s not real. Jason fucked me up in the head, and it pisses me off that I haven’t been able to shake his fuckery out of my system by now.

I avoid analyzing my feelings and spend Sunday with my sister and my mom. We grocery shop, do chores around the house, make dinner together, and watchAmerica’s Funniest Videos.

It’s not until I’m driving to school Monday morning that the nervous jitters find their way to my stomach again. With the team in Los Angeles preparing for their game tonight, I don’t have to worry about seeing Nash today.

What worries me is how I’ll react when I see Paisley. Her parting words to me Saturday night have played over and over in my head.

I love you.There’s a small circle of people in my life who have said those words to me, and I to them.

My mom and sister on the regular, but that’s a different kind of love. Riley and Rowan, but it’s usually a drunk,love ya, we toss out. During the second year of our relationship, I said it daily to Jason, and he’d reply with, “You too, babe.”

Freaking red flags the size of a football stadium and I was none the wiser.

Paisley’s words, however, feel different. Different from my mother’s love but more similar to my sister’s, yet not.

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