Page 31 of Tempting Bo
“Yeah,” I whisper.
“Look, I don’t blame you for taking some time to yourself right now. I totally understand needing space with… all of this.” She takes a deep breath before meeting my eyes again, and the smile on her face is the most precious thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I want to wrap her up in my arms and never let anything hurt her again. “Just don’t take too much space, alright? I’m still right here.”
My breath rushes out of me on a wavering sigh, and I yank her closer. She melts into my chest as I envelop her in a hug. The scent of her shampoo makes my heart skip a beat, then settle into a steady, soothing rhythm. I feel like I’m home when I’m with her like this, everything right where it belongs.
“I’ve been so worried about dragging you into all of this,” I confess, the words quiet and weak. “Half this shit doesn’t make sense, and the other half I can’t even remember. I'm torn between not believing it's real and trying to figure out my entire life all at once.”
Her arms are steady as she holds me tight, and the steel in her spine helps me feel a little less scared.
“I know it's not easy,” she says quietly. “But you don't have to do it alone. I'm not going anywhere, not unless you want me to.Even if the baby is yours, that doesn't have to mean the end of us. We can figure things out together.”
Relief crashes down on me at the suggestion, gratitude welling up at how understanding Kenzie is being. I don't know where to begin with figuring this whole mess out, but I've been too scared to pull at any of the strings for fear of everything unraveling. Kenzie’s certainty that things will work out is soothing, and I press a trembling kiss to the side of her head.
I can't find the words to explain how much that means to me—how muchshemeans to me—but maybe she understands anyway.
“I want that.” I say the words quietly into her mess of copper curls, holding her close, a little scared to admit it out loud. “Kenz, I want you. It's always been you, and I don't want to fuck it up after waiting this long to finally admit it.”
She pulls back just far enough to cup my face in her palms, small and warm and so soft compared to the thick calluses on mine. The smile on her face is still a little tentative, but hope and trust both glimmer in those pretty green eyes I dream of so often.
I don't know what solution she's scheming up to save me from being forced to be with Savannah, but she seems to genuinely believe there's a way out of this. The least I can do is believe in a future for the two of us too.
“Then don't let me go.” It sounds so simple when she says it like that, but I know we can both feel the weight of the words. “I’ve got to keep an eye on all the kids, and I'm sure you're busy. Come by my place this weekend? We can make dinner together, talk a little.”
“Dinner sounds good,” I agree.
She leans up to press a chaster kiss to my cheek, just a fluttering moment of warmth against my skin before she pullsback. I wave goodbye as she walks back toward the house where most of the kids are working in the garden.
I still kind of want to hide behind the outhouse and hyperventilate, but there's a little twinge of hope poking through the blanket of panic now.
Maybe there's still a way out of this.
Chapter Fifteen
KENZIE
It’seasy to convince yourself to try when you can’t fathom doing anything else.
I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want Bo. The only thing to do is to give it a shot. I won’t forgive myself if I don’t at least try.
Things on the farm are going well, and the kids seem to be really enjoying themselves. I don’t let myself slack off while I’m there, but it’s nice to see Bo whenever I do take a break. Things have gone back to normal between us, and it’s more relieving than I want to admit. After all, I’ve never been the kind of girl who relied on external validation, much less from a romantic partner. I have a life and plans of my own, and I’ve always viewed romance as an added bonus, not something Ineeded.
It’s time to admit that I need Bo.
He’s always been important to me, but it took the threat of losing him for me to realize just how much I care about him. I finally found someone I love, and I won’t let Savannah Ward, of all people, get in the way of that.
No, I’m going to enjoy spending time with Bo, and we’re going to figure out a way to handle this that doesn’t involve breaking up. I won’t settle for anything less.
I’ve been looking forward to tonight since I invited him to dinner on Wednesday, but I’m still a bundle of nerves as I wait for my doorbell to ring. I damn near swoon when it finally doe,s and I open my door to Bo with a bouquet of pink lilies.
They’ve always been my favorite, and he smiles sheepishly as he hands them over to me.
“You wouldn’t let me bring anything to help with dinner, but I couldn’t show up empty handed,” he says with a laugh.
I don’t say anything in response, just tug him through the doorway and drape my arm over his neck so I can pull him down into a kiss. He bends helpfully, and I rise on my tiptoes, and the whole world slots right into place when our lips meet. He tastes like spearmint gum and those awful energy drinks he chugs, and I’ve never felt more famished. I kiss him languidly in the doorway for what feels like hours, broad hands on my waist, holding me like I’m the most precious, fragile thing he’s ever seen.
“I set something really special up for dinner,” I tell him when I finally pull back. “Couldn’t let you interfere with my plans. Let me set these up, I’ll meet you in the living room.”
I need a second to get my head on straight again, but putting the flowers in a vase is as good an excuse as any. I’m not kidding, I did put a lot of thought into tonight.
