Page 102 of Branded
I turned away from my brother, wove across the floor, moved into the hall. Jules was coming around the corner as I entered it.
“Out the back door.”
“Thanks, Jules.”
My legs made quick work of the hall, and then I was pushing out into the night air.
Kailey was there, her face in her hands.
It was cold, so I dropped her jacket around her shoulders, tugged her close, and just held her. Those hands stayed on her face, but she burrowed into me, letting me hold her.
Long minutes later, she asked, “Did I really say all that?” A whispered question. “Or was it just a bad dream and I’m going to wake up, go to dinner with your parents and be the perfectly charming girlfriend and?—”
“I love you.”
She stilled.
“My fierce little bird, pecking the eyes out of the person who tried to hurt me.”
Those hands dropped to my chest.
Her eyes finally hit mine.
“He made me mad.”
One half of my mouth kicked up. “He made me wish we were on the ice so I could check him through the boards.”
A breath, her forehead falling forward.
I dropped my hand to her nape, held her there, was lightly massaging the tight muscles there.
“I fully support this idea,” she murmured.
That made me want to laugh. When I really shouldn’t want to after what happened inside CeCe’s. So, I held it back and just hugged her tightly until she stopped trembling, until she relaxed against me. “My fierce little bird,” I said again, stroking a hand down her spine.
I felt her smile against my skin. “I’m not going to hear the end of this, am I?” she asked softly.
“Definitely not,” I told her.
“They’ll hate me.”
Fingers in her hair, tilting her head back. “My mom just told me to marry you.”
She started, going completely still, mouth dropping open.
“For the record, I told her I’d already planned on it.”
Her exhale was shaky. “Smitty.”
“This isn’t a proposal,” I said, smoothing my thumb over her bottom lip, “though I’m not saying that I wouldn’t elope if you gave me the chance.”
“No.”
I frowned.
“I want the wedding,” she whispered. “I want everyone to see how much I love you.”
For the second time in less than an hour, I was near tears. “I love you so fucking much,” I whispered, “and I’m so thankful, so proud of you for what you said, for being here, being in my life and?—”
