Page 45 of Loving You Always

He closed his eyes, and finally breathed, relief let loose on his face. He wrapped his arms around the small of her back.

“Stay.” She had to say it again. She rose on her tiptoes and folded her arms around his neck. “I’m sorry. I’m just confused, and I want to get this right.”

“Itisright, baby.” He pulled back, and where she knew her eyes must be troubled, his were completely clear. “Weare right. You know that. Don’t listen to any voice but mine. Okay?”

“Walsh, Cam—”

“I don’t want to hear about Cam. Cam is our past.”

“He’s your best friend.”

“The hell he is. He abandoned you. He…Look, the last thing I want to talk about is your ex-husband.”

“He’s not my ex-husband yet. That’s what I’m trying to tell you.”

“How many ways can I tell you that I don’t care?”

“Maybe I do.”

“Maybe you should feed me. I’m starving.”

As if on cue, his stomach let out a loud growl. He laughed down at her, triumphant.

“See? I told you.”

“How’d you do that?” She pulled away to look at his stomach with healthy respect and suspicion.

“It’s a gift. One of many.”

“Well, I hope leftovers will satisfy that growl.”

“Lead the way.” Walsh gestured for her to precede him back to the cottage.

An hour later, they sat at the kitchen table with a feast of leftovers spread out in front of them. They caught up on each other’s lives, rediscovering the easy rhythm of conversation they’d always shared. He loved hearing about the things she still did with the foundation, and was interested in her therapy sessions with Dr. Stein. She was excited to hear how much time he’d spent with his father, and sympathized when he voiced regret that Bennett Enterprises was taking him away from his work with the foundation more and more.

“Mom would be disappointed in me.” Walsh slid his finger up and down his glass of freshly squeezed lemonade, wiping away the condensation. Kerris didn’t take him up on his casual tone. She knew the weight of that statement.

“I don’t think she’d be disappointed.” Kerris reached over to stop his finger and grab his hand. She waited for him to look at her. “You’re still working with the foundation. Just less. She knew your focus would be with the business the older you got. It’ll be yours one day. You have to prepare for that kind of responsibility.”

Walsh squeezed her hand, showing her the truth of that in the eyes he usually guarded.

“I miss her.”

“How could you not?”

“She was amazing.” He used his other hand to shove a fork loaded with collard greens into his mouth. “And an amazing cook. I probably shouldn’t say this, but I think Mama Jess’s soul food is better than my mother’s.”

Kerris’s smile started as such a little thing and then grew until it took over her face.

“This food?” She gestured with her own fork to encompass the dishes they had dug into and in some cases cleaned out.

“Bad, right?” Walsh smiled around a mouthful of greens. “I hadn’t tasted food better than Mom’s, but I gotta give credit where credit is due. Mama Jess’s is even better.”

Kerris couldn’t stop smiling. She sliced apple pie for them both, standing and crossing to the freezer for vanilla ice cream. She plopped a scoop of ice cream onto his apple pie, laughing when he pulled her into his lap.

“Walsh Bennett!” She hooked one elbow around his neck. “I want my pie.”

“Okay.” He secured her in his lap with one arm and reached around to the table with the other. He forked up a hunk of the gooey dessert with ice cream, poising it before her mouth. She lunged forward to capture it, pretend pouting when he pulled the fork farther out of reach.

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