Page 24 of May's Bad Boy: Kody

Sadie is wearing a fairy tutu over her jeans and a glittery crown on her head. "This is the princess bath castle!" she declares, arms wide.

Hades licks her hand that is near him, making Sadie giggle.

"Is it now?" I murmur, jotting notes about the lighting fixtures. "We may have to put that on the brochure."

Behind me, the door opens with a quiet creak, and I glance up to see Kody stepping in, covered in sawdust and holding two cups of coffee. His eyes land on me first, then Sadie, and that smile—that quiet, steady on—-spreads across his face.

He hands me a cup without a word. Our fingers brush, and for a second, everything else falls away. The noise, the dust, the mess. It all fades.

"You giving the electrician hell?" he asks, nodding toward the poor guy hunched near the breaker box.

I smirk. "Only a little. Levi told them I'm in charge. So I figured I should act like it."

Kody leans in a little, voice low. "Watching you in here... you look like you've been doing this your whole life."

My heart flutters. It's been fluttering a lot lately. And every time he looks at me like that, I feel steadier. Stronger.

Just then, a tall guy in a backward ball cap and a T-shirt speckled with paint steps out from under the scaffolding. He grins when he spots me.

"You must be the boss lady. Levi said to treat you like a general."

I raise a brow. "And you'd be?"

"Huck." He offers a dusty hand. "Levi's new guy. I usually flip disaster houses, but this spa's got character. You picked a good one."

I shake his hand. "Well, I plan to make it more than good."

He smiles. "That's what I like to hear."

After Huck returns to his crew, I catch Kody watching me again, like he's memorizing this version of me. The version that's not running. Not surviving. Just standing still. Building something. Becoming someone new, and maybe someone I was always meant to be.

That afternoon, I meet Ruby, Courtney, Miss Ada, and Peyton at the café to go over the Founding Festival plans. Orville pulled a few ordinance strings to make sure it still happens this year, and now everyone is buzzing with ideas.

Ruby insists the spa should host a pre-festival pamper package. She is convinced it will be up and running by then. Courtney's brainstorming themed treatments. And Miss Ada, bless her, says I should name one after Sadie.

"The Glitter Queen Package," she says, sipping her tea. "Includes glitter lotion and a bubble foot soak."

We all laugh, and Sadie, sitting at the next table coloring with a pink crayon, looks up and says, "With sparkles! And fairy dust!"

Peyton leans in quietly while the others are distracted. "I'm proud of you," she says, her voice warm. "You didn't just stand your ground. You made something better out of it. You're part of this town now, Paige. And this town is better with you in it."

Something shifts in my chest. A little more space. A little more light.

That night, I return home to fairy lights strung across the porch, flickering soft and golden. A simple dinner waits on the table. There’s grilled chicken, roasted vegetables, and lemonade in mason jars. Sadie is bouncing on her heels, holding hand-drawn menu cards and humming a song about rainbows.

Kody meets me at the door, brushing a kiss to my cheek. "Dinner's on. Sadie picked the playlist."

We eat, laugh, and let the glow of the string lights melt away the stress of the day. Afterward, I start to clear the plates, but Kody gently takes the dish from my hands.

"Don't," he says, setting it down. Then he takes my hand and leads me to the porch, under the lights.

He clears his throat, nervous, which almost never happens.

"I married you because I needed to protect my daughter," he says softly. "But I stayed because I fell in love with the woman who protected me."

My breath catches.

He drops to one knee and pulls out a small velvet box. The ring isn't flashy. It's simple. Elegant. Perfect. It’s a silver band with a small, round diamond that catches the light just right.

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