Page 9 of May's Bad Boy: Kody

I reach up, tuck a piece of hair behind her ear, and her breath hitches.

Then I kiss her.

It's supposed to be quick. Businesslike, to seal the deal in front of the judge.

But it's not.

It's soft and warm. The kind of kiss that makes you forget where you are. Her lips part, and my hand finds her waist without thinking, pulling her closer to me before Sadies giggle fill the air from the front row with Caitlin and we break the kiss.

When we pull back, she's breathless, and so am I. The judge has stepped back and is flipping through papers at the side of the room.

"Well," she says, cheeks flushed. "That was... convincing."

"Yeah," I manage. "We sold it."

Caitlin claps with a smile on her face, and Shane mutters something about needing a beer.

Yep, it's nothing like how I pictured my wedding day, but then again, this is nothing like how I pictured my life either, so it fits.

Back at the cabin, I show her around like it's something grand. It's not. It’s a small cabin that sits on Shane's property that he fixed up just before I got here. It's clean, but we weren't prepared for her. The cabin only has two bedrooms. One for Sadie and one for... well, us.

"You'll take my room," I say. "I'll sleep on the couch."

She raises a brow. "You're not sleeping on the couch in your own house."

I can tell by the way she crosses her arms that she has no intention of backing down.

"Well, you sure aren't sleeping on the couch. My momma raised me better than that," I tell her.

She stares at me for a minute.

"We can share the bed, plus we can’t have Sadie asking questions," she nods briskly.

Later that night, we are both in bed with a pillow wall between us, making the boundaries clear.

"You don't have to protect me from you," she says quietly. "I know this isn't a romance novel."

Right. But somehow, this feels like the first chapter, anyway.

With Paige here now, we have spent the last day getting settled and forming new routines. Like how she insisted on cooking dinner tonight to help out since she is living here.

She's making a french toast casserole. It's simple, but she has Sadie involved with stirring the sauce when I walk into the cabin.

"Perfect timing. Go wash up, and dinner will be ready in about five minutes," Paige says, not taking her eyes off Sadie at the stove.

I rush through changing my clothes and washing up, telling myself it's because I want to spend time with my daughter.

When I come out, Paige and Sadie are setting the table.

"Forks go on the napkin," Sadie announces as she sets the table. "Not under."

Sadie fixes Paige's obviously on purpose mistake, but it has both of them laughing and giggling.

Leaning in the doorway, I watch them. To see such a huge smile on both of them makes my chest ache. It's been a long time since anywhere has felt like home.

After dinner, Sadie tugs on Paige’s sleeve and hands her a book. "Will you read?"

Paige looks at me.

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