Page 35 of The Only Shot that Mattered

Annalise looked at her small living room. “What am I going to do with all this stuff?”

“Use it,” Cam said slowly, as if she was a bit slow.

Kenna elbowed him. “We’ll help you sort through it all.”

For the next thirty minutes, they put away groceries, sorted through clothes, made a pile for all the toys, and made sure all the house essentials were in the right spots.

Cam and Kenna sat on the small sofa while Annalise fussed over the cookies she baked in the kitchen. When she came into the living room with a heaping plate of soft double chocolate cookies, Kenna’s mouth watered.

“This seems like a silly offering after all you two have done, but this recipe has been in my family for a long time. They’re guaranteed to knock your socks off.” Annalise placed the plate on the clear coffee table before sitting down in a plush blue chair across from them.

“Ms. Annalise, please stop. We did all this because we wanted to. I… I know what it was like for my parents after they lost a child, my brother. It was really hard for a long time. I can’t imagine the amount of pain you and Alanzo are in. I seriously just wanted to help. No thanks needed.”

Annalise’s eyes softened. “I’m sorry about your brother.” They were silent for a moment before she said, “Things have been hard. I raised my daughter and thought I was done. Having Alanzo full time now has been a huge adjustment. Your kindness helps more than you know.”

“If you ever need a break, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us,” Kenna said.

Cam pointed at Kenna. “Reach out toher.”

Kenna kicked Cam inconspicuously while giving Annalise a tight smile. Annalise laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind. So, Kenna, tell me… Have you heard from a certain basketball player recently?”

Kenna’s brows shot up, but Cam was the one to respond. “Oh, she’s heard from him.”

Kenna cut her eyes at him and then plastered a nervous smile on her face when she looked at Annalise. Talking about Damien was truthfully all she wanted to do, but she wasn’t sure she felt comfortable doing so. She was still so new to all this.

“Yes,” she said slowly. “I’ve seen him.”

“And?” Annalise asked knowingly.

Kenna felt heat spread over her body as she looked around the small, cozy room. “And he’s doing well.”

Annalist let out a shrill laugh. “Chile, I saw the way you two looked at each other from the moment you locked eyes. I know a budding love story when I see one.”

“I been trying to tell her,” Cam muttered.

Kenna ignored Cam and asked, “You really think so?”

Love.That word wasn’t foreign to her. She had a lot of love in her life. Her family and Cam loved her immensely. She’d never had love from a man though.

“I’ve been in love once or twice in my day. My husband died five years ago, but that man was the love of my life. He looked at me just like Damien looks at you,” Annalise assured.

Kenna knew she was quickly falling for Damien. What she didn’t know was if this was the real deal or if he felt the same about her. Of course, there was also the fact that his daughter may never get on board with whatever relationship they were building.

“I don’t know…” Kenna allowed her words to trail off as she fidgeted in her seat.

“What’s there to know? Y’all like each other and want to fiddle with each other’s private parts. Sounds like the makings of a love story to me,” Cam commented nonchalantly.

Annalise giggled while Kenna scrunched her face up. “Is that all love is to you?” Cam shrugged and Kenna huffed out a breath.“I’m honestly a bit unsure what’s going to even happen with us. I haven’t really talked to him since yesterday morning when I left his house.”

When she realized that she told on herself about spending the night at Damien’s house in front of Annalise, she blushed. Annalise didn’t seem to notice the red tint to Kenna’s cheeks as she asked, “Why not?”

Kenna bit her bottom lip. “His daughter walked in on us…”

Cam’s eyes ballooned. “She saw y’all fu?—”

“No, nothing like that,” Kenna said in a rush. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter how she found us. She called me a… a whore.”

Annalisetskedwhile Cam cackled. “Oh, I see now. You aren’t sure about you and Damien because his little demon child don’t like you.”

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