Page 24 of Summer Kisses

Shep's brow furrowed. "No one's ever accused me of being quiet before."

"There's a first time for everything," I muttered.

Cooper popped his head inside the doorway. "Are we bringing the furniture or just the boxes?"

"The boxes and suitcases. Dalton hasn't moved his stuff out."

Cooper shook his head. "I don't think the missus is going to like living with you and your brother."

"He's staying with Oakley every night now. I don't know how he managed that. She'd mentioned that she wanted a ring first."

"Knowing Dalton, he probably bought her a ring. He's just too embarrassed to admit that to you," Cooper said.

That made me pause. Was Dalton slow to confide in me? Did he feel like I would judge him?

We got to work moving all Hazel's things into the trucks. I grabbed everything I saw and shoved it into boxes. She might think this was temporary, but if I had my way, it would be permanent.

For a few hours, I deluded myself into thinking this was real. That we were engaged, and I was moving the love of my life into my house. It wasn't hard to conjure up feelings of excitement and contentment. I was finally getting what I'd always wanted. Now I just needed to convince her that this was in her best interest too.

When everything was packed, we stood at my tailgate, drinking bottled waters. Shep gripped my shoulder and squeezed. "I have to give it to you. When you make a decision, you move fast. First you're engaged, and next thing you know, you're moving in together."

"When you know, you know," I said, the bottle at my lips.

Shep furrowed his brow. "That's the part I don't understand. I love women. But I'm not fixated on any one of them."

"You love the attention, not the person," Cooper muttered.

He knew Shep better than the rest of us.

"How do you know? It's not like you're seeing anyone," Shep shot back at him.

"I'm going to check to see if we left anything behind," Cooper said, heading inside.

I let him go because I thought he needed some space from Shep. He could get under his skin faster than anyone else.

"I really appreciate you stopping by to help us out. Dalton's got his hands full."

Shep shook his head. "You can say that again. I wouldn't want to be in his shoes. I'm not itching to have a kid anytime soon."

"Kinsley's little one is cute though," I said thinking of the last time I'd stopped in the office, and she was coloring at the counter. She'd pepper me with questions about tools and construction. Kinsley had to step in because she would have kept talking all afternoon.

A grin spread over his mouth. "Reese is the exception. She's an honorary Kingston."

"Did you tell Kinsley that?" I was more than little surprised he'd talked to her at all. I'd never seen him engage with a child. Kinsely and he butted heads every time I'd seen them interact.

He frowned. "I keep that to myself. Kinsley doesn't react well to anything I say or do."

"You ever wonder why that is?" I asked before draining the bottle.

"The usual, I suppose. I'm immature and irresponsible. I don't take anything seriously."

It wasn't anything I hadn't heard a million times before and thought myself. But hearing Shepard say it with a hint of pain in his tone had me rethinking things. Was he stuck in a role he'd outgrown just like I was?

"I get something similar. I'm the youngest brother, and no one takes me seriously. Not even getting engaged." I gestured at the apartment where Hazel was just coming outside with Cooper.

"Dad'll come around. You'll see," Shep said.

I watched as Hazel crossed the yard. She was talking animatedly about something to Cooper. "If we had more money we could do so many good things at the library."

---