Page 26 of Beautifully Broken Control

Me:Be right down.

I glanced around my small studio. There was one thing I didn’t have. A purse.Crud. Oh, well.The dress had pockets. That would have to be good enough. I grabbed my keys and phone and bent to give Chuck one more rub. “You be good.” He let out a cross between a snort and a grunt, and I laughed.

I hurried out, locking the door behind me, and then headed down the stairs. As soon as I was out the back door, Walker was climbing out of his truck and opening the passenger door for me.

“Thank you.” I climbed in, grateful for my height since the truck was ridiculously high.

Walker hopped in. “You look beautiful, Kennedy.”

I felt my cheeks start to heat.

Taylor grinned at me through the rearview mirror. “No, she looks smokin’. Get it, girl.”

I let out a startled laugh. “That wasn’t really what I was going for, but this is the only dress I have.” I was relieved to see that Taylor was dressed similarly in a flouncy skirt and sleeveless blouse.

“Well, thank God it is because you look gorg.”

“Thank you. So do you. I love that skirt.”

Taylor brushed her hands over the vibrant fabric. “You can borrow it anytime.”

My laughter returned. “Uh, Tay. I think that might be a little too short on me.” Taylor was basically a pixie, meaning she and Walker were about the cutest couple ever. Her, a petite spitfire, and him all tall, dark, and handsome.

She shrugged. “It’d show off those long legs of yours, though.”

“Yeah, and probably half my butt.”

Taylor snickered. “You certainly wouldn’t be hurting for dates.”

“All right, already,” Walker griped as he turned to take the road out of town towards Sutter Lake. “Enough about legs and butts and skirts.”

I reached forward and patted his shoulder. “Sorry about that, buddy.”

He shook his head. “I hate being outnumbered.”

Taylor giggled. “I love it when you’re outnumbered.”

“Short-stack,” he warned.

“Bigfoot,” she warned back. But the heat in her eyes spoke of love and passion.

Longing flared to life in my chest again. To have someone to lovingly bicker with. To share a language only the two of you spoke. To have a partner. And maybe, one day, a family again. I let my gaze go unfocused as I stared out the window at the passing fields.One day.

It wasn’t long before we were turning off the road and pulling to a stop at an intimidating gate. No one would be getting in here without the owner’s consent. My gaze flicked up to the single word in scrawling script above the entry.Termonn.Gaelic for sanctuary. I wondered if Cain had chosen it. He didn’t look Irish. Walker rolled down his window, pressed a button, and waved at what must’ve been a camera. My stomach tightened. A few seconds later, the gates swung open.

Walker wove his truck down a curved gravel drive. When I caught my first glimpse of the house, I let out a little gasp. It was beautiful. Wood and stone and glass for days. Gorgeous, but way too big for one man. What was he going to do with all that space?

Taylor let out a low whistle. “Not too shabby.”

Walker chuckled. “Wait until you see the view.”

That’s what I was hungry for, the lake. But I reined in my desire to forgo the party entirely and head straight for the water. I’d make nice first.

We climbed out of the truck as the front door opened, and Sarah appeared with Noah. Noah bounded down the steps. “This place is awesome! Cain has his own dock, and he said he’s going to get a boat and that I can come over and go tubing anytime I want.”

At least the man was generous with what he had. That was something. Sarah pulled me in for a hug as Noah bounced around us. “I’m so glad you came.”

“It was nice of you to invite me.”

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