Page 83 of Starting Over with You
“You need to tell her about that night,” she whispers.
I shake my head. “She’s not ready.”
“She will be if you tell her the truth. I mean, hell, you’ve been waiting a long time.” I look over at her, and she holds my gaze. Our eyes are the same, but hers are more greenish than my blue. “She’s spent the last nineteen years thinking her needs are invalid. You have to show her that what she wants, she can have. From you.”
My heart is in my throat, but I know she’s right. I want to tell my sister how in love with Kenni I am, but I don’t want anyone but Kenni to hear those words when I say them for the first time to someone other than my daughter and sister. Sadie pats my hand. “You’ve kept your feelings buried deep for so long, Dean. Aren’t you tired of it?”
I swallow thickly as I look out over my front yard. Kenni’s BMW is parked beside my truck, and I love the sight.
She’s home. With me.
“I am.”
She pats my hand. “Good.”
Then my sister stands and heads to the door. “Hey, asshole,” she calls, and I chuckle, shaking my head. “I saw you all over my brother.”
Kenni groans loudly. “Ugh, go away, Sadie.”
Sadie laughs at that. “Whatever. Have fun kissing my brother!”
Now I’m laughing when Kenni groans even louder. “Don’t tell Missy. I need to.”
“I won’t, but I want to be there. For moral support.”
“And to be nosy,” Kenni calls back, and Sadie beams.
“That too.” Sadie opens the door as Kenni comes out, wrapping her arms around my sister. I watch as they hug, and I feel like I’mseeing them when they were younger, needing each other’s support. Sadie pulls back, tapping Kenni’s nose and grinning. “Call me.”
“Yeah,” she mutters, and then we both watch Sadie leave as if she didn’t just come through like a hurricane, making this moment seem more real than when it was just the two of us. I stand, tucking my hands into my jeans and sighing deeply. I look over to Kenni, and she’s nervously wringing the edge of my tee in her fingers as she breathes in and lets it out in a rush.
“KenniLeigh.” She cuts her gaze to mine, and our eyes lock. She chews on her lip, looking like she doesn’t know what to say or do. That’s fine. I know what to say, I know what to do, and I won’t back down. With as much steel in my voice as I can muster, I say, “I won’t hide this. I won’t hide us. You are mine, Kenni, and nothing will change that.”
“Dean, I’m still married.”
“I don’t care.”
“What will everyone think?”
“Nothing worth a damn,” I bite out, holding her gaze. “Do you love him?”
She blanches. “Hell no.”
I knew that already, but it’s still something I needed to hear. “Good. We’re all set, then.”
“What if I’m not ready?”
I hold her gaze. “Are you not?”
“I don’t know,” she whispers. “Dean, I’m scared.”
I nod slowly. “Darlin’, I’m terrified,” I tell her, my own eyes burning. I reach out my hand between us. “But this… This is right.”
“Dean—”
When I move toward her, her words drop off as her eyes widen. She pulls in a deep breath when I grab the back of her neck with one hand, taking her hip in my other hand, before yanking her to me. I look down into her bright-blue eyes and see the truth. “You are mine,” I say again. “And I need you to realize that.” I brush a kiss to her lips, then press my head to hers as she inhales. “I can goat whatever speed you want, but I need to know you know you are mine.”
Her eyes meet mine, glassy and full of apprehension. “I know.”
