Page 54 of Fighting For Light
“Oh shit, man. And she’s …cool with it?”
I exhale and look at the ocean crashing against the shore over and over again. “I wouldn’t say cool, but she’s accepted that this is our family. She still wants to marry me. So that’s probably good.”
Liam chuckles. “I was right about her. She really is one of the good ones.”
“Yeah, and I’m the one corrupting her,” I mutter.
“I have a feeling she’s not easilycorruptible, brother.”
I stare at Cordi, who is still staring back at me. “No, you’re right, she’s not. Because, for some reason, she still thinks she can see the good in me. Regardless, this is all a bad idea.”
“You’re probably the best of us, Kai. Plus, it doesn’t matter now; you guys started it, and you can’t go back. And now that they are looking into her, youreallycan’t. So, to protect her the best way we can, you need to make her a Coldwell. Emerson and I are behind you, Kai. It’s going to be okay. She’s family now.”
My heart surges. No one has to get hurt. We just have to stay ahead of Dad. “Thanks, Liam.”
“You’re welcome, brother. Let me know when I need to be there with Emmy.”
“Plan on coming soon. You know he hates that nickname,” I say, smiling.
“And that’s exactly why I keep saying it.”
“He’s going to break your nose,” I grumble.
“Too late. He broke it, and then I broke it again while rock climbing.”
“You’re a dumbass. Okay, I’m at brunch with Cordi and Mom. I need to get back. Emerson still hasn’t talked to us about the beach house yet, either.”
“Yeah, he’s working on it. I’ll check in with him. And Kai?”
“Yeah?”
“She loves you, and you love her. That’s all that matters right now. Family is all that matters.”
My stomach unknots a little as I stare at Cordelia. “You’re right. Thank you, Liam.”
“Talk soon,” he says and hangs up the phone. I take a deep breath, willing the adrenaline to slow through my veins, if that’s even possible. I need to be calm, even though every bit of me is on high alert.
I reach our table and sit, pressing a kiss to Cordi’s temple.
“Everything okay?” she asks.
I glance at Mom, then back at Cordi. “Yeah, we have a lot to talk about,” I tell them. Mom gives me that look, and worry floods Cordi’s eyes. I grab her chin and tilt it up, gazing down at her. “Hey, it’s going to be okay.” I kiss her quickly. “We can’t talk here.”
27
Cordelia
We end up goingback to Kai’s trailer. It feels different; everything has changed between us, and more change is on the way. Esmarie steps into his trailer, which I should have cleaned before we left. I grab some of his shirts and mine off the floor, kicking our shoes off to the side.
She walks to the couch and primly sits on the edge, crossing her ankles and tucking them to the side. Esmarie looks totally out of place as she sits on Kai’s RV couch.
Kai drops into one of the other seats, but my anxiousness is making me entirely too antsy to be able to sit. I nervously rub my stomach, pacing back and forth. Kai glances at Esmarie and frowns before turning his attention to me. “So, they know about Cordelia,” he says, glancing at his mom.
My stomach drops, and I don’t know what to say. My hands shake on my stomach, and tears brim in my eyes. “What does that mean, Kai?” I ask him, my voice stronger than I feel. He stands and gathers me into his arms.
“It means that I’ve got you, just like I said, baby. It means we really have to speed up the timeline.”
I take a deep breath and nod against him. Marrying Kai is not my problem. The speed of everything is.
