Page 89 of Summer Heat
Cooper sighed. "I forget you haven't been in a relationship before."
"Tell me what to do." He'd hooked up with Ivy, getting her pregnant. Then they realized they were in love with each other. He had to have a perspective that was better than mine.
"Every situation is different, and I don't know Kinsley that well, but you have to apologize to her and tell her you're an idiot. Tell her how you feel. Women expect us to screw up sometimes. It's how we handle it that will make or break a relationship," Cooper said.
"And if I don't want her to leave?" I asked, my stomach roiling at everything I needed to do.
"Then tell her," Hudson said as if it were that easy.
"What about Dad?"
"You probably need to talk to him about how you feel, and that you're going to be making the decisions from here on out. He doesn't have to like them."
I ran a hand through my hair. "And if he says that I'm being irresponsible?"
Hudson considered me. "I think this is a good sign of your maturity. You love a woman, and you want to take care of her and her child."
I stretched my neck from side to side, thinking about the possibilities. She could refuse to talk to me. She could reject my apology. What then? "What if she wants nothing to do with me?"
Cooper snapped me with a towel. "That's a possibility. Maybe she doesn't want your sorry ass."
I grabbed the towel and snapped it back at him. "Not cool."
"You know what I mean. There's a possibility that she could say that, but what do you think? Is that the kind of relationship you had?"
I remembered what she looked like when we sat on the rooftop deck and gazed at the stars. "I don't think so."
"Then you have a good chance. Just don't wait too long. Pain can cut deep and leave scars if we let people believe things that aren't true," Cooper said, and Hudson nodded in agreement.
"You sound smart about this stuff."
'"I know some things now that I've been through it myself. Ivy was resistant to the idea of a relationship. It wasn't easy to get her to see that we had something special."
"I've never felt like this before." I actually felt better after talking to my brothers. It was like we had something in common besides construction for the first time in years.
"Then tell her," Hudson said as he climbed up the ladder.
"I will if she ever comes home." We got back to work, Hudson loosening the cabinets so we could lower them and carry them to his truck.
I was surprised Cooper sensed I was in love with Kinsley before I did. But the more I thought about how I felt whenever she was around, the stronger I believed it.
I'd never felt like this before. I wanted to share my house and my life with Kinsley and Maya. Maybe people would think it was too soon to move in with someone. But what was the point in making them go through the motions of moving out when I wanted them here with me? Where they didn't have to worry about faulty pipes or lazy landlords.
Besides, I had a huge house that sat empty most of the time. It was lifeless without my girls. I wanted them back.
I was comforted by the knowledge that Derek had to bring Maya back sometime today. So Kinsley had to return. I just hoped she didn't make other arrangements to avoid me. How fast could Ivy secure a new home for her and move her in? Surely, not by tonight.
By five, my muscles ached, and my head throbbed. I was still worried about talking to Kinsley, and now I was wondering how I'd do it if Maya was here. Was that her plan? To use Maya as a buffer?
I walked the guys outside. "Thanks for helping."
Hudson inclined his head. "It'll be all hands on deck to get this done before the wedding."
"I can't believe that Hudson is getting married," Cooper said with a smirk.
Hudson didn't rise to the bait and said, "I'm sure it will be the first of many weddings in the Kingston family."
I blew out a breath. "I used to think relationships and marriages meant the end of something, my freedom. But now I see it as a new lease on life. Kinsley's the key to my happiness."
