Page 90 of Summer Heat
Cooper squeezed my shoulder. "Don't be an idiot and lose her."
The gate opened, and Kinsley drove through, followed by Derek. I was excited and nervous to see Kinsley and Maya. Would Maya realize that something was wrong?
"Good luck," Coop mumbled as he opened his truck door, and Hudson squeezed my shoulder in a silent show of support.
Kinsley got out of her car and moved toward Derek's rear passenger seat, letting Maya out.
Maya ran to greet me. "Shep!"
I picked her up. Her arms wrapped around my neck, and I felt a deep sense of belonging. This was where I was supposed to be. I wanted more days where Kinsley and Maya came home to me. We'd spend our evenings cooking dinner, doing homework, and playing games.
I just had to convince Kinsley.
Kinsley grabbed Maya's bag from the back of the car and shut the door.
I raised a brow. "Derek's not getting out."
"Nope," Kinsley said, looking weary. She had bags under her eyes.
"Let's go inside so you can relax." She must not have slept well last night, probably worried about the same things I was. Except she thought I didn't care for her. That I didn't want her. And she couldn't be further from the truth. I was going to set her straight. If she'd let me.
"Wave to Daddy," I forced myself to say to Maya.
Maya complied, and then we turned to go inside.
Kinsley dropped Maya's bag by the door.
"You want to cook dinner or order in?" I asked her, not sure what I was supposed to do in this situation.
Kinsley made a distasteful face. "You don't have to cook."
We were back to this again, and I didn't like it. She was shutting me out. I looked at Maya. "What do you want?"
She held her hands out wide. "Chinese!"
I grinned. "I haven't had Chinese in forever."
"It's not something we normally splurge on," Kinsley said softly.
I wondered if the apartment search hadn't gone well.
"Should we get Chinese food delivered or go out to eat?" I asked Kinsley, letting Maya down.
Her shoulders lowered slightly. "Chinese sounds good."
"Let's have a night in. Eat Chinese, read our fortune cookies, and watch TV." I needed to reserve my energy for the talk we needed to have.
I wouldn't let her disappear this time. Kinsley couldn't walk out of my life without her knowing where I stood and how I felt.
I ordered the food, getting everyone's preferences before making the call. Then I suggested we get in the pool.
We didn't discuss what happened the night before, since Maya was with us. It was tense. I wanted to ease the awkwardness, but any conversation would have to wait for Maya to be in bed.
When the food came, I went out to the gate, grabbing our bags. When I returned, everyone was upstairs getting dressed, so I knocked on Kinsley's door.
"Yes?" she called through the door.
"Meet me on the rooftop for dinner."
