His words gave her courage. “I don’t have to know everything. And the important stuff—the part that makes you you—that’s the stuff that’s learned from actions, not words. I know you, Kurt, even if I don’t know everything.”
His answering sigh was like steam escaping from a kettle. His arms locked around her as he drew her tightly against him. She could feel his trembling torso against her stomach. His face was half-buried in her hair, and his words were muffled. “Kels, I came for you. To Sabrina’s. I came for you.”
Their lips met, and the kiss was both tender and intense. Tears of relief slid down her face. Not making a mess of the makeup she’d taken a half hour perfecting slid to the bottom of her priority list. Through the glass doors, there was a second round of applause after a muffled announcement was made.
Then, where Kurt’s thigh pressed into her, she felt his phone begin to vibrate. When he didn’t pull away, she followed his lead and allowed the kiss to linger. His lips left hers to press against her temple, then her ear, and down her neck. They were on their way back upward when his phone began to vibrate for a second round.
Kelsey pulled away enough to let her head clear. They had time for this later. An entire night with no interruptions. She didn’t want to miss much of Megan’s big moment.
“Do you want to see who it is? And I’m thinking we should head back inside. At least until the big stuff is finished.”
“Yeah, sure.” He pulled out his phone and shook his head. “It’s a number I don’t know.” He pressed End and dropped his phone back into his pocket.
He’d locked his hand around hers, and they were crossing the veranda when he stopped and frowned. “Someone’s persistent. I should take this.”
“Yeah, okay. I’ll meet you inside.” A glance through the glass doors and across the crowded room was all it took to spot her mother craning her neck in their direction before hurriedly looking away. Kelsey clicked her tongue as she turned back to Kurt. “Something tells me we weren’t as invisible out there as I thought we were. If you get lost in the crowd, just look for the middle-aged parents with a zillion questions.”
Chapter 25
Kurt pressed End and dropped his phone back into his pocket. He could think of only one thing that could effectively come between Kelsey and this night of hers.
And it was happening.
He wove through the crowd until he found her tucking a pin into a young girl’s hair at the edge of the dance floor. He stopped about ten feet away, taking a few seconds to commit to memory this side of her—the sexy heels and golden hair swept off her neck, the shimmery dress that called out to him to slip it off her enticing curves.
She noticed him before he was ready for her to. His hesitation must have been visible on his face, because her eyebrows knit together in concern as she stood, patting the girl before she bounded off to join a group of other little kids.
“Everything okay?” she asked as he joined her.
“Yeah, but I don’t know how to tell you this. It was Tess. She thought we’d want to know.”
Kelsey clamped a hand over her mouth. “Please don’t tell me it was the protesters again.”
“It wasn’t. It looks like Pepper’s gone into active labor. She was unsettled this afternoon, but I was really hoping we had another day or two. It’s new territory for Tess, but Rob’s willing to stay. They don’t need us, but after seeing how crazy you were about Pepper, Tess wanted to make sure you knew.”
Kelsey clutched the front fold of his suit. “Tonight! Are you kidding? Oh my gosh, you aren’t kidding, are you?”
He couldn’t help but laugh at her unbridled excitement. “No, I’m not.”
“How soon does Tess think it will be? Is Rob able to guess? These things always happen at night, don’t they?” She smoothed his suit back into place. “Oh, Kurt, we can’t miss Pepper’s puppies coming into the world.”
“Honestly, there’s no way to tell. Once the delivery starts, it’ll go for several hours. They usually rest in between deliveries, and I’m pretty sure she’s pregnant with quite a few. It’s possible if we head back early morning tomorrow, we’ll still catch a few being born.”
Kelsey shook her head. “Something could go wrong. She could need us. She trusts us. Rob and Tess are strangers to her.”
“It’s up to you, Kelsey. Whatever you want to do. I know how important tonight is to you.”
She let out a soft sigh, her shoulders dropping and her eyes closing a second or two. When she opened them, she leaned close to whisper in his ear. “Kurt, that room is so lovely. There’s a Jacuzzi and a giant, comfy bed and candles, and you didn’t even get to see it. When things settle down, I’m so taking you back there.”
He closed one hand over her hip. “I’ll hold you to that.”
“Deal. Would you think we have another half hour or so? They’re going to cut the cake and stuff soon. I’d hate to miss that. Shoot, I still have to go back to the inn and get my things.”
“Why don’t you stay here and hang out with your parents a bit longer, and I’ll run to the room to get your stuff. That way I’ll know what to look forward to later, and hopefully you won’t miss anything too important here or with Pepper.”
Kelsey brushed her lips over his. “That works, if you don’t mind.” She hurried to the table where she’d left her clutch and came back with an antique key rather than a plastic card. Kurt knew before seeing it that he’d approve of the room.
* * *
It was Kelsey’s experience that return trips
