She sat in the corner of the couch and curled her legs up on the cushion. “You know, as I walked into the room, I was struck by how comfortable you made yourself.”
He looked sheepish for a minute. “Sorry. I figured it was okay since you were in the shower and we planned to eat together.”
“No.” She held up a hand. “That’s not it. I don’t mind. It reminded me of when we were dating. And yeah, we were dating. We hung out and spent the night together. We weren’t just friends with benefits or whatever. We were in a relationship.” Her skin warmed as her anger and frustration rose again.
Kevin hung his head. “Yeah, we were. I never meant to imply we weren’t.”
“Then what did I do wrong?” As soon as she said the words, she wanted to pull them back. They were needy and weak. She knew she’d done nothing wrong.
“Nothing.”
“I know that. I’m not being clear.” She swallowed and closed her eyes to gather her thoughts. “What I meant was, what did I do to make you think it was acceptable to sleep with other people?”
“Again, you did nothing. I really liked what we had going, but we never talked about it. We didn’t have the talk.” He shifted on the couch, putting himself closer to her. “What I said before was true. I knew we were getting serious, and it freaked me out. I wasn’t ready. I had no fucking clue what I wanted. Part of me thought playing the field was it.”
“And I made it easy by disappearing from your life without a fight.” She had to admit he impressed her. Kevin took responsibility for the crappy way things went, even though it wasn’t all his fault. Sure, he could’ve figured out that she wasn’t looking for an open relationship, but back then she didn’t have the backbone to stand up and tell him he was being an asshole. “Okay. Let’s eat. I’m starving.”
He pulled a slice of pizza and handed it to her. “For the record, I know now.”
“Know what?” she asked as she sank her teeth into the gooey cheese.
“I know what I want. I’ve been focused on my career for the last few years. I’m not exactly where I want to be, but I’m on the right path. I’m ready to settle down. I’ve always known that one day I’d want to get married and have a family. I’m ready.”
She swallowed the pizza in her mouth, but it wasn’t moving down her throat. What the heck? First Kevin tells her he wants another chance with her, but she can take her time to think about it. Now he’s talking marriage and babies.
He burst out laughing. “Right now, you look like I imagine I would’ve five years ago if you’d mentioned settling down. I’m not expecting to get you pregnant anytime soon. I’m just letting you know that I’m in a different place in my life. I’d like you to be part of it.”
Then he sat back and returned his attention to the TV and the baseball game that he’d turned on. He ate his dinner like he hadn’t just dropped a bomb on her. She was adept at listening and although he’d said he wasn’t looking for a baby right now, she also heard what he left out. He didn’t say he wasn’t looking to marry her, or that he wanted to test the waters of monogamy; he simply said he wasn’t quite ready to impregnate her. Her—not just anyone.
So much for clearing her mind. Kevin had just given her even more to think about. And for the first time, she really wanted to consider it. It was more than lust or chemistry. She found that the more time she spent with Kevin, the more she liked who he’d become. She just wasn’t sure she was ready to trust him.
Chapter Seven
Kevin’s week had been exhausting but productive. He’d been working closely with the mayor to get the new tourism initiative off the ground. Thursday night’s party had only been a blip on the radar for everything he’d accomplished.
And he was dying because Kathy hadn’t contacted him once. He reminded himself that it had only been two days. They shared a brief e-mail exchange about the bachelor party, but that was it. When they’d talked after the mayor’s cocktail party, he’d thought he’d made headway with her. He’d been sure she was at least considering giving him a chance.
He wondered if her silence was her answer. After all, that was what she’d done last time. As irritating as that thought was, he pushed it aside. He’d promised her time to think, and he’d give it to her, but he had no intention of sitting idly by forever.
He got ready for a night on the lake, free-flowing drinks, and half-naked women and men to torment Jimmy. His big brother only had eyes for Moira, so he wouldn’t want to look at a stripper, but he might pop a vein if he thought Moira wanted to watch a striptease. As best man, he couldn’t in good conscience not have hired a stripper at all. The guests would expect it, so he delivered.
The show he had planned would put all others to shame. This might go down in history as the best bachelor party ever.
He and Kathy planned to arrive early so they were there to greet everyone as they boarded the boat. It wasn’t often that he used his city hall contacts to his advantage, but to give Jimmy a night to remember, it was worth it. They’d gotten the cruise for a steal and what was better was that they had it all to themselves. The only people on the ship were those invited for the party.
After parking at a nearby lot, he walked to the dock. Kathy was already there,
