She hadn’t wanted to think about it earlier when he’d said what he did about HOT and being a family, but she knew it wasn’t something she could completely ignore. It was something Bailey had to live with too. And Chloe. All the terrific women she’d met who were married or dating the men on Zach’s team.
“Can you hold this for me?” he asked.
She went over and gripped one of the sides of the dresser. Zach connected it to the back piece, then gave her a grin. Her heart throbbed so hard. It was scary to love someone other than her sister and her baby so much.
“Thank you, Zach.”
“It’s no big deal. I’ve put stuff like this together before. But you’re welcome.”
“That’s not what I meant. I was talking about Ana.”
He tilted his head. “I’m not sure I follow.”
Her throat was tight. “You called her our little girl. I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”
“Aw, baby, don’t cry.”
He put an arm around her and hugged her to his side. That’s when she realized a tear had spilled down her cheek. She swiped it away.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to cry. It’s just that Ana’s never had a dad. Not really. James never cared a thing about her, other than how much money she could bring on the black market. Alexei is the closest thing she’s had to a dad, but of course he can’t be more than a really great uncle. And now you’ve called her ours, and it makes me happy. That’s all.”
“I told you it was my plan to make you happy.”
“You’re doing a great job of it.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Come on, beautiful. Let’s finish the dresser. I’ve worked up an appetite between sex and this.”
They finished putting everything together, placed the furniture and cleaned up the mess. Kayla retrieved the sheets from the dryer. Zach helped her put them on the mattress and they retreated to the kitchen to heat up Chloe’s casserole.
Kayla called Bailey while the food was heating so she could arrange to pick up Ana. They were also going to get the rest of her things while they were there. Kayla didn’t have much so it wasn’t like she needed a moving van. She’d spent most of her life without a lot of stuff, and other than living in the in-law apartment for the past few months, she’d never had her own home before. As grateful as she was to Bailey and Alexei for providing that space for her, it had never felt like hers.
It was slowly sinking in that living here with Zach, as his wife, meant this was her home too. Sure, it was a rental, but she could put up pictures and decorate the way she liked. She’d done a little of that in the apartment, but the furniture wasn’t hers and she’d only done stuff like buy a few accessories here and there when she had money.
Here—and even when they moved—she had an entire house to play with. And a full kitchen in which to learn how to cook more dishes than she knew how to make right now.
“You’re smiling, Kayla. I’m happy to see that.”
Kayla met his gaze. “Was I? I didn’t realize. I was just thinking about Ana’s room, and about living here with you.” She felt shy but she also knew she could say things to him. He understood. “I’ve never had a home where I didn’t feel like I might have to leave it at any minute. I mean I didn’t feel that way over at Bailey and Alexei’s, but it’s their house, not mine. And while this isn’t my house either, it’s the first time it feels like it is. Does that make sense?”
He nodded. “It’s ours together. The house came furnished, but when we move on base we’ll need our own furniture. You’ll get to pick everything that you want because decorating’s not my thing. All I want is a couch that feels substantial and not like I have to be careful sitting on it. Oh, and maybe it’d be nice if it’s not pink. Not sure I’d like a pink couch.”
Kayla laughed. “No pink. Got it. What about blush?”
“Blush?”
He looked adorably confused for a moment and she giggled. “It’s another word for pink. I’m joking. We’ll save the blush for Ana’s room. And maybe our sheets.”
He blinked.
“Kidding, Zach.”
He laughed. “Damn, beautiful. I think you’re actually relaxing a bit. For the record, I like it when you aren’t worrying about everything.”
She put her hand on his where it rested on the table and squeezed. “I like it too.”
She hadn’t stopped worrying, probably never would, but for now she felt safe and content. It was an amazing thing to feel. She only hoped it lasted.
Neo liked seeing Kayla at ease. Her smiles were quicker, and there was a looseness to the way she moved that wasn’t usually there. Kayla was always nervous, always uptight. She lived with one eye over her shoulder. He wanted to ease those storm clouds for her. Make her feel secure.
It was her insecurity that had made her run from him after the night they’d shared together a couple of months ago. And it wasn’t all her fault. He knew that too.
He’d treated her carefully, like a friend more than someone he wanted to get naked with. He’d been attracted to her from the first moment he’d seen her at Camel’s place back when Bailey’d been kidnapped by the Kings of Doom. She’d been haunted, and he’d wanted to erase that fear from her eyes. He’d wanted to protect her. Fiercely.
But she’d had an infant, she’d been through a lot of trauma, and there was no way in hell he could date her like he would any other woman. So he’d treated her like a friend because it didn’t raise any alarm bells for Camel or Bailey. He’d also known she wasn’t ready
