“What are you even talking about?”
“Poppy is Mr. Pruitt’s niece. And she thinks being with mewill somehow show Mr. Pruitt that she’s serious about taking over the company. That’sit. It’s basically a business transaction. And believe me when I say that thereis nothing real about the relationship at all. Because I’m falling foryou, Kennedy. I can’t stop thinking about you.”
She just stared at me.
“You changed everything, Kennedy. I was fucking drowningbefore you came crashing back into my life.”
A tear slid down her cheek.
I risked her slapping me again and reached out to wipe hertears away. “So please just come inside. And we can talk this through.”
She opened her mouth and then closed it again. She shook herhead. “I can’t do this with you, Matt.”
“Do what?”
“Get tangled up in whatever you just said. If you owe somekind of debt to Brooklyn’s dad…”
“I don’t. I swear I don’t. Scarlett was in danger. And I’d doanything to keep that little girl safe. This was the only way. I swear if I thinkof something else, you’ll be the first to know.”
“So James has a kid?”
I smiled. “Two actually.”
“I can’t picture him being a dad. When did we all get soold?”
“You look anything but old.”
She looked down at her shoes.
“That’s what the date is, by the way. Mason, Rob, and Jamesare all inside for guys’ night. I was kinda thinking I could surprise themwith…you. And the fact that we’re dating.”
“So they don’t even know I’m coming?”
I shook my head.
“And they don’t know that we’re dating?”
“Not yet.” I smiled down at her. “That’s kind of what tonightwas for.”
She took a deep breath. “I think maybe we should keep it thatway.”
“You want to do something else tonight?”
“I mean the dating thing. We’re not dating, Matt. Not anymore.I’ve been in a toxic relationship before. And I’m not putting myself in asituation to get stepped all over again. I can’t.”
“Kennedy…”
“We’ll be friends. Until you get this sorted out with Poppy. Okay?”
“Just friends?”
She nodded. “Just friends.”
I was so close. So close to getting to be happy. So close togetting the girl for once. I didn’t know how long this shit with Poppy wasgoing to take. Days? Months? Longer? I tried to ignore the sinking feeling inmy stomach. But I had to respect Kennedy’s decision. I’d never force her to bewith me in secret. Despite what she’d said, I’d learned my lesson on that. “Okay.”
“Okay.” She exhaled slowly. “So I’m just going to go then.”
“You can still come up, Kennedy. All the guys are going to bethrilled to see you.”
“I don’t really feel like hanging out with everyone when Ifeel like I’m about to start crying.”
“I’m sure Rob will make you smile.”
She laughed. “That’s true. I have to admit, I kind of misshis jokes. But won’t it be weird?”
“Why would it be weird? You and I have always been friends. Nothingwill change that.” But it was a lie. Everything changed as soon as I kissedher. I didn’t want to go back. I didn’t know how to go back.
“Right.” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
I could already feel her slipping away. “Come on. It’ll befun.” I put my hand out for her.
She ignored my offered hand. But she leaned in to tell thetaxi driver he didn’t have to wait any longer. “I’m sorry about the flowers,” shesaid as the taxi sped off.
“It’s okay. At the last minute I realized you’d probablyprefer French fries anyway.”
She laughed. “Very true. But for the record, when you’ve donesomething wrong and want to bring flowers, my favorites are tulips. I can’t evenremember where my mom and I were going. But we were on a trip and we passed bythis huge field of tulips. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.”
I didn’t say a word as we walked side by side into James’building. But if she thought she wasn’t getting a tulip every day until shetook me back, she was sorely mistaken. We got on the elevator and I could feelthe distance between us. She leaned against the wall on the opposite side ofme. And all I could think about was closing the distance between us.
Chapter 38
Friday
“Stop looking at me like that,” Kennedy said.
“Like what?”
“Like more than friends.”
“I don’t know how to not do that,” I said.
Kennedy shook her head. “You’re making this harder than ithas to be. It’s like you said earlier, we’ve always been friends.”
“That was before I kissed you.” I watched as her cheeks grew rosy.
“Cut it out,” she said.
“I’m not doing anything.”
“Yes you are,” she said with a laugh. “You’re over therelooking all sexy, staring at me.”
I smiled. “You think I’m sexy?”
“Try harder to look at me like we’re just friends,” she said,ignoring me.
I closed the distance between us in the elevator.
She looked up at me. “Matt…”
“You can’t deny that you feel this too.”
“Of course I feel this.” She put her hand on my chest andthen quickly removed it. “I didn’t say this wasn’t hard for me. I just…I don’twant to be with someone that isn’t all in. And you can’t be all in right now.”
“I am all in.”
“Except in public where you’re all in with another woman?”
I pressed my lips together.
“We’re just hitting pause,” she said. But her words didn’tfit her actions, because she drew a fraction of an inch closer.
I didn’t say a word. I just stared down at her.
She leaned forward, her lips stopping by my ear. Her handrested on my shoulder.
It took every ounce of restraint I had not to hit the emergencybutton on the elevator to bring it to a halt. I couldn’t remember the last timeI wanted something so badly.
“Try harder,” she whispered and then took a step back.
Kennedy Alcaraz was a tease. And I was pretty sure I was fallingin love with her. “Maybe you should try harder to keep your hands to yourself,Alcaraz.”
“Don’t call me that,” she said
