“You are so in love with him,” Celeste says in a sing-song-y voice.
I don’t even bother to deny it. “I so am.”
* * *
“Good morning, beautiful.” Lachlan’s words are accompanied by a kiss to my cheek. I snuggle deeper into his side, hiding my face so we don’t have to wake up. I have no idea what time it is. The only thing I’m sure of is that I don’t want to leave this bed ever. And then it hits me. Lachlan is in my bed…in my house…and Kinsley is home. Oh, God! We fell asleep again! We’ve been getting more and more careless lately. Lachlan keeps waking up a little later. And judging by the light shining in through the windows, unless a miracle has occurred and Kinsley is still asleep, she’s going to see him leaving.
“You have to go,” I stress.
Lachlan’s body stiffens. “Shit!” he hisses. He shoots up into a sitting position and my head drops onto the pillow. “I set my alarm.” He grabs his phone and swipes it open. “Damn it, I’m sorry, I set it for p.m. by mistake. You go down and distract her and I’ll sneak out.”
That’s when I remember today is Thanksgiving. “You’re coming back, though, right? For dinner?”
“Of course.” He cups the side of my face and presses his lips to mine. “Declan said he and Venessa would be going as well, so I’ll probably drive them over since I still have my vehicle.”
“Okay.” I pout, not thrilled that I won’t see him until later.
“What’s wrong?”
“What if I talk to Kinsley about us? She already knows you’re my boyfriend.”
Lachlan is already shaking his head.. “No, you said you weren’t comfortable with her seeing a man wake up here unless you knew it was forever. One day I’m going to make you mine, forever, and then we will explain why we’re all living together. Until then, I need to do a better job at sneaking out.”
My shoulders droop in relief at how perfect this man is. “Okay, I’ll go distract her.” I give him a chaste kiss, despite wishing I had the time to devour him. “See you later.”
I find Kinsley in her room, still in her pajamas and playing with her Barbies. I close her door partially so Lachlan can sneak out without her seeing. We spend the better part of the morning playing and then Kinsley helps me make the mashed potatoes to bring with us for dinner.
We arrive at my brother and Celeste’s place, and I see Lachlan’s BMW is already parked in the driveway. When we walk in, Kinsley immediately spots him sitting at the dining room table and gives him a hug. She and Lachlan have become close the last couple months, and it warms my heart to know she has yet another person in her life who loves her. I take a moment to say hello to all the guys—and Declan’s girlfriend—who are sitting on the couch watching football.
Both Nick and Killian are yelling at the screen, and I can’t help but laugh. They both played several years in the NFL and always have a lot to say when a game is on.
After I’m done talking to Killian about the new ink he just got done, I walk over to Lachlan. “Hey you,” I say, leaning down to give him a kiss. “Whatcha doing?” I look around and see several of the kids are drawing and painting turkeys.
“Painting my turkey.” Lachlan laughs. “Hey, Mini-Q, want to draw one?”
“Yeah!” she exclaims, jumping into the empty seat next to him. He hands her a plate and explains how to trace her hand and then cut it out. I watch as she follows his directions to a T. When she starts drawing and painting the actual turkey, though, she frowns, her gaze flickering between Lachlan’s finished turkey and hers. “Mine sucks.” She pouts.
“Hey,” he admonishes, cheekily. “You said a bad word. You owe me a dollar.” The room erupts into a fit of laughter—well, everyone but Kinsley, whose brows knit together as she pulls a dollar bill from her pocket.
“Fine, but it’s a waste of time because you’ll curse soon and have to give it back.” She slaps the dollar bill into his palm with an adorable glare. “My turkey looks so bad, and yours looks perfect.” She crosses her arms over her chest. “It’s not fair. You make tattoos, so you can draw.” She huffs loudly.
“You’re being kind of rude,” I tell her. “Are you in need of a nap?” Every day after school, she goes home and takes a short nap to help her unwind from her day. We were busy cooking and playing today, so she never took one. It’s about that time.
“I’m not a baby, Mom,” she whines, her eyes darting around at all the kids at the table.