“Can I watch TV?” she asked.
Again, Kevin complied, setting her up on the couch and finding her favorite cartoon for her before returning to the kitchen.
Rory was trying to scrape the remains of whatever the hell it was she’d burned out of the pan.
“I think we’ve lost another pan,” she said, dropping the ruined thing back down in the sink to soak.
“Man down!” he called out in jest.
This time she laughed. “I’m hopeless.”
“Everyone has different talents, Rory. I can’t carry a tune in a bucket or play a single note on the guitar.”
“That only sort of helps. I’m also complete shit at math.”
He clasped a hand to his heart as if she’d wounded him. “Cooking I can overlook, but math?”
“I need a job.”
Kevin fell silent, his heart starting to thud painfully. He knew Rory wasn’t made for the stay-at-home mom lifestyle. She’d spent too many years working long, hard hours. She thrived on it. But he didn’t expect she’d want to leave so soon.
And once again he marveled over how so much could change in five freaking minutes. He had come in here, ready to lay it all on the line for her, to tell her how he felt, to open his goddamn heart one more time to convince her to stay here and build a family with him.
So much for that.
His temper piqued, his ability to tuck his emotions away vanishing. “Fine,” he said shortly.
Rory frowned at the abrupt change in his demeanor, her next words coming more hesitantly. “I talked to Angel’s teacher at the preschool…about the possibility of me coming in a couple of times a week to lead a music class. She was really excited about it.”
“Wait,” he said. “What?”
“I think I might like to teach music. I was talking to Sue Ann about it today at the café, and she suggested I consider giving guitar lessons at the Community Center. She seemed to think there would be quite a few people interested in learning to play.”
She misinterpreted the frown still painting his face, mistaking his outright shock for anger as she continued speaking. “I mean, neither one of those things is going to bring in a lot of money, but I figured that didn’t matter. I have a ton of money saved up from all my years on the road and some royalties trickling in from songs I’ve written. And Callie paid cash for this house with Keith’s life insurance, so it’s not like we have to worry about a mortgage. I mean, I guess you have one with your house, but you could,” she paused, obviously nervous, “you could sell yours and live here…if you wanted. Or…if you didn’t…”
She sighed, and he could see from the discomfort on her face she’d said way more than she had intended to.
“So you’re staying here in Hope Falls? For good?”
Now it was her turn to scowl. “I’ve said that since the beginning, Kevin.”
“I know that, Rory, but your decision was made pretty quickly, when you were buried in grief. I thought once some time had passed, you’d start to feel differently.”
“About what? Angel is mine.”
“She’s ours,” he corrected quickly.
“Ours,” she amended. “And I’m not about to run off and leave you alone to raise her. There’s also no way in hell I’d take her on the road. I could barely tolerate that life myself this past year. There’s no way I’d subject her to that.”
“You were unhappy on the road?”
“I’ve been miserable ever since that night at JT’s Roadhouse. I made the wrong decision. And I don’t expect you to believe this, but I realized that before…” She swallowed heavily. Rory still struggled to admit Callie had died. He suspected it would take a lot longer than the month that had passed for her to come to grips with that.
Besides, he didn’t want her to say it, didn’t need to hear anything else. He took the two steps necessary to close the distance between them, cupping her cheeks in his hands. “I love you, Rory.”
She smiled, and didn’t try to drown out his words with denial.
“I love you too, Kevin. I have ever since you gave that really cheesy toast at the wedding.”
He laughed, then went for broke. “Marry me.”
Her eyes widened with surprise. “What? Just like that?”
Kevin nodded, not backing down. “Just like that? It’s been six years, rock star. I want to be with you. Forever. I want us to be a family. You, me and Angel.”
Rory reached up to swat away a tear that had fallen but he got there first, then he kissed her.
“Say yes, Rory.”
“Yes. God, yes.”
He studied her face, solemnly at first, but then his big, friendly, affable grin broke through. “Think we should go in there and get the baby’s blessing?”
Rory laughed. “Yeah. We probably should clear this with the boss. Before we do that, order the pizza. And the damn cookie. We’ll try to soften her up with sweets first.”
“Jesus. Aren’t you just a little bit afraid we’re going to screw that poor kid up?”
She shook her head. “Nope. Angel’s going to be just fine. She’s got the world’s greatest aunt and a pretty decent uncle.”
He ruffled her hair up as punishment for her joke.
“Plus, all three of us have two beautiful guardian angels looking down. We’re gonna be okay.”
Check out Mari Carr’s Wilder Irish and see how Rory’s story began in February Stars.
Other book in the Wild Irish series include:
Come Monday – a FREE read!
Ruby Tuesday
Waiting for Wednesday
Sweet Thursday
Friday I’m in Love
Saturday Night Special
Any Given Sunday
Wild Irish Christmas
And read about the next generation of the Collins clan in Wilder Irish
January Girl
February Stars
March Wind
About the Author
Writing a book was number one on Mari Carr’s bucket list and on her thirty-fourth birthday, she set out to see that goal achieved. Too many years later, her computer is jammed full of stories — novels, novellas, short stories and dead ends, and she has nearly eighty published works.
Virginia native Mari Carr is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller of contemporary erotic romance novels. With over one million copies of her books sold, Mari was the winner of the Romance Writers of America’s Passionate Plume award for her novella, Erotic Research.
Join her newsletter so you don't miss new releases and for exclusive subscriber-only content. Find Mari on the web at www.maricarr.com | Facebook | Twitter | Bookbub | Email: mari@maricarr.com
Other books by Mari Carr
Wild Irish:
Come Monday
Ruby Tuesday
Waiting for Wednesday
Sweet Thursday
Friday I’m in Love
Saturday Night Special
Any Given Sunday
Wild Irish Christmas
January Girl
February Stars
March Wind
Compass:
Northern Exposure
Southern Comfort
Eastern Ambitions
Western Ties
Winter’s Thaw
Hope Springs
Summer Fling
Falling Softly
Individual Titles:
Tequila Truth
Rough Cut
Power Play
Power Struggle
One Daring Night
Assume the Positions
Seducing the Boss
Love Lessons:
Happy Hour
Slam Dunk
Just Because:
Because of You
Because You Love Me
Because It’s True
Second Chances:
Fix You
Dare You
Just
You
Near You
Reach You
Always You
Trinity Masters:
Elemental Pleasure
Primal Passion
Scorching Desire
Forbidden Legacy
Hidden Devotion
Elegant Seduction
Secret Scandal
Delicate Ties
Beloved Sacrifice
Big Easy:
Blank Canvas
Crash Point
Full Position
Rough Draft
Triple Beat
Winner Takes All
Going Too Fast
Sparks in Texas:
Sparks Fly
Waiting for You
Something Sparked
Off Limits
No Other Way
Whiskey Eyes
Clandestine:
Bound by the Past
Covert Affairs
Mad about Meg
June Girls:
No Recourse
No Regrets
Madison Girls:
Kiss Me, Kate
Three Reasons Why
Boys of Fall:
Free Agent
Red Zone
Wild Card
Farpoint Creek:
Outback Princess
Outback Cowboy
Outback Master
Outback Lovers
Cowboys:
Spitfire
Rekindled
Cowboy Heat
Cocktales:
Party Naked
Screwdriver
Bachelor’s Bait
Screaming O
What Women Want:
Sugar and Spice
Everything Nice