Forever After All by Kaylee Ryan
Chapter 19
Rip
“That didn’t take long,” Harold says as McKenna and Agnes walk back into the room.
“We didn’t want to give the two of you time for mischief.” Agnes smiles, handing him a coffee. He takes a large drink and grimaces.
“Black?”
Agnes gives him a stern look, and he takes another drink, this time without complaint.
“I thought you might be thirsty,” McKenna says, handing me a sweet tea.
“Thanks, babe.” I drop a kiss to the top of her head and twist open my tea, taking a hefty drink.
“So, what did the two of you talk about while we were gone?” McKenna asks.
She looks worried, and to tell you the truth, I was worried that Harold was going to tear into me about dating his granddaughter and not hurting her. Instead, he thanked me for coming home early with McKenna and making sure she wasn’t alone. To say I was shocked was an understatement.
I’ve known Harold and Agnes since I was little. They’ve been our neighbors for longer than I’ve been alive. The one thing I know about them is that McKenna is the apple of their eye. I was sure I was in for a lecture. Don’t get me wrong. I was ready for it. I’m ready for anything anyone tosses my way. I’m not going to let anything get between us.
“Nothing much. Your gramps thanked me for coming home with you.”
“You didn’t have to do that, you know.” She turns to look at me.
“I did.”
“You don’t owe me anything.”
“I didn’t do it because I felt like I owed you or because I felt obligated.” I turn to face her. Reaching out, I tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I did it because I wanted to. I did it because I wanted to be there for you and because not being where you are didn’t sound the least bit appealing to me.”
“Awe,” Agnes coos. “Hold on to this one, Mac.” She smiles at us.
“Knock knock,” a nurse says while knocking and pushing into the room. “Visiting hours are over,” she tells us.
“I’m staying,” Agnes tells her.
She nods. “That’s fine, but I’m afraid only one of you, and it’s the same deal as last night. If you get caught, I saw nothing.”
“Deal.” Agnes laughs.
“You kids head home and get some rest. They said I might be able to go home tomorrow.”
“Maybe,” the nurse reminds him.
“Maybe.” Harold nods as if he’s agreeing, but we can all see his desire and determination to convince the doctors to let him go home.
Quickly, we say our goodbyes and leave the hospital. The drive home is quiet until we turn on our road. “Will you stay with me tonight?”
“Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“I think it’s the best idea I’ve ever had. Besides, you promised Harold.”
She contemplates her answer. As we are about five hundred feet from her grandparents’ driveway, she says, “Yes. I’ll stay with you.”
I’m glad. I hadn’t planned on stopping anyway. I was going to drive on past their place and pull into mine to see if I could sway her decision. Not that I would ever force her to stay with me. But I was hoping a few kisses might help persuade her. If she decided to go to her grandparents’ place, I was good with taking the couch. Parking my truck in the driveway, I turn off the ignition and angle to look at her. “You hungry?”
“Starving, actually.”
“Come on, let me feed you.” Grabbing my phone and keys, I climb out of the truck and meet her at the bottom of the porch steps. With my hand on the small of her back, we climb the steps, and I give her the code to unlock the door.
“What if I come back and steal you blind?” she asks, pushing open the door.
“You won’t. Besides, you don’t have to steal anything. If it’s mine, it’s yours. I’ll give you anything you want.”
“Those are big declarations, Rip Callahan.”
“They are,” I agree. “That should tell you that this isn't a game to me, Kenna. I want you. I want you in my life, in my house, in my bed. I want anything and everything that you’re willing to give me.”
“That’s… unexpected.”
“Is it? I’ve been honest with you from the day you came home. When I kissed you that night at the bonfire, I knew I was tired of waiting.”
“Tired of waiting?”
“Let me make us some dinner, and I’ll tell you anything that you want to know.”
“Can I help?” Hope blooms in my chest. Maybe we can finally talk, and she’ll listen.
“You can. You can sit your fine ass at the island so I can see you while I’m making you something to eat.”
“I know how to cook.”
“I know you do, baby, but I want to take care of you. It’s been an emotional day, and you just need to relax.”
“What are we having?” she asks, ignoring my term of endearment. Well, she tries too. I saw the flash in her eyes, the one that tells me she’s not immune to me.
“Omelets.”
“Perfect. I always loved eating breakfast for dinner. Gram used to do it pretty often when I was growing up.”
“I think I might have heard you mention that a time or two.” I wink at her.
“Thank you for coming back with me today. It was nice to know I wasn’t alone.”
“McKenna.” I stop what I’m doing and wait for her to set those big brown eyes on me. “As long as there’s breath in my lungs, you will never be alone. Never.”
She swallows hard, and tears once again mist her eyes. Dropping what I’m doing, I dry my hands and make my way around the counter to her.
“I don’t know why I’m so emotional,” she says as I wrap my arms around her.
“It’s been a long, hard day, baby. You have to give yourself some grace.”
“I’m sorry.” She snuggles into my chest.
“You have nothing to be sorry for. Why don’t you go stretch out on the couch? I’ll bring you a glass of wine and dinner when it’s ready.”
“Omelets and wine?”
“We make our own rules, McKenna.” I grin. “Go sit, and I’ll bring you a glass while I’m cooking dinner.”
“Thank you, Rip. For everything.”
“Anything for my girl.” I kiss her forehead and step away from her. I promised my girl a glass of wine, so that’s what I’m going to do.
* * *
A few hours later, we’re sitting on the couch. McKenna’s head is leaning on my shoulder, and it’s my idea of the perfect night. When she yawns, I know it’s time to call it quits. “You ready for bed?”
“Yes.” She sits up and stretches before standing from the couch.
“Go on upstairs. You know where my shirts are if you need something to sleep in. I’m going to lock up and turn out the lights.”
“I have clothes to sleep in.”
“Yeah, but I like you in mine.” I grin before turning and walking away to lock up. It would be too easy to get lost in her down here, and if and when I make love to her again, it’s going to be in a bed, and I’m going to memorize every fucking second of it.
“Bathroom’s all yours,” she says a few minutes later as I walk into my room.
“Nice shirt,” I comment.
“Thanks, this really nice guy said I could wear it.”
“Did he now?”
“He did. Something about liking me in his clothes.”
I take slow, gradual steps toward her, which takes effort. All I want to do is run to her and hold her close. “I do like you in my clothes. Do you know what else I like?”
“What’s that?” she whispers.
“I like that you’re here with me.” My hands land on her hips, and I move in, pressing her body to mine. “You know what else I like?”
“Tell me.”
“You in my bed, in my arms.” I kiss the tip of her nose and release her. “I’m going to change. I’ll be right back.” I disappear into the bathroom. After taking care of business, I strip down to my boxer briefs and brush my teeth. Turning out the light, I make my way blindly to the bed. I can see her form, lying on what I’ve come to refer to as her side. I waste no time sliding under the covers, moving over to the center, and wrapping my arms around her.
Her breathing evens out, and I think she’s fallen asleep. I let my eyes drift closed when I hear her soft voice.
“Rip?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“Do you think we should talk about this? About last night?”
“Is that what you want? To talk about it?”
“I think we should,” she counters.
“I’m listening.”
“We had sex.”
“Yes.”
“Do you remember it?”
“Bits and pieces. I remember walking back to your suite and following you inside. I remember kisses. There were lots of kisses.”
“I remember asking you to stay.”
“Yeah, you asked me to stay.”
“I don’t remember the actual sex part,” she admits.
“Me either.”
“So, where do we go from here?”
“I’d say where we are is a damn good start.”
“Here? In your bed?”
“Yep.”
“What does that mean? How is me in your bed a good start?”
I’m quiet for a few minutes, processing how to handle this. She’s had a rough day, but I swore I wasn’t going to hide from this any longer. “The day you left for college tore me apart.”
“What do you mean?” She rolls over in my arms to face me. I can’t see her face, but I can feel her breath on my cheek. We’re so close.
“I’ve wanted you for so long, McKenna. I can’t tell you the exact day you stopped being my sister’s best friend and more to me. Hell, I think you’ve always been more to me. You were my first kiss.” I find her lips in the dark and give her a chaste kiss.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me that?”
“You had big dreams, Kenna. I was afraid if we started something, you wouldn’t go through with them. I wanted you to achieve everything in life you always dreamed of.”
“I’ve always had a crush on you,” she confesses.
“I had hoped.”
“So, what now?”
Rolling over, I turn on the bedside lamp so we can see each other. Climbing out of bed, I walk to her side and drop to my knees. She sits up, moving her legs to hang over the side of the bed. There’s confusion written all over her face. I know this is corny as fuck, but if she needs me to spell it out for her, I will.
“McKenna Dawson, I want you to be mine. I want to spend as much time with you as I can, and I want this relationship to grow. I don’t want us to see other people, and I want to touch you and kiss you anytime that I want.” I pause and bring our joined hands to my lips, pressing featherlight kisses against her knuckles. “I have something to ask you.”
“O-kay?” She’s curious yet hesitant.
“McKenna, will you be my girlfriend?” I ask. “And before you say yes, that title seems too insignificant with the way I feel about you. Full disclosure: I want you to be more than my girlfriend. I want to build a life with you.”
“Are you….” Her voice trails off as she swallows hard.
“Not tonight. Not in this moment. Tonight, I just want confirmation that you’re mine, and I’m yours, and we’ll work on the ‘forever after all’ part together.”
She smiles so big her face lights up. “You remember that?”
“I’ve never forgotten a single moment that I’ve shared with you.”
“I was seven.”
“And I was nine, but I still remember. One day, I hope that when we say our vows, it will be for real.”
“Am I dreaming?”
“No, baby, you’re not dreaming. This is real. This is us. If you’ll have me.”
She nods as a lone tear trails down her cheek. “I’ve always wanted you. I just… I thought you were just being nice and flirty the last few weeks.”
“Oh, I have been. But not because you were my sister’s best friend. It was all because I wanted you to be mine.”
“You’re mine?”
Dropping her hands, I stand and hold my arms out to my sides. “All of this is yours, McKenna.”
She bites down on her bottom lip, and I would give anything to know what she is thinking. Before I get a chance to ask, her cell phone on the nightstand rings. Glancing down, I see my sister's name.
“It’s Laramie.”
“She’s probably in town and wants an update.” She reaches for her phone but doesn’t move to answer it. “This, us, it’s not a secret?”
“Fuck that. I want the world to know you’re mine.”
“What if this doesn’t work out?”
“Do you want it to?”
“Yes.” She nods. “More than anything.” I don’t want her to be a secret. I want her. I know I’ve been telling me this all along, but tonight it feels different. The way my heart squeezes when she looks at me. It feels real. It is real. This is us. It’s finally our time.
“Me too. Relationships take work, and there’s no one else I want to work at it with. Just you.” Her phone stops ringing, only to start again. I take the phone from her hands, swipe the screen, and place it to my ear. “Hey, sis,” I greet Laramie.
“Is everything okay? I’ve been calling.”
“This is your second call, and we were in the middle of a conversation.”
“Oh, no, is everything okay?”
I smile at McKenna. “Everything is perfect. My girlfriend and I just needed to discuss a few things.”
“Girlfriend? Damnit, Rip, have the two of you been holding out on me?”
“No, we just made it officially official. Here, I’ll let you talk to my girlfriend.” I pull the phone from my ear and hand it to McKenna. “It’s for you, baby.” I kiss her softly before moving to my side of the bed.
I smile as I slide under the covers and listen to McKenna give Laramie an update on her grandfather. Then I hear her explain that she is indeed my girlfriend. My smile is wide, and I reach over and turn off the lamp, bathing the room in darkness. I snuggle up to McKenna, where she’s resting back on the pillow talking to my sister—talking to her best friend about me. Her new boyfriend.
Our day might have started out rocky with the unease of what we shared last night and the news of her grandfather, but the ending, well, it’s made a shitty day one of the best I’ve ever had.
She’s finally mine.
