Inflame

Looking up at him, I catch his eyes. “I’ve gone through a million scenarios in my mind since Saturday and not one of them ended like this. My heart aches for you. And I understand now why you wouldn’t want to talk about it.” My hand rests on belly. “I’m so sorry for your loss, Kale. No parent, no matter how young, should ever have to go through that. And for the sake of being crude, I think Tara’s kind of a bitch. I mean, I can imagine that she was probably scared and alone, but she could have at least told you, even if it was through a letter or even a phone call. For you to just show up and find out that way seems cruel.”

I feel his chest rumble underneath me as he laughs. “Baby, watch your mouth,” he chastises, leaning in to press a kiss against my lips. “But yeah, I may have called her something a little more colorful the other day.”

I feel my eyes widen, and I squirm in his lap. “You didn’t! You’re the most gentlemanly guy I know. Ginger would kick your ass if she heard you say that!”

He gives me a sheepish grin that slowly turns devilish. “I’m usually a gentleman, but she upset you, and it didn’t make me very happy. Plus, Kaylie thought it was hilarious. But back to what you said… I’ve never actually thought about that. In all my anger, I never let myself think about what it was like for her after I was gone.”

“I know it’s probably not what you want to hear, but it’s been ten years, Kale. In order to really move forward, you have to let go of your anger towards her, too.”

He sighs and gives me a small smile. “I know you’re right. And I think I’m starting to. I was angrier at her the other day for upsetting you more than anything else. What she did is done and I can’t ever change it. I need to stop looking back and focus on the future. On you and Sprout. So let’s finish this,” he insists.

Nodding in agreement, I settle in against his chest and listen carefully as he pulls out every item from the box, giving me a brief history. When he pulls out the engagement ring, I turn to look at him, giving him a questioning smile.

“That’s the first thing to go to a pawn shop,” he says, and I laugh, honestly not caring what he does with it. If she was foolish enough to let him go, to return his ring, then the sight of it doesn’t bother me in the least bit.

The last item he pulls out is an ultrasound, and my breath hitches when I see the image. We’re cuddled up on the couch together, and he brings the photograph in so we can both get a close look.

“I wish I could have met him,” I whisper, hoping I’m not speaking out of bounds.

Kale’s lips press softly against my temple. “So do I, baby.” He leans across the couch and opens up the drawer in the coffee table, pulling out a photo. When he hands it to me, I realize that it’s our first image of Sprout, and my heart melts. “This is why I was so messed up that night. I was overwhelmed at the sight of him, at the thought of actually becoming a father, and I was terrified of letting you down. For the longest time, I locked away what happened, and seeing the sonogram brought it all back to the surface, and it freaked me out. I already loved him so much, and the thought of losing him, or you, was more than I could handle.”

“Kale, you could never let me down, and you’re not going to lose me. Ever. All I wanted was for you to open up. Nothing from your past would have ever scared me away from you, and I would never, ever take your son from you. I love you. Who you are, who you were, and who you’ve come to be.” Pausing, I take his hand and rest it on my belly. “My heart breaks for all you’ve lost. I know I can never replace it, and I’d never try. But I’m here now, and he’ll be here soon, and we’re never going to leave your side. But from now on, you have to be one hundred percent honest and open with me. No more secrets.”

Kale’s eyes are on his hand, and then he looks back at the sonogram. Finally, his gaze reaches mine and he gives me a breathtaking smile. “No more secrets. Scout’s honor,” he says, trying to make that damned pledge with his hand as he gives me a small smile. “I can’t dwell on the past anymore, baby, and I don’t want to. I have so much to look forward to, and that’s what I wa

Curling my fingers around his, I give them a gentle squeeze. “That’s good to know, Montgomery, because I’d never let you, even if you tried.”

Chapter 35

Kale

AFTER FINALLY opening up about Tara and the baby, Lucy and I have been closer than ever. She’s helped me realize that I never did grieve the way I should have, yet at the same time, I’ve learned that life’s gotten easier as I’ve let go of old wounds.

“Baby, we’ve got to go or else we’re going to be late!” I yell to the back bedroom, where Lucy shooed me out of earlier.

I’m pacing the living room, more than ready to loosen the green tie she encouraged me to wear. It’s late May, and Mother Nature already decided that summer should come early. I know I’ll be losing my jacket and rolling up my sleeves before the night’s over, and I fight the urge to go ahead and do it now.

As I hear the bedroom door open, I turn, my breath taken away as I catch sight of her. She’s an absolute vision, and my mouth waters as I scan her from head to toe. I didn’t think she could get any sexier than she was at her baby shower, but the sight of her now, nearly nine months pregnant and radiating sexuality, has me on edge. She’s gri

“Have I ever told you how sexy you look in a suit?” she asks, her eyes raking over my body.

“Baby, you always tell me I look sexy,” I tease, and I dodge as she goes to give me a playful slap.

“Okay, let’s get a move on. My back’s been killing me all day, and all I want to do is sit.”

She slips into her standard black flats and grabs her purse as we make our way out of the house. Leading her to the car, I gently help lower her into it. Now that she’s nine months pregnant, every move she makes worries me, and I know it’s going to be hard to keep my eyes off her through the night.

When we arrive in Belle Meade an hour later, I’m taken aback as I see the Wellington home. Knowing Knox, I never would’ve guessed he grew up in a place like this. As I hand my keys off to the valet, I try to come to grips with the fact that this is the home of a guy whose bone I’ve seen protruding through his skin. He never let on that he came from money, and as Lucy and I walk down the long hallway, I catch sight of a newspaper clipping that shows him lying on stretcher, waiting for medevac. Lucy’s eyes widen when she sees it, and I wrap an arm around her protectively.

“Just think. If the explosion hadn’t happened, we might not even be here right now,” I whisper to her. “Everything happens for a reason, baby. Believe it.”

She nods in agreement as she continues to scan the article.

“Oh, you made it!” I turn and see Lucy moving towards Charlie, both of them arms wide open. “I know you probably hated sitting in the car on the way here, but I’m so glad to see you. After all, what kind of engagement party would it be without my best friend and maid of honor?”