Fuck. It’s damn hot in here, but I’m a man on a mission so I don’t complain.
I trail a finger along her slit through her lace panties, and she whimpers. My cock is aching as I bury my face in her crotch, kissing her through the barely there material.
“Kal.” She rests her hands on my shoulders, over the dress. “You’ll want to see this first. Trust me.”
“The present can wait,” I mumble, pushing her panties aside and swiping my tongue along her heated flesh, moaning as my cock strains against the zipper of my pants.
“Kalvin Edward Kennedy!” Lana yanks her dress up, eyeballing me with a serious expression that dares me to challenge her.
“I get so fucking turned on when you call me by my full name,” I admit, stroking my palm along my hard length. “Baby, I need to be inside you. Right now.” I grab her ankle, trailing my fingers up her leg again.
She sighs, sinking to her knees in front of me. “You make it so difficult to surprise you.” She hands me an envelope, and her eyes tear up. “You’re going to be a daddy again, Kal. I’m six weeks pregnant.”
My hands drop to my sides, and my eyes pop wide. “What?” I splutter, completely shell-shocked.
“I only found out last week when I went to the doctor to get a new script for my pill. With the wedding planning, I hadn’t realized I’d missed my period.” She drags her lower lip between her teeth in a way I find completely sexy. “Say something.”
I lift her into my arms, kissing her softly, before opening the envelope, staring at the scan photo of our baby. A messy ball of emotion builds at the back of my throat and tears prick my eyes. “It’s real? We’re having another baby?” Now I understand why she’s been avoiding alcohol, and why she’s not in the least bit hungover today. I’m guessing she found some creative ways to avoid drinking too much last night.
She nods, still looking concerned. “I know it wasn’t planned, and it kinda messes things up, but—”
“But nothing, honeybun.” I cup her beautiful face. “This is the best news ever. The best wedding gift ever.” I slide one hand down to her flat stomach, keeping it there. “And I’ll be with you every step of the way this time. You won’t be doing this alone.”
“I still hate that I deprived you of that with Hewson,” she says, as a solitary tear leaks out of her eye.
“Don’t, baby.” I peck her lips, rubbing my thumb along her soft cheek. “That’s water under the bridge now.” A massive grin spreads across my mouth. “Hewson will be fucking delighted.” Recently, he’s started asking us why he doesn’t have a brother or sister like all his friends in preschool.
“I’m glad we made the decision to move back to Wellesley now,” Lana admits, “even if I am still worried about people’s reactions.”
“I won’t let anyone hurt you, Lana.” I know she’s terrified that people are going to shun her because of her false accusation, but she pushed her concerns aside in favor of our son’s needs, and I couldn’t love her any more for it.
Being around family is what’s best for Hewson, and I want him to grow up in the same environment we did.
I want to play ball with him in the park like Dad did with me. Take him fishing and swimming with my brothers like we did as kids. Spend summers in the pool and by the beach. Have picnics in the woods and so many other things we did when we were little.
I’ve missed my family, and I want Hewson to grow up surrounded by his cousins.
But I won’t do it at Lana’s expense.
If she’s not happy, and she doesn’t settle, we’ll move.
It’s as simple as that.
I pull Lana’s head to my shoulder, wrapping my arms around her back. “Moving back home is the best thing for us, but if people can’t get over themselves, we’ll move to Connecticut.”
We haven’t told any of the fam we’re moving back yet as we want to purchase a house before breaking the good news.
While Lana and I both love it in Florida, and we’ll miss our friends and the gorgeous weather, there’s nothing really tying us there. She’s still estranged from her grandparents, and there’s no sign of that changing any time soon. My in-laws live in Connecticut. My parents live in Massachusetts. And Lana’s agent and publisher reside in New York, so moving back to Wellesley is the logical choice.
“And you’re really pleased about the baby?” she asks, hesitation lingering in her tone.
“I told you I want a whole football field full of kids, and I like being a young dad. There is nothing to not like.” I reposition her so she’s straddling me. “I’m over the moon, babe. This is the absolute best news ever.” I stand, holding her up while walking us over to the bed. “Now, unless you’ve got any other presents for me, let me demonstrate exactly how fucking ecstatic I am.” I shoot her a wolfish grin as I roll her dress up to her waist, drag her panties down her legs, and resume what I’d barely started.
“Meh,” Kent is saying as I rejoin some of my brothers at their table a half hour later. Lana is bringing Hewson around the marquee, letting him say goodnight to everyone before she puts him to bed. Once he’s asleep, the babysitter will watch over him until my brother and his wife retire for the night. We’re staying in a hotel suite down by the harbor, so Faye and Ky are rooming with the little tyke.
“What’s meh?” I ask, swiping a cold beer from the ice bucket in the middle of the table and popping the cap.
“The foursome from last night,” he flippantly says, as if we’re discussing the weather or the latest episode of Survivor.
“I told you it was a bad idea,” Keanu says, sulking over his beer. “Those sisters were stage ten clingers.”
“The older sister had great tits, but those noises she was making were a real fucking turn-off,” Kent says, because he’s got zero filter and nothing is off-limits. “And the redhead just kept making googly eyes at you the whole time even when it was my turn to fuck her.”
I shake my head, grinning, even if I’m glad that scene is behind me now. I’ve indulged in a few threesomes in my time but never with my brothers, and frankly, I find it a little weird, but whatever floats your boat. I’m not one to kink shame.
Keaton comes rushing into the room, from outside, his eyes all lit up like the Fourth of July. He slams his palms down on our table, and he talks really fast as he says, “You need to come outside! Right now! Quick!”
“What’s wrong?” Ky asks, his eyes instantly scanning the room for Faye.
“She just left with Lana to put Hewson to bed,” I say, reassuring him.
“Nothing’s wrong. It’s the opposite,” Keaton confirms, looking like he’s about to burst. “Just trust me. Come on.”
“I’ll mind the table,” Brad says, as Rach approaches, sliding onto his lap. I’ve no idea where Cheryl and Eva are. Possibly checking on Milly. And Melissa went to bed an hour ago, citing a headache.
Ky, Kent, Keanu, and I follow an excitable Keaton across the room and outside. “He’s like Ronald McDonald on steroids,” Kent grumbles to Keanu as Keaton practically skips across the garden.
“I fucking heard that, asshole,” Keaton hollers over his shoulder.
Up ahead, I spy Kev and Kade leaning on the wall, their attention focused on something in the distance.
“What’s going on?” Ky asks as we step up beside them.
“Look.” Kade points at a couple down on the beach.
“Is that—” Keanu says.
“Mom and Dad,” I finish for him.
“Holy shit!” Ky leans his elbows on the wall, looking closer.
I walk to Kade’s side, and that messy lump is back in my throat again as I watch my parents. They have their arms wrapped around one another, and they’re kissing, and there’s nothing chaste about it.
“Does this mean they’re getting back together?” Keaton asks, hope filtering through his tone.
/> “Maybe. Maybe not,” Kade says, smiling broadly. “But I have noticed how much closer they seem, and Dad’s called her love a few times now.”
“I noticed that too,” Ky says, “but I thought it was just a slip of the tongue.”
“He’s slipping her the tongue all right,” Kent says, and we groan in unison.
“Don’t be gross,” Keaton says, nudging him in the ribs. “They’re our parents.”
We watch silently for another couple of minutes, and I’m not sure who starts it, but suddenly, we’ve all got our arms around one another, and we’re sharing huge grins as we contemplate the idea that they might be getting back together.
It’s something we’ve all wished for, but the more time they remained separated, the less likely it seemed.
“It’s true what they say,” Keaton whispers, after a few beats. “Weddings really do bring people together.”
Chapter Eight
Faye
“I miss the little guy,” I admit, as I sit forward in my lounger while Ky applies sun cream to my back. I don’t know how the hell I’ll cope without Hewson next year when we’re traveling.
“I know. Me too.” He presses a feather soft kiss to my shoulder, and I lean back against his warm, hard chest.
“Babe, you just rubbed your sunscreen all over me.” He chuckles, pressing a kiss to the sensitive spot just under my ear, and a delectable shiver courses through me.
“I’ll be rubbing it all over your dick next time if you keep doing that.”
“If that’s meant to stop me, it’s an epic fail,” he murmurs, nibbling on my ear as his fingers trek across my collarbone.
“Do you two ever keep your hands to yourselves?” Kent asks, and it’s a timely reminder of time and place.
“Not if I can help it,” Ky replies, reluctantly moving his mouth away from my overheated skin. “My wife is fucking hot, and I want to touch her every minute of every day.”
Kent makes a gagging sound while Keaton looks wistfully at us. Melissa went home a couple days ago, and he seems more relaxed now she’s gone. I can’t figure out their relationship at all, and Keats is uncharacteristically tight-lipped every time I ask him about her.
“I want to touch girls every minute of every day too,” Kent says, shooting me a wolfish grin. “I just prefer variety.”
“We’ve noticed,” Kade says, eyeing him over the top of his sunglasses. Baby Milly is sound asleep in her stroller under a massive big umbrella, which is keeping her sheltered from the full glare of the sun.
“Aw, are you jealous, big bro, because you’re tied to one pussy for life?”
Kade swats the back of his head, and I’m not surprised. He’s unbelievably protective of Eva. “Talk about my wife like that again, and I’ll give you a matching black eye.”
Kent and Keanu have been partying up a storm since Kal, Lana, and Hewson left for their two-week honeymoon-slash-vacation around Europe. Two nights ago, they got into a fight with some local guys over their women. Apparently, the girls were flirting outrageously with my brothers-in-law in front of their men. Both guys protested their innocence loudly, but we’re not buying it. Kent regularly gets into trouble, and he’s rarely guilt free.
Their escapades have made for an entertaining week all the same.
We’ve been hanging out at Kal and Lana’s place for the past week, sharing it with Rachel and Brad. We meet everyone at the beach in the mornings and tend to spend our afternoons poolside at one of the houses or enjoying some shopping or a late lunch in town. A couple of days we’ve gone biking, and the guys managed to squeeze in a round of golf on one of the days too.
This place is so idyllic, and it’ll kill me to leave next week. After my conversation with Ky, I’m even more determined to put down roots here.
It turns out that Eva and Kade have the same idea, and they’ve just put an offer in on a gorgeous bungalow a half a mile from Alex and James’s house.
According to Kal and Lana, one of their neighbors is planning on selling up within the next year, once they finish current renovations, and after being granted an informal tour of the property, we’re already in love. We’ve told them we’re interested, and we’re hopeful that we can make a deal to secure the place before we leave for Australia next summer.
It’s just us ‘kids’ here, at the moment, because John and Greta have gone to Martha’s Vineyard with Alex and James for a few days, although they’re due back tomorrow morning. I’m enjoying spending time with my brothers-in-law and their significant others. I love that everyone gets on so well and how effortless it is.
Life doesn’t get much better than this.
I try to take a moment, every once in a while, to appreciate how truly blessed I am, because I have an amazing life, and I’ve so much to be grateful for.
We’re staying here for another few days before heading back to the mainland. We’ll spend a couple of weeks at our vacation cabin in Connecticut and then a few days with all the Kennedys in Wellesley before it’s time to return to Boston for our final year of college.
The summer has flown by, but I can’t complain because it’s been amazing, and I’m so fortunate I haven’t had to work. It’s great to be able to fully chill out before the intense pressure of senior year kicks in.
“You’re all so fucking sensitive,” Kent moans, shaking his head as he lies back down on his lounger.
“Speaking of sensitive,” I say, swiveling around so I’m facing him. “You need to call my sister. She saw some of those pics you posted on Instagram, and she’s really upset.”
Kent bolts upright, shoving his sunglasses on top of his head so he can pin his full glare on me. “Please tell me why the fuck I need to explain myself to your sister?”
“Because you two are doing whatever it is you’re doing.” I don’t have a label for what those two are to one another, and I doubt they do either, but they’ve been with each other on and off for years.
“I hate how I have to keep repeating myself,” he fumes. “Whitney and I fuck whenever we see one another, but that’s it. It’s just casual sex whenever we happen to be in the same place.”
“You know it’s more than that,” I plead on my sister’s behalf.
“Not for me it isn’t.”
Anger starts bubbling in my veins. “Well, it is for her, and if you don’t feel the same, maybe you should fucking end it before you completely crush her heart,” I snap.
Ky squeezes my shoulder, and I know he doesn’t want me to get involved, but it’s hard to stay neutral when she’s sobbing her heart out on the phone because she’s seen the various photos he’s posted of him kissing and mauling other girls.
“If Whitney can’t handle it, she hasn’t told me.” He shrugs, like it’s no biggie.
I hop up, incensed at his flippant attitude. “She can’t handle it!” I scream, grateful we’re on a private beach and the only other people around are a couple miles way and out of earshot. I hover over him, with my hands on my hips, blocking the sun. “You’re not the one who has to listen to her crying her eyes out. If she means that little to you, just end it once and for all. Let her go unless you really are the cruel, heartless bastard you pretend to be.”
Kent climbs to his feet, and I’ve never seen him so mad. “Fuck this. You don’t know me. And I owe Whitney nothing. I have never promised her anything more than sex.” His nostrils flare, and Ky yanks me back, pushing me behind his back.
“Back the fuck down,” my husband says, his voice clipped, his body radiating tension.
“Why the fuck is this always my fault?!” Kent yells, waving his arms in the air. “I haven’t done wrong by Whitney. I’ve told her time and time again that I’m with other girls. That what we have is nothing serious. I’ve asked her if she wants to end it, and she tells me she doesn’t have feelings for me and she’s happy to screw me whenever she sees me
. And then I have to deal with this fucking shit from your wife all the time, and I’m. Fucking. Done.”
“Calm yourself down,” Ky says, and I’m surprised at how calm his voice is.
“You fucking calm down!” Kent shoves him, and this is quickly heading south.
Eva stands, walking around the back of the loungers to come up alongside Kent. “Let’s go for a walk, Kent.”
“No, Eva.” He shucks off her arm as she reaches for him. “I’m sick of everyone blaming me for shit. Everyone automatically assumes I’m to blame, when it’s not always my fault!” he yells, storming off, kicking sand up as he goes.
“I know you’re not blaming him, Faye,” Eva says in a soft voice. “That you’re only being a concerned sister, and he’ll realize that when he cools down.” She glances at his retreating form, looking troubled. “He’s a lot more sensitive than any of us realize,” she adds, slanting us an apologetic look as she turns around and runs after him.
I sigh loudly. This is usually the way things end up going when the topic of Whitney and Kent arises.
“Whitney and Kent are a disaster irrespective of who’s at fault,” Kev says, butting into the conversation. “I’m not the first one to jump to Kent’s defense usually, and I’m not picking sides or trying to cause trouble, but I’ve got to be honest, Faye. Your sister is the clingy one. She’s always the one hanging off his every word. If Kent’s at fault, maybe it’s because he hasn’t been forthright enough in pushing her away.”
“And if he hasn’t done that,” Kade says. “It’s probably because he doesn’t want to upset you.” He levels me with earnest eyes. “I hate that you’re caught in the middle of this. That it’s stressing you out. Because that’s not fair.”
“Ugh.” I grab fistfuls of my hair in frustration. “Now I feel like shit for having a go at him.”
“Maybe we can talk to him again when everyone’s cooled down,” Ky suggests.
“I think you two should back the fuck away and let them handle it,” Kade adds.
“That’s easy for you to say,” Ky replies. “You’re not the one on the receiving end of Whitney’s calls.”
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