Only You

by Denise Grover Swank

  “Please. If you want more crazies, be my guest. After Lacy and all the others…you deserved someone good, and decent and sweet. You deserve someone like Holly.”

  The warmth that flooded his chest caught him by surprise and tightened his voice. “But does she deserve someone like me?”

  “Despite your plummet into asshatery this morning, you’re a good guy. Just don’t hurt her, okay?”

  Hurting her was the last thing he wanted.

  After the shower ended, Kevin offered to load Megan’s gifts into her car. But when he studied the huge pile of presents on the gift table, he shook his head. “There’s no way we’ll get all of this into your SUV.”

  “Good thing I showed up with my car,” Megan’s husband said behind them.

  “Josh.” Megan’s face lit up when she turned to face her husband, and Kevin knew he had to get over the grudge he still held against his brother-in-law. Kevin loved his sister, and she obviously loved her husband. And he obviously adored her. So they’d had an unconventional beginning. After his rough start with Holly, Kevin had a new empathy for Josh’s position.

  Kevin turned around and held out his hand. “Hey, Josh. Good to see you.”

  His brother-in-law hesitated before he shook Kevin’s hand. “Megan’s thrilled you’re back in town.”

  Kevin grinned as he dropped his hand. “But not you?” Then he laughed. “That’s okay. I haven’t made things easy, but I want to be part of Megan and her baby’s life. You make her happy, and it’s obvious you love her. I’d like to make a fresh start with you.”

  Megan’s mouth gaped open.

  Josh looked at his wife, then gave Kevin a tentative grin. “As long as this isn’t some practical joke against Megan as payback for sticking you with that house, I’m willing to let bygones be bygones. It’s obvious you’ve been a good brother looking out for his sister.”

  Megan hooked an arm around both their necks and pulled them into a group hug. “This is the best gift you could have given me.”

  Her voice was muffled and Kevin asked in horror, “Are you crying?”

  “I’m pregnant, okay? Hormones.” She dropped her hold on them both and shoved her brother’s arm as she swiped at her eye. “Way to ruin the moment.”

  Josh laughed. “Welcome to my life.”

  Megan’s eyes narrowed as she pointed her finger at her husband in mock warning. “Watch it.”

  Josh turned to Kevin. “Since we’re all bonding here, I want you to know that I told her not to buy that house for you.”

  “House?” Nicole asked, walking out the back door onto the deck. “Are you talking about Kevin’s house?”

  Kevin took a step back. “I think that’s my cue to leave.”

  Megan turned to him, horrified. “Don’t you leave me here to deal with her alone!”

  He graced her with a wicked grin. “Paybacks, Megan. Sometimes they really suck.”

  * * *

  Kevin stopped at the hardware store on the way home from Megan’s shower and bought a gas grill and a couple of lawn chairs. His checking account groaned that he had wiser things to purchase, but it was all part of his plan to win Holly over. The steaks and potatoes he bought next were also part of the plan.

  He changed clothes, then started the grill, letting the kitten play in the yard. He’d bought a couple of cat toys when he was at the store. It was currently playing with a stuffed mouse that had a bell sewn into its belly, while Kevin plotted ways to get Megan to adopt the creature. Especially since the constant twinkling of the bell was getting on his nerves.

  “If you’ve gotten wind chimes, I have to warn you that the neighbor behind me will be complaining within hours,” Holly said as she walked through the back gate. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she’d changed into shorts and a gauzy top with a deep V that showed off her cleavage.

  He laughed, taking a drink of his beer before he answered, giving his now racing heart a chance to slow down. She’d come to him, saving him from having to use his excuse to get her to come over. Maybe she really had forgiven him.

  “I got the cat a toy. I’m deeply regretting it now.”

  She grinned, but she stayed close to the gate, looking like she was regretting her decision to come over.

  “I went furniture shopping.” He waved to the lawn chair he was sitting in and the empty one next to him. The chairs were collapsible, with drink holders in the armrests. “You like?”

  She laughed, moving closer. “There’s a place for your beer. Looks like you got the super deluxe model.”

  “Yeah, the guy at the hardware store gave them a double thumbs-up. He said you can sit in them for hours and feel like you’re in a cloud.”

  She gave him a curious look. “Do you plan to sit here for hours?”

  He took a drag from his beer. “I haven’t decided yet. I’ve had a shitty day, but it just got better.” He opened the cooler next to him and pulled out a beer bottle, popped off the top, and offered it to her.

  Relief washed through him when she reached for it and sat down. “Not bad. I see you bought an appliance, too.” She gestured toward the grill.

  “You know what they say about a man and his grill.”

  “Is it anything like a boy and his dog?”

  “It’s the grown-up version. And, trust me, you haven’t lived until you’ve tried my steaks.”

  “You don’t say,” she murmured, watching the cat as she took a sip from the bottle. “How’d you know I drank beer?”

  “You brought me two the first night.”

  “How’d you know they weren’t left over from an old boyfriend?”

  His hand stopped, the bottle inches from his mouth. “Were they?”

  She laughed. “No. They were mine and Melanie’s.” She took another drink.

  “Hard day at the office?” he asked in a teasing tone.

  A wry grin twisted her mouth. “I’d say you have no idea, but then again…” Holly hesitated, then turned to him. “Let’s make a deal. We’ll try this friendship thing, but we don’t discuss your mother.”

  “But my mother is a huge pain in both our asses. Isn’t part of being friends being able to gripe about the people who bug the shit out of you?”

  “We’ll just have to try.” When he didn’t answer, she continued. “Kevin, this friendship is hard enough. It doesn’t feel right to complain about my boss to her son.”

  If she saw secrets as lies, he understood her aversion to talking negatively about his mother. “No need to make any lifelong decisions now. We’ll agree Nicole Vandemeer discussions are off-limits for the time being.”

  She nodded, her mouth pursed. “Sounds fair enough.”

  “Have you had dinner?”

  She hesitated. “No.”

  “Then you should stay and have dinner with me. I’m grilling steaks and baked potatoes.”

  Her smile wavered. “I don’t know.”

  “You’ve fed me twice; it’s the least I can do. Besides, this isn’t a date. This is just two friends eating together. Or—if it makes you feel better—you can consider it a bribe.”

  She looked wary but a twinkle filled her eyes. “A bribe?”

  He turned toward her. “Just how handy are you with a sledgehammer?”

  Her wariness deepened. “Why do you ask?”

  “I thought maybe after we eat, we could do a little demo on my kitchen.”

  “You want me to help you demo? With a sledgehammer?”

  “Well, part of it with a sledgehammer. Some will probably come out with a good kick.” When she hesitated, he said, “It’s a great way to work off frustration.”

  Her eyes lit up. “I’m intrigued.”

  “The potatoes are on the grill and I’ll add the steaks in about ten minutes. After we eat, we can take our frustrations out on something productive.”

  She hesitated.

  “Do you have something else you need to do?”

  “I don’t have any plans for dinner. Mel was trying
to get the night off, but it didn’t work out. Which is probably a good thing.”

  “Why?”

  She shot him a hesitant grin. “You’re not exactly her favorite person right now.”

  “I guess that’s deserved. Any chance I can win her over?”

  “I’m not sure,” she answered with a shrug. “Once she makes up her mind, there’s little chance of changing it back.”

  Well, great. He’d already suspected that her cousin’s approval would be important, just like he’d suspected his mother’s was important to her was well. He’d have to figure out how to fix both, but he’d deal with it later. Tonight he was in the clear.

  “Do you want to bring Killer over?”

  “I’m not sure it’s a good idea with your kitten running around. Maybe later.” She turned her head toward the nonstop tinkling bell. “What did you name it?”

  “I haven’t named it yet.”

  “What?” she asked in horror. She leaned out of the chair and scooped the tiny gray fur ball out of the grass and cuddled it against her chest. “How can this cutie not have a name?”

  Kevin had never felt jealous of an animal, but he was feeling pretty envious of the cat’s proximity to Holly’s breasts. He’d seen them in all their glory the night before, and he had to grab the armrest on the chair to keep himself in place. “How can I name it when I don’t even know if it’s a girl or a boy?”

  “You’re just like your sister.”

  “Excuse me?” he asked. “Are you comparing my niece or nephew to a cat?”

  She laughed and he loved the sound, so light and carefree. Her laugh gave him hope they could work this out.

  “I was going to ask you to help me name it,” he teased. “But I wanted to make it as difficult as possible.”

  “You want me to help name it?” she asked in surprise.

  He hadn’t planned it, but now that he’d suggested it, it felt right. “Yeah.”

  She pulled the contented kitten from her chest and held it up in front of her face. The tiny creature let out an even tinier mewl. “What should we name you, little one?” She glanced at Kevin. “He has one white paw. You could call him Boots or Mittens.”

  He grinned. “Name him after an accessory? The next thing you’ll suggest is that I get a murse to carry him around.”

  She smirked, shaking her head. “So I guess Bracelet and Toe Ring are out?”

  “I don’t know…Toe Ring has a nice ring to it.”

  She groaned at his pun. “That was excruciatingly bad.”

  “I’m the bad boy your mother warned you about,” he teased, and immediately regretted it for multiple reasons. For one, she really had thought of him as a bad boy earlier in the day, and, more importantly, the night before she’d admitted she barely remembered her mother. He’d just made light of that. “Holly. I’m sorry. Your mom—”

  She shook her head. “Stop. It’s just a saying. You didn’t mean anything insensitive by it.”

  “The last thing I want to do is hurt you again.”

  She studied him, her eyes guarded. “If you’re friends with someone long enough, they are going to hurt and disappoint you.” She leaned over and put the kitten on the grass, then stood. “I think I’m going to take a rain check on dinner.”

  Kevin got out of his chair and stood in her path, trying to figure out where he’d screwed up.

  “You don’t have to stay to help with my house. You can eat and then go. You need to eat anyway.”

  “I’m tired and I have a lot of work to do. I think I’ll just go.”

  “Can I walk you home?”

  She laughed and glanced down at the kitten, then up into his face. “No. That definitely falls into the more-than-friends category.” Then, before he could protest more, she made a beeline for the gate without a backward glance.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  By the middle of Sunday afternoon Holly was sure she’d made the right decision to leave Kevin’s the night before, even though her heart didn’t agree. To help take her mind off it, she taken a break from working on the Johansen wedding and resorted to something she detested: cleaning.

  She was vacuuming the living room when she heard a pounding at the front door. Killer had been barking at the vacuum cleaner, but now turned his attention to the door as Holly flipped the off switch.

  Grabbing the doorknob, she wondered if she had the strength to tell Kevin no today, but when she opened the door she was surprised to see Megan. “Hi…”

  Megan gave her an apologetic smile as she wrapped her hand around her very pregnant belly. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I need your help.”

  “Of course!” Holly said, her anxiety rising. “Are you okay?” She looked down at Megan’s belly. “Oh, my God. Is the baby okay?”

  “Holly!” Megan stepped forward and put her hand on Holly’s arm. “I’m fine. I swear.”

  Holly put her hand on her chest and took a breath. “You scared me half to death.”

  “I know.” She cringed. “I’m sorry.”

  She offered Megan a smile. “It’s okay. What do you need?”

  Megan cocked her head to the side and gave Holly an exasperated look. “I’m surrounded by a bunch of guys next door and I need you to tell them I’m right.”

  Holly’s breath stuck in her chest. “I don’t know. … Did Kevin put you up to this?”

  “No. This is just a friend asking a friend for help. They’re insisting we keep the kitchen cabinets and paint them, and I need you to back me up that the kitchen needs to be gutted.”

  Holly grimaced. “I don’t know. …”

  A warm smile spread across Megan’s face. “Or you can agree with them. I just need an opinion I can trust.” Then she gave her a pout. “Please.”

  Holly burst out laughing. “Does that work on Josh?”

  “Yes, and usually Kevin, too. Will you help me? You can just come in, give your opinion, and then leave.”

  “Okay.” But she regretted it the moment she shut the door behind her.

  They walked side by side to Kevin’s house and Holly struggled to catch her breath. Her nerves were getting the better of her. She kept her gaze on the tree-root obstacle course, needing to focus on something other than the fact she was about to see Kevin. Why she was so nervous? Was she more worried about Kevin’s reaction when he saw her, or that she wouldn’t have the willpower to walk away?

  She heard Kevin’s voice as well those of as several other men, along with loud banging. Josh was in the living room, prying the trim from the window. Megan walked past him like a woman with a purpose into the dining room, where Kevin was swinging a sledgehammer into the wall separating the dining room from the kitchen. A tall blond man stood next to him, shouting as he pointed to the light switch.

  Kevin noticed Holly and stopped midswing, lowering his mallet. His eyes widened. “Holly…hey.”

  Megan looped her arm through Holly’s, which Holly realized was probably Megan’s attempt to keep her from bolting. “I dragged Holly over here for her opinion. We’re going to settle this cabinet dilemma.”

  Josh walked up behind them and all three men stared at Holly like she’d just walked out of a spaceship.

  “I take it none of you knew I was coming over,” Holly finally said.

  Megan squeezed her arm. “I had to hide my secret weapon. Now, not to put you under any pressure or anything, but what would you do with the cabinets?”

  Holly dragged her gaze from Kevin’s now expressionless face and turned to face the cabinets. The kitchen was a complete disaster, but she didn’t feel comfortable telling Kevin to spend thousands of dollars to replace them. “Well…”

  “Matt, the supposed expert here”—Megan dropped her hold and pointed to the man next to Kevin—“thinks they can be fixed.”

  Matt protested, “Hey, I—”

  Megan cut him off. “But I insisted that the kitchen needs to be gutted. I know you redid your house, which makes you my expert. What do you think?”

>   Holly had never felt more put on the spot, and she found herself searching out Kevin’s face.

  He gave her a reassuring smile. “I want your opinion, Holly. You’ve done this to your house. You know what you’re doing.”

  “I’ve only done one house. …”

  He walked over to her, still holding her gaze. “If this was your house, what would you do?”

  Somehow he made her feel like they were the only two people in the house, and that her opinion really mattered.

  “Go on. What would you do?” He smiled and something in her heart melted.

  She smiled back. “Gut it.”

  He smiled, his face lighting up.

  Her stomach squeezed as regret filled her. Why did he have to be her boss’s son?

  “Well, there you go,” Kevin said, still holding her gaze. “We’ll gut it.”

  “Okay.” Holly broke eye contact and turned to Megan. “If that’s all you need…”

  “We ordered pizza,” Megan said. “You should stay. I’m, like, the only girl here.”

  “I don’t know. …”

  She looked back at Kevin. He gave her an understanding smile as he asked, “Holly, can I talk to you for a minute?”

  “Sure.”

  He led her outside to the front porch, and she suddenly wondered if he was taking her outside to tell her he didn’t want her to stay. But he eased her concerns as soon as they were out of his sister’s watchful eye.

  “Holly, I’m sorry. I had no idea what Megan was up to.”

  “It’s okay. I suspected.”

  “But that being said, I want you to stay.”

  She sighed. “I don’t know. …”

  “I promise this isn’t part of some devious scheme on my end.”

  She grinned up at him. “So Megan got all the devious genes?”

  He laughed. “I suppose my mother would disagree.”

  Now that she was here, she didn’t want to go back home to her empty house. She wanted to be here with Kevin and his sister—who was now laughing with her husband and Kevin’s friend. She wanted to be part of this. “Okay.”

  He looked like he was about to reach for her, but he stopped himself. “Just friends.”