Meant To Be Family (Meant To Be Series Book 3)

by Amelia Foster

  She sobbed against his chest, and he responded by hooking an arm under her knees and cradling her close to him. He carried her into the bedroom and laid her on the mattress. He pulled away slightly, and she clung tighter to him.

  “Shh,” he soothed as he lay beside her. “I’m just adjusting so I can lay with you, Kels. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Kelsey moved in as close as she possibly could as the great sobs finally started to subside on several hiccuping sighs. Confusion clouded her brain and exhaustion weighted her lids. “I’m sorry, Connor. I’m being irrational, and I’m just absolutely worn out.”

  Connor pressed his lips to the crown of her head. “So sleep, Kels. Take a nap, I’ll grab some dinner, and you don’t have to do a thing.”

  She fisted his shirt. “Don’t go. Not yet. I-I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me, but I think being tired is starting to drive me crazy.”

  He smoothed her hair back from her face, kissing her forehead, temple, cheek, and then lips. “I’ll hold you forever, gorgeous. Just sleep and let me take care of you.”

  Kelsey gave in to the darkness as her eyes closed and fitful dreams took control of her mind. Hazy images danced in front of her mind, and her breathing was labored. When Connor finally shook her awake and pulled her back to reality, beads of sweat tracked down her face.

  His brows drew together, and his face was taut. “Feel better, gorgeous?”

  A small measure of the chronic exhaustion had lifted, and Kelsey felt a much more stable balance mentally and emotionally. She smiled softly and reached up to cup his cheek. “Yeah, that nap worked wonders.” She sniffed the air. “Oh my gosh, I love you.”

  Connor’s expression relaxed, the corner of his mouth curled into a smile, and his brows lifted. “If I knew all it would take to make you fall in love was General Tso’s chicken, our first date totally would have been Chinese takeout.”

  She hopped out of bed and pressed what she intended to be a quick kiss to his lips but wound up deepening it, moaning against his mouth and wrapping her arms around his neck. “I think you made out pretty well with greasy hamburgers.”

  His eyes scanned over her face. “You sure you’re okay, gorgeous? Maybe you should make an appointment with a doctor.”

  “If I keep having trouble sleeping, I will. Promise.” She patted his cheek and grinned. “Now, hurry up or I’ll eat your food, too. I’m starving.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Connor

  Present Day

  He was an ass.

  Connor had known it even as the words had been coming out of his mouth, but he was helpless to stop them.

  Okay, that wasn’t true. He hadn’t wanted to stop them. The ache that never went away and only seemed to grow over time rather than fade saw the shiny opportunity to sink its teeth into the sweet nectar of vengeance and took it.

  He ran his fingers through his hair and locked his hands behind his neck, staring out at the pine trees beyond the end of his backyard. The deck had been a saving grace since the accident. Even when the damp morning autumn air seeped into his bones and created aches and pains that no twenty-seven year old should have, he loved the small taste of freedom he had by rolling out onto the large wooden expanse.

  A heavy slam broke the completely deserved but incredibly dark and self-deprecating thoughts running through his mind. “Yo, delivery man here.”

  Connor turned his chair and rolled back through the sliding glass door he’d left open. “I hope you aren’t expecting a tip.”

  His younger brother Dean, who doubled as his best friend, set the overflowing bags on the dining room table. “Nah, I’ll just send you my chiropractor bill for lugging all your shit.” He rubbed his chronically stubble-covered cheek. “And send Wyatt after you when I miss work.”

  A short huff of laughter escaped as Connor unloaded the pastries, bagels, and fruit he’d blackmailed his brother into bringing over. “Yeah, I’m just waiting for the day that implodes. You and Wyatt are way too much alike to work together peaceably for too long.”

  “Wy is too busy with all his research and taking—” Dean stood still, moving his lower jaw back and forth.

  Connor stopped emptying the bag at the abrupt closing of Dean’s mouth and clear discomfort. “Research for what?” His younger brother rubbed the back of his neck and looked anywhere but in Connor’s eye. “Could you spit it out already?”

  “Georgia’s pregnant.”

  Two words were all that was needed to act as another reminder that Kelsey hadn’t just taken his heart when she left, but also every hope and dream they’d shared for a family. “Wyatt’s into it?”

  Despite the ache in his chest cavity, he was happy for his older brother. Wyatt had spent more than a decade mired in guilt for walking away from the love of his life. Finding redemption from his mistakes, and finally coming to the realization he wasn’t the black sheep he’d always believed himself to be, was something Connor was grateful his brother had found.

  Even if he couldn’t see past his personal pain to find a glimpse of a light for his own future. Even if working with Kelsey every damn day nearly broke him to an irreparable level. Even if the breakfast he’d forced his brother to pick up for him looked more and more pathetic as their fight, and his words, ricocheted through his mind.

  “Con?” Dean’s thick brows were drawn tightly together. “Listen, I know everything sucks seeing Kelsey every day and—”

  The doorbell cut into whatever his brother was about to say. Thankfully. Connor pushed away from the table and steeled his reserves. She’d forgive him. She had to. If he had a chance in hell of getting out of the damned wheelchair and get the side benefit of figuring out where in the holy hell they went so wrong, he had to apologize and do better at that truce they’d agreed on.

  He took his time making his way to the door. Although he was confused as to why Kelsey was ringing the bell rather than just coming in, he shook his head and pushed the question aside. It wasn’t actually confusing. She was pissed off, rightfully so, and she was going to give him grief. Only to himself would he admit that he deserved it.

  Even if she started it by leaving in the first place.

  But when he swung open the door, there wasn’t a fiery auburn-haired beauty ready to freeze him out with an overly professional icy treatment. Instead, there was a man who was at least six foot tall with biceps the size of tree trunks. Sporting a “Donovan Therapy and Rehab” polo shirt.

  The other man offered a blinding white smile that looked like it was straight out of a toothpaste ad and stuck his hand out. “Hi, Mr. Carlisle. I’m Terry, and I’ll be taking over your rehab. Ms. Donovan—”

  Connor glared at him for half a second before slamming the door in his face. His brother chose that exact moment to saunter around the corner. “Hey, Con, I’m gonna—” His gaze darted from the door, to his brother, and back again. “Bro, I thought the whole point of making me your errand boy was to smooth things over with Kelsey. Why the hell did you slam the door in her face?”

  “It wasn’t Kelsey.” It was the replacement I probably deserved. He rubbed his hand over his jaw. “Up for one more errand?”

  Dean snorted. “Planning on tipping me this time?”

  In spite of his anger at himself and the near-constant frustration at the situation as a whole, Connor smiled. “I’ll buy you tacos.”

  Eyes wide, Dean fished his keys out of his pockets. “Hot damn, what do you need?”

  ***

  Kelsey

  Present Day

  For the tenth time that hour, Kelsey glanced at her watch. Terry should be moving on to the standing exercises by now. Pain, fresh and acute, sliced through her heart. Someone else would be helping Connor take his first steps. That was one of the moments she was willing to put up with nearly any snide comment or surly attitude just to experience it with him.

  Even if walking away again might destroy her.

  Three taps at her door brought her back into the prese
nt from the dark recesses of her mind. “Hey, Kelsey, I have a client here who wants to talk to you.”

  Headaches she’d never known would be attached to her own practice. Complaints and customer service consumed far too much of her day. All the things her father had tried to warn her about when she negotiated opening a branch of Donovan rehab here. The things she’d blissfully tuned out. In the end, her father had given in and backed her idea financially as well as offering his expertise, but the reality still varied greatly from her ideation.

  Spending time with Connor had done more than simply given her a chance to help his recovery, an opportunity she cherished, but it had also been the first time she’d been hands on with patients for more than a month.

  With a resigned sigh, she sat back in her chair and motioned for her assistant to usher them in. The congenial smile was wiped clean as soon as the spiky, frosty head entered her office. “Connor?”

  “Hey, Kels.” The damn lopsided grin warmed her heart far more than it had any business doing. “I…I deserved that.”

  Every time she thought the deep, constant ache couldn’t get worse, something new crept in. Like his unexpected vulnerability. “H-how’d you get here?”

  His smile quirked into a smirk that somehow managed to be even more adorable. He added a wink because apparently she needed that. Shit. She was screwed. “Dean loves being my chauffeur.”

  That brought an immediate and unwelcome responding grin that she quickly banished from her face. “Yeah, but that’s only because he loves showing off that ridiculous sports car.” She cleared her throat. “Listen, Connor, I have a lot to do. If you could go…”

  “I’m sorry.”

  He should not be sorry, her conscience tickled her brain. Me. This is because of me. It’s my fault. “I appreciate the apology, but I really do have—”

  “Please come back.”

  The three words shattered Kelsey in a way that chocolate, fried foods, and even doting from her mother couldn’t fix. “Connor…” The refusal lodged in her throat. The entire reason the man was even in a wheelchair was because of her. Because she refused to talk to him, because she believed the way she left was the best for him under the circumstances. She’d never dreamed he’d spiral into going on near-nightly benders.

  Her jaw firmed. And getting designated drivers in the form of self-absorbed brunettes with bad attitudes.

  “We have a lot of history, and even though a big part of me hated having you show up to do my therapy, the fact is that you get me. You know me. I’ve done a lot better with you than I ever did when I was inpatient or with anyone else.” He dropped his chin and rubbed the back of his neck before looking up at her through lashes that were too damn long to belong to any man. “Please, I promise this time I really will be on my best behavior. Just please come back.”

  The dozens and dozens of voicemails and texts and notes he’d sent after she moved out saying nearly the same things, “please come home” and “I miss you” and, worst of all, “we can fix this, I know we can” echoed in her mind. She’d ignored every request, certain she’d made the best decision for him by removing herself from the situation and giving him a chance his impossible loyalty would never allow if they were still together.

  But this was bigger than even that. This was about his ability to walk. Maybe a parting gift she could give him.

  She ran a tongue along her lips and sighed. “How the hell do any of the Carlisle men survive in life with that damn stubborn attitude?”

  “Is that a yes?” Connor grinned, and she melted inside. “Because if not, I should probably add that there are about half a dozen cheese Danishes waiting at home.”

  Kelsey rolled her eyes and ran her fingers through the soft waves of her hair. “You really should have led with that.”

  His face sobered, and the deep sapphire eyes that haunted her waking and sleeping dreams penetrated her soul, managing to somehow reassemble a few of the shards she so valiantly tried to ignore. “I mean it, Kels. I’m sorry, and I don’t want to do this without you.”

  If even a nanosecond of doubt existed, that single statement would have obliterated it. “Then let’s get back to work. I intend on seeing you walk this week.”

  He shot her another damned wink, and his blasted dimple showed up with his broad smile. “Yes, ma’am,” he confirmed with a mock salute.

  Kelsey rubbed her temples with her index fingers. “Your mother deserves sainthood.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Connor

  Four Years Earlier

  Lydia Donovan grabbed his mother’s hand as they called the first person in Kels’s row onto the stage during the graduation ceremony, and Connor couldn’t resist smiling. His family falling in love with Kels was a given. They were always open and welcoming to anyone, but from the first time Tanner brought Izzy home and Wyatt brought Georgia, the girls were treated as family.

  He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Even though Wyatt was still traveling the rodeo circuit and they’d lost touch with Georgia, his mother insisted they were meant to be and would find each other again.

  And if Dean ever pulled his head out of his ass—his mother’s words, not his—and saw that his best friend was head over heels in love with him, Jillian would legally be joining the Carlisle family, too.

  “Stephen Caldwell.” The reader boomed into the microphone, and Connor fidgeted with the program, twisting and rolling the paper between his hands. Only a few more.

  His mother had an uncanny intuition when it came to her boys and always proclaimed she knew at first sight which girls would last and which ones wouldn’t. Kels was no different. Two hours after their first holiday together, Tracy Carlisle was doting on Kelsey, and Izzy had practically adopted her as the sister she never had.

  The best part of that first meeting, however, was watching Kels playing with his niece and nephew. They’d talked about their dream family from the beginning and were on the exact same page, but seeing her natural ability with kids was eye opening in the best possible way.

  “Elise Davidson.” Three more ahead of Kels.

  They were made for each other, that was clear from the start, but seeing her interact with Ava and Noah solidified everything he’d known from the start—they were meant to be a family.

  But the bond that formed between both sets of parents was shocking and damn near made Connor giddy. Michael and Tracy had connected immediately with Edwin and Lydia Donovan, with both men trading the headaches and highlights of opening their own businesses, even though they were in very different fields, and the women…

  Connor’s brows drew together. He actually had no idea what Lydia and his mom talked about, but when they were together, the chatter was nonstop.

  “With a Master’s of Science in Physical Therapy, Kelsey Donovan.”

  Connor fought every urge coursing through his veins to stand and roar his pride at Kels’s achievement. She worked her ass off for it…but he’d also be damned if he’d break the rules against cheering and embarrass her.

  She managed to find them in the crowd and threw them a soft smile and tiny wave. The rest of the ceremony dragged on, and he cursed the fact her name was at the beginning of the alphabet nearly as much as he’d welcomed it when the ceremony first began.

  After an interminably long wait, he sprinted out of his seat and raced over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and spinning her around in circles. “I am so damned proud of you,” he whispered into her ear before finally lowering her to the ground.

  Within seconds, she was swarmed by her parents and sister, his parents, and his younger brother Dean, who managed to tag along, gave Kels a way longer hug than he should have. Connor pulled on Dean’s shoulder, and his brother shot him an unrepentant grin and a wink.

  “Don’t start acting like Wyatt.” Connor growled the words in a low tone only Dean could hear and tugged Kelsey close to his side.

  Dinner and festivities with his family and hers included every drop of Kels
ey-based adoration she deserved, but the wait to get her home and alone in their bedroom might kill him. Especially in the white lace dress that grazed her mid-thigh and tempted him nearly to the edge of his self-control.

  When Kelsey’s sister Tobi began to make insinuations she would spend the night in their small, one-bedroom apartment rather than in the hotel with her parents, annoyance converged with irritation, which he managed to cover with a fake smile that quickly melted into a real one when Kels winked at him, linked her arm through her sister’s, and led her to the bathroom.

  And by the time they came back, Tobi was all but leading her parents back to the hotel herself.

  Connor managed not to make a frenzied grab for her until the door to their apartment was closed and securely locked. Then he pressed his lips against hers in a frantic and needy kiss. “I don’t know what the hell you just said to your sister, but I think I just fell in love with you all over again.”

  Kels laughed against his mouth as she freed his shirt from his khaki pants and made fast work of the buttons, pushing it off his shoulders. “Did you think anyone had a chance in hell of crashing my private graduation party?”

  He moved down to suck on the column of her neck. “Dammit, that’s the right answer.”

  She walked him backwards until the back of his calves touched the front of the couch. She pulled down his pants and boxers and pushed against his chest. Every thought was wiped clean from his mind when she reached down to the hem of her dress and whipped it over her head, revealing matching white lace lingerie beneath.

  “That’s new.” He stuck out an index finger and waved it up and down her body. “I like it.”

  Kelsey quirked a brow and grinned. “I was planning on taking them off,” she hooked her thumbs under the thin waistband of the G-string, “but if you’d rather I leave them on…”