[Southern Heart 01.0] Southern Pleasure

by Kaylee Ryan

“It’s going really well. I’m beyond thrilled with my clientele. Word of mouth seems to be the best advertisement.”

  “You do good work; that speaks volumes.” I’m not just blowing smoke up her ass. She really is phenomenal at what she does. A slight blush tints her cheeks and I know I’ve distracted her from our earlier conversation.

  The rest of dinner is easygoing. We’re both relaxed and talk about our week so far. Lexi wakes and I feed her a bottle while I listen to Kinley talk about getting her website up and running.

  “Thanks for today, for letting me pull you from your work to go to her appointment with me, and for dinner. It was nice to get out, and Miss Lexi did great.”

  “You’re welcome. It’s not a hardship to spend time with either of you,” she says.

  I want to pull her across this seat and kiss the hell out of her. I want her to come home with me and curl up beside me in my bed, on her side of the bed. Yes, I still refer to it as her side. I’m truly fucked when it comes to this girl. My attraction only grows stronger each day. How am I going to continue to fight this?

  “I’ll let you two get home.” She climbs out of the truck and opens the back door. The truck is so tall she has to climb into the backseat, but she does it without complaint. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Miss Lexi. You be good for Daddy.” I watch in the rearview as she kisses two fingers and places them on Lexi’s cheek.

  Like I said, truly fucked!

  Once I get home, I get Lexi settled on the floor on a blanket underneath her baby gym—that’s what Kinley calls it—while I sit on the couch and go through my mail. When I get to the envelope from an attorney in Tennessee, I’m confused. Ripping it open, I read the words three times just to make sure I’m comprehending what this lone piece of paper is saying.

  They want my daughter.

  What. The. Fuck!

  Lexi coo’s on her blanket and I have to fight back the tears threatening to fall—tears of anger and worry because they want to take my baby girl. Reaching for my phone, I swipe the screen and hit the first number on my favorites list.

  “Yo, what’s up, bro? You were just here, you should have come in to say hello,” Aaron says.

  “They want to take her.” My voice is hoarse.

  “What? Wants to take who? What the hell’s going on, man?” he asks. I can tell he’s worried, as he should be. He can hear the pain in my voice.

  “Lexington,” I whisper her name.

  “Are you home?” he barks into the phone.

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m on my way.” The line goes dead. I drop my phone and fall to my knees. I scoop my baby girl up in my arms and hold her close. She coos, making her sweet baby noises, and the emotion that’s been threatening to bubble to the surface since I read that fucking letter the first time, falls from my eyes.

  “Evan!” I hear Kinley yell.

  Kinley!

  Turning at the sound of her voice, I watch her run into the living room. She stops when she sees me, and tears begin to fall from her eyes, matching mine. I stand to greet her. She loves my little girl as much as I do. “Evan,” she breathes my name. I have Lexi cradled in one arm, and I hold the other one out to Kinley, an open invitation to come to me.

  I need her.

  She wraps her arms around my waist and I do the same, holding her tight against my chest—my girls, both of them.

  “Fuck, bro, what the hell is going on?” Aaron asks.

  Kinley steps back, and I want to stop her, but I don’t. “Got home today and was going through the mail, got that letter.” I point to the letter now lying on the floor.

  Aaron bends to pick it up, and I watch his face as he reads the words. “Holy shit. Can they do that? Misty’s gone?”

  “Apparently.”

  “Can who do what? What do you mean Misty’s gone?” Kinley looks up to me, searching for answers.

  Reaching out, I run my thumb under one eye then the other, wiping her tears. “Misty died in a car accident almost a month ago. Her parents are suing me for full custody of Lexi,” I explain.

  “What? No, they can’t do that.” She turns to look at Aaron. “Can they do that?”

  Aaron holds up the letter. “Says here they are claiming Evan can’t give Lexi what they can.”

  “Of course he can. He loves her,” Kinley fires back.

  “I know.” Aaron holds the letter up. “This states they feel they can provide the guidance she needs with both a father and mother figure in the household.”

  “Bullshit!” I seethe.

  “She signed her rights away,” Kinley sobs. “She gave her up. This sweet, beautiful little girl, she just gave her away. She didn’t love her. They have no right.”

  “I don’t really know much about the laws, but I know there are grandparent rights and all that. Not sure how that works if the parent signs away their legal rights to the kid,” Aaron says, worry in his voice.

  “Fuck!” I yell, the sound startles Lexi and she starts to cry. Kinley steps close to me once again and starts to sing as she rubs her back. Lexi calms instantly.

  “It’s my guess this is a farfetched attempt. They can’t claim you are unfit, so they are claiming that psychologically she will be better off with a mother and father figure—ironically enough, the relationship their own daughter refused to provide to her,” Aaron says.

  Now that I’ve calmed down, I call bullshit too. “Yeah, I was pissed off and scared as hell at first, but now that you’re here and broke it down, I agree.”

  “We need to get married,” McKinley blurts out.

  “Say again?” Aaron says.

  McKinley looks up at me. “We have to get married, Evan. You’ll have a wife and Lexi will have a mother. They will no longer have an excuse to take her from us.”

  From us. This girl.

  “Kinley,” Aaron says softly. I can see this is tearing her up.

  “No, Aaron. You know I’m right. If Evan gets married, they have no fight. I’m the best choice. I won’t hold him to the marriage after all this shit blows over, and it would be believable. I’ve been there since he found out. I was there when she was born. Hell, Mom and I watch her,” she ticks off items one by one, raising her fingers as she does.

  “McKinley, I can’t let you do that. There has to be a way to fight this.” Those are the words that come out of my mouth. Inside, I’m screaming YES!

  “I’ve been to all her doctor appointments. I’ve been there, Evan. This will work. I know it will. We can’t let them take her.” She breaks on a sob.

  “It’s crazy as hell, but she has a point, man. This would kill their only concern and the reason for the suit,” Aaron agrees with her.

  What the hell?

  “Evan, can I . . . can I hold her, please?” McKinley asks, her voice small. As bad as I want Lexi in my arms, I can see the real fear in Kinley’s eyes as well. She needs this just as much as I do. I give my baby girl a kiss on the top of her head before passing her to Kinley.

  I watch Kinley as she holds her close; she loves Lexi. Never in a million years did I ever imagine this is how things would be; never thought I would be contemplating marrying my best friend’s little sister. Hell, she’s my best friend too.

  Can we do this? Will this work to stop the lawsuit? Can I marry her and then let her walk away when this all blows over? Regardless of the fact I will want to hold on tight, I’ll have to let her go. We’ll have to live under the same roof, share every aspect of my life with her, and then let her go because that’s the right thing to do. She’s offering me a way to fight them to keep my baby girl. I won’t hold her back when this is over.

  “McKinley, you’re amazing for offering, and I can never thank you enough, but this is a big deal.”

  “You’re right, it is. They want to take her from us, Evan. We can’t let them do that. We have to do whatever it takes to make that happen. You can trust me. I won’t hold you to the marriage once we get them to drop the suit.”

  “What happens after you
divorce, once this all blows over and they start the suit up again?” Aaron asks.

  She shrugs. “I’ll still be around, be in her life. We can play it off that I’m still her mother figure. I would be honored to play that role for this little girl.” She pulls Lexi in a little closer to her chest.

  “That could work, man,” Aaron agrees.

  “McKinley, I can’t let you do this.” My plea is weak at best. My head is telling me it’s the right thing to say. My heart is telling me to drag her to the courthouse right this second. That maybe there won’t be an end once we have a beginning.

  “You’re not letting me do anything. I want to do this.”

  “Your parents?” I say meekly.

  “They’ll get it, man. Don’t worry about our parents. I think she’s right. This is the best way. You won’t be strapped to some stranger or some girl who will try to take your ass to the cleaners when this is over. Kinley has been here from the moment you found out. You all have spent a lot of time together. She has a point about the doctor’s appointments and all that stuff. This will work, man. Take her up on it. Save your little girl from those monsters,” Aaron tries to persuade me.

  I’m convinced. I just needed to appear to put up a fight and make sure she understands what she’s volunteering to do.

  “McKinley, look at me.”

  Her eyes snap to mine. I step into her, closing off the space between us. “I need you to look me in the eye and tell me you are really okay with this. You will be putting your life on hold for me—-for us.”

  “Yes.” No hesitation, her voice never wavers. “It was my idea, Evan. I promise you I will have no regrets. We can’t let them take her.”

  “We should probably go talk to your parents first.”

  “No, we shouldn’t. I’m an adult, Evan. I don’t need their blessing or their permission.”

  I raise my hand to her cheek and she leans into my touch. “I know that, but I do. You’re going to be my wife, McKinley. I need them to know I will respect you always. I want to make sure they understand the complexity of this situation, but that I will never do anything to hurt you. They’re my second family. I need them on board with this before we can go through with it.”

  I watch as her eyes soften with my words. She’s knows I’m right.

  “I’ll call them, have them come over. No need in taking Lexi back out when they can come here,” Aaron offers.

  I feel like I’m in a bubble watching this all unfold. He’s on board with this plan; he’s okay with me marrying his little sister. I can’t imagine their parents will be so understanding.

  “Call them.”

  I settle on the couch with Lexi in my arms. She’s wide-awake and making all of her cute baby noises. I block Evan and Aaron out, while she and I have some girl time. I love her. I don’t think I could love her more if she were my own. The thought of Misty’s parents taking her, causes my heart to crack wide open.

  Evan and Aaron know I’m right. Getting married will fix this. Anyone who hears about it will believe it; we’re always together. This is the only way. Evan insists my parents know, but honestly, I couldn’t care less what they think. I’m going to do whatever it takes to keep Lexi with Evan. By doing so, I keep her with me.

  “I’ll let them in,” Aaron says when we hear my dad’s truck pull up.

  Evan paces the floor in front of me. Mom and Dad follow Aaron into the room, both wearing looks of concern. “Why don’t you two go ahead and have a seat,” Aaron suggests.

  “Is everything all right?” Mom asks, worried. Dad guides her to the loveseat and they both sit. Aaron takes his spot in the recliner, leaving me and Lex on the couch and Evan pacing.

  “No, but it will be,” Aaron tells her. “Evan?” Evan raises his eyes and gives Aaron a tight nod. “Evan got a letter today from an attorney in Tennessee. The letter was informing him that Misty was killed in a car accident a few weeks ago. Her parents are now suing Evan for custody of Lexi, stating he can’t give her what she needs—a mother and a father role model in her life,” Aaron explains.

  “I call bullshit!” Dad seethes.

  “You’re right, it is; we all know that. However, none of us knows the laws or the legal rights. Misty signed away her rights, but does that void grandparent rights as well? None of us know. What we do know is they have enough money and connections, at least from what Evan knows from Misty, to fight this battle.”

  “There has to be something we can do,” Mom states.

  “There is,” I speak up for the first time. “I have the solution, but he,” I point across the room at Evan, “insisted the two of you agree to it.”

  “Well, let’s hear it,” this from my dad.

  “Evan and I need to get married. Lexi would have a mom.” I go on to explain, listing the same reasons as I did earlier with Evan and Aaron. “Once this all blows over, we can have the marriage annulled. I’ll still be in her life as her ‘mother’ figure and this will all go away.”

  Evan stops pacing, his attention on me. “I can’t let you do this.”

  I sigh in frustration. “I thought we worked through this? You’re not letting me do anything, Evan. They can’t take her. I won’t let them. This is the only way.”

  “I think you might be right,” Mom says, shocking the hell out of us all. Dad watches her, something seems to pass between them.

  “If it’s any consolation, I agree. At first, I didn’t think so, but after McKinley listed all of the reasons it would be believable between them, I agree this will work,” Aaron adds.

  “Evan,” Dad says his name, causing him to give my father his full attention. Dad doesn’t say anything just gives him a tight nod. Mom places her hand over Dad’s resting on her leg.

  “Have you talked to your parents? I’m sure they want to be there,” Mom says.

  “I . . . um . . . n-no I haven’t talked to them. They don’t know about the letter.”

  “Mom, it’s not a real wedding,” I tell her.

  “We need to make it look real, Kinley. If you are going to go through with this, we need to make sure it looks real. There will be no room for anyone to doubt it.”

  “Dad can’t travel,” Evan says.

  “Well, looks like we’re taking a road trip,” Mom says. “You call them and let them know what going on. Then I’ll call your mom and we will take care of the details.”

  Evan joins me on the couch, and I’m once again the center of his attention. “McKinley, I need you to be sure about this.”

  “Positive.”

  “I don’t know how I will ever be able to thank you for what you’re doing for us.”

  “You don’t have to thank me, Evan. I want to do this. They can’t have her.”

  He tucks a stray piece of hair behind my ear. “Thank you.”

  “All right, well, we’re heading home. I’ve got some planning to start. Evan, you let me know once you’ve talked to your parents and I’ll take care of the rest. You have enough to worry about. Your mom was just saying how she can’t wait to meet her granddaughter. Looks like she’s going to get that wish.” They say their goodbyes with the promise this is all going to work out.

  “You about ready, Kinley?” Aaron asks.

  Am I ready? No, I don’t want to leave her. “I . . . not really,” I admit.

  “You can stay tonight. I might need backup with Mom and Dad. Mom will want to talk to you to make sure you’re okay with all of this,” Evan tells me.

  “Yeah, there are probably a lot of things we need to discuss about this . . . arrangement.”

  “All right, well, you all know where to find me if you need anything. Kinley, I can come back for you later,” Aaron offers.

  “I’ll bring her home in the morning. I would have been dropping Lexi off anyway. I think she needs this time with my little girl as much as I do,” Evan tells him.

  “Yeah,” Aaron says. “You guys call if you need anything.”

  I stand and hand Lexi off to Evan. “I’ll walk
out with you.”

  Aaron says his goodbyes and we head outside.

  “Aaron, I know this has to be weird for you, but I have to do this,” I lay it out there for him. I refuse to ask his permission; I don’t need it.

  “I get it. I’m also not blind, Kinley. I can see the way you look at each other. I’m worried one or both of you are going to come out of this crushed, but I understand this is the only way to keep them away from her.”

  “He’s a great guy, and he’s been through enough.”

  “What about you? Can you keep your heart out of this?”

  “It’s too late, Aaron,” I tell him honestly.

  He pulls me into his arms and hugs me tight. “You’re not the only one, little sister. I can read Evan like a book. He’s been fighting this.”

  “Regardless, we both know we have to do this. When it’s over, the fact that we saved that little girl from those people will heal the pain I’ll feel from no longer being a part of their family.”

  “You’ll always be a part of their family, McKinley.” His voice is scolding.

  “You’re right, but not the way I long to be. I know that, and I accept it.”

  Aaron nods, he gets it. “Call me if you need anything. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  With one last hug—the kind only my big brother can give—he’s gone. I watch his truck until I can no longer see his tail lights before heading back inside.

  Lexi is just finishing her bottle when Kinley finally comes back into the house. “Let me lay her down and we’ll call my parents.”

  “Can I come with you?” she asks.

  “Of course you can.”

  She follows me up the stairs and into Lexi’s room. “Goodnight, baby girl. Daddy loves you,” I say softly, kissing her on the forehead.

  I step back, letting Kinley say goodnight as well. “Sweet dreams, Lex. I love you,” she says so softly I almost don’t hear her.

  I grab her hand and lead her to my room. Without hesitation, Kinley sits on her side of the bed and pulls her knees to her chest. Taking my cell out of my pocket, I dial my parents. I sit on the edge of the bed beside her and lay my hand on her knee. She covers mine with hers and we wait for them to answer.