Jordan laughed. “Sure, baby.”
She ran to the kitchen to get Kirsten’s water, then she came back in, sat next to Kirsten, and put an arm around her.
Kirsten turned to her. “What happened to our picture? Where’s the frame?”
She averted her gaze, ashamed to look Kirsten in the eye. “It broke,” she mumbled.
Kirsten cradled her chin and made Jordan look at her. “How?”
She tried to look away, but Kirsten held her firm. She was disgusted with herself that she hadn’t given Kirsten a chance to explain what had happened and had lost control. Her eyes watered, and she quickly swiped her tears. “I threw it across the room on Friday afternoon when I thought you were leaving me to go back to John.”
Kirsten grabbed her hand. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry that’s what it looked like to you. Let me tell you what John and I talked about on Friday. He showed up unannounced as I was fixing our dinner. He apologized for the way he’d behaved and said he wouldn’t contest the divorce. He wants me to be happy, too, and he said if I decided to sell the house, we would split the profits.”
Jordan was dumbfounded. “He said all of that?”
“Yes. What you saw when you came to the house was John giving me a kiss good-bye and him wishing me the best. It was completely innocent, honey.”
“Christ, I’m such an asshole.” Jordan buried her face in her hands. This all could have been avoided if she had just trusted Kirsten. That admission left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Kirsten pulled Jordan’s hands from her face. “No, you’re not. You took a big chance giving your heart over to me after what happened between you and Kelly, and I see what it must have looked like from your point of view. But, Jordan, I love you, and I promise I will never hurt you like that.”
“I know that in my heart. I promise you that I will never run again. I’m going to have to learn to keep communication open with you. It may take me a while, but I promise I will always try my best.”
“I know that. Same goes for me.” Kirsten held the pendant Jordan was wearing in her fingers. “Do you like it?”
“I love it, and I promise never to take it off.” She kissed her gently. When she finally broke the kiss, she said, “Kirsten, I want to ask you something, and I want you to seriously think about it before you answer, okay?”
“Okay.”
Jordan had been going over this in her mind ever since she and Kirsten had declared their love for each other. She wasn’t sure if Kirsten thought it would be too soon or if she wanted to be on her own for a while since she was just ending her marriage. But Jordan didn’t want to spend another night without her, and the idea just made sense to her. Her mouth went dry before she was able to ask the question. She took a sip of water and cleared her throat.
She looked Kirsten in the eye. “Would you think about living with me? I never want to spend another night without you, and I want you in my life always. We can live here, or your place, or we can sell them both and buy something together. You don’t have to answer now. I just want you to think about it.” Her nerves had made the words sound like it was one sentence, and she had to take a deep breath. Wow. I didn’t know I could talk that fast.
Kirsten teared up. “I don’t have to think about it, sweetheart, I would love to live with you.”
Jordan pulled Kirsten into a fierce hug but was careful of her injuries. “You make me so happy, Kirsten. I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.”
Chapter Fifty-Two
Four months later
Jordan and Alex carried Jordan’s old, battered recliner off the moving truck as Kirsten grabbed a medium-sized box and followed them into their new home.
“Jordan, don’t even think about putting that chair into the living room. You can put it in the office where it will be out of sight from our guests.”
Jordan called out, “Yes, dear.” Alex laughed.
“Is that all you can carry?” Brenda teased Kirsten. “Just a small box while Alex, Jordan, and her teammates do all the heavy lifting?”
“I’m trying to take it easy on my arm.”
Jordan walked past them on her way back to the truck and playfully swatted Kirsten’s butt. “Honey, you graduated from physical therapy three weeks ago. I think your arm is fine. Mary wouldn’t have let you go if you weren’t all better.”
Kirsten giggled and conceded. “All right, I give. Mary helped me build up my big muscles, so I may as well put them to use.” Kirsten bent both elbows and posed to show off her newly developed biceps, much to the satisfaction of Jordan’s teammates, who were hooting and hollering, encouraging Kirsten to continue her posing.
Jordan laughed as she looked around their house—no, home—as Kirsten treated everyone to some bodybuilder poses. She loved that her teammates and friends—her family of choice—had rallied to help them when Kirsten had come home from the hospital and again to help them move into their new home. She looked around and imagined the joy and laughter that would be found within these walls.
The house was a single story with three bedrooms and two bathrooms in a perfect location close to both of their workplaces, which meant that they would have more time to spend together in the evenings because of the short commute. It also had a large, open-concept living area, which was something Kirsten had insisted on, citing her refusal to miss any time with Jordan or their friends while she was in the massive kitchen. Jordan had been sold on the pool.
Although this was their first place together, true to Jordan’s word, they had not spent a night apart since Kirsten had come home from the hospital. And while their relationship was not without turmoil—Jordan sometimes irritated Kirsten by leaving her purse on the table when she came home from work or leaving her gym bag out in the living room instead of putting it away, and Kirsten drove Jordan crazy when she wouldn’t replace the empty toilet paper roll or would leave the laundry in the dryer for a few days rather than folding it right away—Jordan had never been happier.
Their sex life was one reason for her bliss. Kirsten had spent a small fortune on lingerie. Jordan was never disappointed in the items Kirsten enjoyed buying, and she loved how the modeling sessions always led to mind-blowing sex. She was often tired in the morning from their frequent late nights, but the last thing she would ever think to do would be complain. But even though Jordan was thrilled by how well they complemented one another in bed, she had gotten even more enjoyment from some of the more routine aspects of everyday life.
They had quickly devised a system for dinner that consisted of Jordan prepping the food and Kirsten cooking it. Then they would do the dishes together, which left them more time to sit in the spa while enjoying a glass of wine or beer before going to bed. Jordan knew she wouldn’t trade any of that for anything in the world.
After their friends left, Jordan and Kirsten unpacked some of the more important boxes that included kitchenware. Jordan broke down the boxes and looked at the time. It was late afternoon, and she was getting hungry even though she and Kirsten had bought a couple of pizzas for their friends to thank them for their help.
“Hey, babe, I’m getting hungry. Let’s go take a shower, so we can grab takeout. We can finish unpacking tomorrow.”
Jordan was looking forward to waking up on Sunday morning in their new home and would have preferred to spend the day making love in every room, but she knew the sooner they had everything put away, the sooner they could relax. However, that didn’t mean she was prepared to unpack everything immediately. Plus, she was dying to initiate the shower.
They took their time letting the warm water wash away the hard day’s work. They lathered each other with shower gel and let their slick bodies slide against one another as their fingers explored each other’s skin. Jordan had Kirsten pinned against the shower wall, preventing them from falling as they climaxed together.
Once their breathing had slowed, they turned off the water and toweled each other dry. They dressed in faded blue jeans and T-
shirts, which Jordan had always thought was Kirsten’s sexiest look.
Jordan hadn’t thought she could ever feel this content. She had thought she would never find a love so pure, so true, ever again. But then Kirsten had come into her life, and looking back, she had known right away that her life would never be the same. Kirsten had taught her how to trust again—not only to trust another person, but also her heart. She had told Kirsten when they were just starting out as friends that it would take a very special woman to allow her to love again. And it had. She knew she was the luckiest woman alive to have Kirsten as her partner. She sometimes felt her heart would burst out of her chest with the love she felt for Kirsten.
Jordan had talked Kirsten into going to pick up Thai food for dinner, and while she was gone, she had prepared the teak patio table for a romantic dinner. She’d set the table and lit candles then admired their backyard. She decided that when they had some free time, they would string lights around the yard and plant roses, sunflowers, and stargazer lilies. They wanted their home to be inviting for their friends to come over and have parties. Jordan knew where she would put the new grill, and she hoped that maybe they could get a Ping-Pong table. Shaking herself out of her reverie, she went to retrieve her Bluetooth speaker and cued up the music to a love song playlist.
Kirsten came home shortly after she had set the romantic scene. She helped Kirsten plate the food and brought it out to the patio. Kirsten’s wide smile indicated that she had done well with the setup. Jordan pulled Kirsten’s chair out for her and kissed her when she was seated.
Jordan sat, and they ate their dinner. Once they were finished, Jordan took the dishes into the kitchen and returned with a bottle of champagne and two flutes. The first slow song they had ever danced to played over the speaker, and Jordan pushed back her chair and held out her hand.
“Dance with me?”
“I’d love to.”
Jordan moved Kirsten around the patio, content to look into her eyes. She would have sworn she could feel the love flowing between their bodies as they moved to the slow beat and heartfelt lyrics. The music expressed what was in her heart far more eloquently than Jordan would ever have been able to with her own words.
Jordan’s stomach was in knots. She was excited, scared, and most of all, nervous. She had never loved anyone as much as she loved Kirsten, and she wanted everything to be perfect. She thought maybe it was too soon. They had been together for less than a year, and Kirsten’s divorce had just been finalized, but she couldn’t wait any longer. She wanted Kirsten to belong to her, and she wanted to belong to Kirsten, for the rest of their lives.
As the song came to the end, Jordan dropped on one knee and took Kirsten’s hand. Kirsten gasped audibly. She had a strong feeling she knew where this was going, but she still couldn’t believe it was actually happening. Her divorce with John had become final less than a month ago, but while she had known for a very long time that Jordan was the love of her life, and they would be together forever, she hadn’t realized that Jordan had been quite this prepared to make it official.
Tears welled in her eyes, blurring the scene before her, and her breathing started to escalate. This very moment would be the most important moment of her life. The woman she loved fiercely was down on her knee, about to ask her to marry her. For Jordan to be ready to make this promise of their future together made her heart beat wildly.
Jordan looked up at her with an expression that was a mixture of anxiety and adoration. Her eyes were also glassy with unshed tears, and she kept swallowing like she was having a hard time speaking. After a long moment, she took a deep breath and cleared her throat.
“Kirsten, from the first time I saw you, I felt a connection with you that I couldn’t ignore. We became friends, and the more I got to know you, the more in love I fell. I was afraid to give my heart over to anyone, but you came along and wouldn’t settle for anything less. I love you, Kirsten, and I want to spend the rest of my life telling you, showing you, proving to you that you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Kirsten Murphy, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Kirsten laughed as tears streamed down her cheeks. She dropped to her knees and flung her arms around Jordan’s neck. “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you, Jordan.”
Jordan reached into her front pocket and pulled out a box containing a one-carat princess cut diamond set against an infinity band. Her hand shook as she placed the ring on Kirsten’s left fourth finger. She looked up at Kirsten and smiled through her own tears. This was the happiest moment of her life. Kirsten had agreed to marry her. It was like a dream she never wanted to wake from. “I promise to love you higher than the sky, deeper than the ocean, for longer than eternity.”
Kirsten held her hand out and studied her ring. She stood and pulled Jordan to her feet, threw her arms around Jordan’s neck, and cried. Jordan held her tightly until her tears slowed, then she kissed Kirsten until she was dizzy.
“Jordan, I love you more than I thought I could love anyone. I vow to be the wife you deserve, and I promise to cherish you and support you always.”
Jordan led Kirsten to the table and poured the champagne. Her cheeks ached from her smile and laughter. This was the best day of her life, and she couldn’t imagine a more perfect person to spend the rest of her life loving. They entwined their arms and brought the flutes to their lips.
“To new beginnings.”
About the Author
KC Richardson attended college on a basketball scholarship, and her numerous injuries in her various sports led her to a career in physical therapy. Her love for reading and writing allows her to create characters and tell their stories. She and her wife live in Southern California, where they are trying to raise respectful fur kids.
When KC isn’t torturing…erm, fixing people, she loves spending time with her wonderful friends and family, reading, writing, kayaking, working out, and playing golf.
Books Available From Bold Strokes Books
Deadly Medicine by Jaime Maddox. Dr. Ward Thrasher’s life is in turmoil. Her partner Jess left her, and her job puts her in the path of a murderous physician who has Jess in his sights. (978-1-62639-4-247)
New Beginnings by KC Richardson. Can the connection and attraction between Jordan Roberts and Kirsten Murphy be enough for Jordan to trust Kirsten with her heart? (978-1-62639-4-506)
Officer Down by Erin Dutton. Can two women who’ve made careers out of being there for others in crisis find the strength to need each other? (978-1-62639-4-230)
Reasonable Doubt by Carsen Taite. Just when Sarah and Ellery think they’ve left dangerous careers behind, a new case sets them—and their hearts—on a collision course. (978-1-62639-4-421)
Tarnished Gold by Ann Aptaker. Cantor Gold must outsmart the Law, outrun New York’s dockside gangsters, outplay a shady art dealer, his lover, and a beautiful curator, and stay out of a killer’s gun sights. (978-1-62639-4-261)
The Renegade by Amy Dunne. Post-apocalyptic survivors Alex and Evelyn secretly find love while held captive by a deranged cult, but when their relationship is discovered, they must fight for their freedom—or die trying. (978-1-62639-4-278)
Thrall by Barbara Ann Wright. Four women in a warrior society must work together to lift an insidious curse while caught between their own desires, the will of their peoples, and an ancient evil. (978-1-62639-4-377)
White Horse in Winter by Franci McMahon. Love between two women collides with the inner poison of a closeted horse trainer in the green hills of Vermont. (978-1-62639-4-292)
Autumn Spring by Shelley Thrasher. Can Bree and Linda, two women in the autumn of their lives, put their hearts first and find the love they’ve never dared seize? (978-1-62639-365-3)
The Chameleon’s Tale by Andrea Bramhall. Two old friends must work through a web of lies and deceit to find themselves again, but in the search they discover far more than they ever went looking for. (978-1-62639-363-9)
Side Effects by VK Powell. Detective Jordan Bish
op and Dr. Neela Sahjani must decide if it’s easier to trust someone with your heart or your life as they face threatening protestors, corrupt politicians, and their increasing attraction. (978-1-62639-364-6)
Warm November by Kathleen Knowles. What do you do if the one woman you want is the only one you can’t have? (978-1-62639-366-0)
In Every Cloud by Tina Michele. When Bree finally leaves her shattered life behind, is she strong enough to salvage the remaining pieces of her heart and find the place where it truly fits? (978-1-62639-413-1)
Rise of the Gorgon by Tanai Walker. When independent Internet journalist Elle Pharell goes to Kuwait to investigate a veteran’s mysterious suicide, she hires Cassandra Hunt, an interpreter with a covert agenda. (978-1-62639-367-7)
Crossed by Meredith Doench. Agent Luce Hansen returns home to catch a killer and risks everything to revisit the unsolved murder of her first girlfriend and confront the demons of her youth. (978-1-62639-361-5)
Making a Comeback by Julie Blair. Music and love take center stage when jazz pianist Liz Randall tries to make a comeback with the help of her reclusive, blind neighbor, Jac Winters. (978-1-62639-357-8)
Soul Unique by Gun Brooke. Self-proclaimed cynic Greer Landon falls for Hayden Rowe’s paintings and the young woman shortly after, but will Hayden, who lives with Asperger syndrome, trust her and reciprocate her feelings? (978-1-62639-358-5)
The Price of Honor by Radclyffe. Honor and duty are not always black and white—and when self-styled patriots take up arms against the government, the price of honor may be a life. (978-1-62639-359-2)
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