Color stained her cheeks a beautiful shade of pink as she nodded. “Yeah…someday.”
Smiling, he rested his head against hers. “I know legally we’re probably still cousins. If we want to get married without all the…complications, there are probably a ton of hoops we’ll have to go through. I don’t know what they might be, and we might need legal help to prove we’re not related. But maybe it’s as easy as having my birth certificate changed to show that Nate Harper isn’t biologically my father?” Kai shook his head, making their noses brush together. “I kind of hate the thought of doing that, but I would gladly go through with it to freely be your husband. Regardless of the obstacles, I want that future with you. I want you to be my wife.”
He pulled back to look at her, and her eyes were wet with tears. Moving her hand from his face, he clenched it tight. “I love you, Jessie…always.”
She smiled as the tears dripped down her cheeks. “I love you, too.”
They leaned in for a series of light, soft kisses that made Kai feel a little dizzy. When they withdrew, Jessie raised an eyebrow at him. “Most of our extended family will still think we’re related.”
Kai shrugged, not caring anymore. “Let them. We know the truth. Besides, it’s just the multitude of aunts, uncles, and cousins that we never see anyway. We only ever hear about them in Gran’s Christmas letter.” Kissing her softly, he smiled. “Our close family will know the truth. And they’ll accept us because they love us.”
“We’ll need to stop referring to ourselves as cousins around other people then. This might freak them out.” She leaned over and gave him a soft kiss as she ran a hand through his hair.
Kai laughed, deep in his throat. “It will be our inside joke.” Jessie giggled and laughing with her, Kai returned himself to where he most wanted to be in this world…her lips.
Once they were back in the city Kai was nearly as fond of as the one he’d left behind, he again felt fueled with direction and purpose. He knew where his life was going again, and that was a comfort that he drew a tremendous amount of strength from. He would remain here in Denver, working with Mason, learning from the man who academically inspired him. He would help Jessie take care of Gran, making sure she stayed strong, healthy, and independent for as long as she could. And he and Jessie…they would share every aspect of their lives with each other, and he would be the best boyfriend, lover, and friend Jessie could ever dream of having. Kai would make her forget that any other man had ever existed before him.
Smiling as they exited the airport, Kai finally felt like his future wasn’t going to be filled with pain and longing. He was going to have everything he’d ever wanted, with the girl he’d always dreamt of having.
Immersed in those cheery thoughts as they climbed into Jessie’s truck, Kai started with surprise when his phone rang. He’d charged it before leaving for his impromptu trip home, but no one had called him in days. As an overdramatic, sappy song started pouring out of his speakers, he groaned and cursed his coworker.
Jessie, clearly recognizing the song, laughed as she started her vehicle. “Wind Beneath My Wings…really?”
Grimacing at her comment as he glanced at the caller ID, he shook his head. “Missy. I seriously don’t know how she keeps getting a hold of my phone.” Jessie let out a hearty laugh as Kai smiled at the screen. Bringing the phone to his ear, he answered the call with, “Mom, we just left you. Do you really miss me already?”
As Jessie pulled away from the parking lot, he heard his mother’s laughter. “I miss you all the time, Kai. I just wanted to make sure you landed okay.”
Smiling over at Jessie, Kai grinned. “We’re fine, Mom. Perfectly fine.”
Hanging up after a brief conversation with her, Kai gazed at Jessie the entire time she drove them home. Home. Being with her truly felt like being home now. Not the paradise he’d left behind, and definitely not the tiny studio apartment he’d been staying in. Wherever she was, was home.
She glanced at him as he watched her. “You know, I’ve been thinking…”
“Yeah,” he murmured, reaching out a finger to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. She closed her eyes briefly before snapping them open. Good thing too, since she was driving.
Swallowing, she flicked her eyes at him and shrugged. “Well, Grams did mention that her neighbor’s house was free, and I was thinking, maybe…” She let her thought trail off as she studied the road. Kai watched her bite her lip, and there was almost a nervous look on her face.