“Or me.”
“I should miss her,” Kevin insisted.
“And you will,” Jesse told him. “There will be memories good and bad. Unresolved feelings. But, Kevin? You have to know, you’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met.”
Fretfully, Tonya held back as Jesse strode in and stood over him. “I mean that. I have a lot of respect for you. Respect that I hope is mutual. Crying won’t change that. In fact, I’d say you’re past due.”
Suddenly the dam broke and Kevin curled in on himself, his head to his knees, elbows over his ears, rocking back and forth.
Rushing in, Tonya embraced him, holding him as tight as she could, so tight she heard his protesting grunt—and still she didn’t loosen up. “I love you, Kevin. I love you so much.”
He tried to draw a breath, choked and said, “I feel so bad.”
She rocked him, her hands locked around him. “About what? Tell me and we’ll work it out.”
“I’m happy here.”
The whispered words stole her strength, and she slumped, letting him put a few inches between them.
Sniffling loudly, angry and defiant, Kevin pulled away. “I like all this.” He waved a hand—at everything. “All of it.” He stabbed a finger toward Tonya. “You.” And then at Jesse. “Him.”
“You like me?”
His bottom lip quivered before he clenched his jaw and nodded.
Such an amazing gift. She tried on a gentle smile. “It’s okay for you to be happy.”
He shook his head hard, shoving out of his chair and turning his back on them. “It’s so much better here. I like it so much more.” He scrubbed at his face with his forearm. Choking out the words, he said, “I love you guys.”
Looking pretty solemn himself, Jesse said, “We love you too.”
“Mom never did any of this.” He faced them again, his shoulders bunched in insistence. “She cared, though!”
“Of course she did,” Jesse said. “It’s just that people are different.”
“How could she not?” Rubbing his shoulder, Tonya said, “It’s okay for you to cry. To get sad and mad.” Needing him to believe it, she kept her voice firm. “And it’s more than okay for you to be happy.”
Unconvinced, he swallowed. “It’s not that I’m glad she’s gone.”
She nodded her understanding. “I honestly tried my best to save Cissy. I really did. But it was never enough. Now you’re mine, and I need you to know that however the situation worked out, I’m so glad you’re here with me. I will never, ever let you go.”
He surprised her again by giving her a big hug, his skinny shoulders shaking only a little. “Thanks.”
“Thank you.”
Awkwardly, he pushed away and dragged in a strained breath. Using his shoulder, he wiped his eyes. When he realized Love was staring up at him, he bent to give her a pat, whispering, “Sorry, Love. I’m okay now.”
Tonya hoped it was true, that he was okay. “We’re a family.”
“Yeah.” He straightened again, slanting an embarrassed glance at Jesse.
Jesse put his arm around Tonya. “So what do you say? Okay if I marry her so I can be an official part of the family?”
This time it was his nose Kevin scrubbed with his forearm. When he finished, he caught a broken breath, quirked a smile and said, “Guess that’s up to her, but I hope she says yes.”
Tonya took her time fixing Kevin’s hair, then she kissed his cheek, turned to Jesse and said, “Yes.”
Jesse surprised her by pulling both her and Kevin into a group hug. The awkward laughing, reciprocal hugs and overall sense of well-being left her heart full.
Love nudged her way in, and Kevin scooped her up along with a kitten. Tonya picked up the other two.
Jesse watched them both, his satisfaction plain.
“Guess you were right,” Tonya told him.
“Glad to hear it,” Jesse said. “But about what?”
“I know.” Even though Kevin ducked his face against the cat, Tonya could see his smile. He shoulder-bumped her, then went to put the cat and kitten down in their nook. “There’s always room for love.”
Keep reading for an excerpt from DON’T TEMPT ME by Lori Foster.
If you loved Under Pressure by New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster, then don’t miss Justice’s story in
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Private security gets a whole lot more personal and provocative in The Protectors, a sexy new series by New York Times bestselling author Brenda Jackson.
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The first full-length novel from
USA TODAY and #1 ebook bestselling author
ALEXA RILEY
A strong, possessive man finds the woman of his dreams, and takes fate into his hands. He’ll do everything to make her his.