Page 32 of Belonging: KT & Lolo (Good Hope: The Next Generation #2)

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

After takeout Thai, KT and Lolo spent Friday evening holed up in the cabin, working.

KT would have gone along with whatever she wanted—dinner out, a movie, a drive through the woods. It didn’t matter. He was just determined to spend as much time as possible with her.

He knew the clock was ticking. Lolo would want to see her family before she left.

He wanted one-on-one time with Braxton, who was heading out three days after her.

But right now, all he wanted was this —quiet companionship, the soft tap of her stylus on the iPad, the warm light of the lamp washing over her curls. Just her.

They had a plan for after she returned to Lexington—visits, phone calls, FaceTime—but the truth was already pressing against his chest. He couldn’t imagine waking up and not finding her across the table or across the pillow.

In the back of his mind, a clock kept ticking. Days. Hours. Minutes.

Lolo looked up, brow furrowed slightly. “When are you going to show me that painting?”

KT’s gaze flicked to the canvas leaning against the far wall.

It was her.

Not just her likeness, but the feeling of her. The ache, the admiration, the quiet gravity she carried with her. It was raw. Bold. Maybe too vulnerable. He hadn’t been ready to let anyone— her —see it yet.

“KT,” she said, teasing now. “I have time right now to look.”

He chuckled. “Soon. Very soon.”

“Before I leave.”

The words hit like a stone to the ribs. KT swallowed hard before nodding. “If it’s done.”

Satisfied, she turned back to her design.

He watched her chew on her bottom lip, those faint lines of concentration creasing her forehead.

“I hope Stillwell likes this,” she murmured.

“If he doesn’t,” KT said, “you need to remind yourself his opinion has nothing to do with the quality of your work.”

She turned toward him, brows raised.

He met her gaze without hesitation.

“You and I are artists,” he continued. “We make things that don’t always land with everyone. That doesn’t make it less valuable. What you’ve created is strong. Thoughtful. If he doesn’t go for it, it’s on him . Either he didn’t really look, or he doesn’t yet know what he wants.”

Her lips curved. “You’re probably right.”

“I am right.” He grinned, then softened. “Rejection’s part of the deal.”

“I wish you could be there when I get the news,” she said. “Either we’d pop champagne or share a pint of Ben & Jerry’s.”

He crossed to her and set down his brush, cupping her cheek with paint-smudged fingers. “I may not be there in person, but I’ll be right there in spirit. If you need me…” He tapped her phone gently with a smile. “I’m only a call away.”

“Same for you,” she whispered .

He brushed a loose curl from her face. “I’ll always be there for you.”

It was a bold promise, maybe too much too soon. But as Lolo leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his waist, KT knew it wasn’t a risk.

It was just the truth.

As KT held her, warm and solid beneath her cheek, Lolo closed her eyes.

He said he’d always be there for her. And for the first time in a long while, she believed it—believed in something that wasn’t conditional or fleeting.

She didn’t know what the future would look like. But in this moment, wrapped in his arms, with her heart steady and full, she let herself believe in more.

In them .

“It feels like you just got here.” Zoe leaned back in her kitchen chair, ignoring the perfect slice of key lime pie in front of her. “I can’t believe it’s time for you to leave.”

“I’m here until Friday.” Lolo tried for light, though the words sat heavy on her tongue. With her flight less than a week away, it felt all too close.

Brynn had arranged this last-minute lunch after Lolo had texted about her impending return to Lexington. With Callum out of town and Parker at a friend’s house, Brynn’s sunny cottage had won the vote.

“It’s going to be so hard leaving you guys,” Lolo added, trying to swallow past the lump rising in her throat.

KT wasn’t the only one she’d grown used to seeing often. There was her brother, Eliza, her niece and nephew. And these two—her friends, who had somehow become her anchors.

“You’ll be back soon, right?” Brynn asked. “Now that you’ve been reminded how wonderful we are.”

“I’ll definitely be back,” Lolo promised. She took a bite of the tart pie, letting the sweet citrus distract her for a beat. “With family here, you guys here…and now that KT’s buying a house?—”

“Wait.” Zoe held up a hand. “KT is buying a house in Good Hope?”

“He is. He won’t live here full time, at least not right away, but we definitely plan to spend time here.”

Zoe’s brows lifted. “You’re keeping the relationship going?”

Lolo blinked at the note of surprise in Zoe’s voice. “Of course. I told you before—I love him.”

Zoe and Brynn exchanged a look.

“I mean, that’s what you said,” Brynn said slowly. “But you also told us you hadn’t said it to him. And he hadn’t said it to you.”

“I knew you liked him,” Zoe added. “That was obvious. But I figured it was one of those summer flings—charming, short term, vacation magic.”

“It might’ve started that way.” Lolo smiled faintly. “But the spark hasn’t fizzled. It’s only grown.”

“So you’re going to do the long-distance thing?” Brynn asked.

“We are. We already have a plan—calls, daily texts, alternating weekends. He’s coming to Lexington once he clears a few deadlines.”

“Sounds serious,” Brynn said, watching her closely.

“I love him,” Lolo said simply. “And he loves me. We want to be together.”

Zoe exhaled. “That’s…fast.”

“You sound like my parents,” Lolo said with a wry smile. “Or the way I think they’ll react when I tell them. ”

“It’s just…” Brynn hesitated. “LDRs are hard. Even when you’re both all in.”

“Relationships are hard enough when you’re in the same town,” Zoe added. The bitterness in her voice was unmistakable.

The words hung for a beat, sharp with memory. Lolo knew Zoe was still carrying the sting of betrayal of an ex-fiancé who’d changed his mind after the Save the Date cards had already been mailed. No wonder love looked dangerous from her seat.

Lolo turned to Brynn. “You and Callum made something that was complicated work. You figured it out.”

“We did,” Brynn said. Her voice was calm, but serious. “We had history—years of friendship, shared memories. Once he knew about Parker, his priorities shifted. He was willing to make big changes.”

“And he’s happy now?” Lolo asked.

Brynn smiled. “He is. He still gets his adrenaline fix, but his life feels rooted now. He chose this. Chose Parker. Chose me.”

Zoe folded her arms. “But you and KT… It’s different. You’re still getting to know each other. What happens when things get hard? When life gets noisy and schedules collide?”

Lolo’s gaze shifted from Zoe to Brynn then back to Zoe. “If I were in your place, I’d probably have the same concerns. But just because it might be hard isn’t a reason to walk away. In my mind, that would be the bigger mistake.”

Brynn was quiet. Zoe, too.

“I’ll try to be smart,” Lolo said softly. “Try to take it slow. But when I think about being far away from him, it’s hard to breathe.”

Zoe’s expression softened, though her eyes still held worry.

Brynn leaned in. “What are you saying?”

“When I get home, I’m going to talk to my dad. About everything. About maybe…making some changes.”

“What kind of changes?” Brynn asked gently.

“I don’t know yet,” Lolo admitted. “Maybe shifting my role. Maybe working remotely. I just…I want the chance to see where this could go.”

Zoe didn’t say anything right away. She finally picked up her fork, took a bite of pie, then set it down.

“It’s brave,” she said at last, her tone gentler than it had been all afternoon. “Putting your heart on the line like that.”

“You think so?” Lolo asked.

Zoe gave a small shrug. “You said you love him. That’s not nothing.”

Lolo smiled, the knot in her chest loosening just a bit.

Brynn raised her glass. “To brave choices. And not running from love.”

Lolo clinked her glass against Brynn’s, then Zoe’s.

Zoe met her eyes. “I still think it’s fast. But maybe…fast isn’t always wrong.”

It wasn’t quite approval. But it was hope.

And right now, Lolo would take that.

When Eliza had texted on Saturday to ask if Lolo would attend Sunday services with the family the next morning, she’d agreed, grateful when KT said he’d go, too.

She hadn’t slept much, but woke with a strange, quiet calm in her chest.

A hint of fall rode the breeze coming through the cracked-open window, the subtle shift in the air that made Sunday mornings feel more sacred somehow.

At exactly 9:10, a soft knock sounded at her door.

KT, who’d returned to his cabin for clean clothes, stood on the other side, freshly shaven in a collared shirt and khakis, holding out a takeaway cup of coffee like it was a lifeline.

“What is this?” she asked, taking the cup and nodding to the matching one he still held.

“Something to help jump-start the morning,” he said, his voice warm. “We kept each other pretty busy last night.”

“A wonderful time was had by all,” she teased, her heart skipping when he leaned in and kissed her.

She took a long sip, looked down at her bare feet, then back up at him with a smile. “Give me ten minutes.”

“We’re good on time, so no need to rush.” He raised his cup.

As she closed the bedroom door behind her, Lolo felt the most unexpected thing—peace.

She wasn’t sure what the week ahead would bring.

But this morning? This moment?

With him was exactly where she needed to be.

Late morning light filtered through the stained-glass windows, casting pools of color across the worn wooden pews. Lolo sat between her brother and KT, her hands folded loosely in her lap, her thoughts circling like birds above stormy water.

The pastor’s voice rang out—steady, warm, clear.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

He paused, allowing the words to settle in the quiet.

“Fear keeps us rooted in place. It whispers that we’ll fail, that we’re not good enough, that we’ll let someone down. But God doesn’t speak in fear. He speaks in truth. And the truth is, He equips us with everything we need to step forward. Even when we’re scared. Especially when we’re scared.”

Lolo blinked, swallowing against the tightness rising in her throat.

“God gives us a spirit of power to do the hard things. A spirit of love to soften our hearts. A sound mind to discern what’s right, even when the way forward isn’t easy. ”

Beside her, KT’s hand brushed hers in a silent gesture of comfort.

But Lolo wasn’t thinking about KT.

She was thinking about the meeting with her father at the end of the week.

Telling her father the truth about Jared.

Standing by her work.

And claiming her future, not just reacting to the ones others had designed for her.

No more shrinking back.

No more what-ifs.

As the congregation bowed their heads for prayer, Lolo kept her eyes open. Her heart felt steady. Her mind clear.

She didn’t have all the answers yet. But she knew the next right step.

And Lolo wasn’t going to let fear keep her from taking it.

As the final notes of the closing hymn faded and people rose to gather their jackets and purses, KT remained seated, elbows resting on his knees, his gaze fixed on the sunlight filtering through the stained glass.

He wasn’t exactly what you’d call religious, not in the traditional sense. But there was something about this place, this moment, that settled inside him.

The pastor’s words echoed.

Even when we’re scared. Especially when we’re scared.

KT had built a life on careful choices. Cautious ones. Measured brushstrokes and calculated risks.

But none of that had prepared him for Lolo.

He turned slightly, catching sight of her across the aisle, where she spoke softly with Eliza. The light caught in her hair, and her laugh—quiet and warm—slipped across the space between them like a balm.

He loved her. That much he knew.

What came next was the part that was still fuzzy around the edges. The logistics. The miles. The months. But for once, he wasn’t looking for perfect clarity.

Just conviction.

And what he felt—watching her in the soft hush of this sanctuary—was exactly that.

Conviction.

They’d figure it out. Together.

He rose slowly, walking toward her, one step at a time.

Not certain of the path ahead.

But certain of her.

People lingered on the church steps, catching up and soaking in the late summer sun. KT and Lolo stepped out into the light together, hands brushing but not quite linked.

“You were quiet in there,” he said, glancing at her.

She gave him a small smile. “I was listening.”

“To the sermon?”

“And to myself.”

He nodded, then nudged her gently with his shoulder. “You thinking about the talk with your dad?”

“I am.” She looked out across the church lawn. “That verse—about power, love and a sound mind—it landed.”

He reached for her hand this time, lacing their fingers together. “You’ve got all three. Even when you forget.”

She looked up at him, warmth stirring behind her ribs. “Thanks for being here.”

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

They stood like that for a few quiet moments, the breeze lifting her curls, the church bell starting its noon chime in the distance.