Page 6

Chapter Six

Kit

“Thank you!” I wave to my driver, Neal, as he gets in the car and pulls away.

“Kit!”

“Great!” I mutter, dragging my luggage up the stairs. “Now I’m hearing Beau’s voice in my head.”

When the voice calls out again, I pause. My brows furrow as I scan the block to see if there actually is someone calling my name. I spot a man waving at me, a grin on his face.

A man who resembles Beau Matthews.

Missing a step, I fall backward. Panicking, I try to catch myself but fail.

I’m going down.

Instead of hitting concrete, I’m lifted by a warm, hard body. It’s as solid as concrete but much softer. And warm. That sense of safety is back.

When I shift my gaze, I find a pair of gray eyes smiling at me. They’re crinkled at the corner and filled with a hint of amusement.

The same shade of gray I woke up to this morning.

“Whoa. Careful.” His deep voice has nearly the same effect on my body as being pressed against him. I take a few breaths to slow my heart rate, praying he can’t feel it trying to pummel its way through my ribcage.

It’s a good thing I’m in his arms because I’m pretty sure my legs wouldn’t be able to support me if I were standing.

“Maybe I should carry you over the threshold.” He waggles his brows at me. “I seem to remember something about it being a tradition for newlyweds.”

When my eyes pop, a smile splits his face. Gently placing me back on the step, he makes sure I’m steady before slowly moving his arm from my waist. He hesitates for a second before his fingers follow. The air crackles, stealing my breath with it. I swallow hard and swear I catch his gaze flick to my mouth.

Just then, my brain starts working again. My ‘husband’ is standing in front of me. In Starhaven.

“What are you doing here?” I narrow my eyes and step back, bumping into the stair behind me and nearly falling in the other direction. Beau places a hand on my arm and steadies me. His eyes cloud over at my sudden movement. “Are you stalking me?”

“Am I what?” He asks, brows pulling together. I sheepishly shrug my right shoulder. His mouth drops open before he throws his head back and laughs.

“First, thanks for having such a high opinion of the man you married.” His smirk sends tiny shivers shooting to my toes. “And second, I live on Cherry Street.” His head tilts toward the corner, toward Cherry Street.

I cross my arms and narrow my eyes. “This town is ridiculously small. You live around the corner, and I didn’t hear about it?”

“Yes.” His cheeks lift higher, and I hate him a little as my breath catches. “Four-twenty-six. Mrs. Maple’s old house.”

Mrs. Maple passed away a few months ago, and her kids only recently got around to putting it on the market. I vaguely recall Katy Blake, the town gossip, and a few others talking about it being sold one morning at Bean Me Up, but I didn’t catch the name of the buyer.

I’m sure I would’ve remembered if they said Beau’s name.

Does Gen know? Is it possible that someone mentioned it, and I completely forgot? Would I forget hearing that he was the buyer?

The truth is maybe. I’ve been so busy with the clinic and trying to plan a wedding with a man who didn’t want to marry me that not remembering is definitely possible but highly unlikely.

Reading my face like a book, he raises his hands. “I swear! It’s just been hectic with the Marauders switching stadiums so close to pre-season. I’m still not fully unpacked.”

Staring at him, an eyebrow raised and arms still crossed, I don’t say anything.

“When I come home, I usually take the left from the highway; it’s more direct. Today, I took the scenic route. When I saw the clinic, I thought of you, and then—boom—there you were!”

What he’s saying makes sense, but it’s hard for me to believe that I wouldn’t have seen him at some point before today.

Starhaven isn’t big.

“Kit, we didn’t talk about where we lived. I would’ve told you had you asked.” The playful glint in his eyes has my cheeks pulling up. I uncross my arms and go to grab my bag. But he pushes his body in front of mine and grabs it first. “I got this. I’ll walk you to your door.”

The brushing of his body against mine sends shivers down my spine. For a second, I just stand there, frozen, watching him walk up my stairs.

My high school self is doing cartwheels while the adult version of me is admiring the man he’s become. And not just physically.

Though he is quite the specimen, a smirk crosses my face.

“Are you just gonna stand there, Garrett?” My gaze snaps up from Beau’s…um…attributes to his eyes, and the teasing glint there tells me he knows exactly what I was doing.

My face flames, and I stomp up the stairs with my head down. The sound of his amusement sets a swarm of butterflies in motion and makes me want to die of embarrassment.

Nothing has changed. I still want to kiss and kill Beau Matthews all in the same breath.

Ordering my cheeks to cool, I walk toward him and gaze down so my eyes aren’t tempted to admire him again.

The last thing I want is to give Beau the upper hand.

What if that’s not what you’re doing? A quiet voice asks. What if this entire crazy situation is actually an opportunity?

“Be quiet,” I mumble to the voice in my head. Not wanting to think about the emotions that being around this man is invoking.

“Everything okay?” He asks when I meet him on the porch. The humor in his eyes is replaced with a softness that makes my stomach flip. And sucks all the air from my lungs.

A small smile creeps along my face, and I scoff. “That’s a loaded question…Husband.”

His eyes dance for a moment before they shift to an emotion I can’t read. “Who would’ve thought that was ever a good idea, huh?”

Me.

Woah! Where did that come from?

“As much as I love talking about you being my wife and all, I do have a serious question for you.” A surge of energy races around my body like a strike of lightning struck me and I can’t breathe. “I’m a mentor for an organization called Play It Forward. When I moved here, I was assigned Jack Samuels as my new mentee.”

My pulse slows, and my nerves flutter when I realize the topic he’s discussing has nothing to do with us.

I will need a nap after the roller coaster of emotions I’ve gone through in the last five minutes.

“I know Jack, Nicky’s fourteen-year-old nephew, right?”

“That’s him.” Beau’s lips curve, and my chest constricts. “He’s great but having a rough time. Not uncommon for kids his age in his situation.”

Jack’s short life has been tough. I don’t know the full story, and I haven’t pried. What I do know is that Jack was all but abandoned by his parents and came to live with his grandmother, Missy Samuels, and his Aunt Nicky two summers ago.

I nod my agreement and fish around my purse for my keys.

“From the few times I’ve talked with him, I was able to yank out of him that he likes animals. I was going to ask around town if any animal professionals would be interested in meeting with him.”

Snapping my eyes to his, I see he’s being completely sincere. There isn’t an ounce of teasing in his look.

“That’s a great idea.”

“Glad you agree.” The teasing tone is back. “Would you be interested? It would be great for him to learn about the options available and how he can get involved in something he’s passionate about.”

“I’d love to help Jack out.” I smile, trying to ignore the stomach swoop at the kindness of the man in front of me. “Every summer, I search for someone interested in what I do, like an intern. It lets them know what’s involved with working in the veterinary field. If he’s interested, maybe we can work something out.”

“Really?” Beau’s brows shoot up. “That could be perfect.”

Reaching out to grab my suitcase, my hand brushes Beau’s. A zing of energy rushes through my body. When I glance into his eyes, I know he felt it, too. My breath catches. But like the speed of light, his expression shifts to something else.

“I’m meeting up with him Wednesday afternoon. Are you available?”

Blinking rapidly, I try to remember what we were talking about.

Beau flashes a smile and I can see every one of his teeth. Warmth creeps up my face again.

“To meet up with Jack?”

I take a deep breath and focus on finding the key that unlocks the door. “Sure. Wednesday works great.”

“Amazing. Thanks, Kit.” Pushing the door open, I shove my suitcase inside. The weight of Beau’s eyes lingers. Trails of heat move along with his gaze. “Sure you don’t want me to carry you in?”

Quirking a brow, I turn toward him. He’s the epitome of innocence, but the gleam in his eye makes me giggle.

“I think I got it,” I snort, and he waves before heading down the stairs.

“See you around…” His pause has my insides twisting, “Neighbor.”

Pulling myself together, I wave goodbye, but I don’t stop watching him head to his car. When he gets there, he turns around. He stares for a moment before waving again and getting in.

Stepping over the threshold, I can’t help but wonder what it would’ve felt like if he had carried me inside.