Page 23 of Starting Over with You (Beer League Belles #2)

CHAPTER

TWENTY

Kenni

“I don’t know how much longer I can stay there.”

Sadie gives me a wary look as she cringes. Her brown hair is in three pigtails, nine thousand barrettes, and she’s wearing bright-blue eyeshadow with bright-blue lipstick while she nurses a glass of wine as if she doesn’t belong in the circus.

Alongside me. I’m the pink bozo to her blue bozo.

“Listen, I didn’t like the idea of you staying there anyway. He’s so possessive over her, it’s wild.” She swallows a sip. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. I love when Matt gets all caveman on me, but he doesn’t sound like a little bitch when he does it.”

I snort, but she’s right. Nyle whines, which is fucking annoying. “He got mad we went to lunch without him after we had breakfast together. He told me I’m stealing her away all the time.”

She shakes her head, her pigtails whipping across her face. “I know Missy isn’t just sitting there.”

“Oh no, she gets all pissy. But I swear it’s like foreplay, because then they’re banging like rabbits.” I shudder. “I’ve seen entirely too much of Nyle’s ass.”

Sadie tries to hold in her laughter but fails, almost falling out of her chair. Of course, I’m laughing too because I can’t help myself. The back door opens, and we look up to find Matt looking at us like we’re deranged clowns.

Which I guess we are.

“Wow, I didn’t know the circus was in town,” he teases as he comes over to kiss the top of my head and then his wife’s lips. “But let me tell you, you two are gonna have all the circus performers trying to get into your tents.”

I snort at that, but then my head whips to the side when I hear his voice. “Damn. Rae get ahold of y’all?”

I should probably agree, but I’m too busy drooling.

Because Dean Moore just walked into the house in a pair of low-slung cargo pants and a white undershirt tank. The wide expanse of his chest is on display, as are his shoulders, which give one hell of a view of his tattoo.

Tribal tattoo that wraps around his bicep: check.

Veins running down his arms and throughout his large hands: check.

Slutty mustache: check.

Backward hat: check.

Kenni’s vagina blown to smithereens: double check.

I swallow hard as I force myself not to look at him.

I feel my face burning, and I wish that Rae’s heavy hand would have given me more blush to hide it.

He has been on my mind nonstop since I saw him at the rink on Monday.

I’m pretty sure he was flirting with me, and I was so shocked, all I could do was laugh.

Because what else was I supposed to do?

Jump him?

Man, I missed an opportunity to show him how damn hot and ready I can make him.

“She sure did,” Sadie gushes, leaning back into Matt’s arms. He holds her close, his head on her shoulder, and damn, aren’t they the cutest? “You two going to finish the playhouse?”

I force myself to look at my computer so I don’t look at the cowboy porn star who is tempting me.

“Sure are,” Matt says, laying a smacking kiss on her cheek. “What are you two doing?”

“Talking about Missy and Nyle.”

I look up in time to see Matt make a face. “How’s that going?” he asks me, and I shrug.

“Unfortunately, I think Nyle only shares Missy with Skyye.” I sigh at my admission but then quickly look at Dean and add, “Not that I mind. I want it that way.”

Dean stands up straight and gives me a hard look. “He’s giving you trouble?”

“I told you I don’t think he likes me,” I say, feeling silly.

“It’s just been rough. I called Hazel to see if the house would be available sooner, or if I could live there while they do what they’re doing, but she told me no.

So then, we looked for rentals, but there was nothing with it being the height of tourist season.

I considered going to my dad’s, but he told me not to come over today because Maggie is there.

So abso-fucking-lutely not am I living with a man who’s getting more ass than me. ”

I let out a long breath, and Matt snorts. I look up to find Sadie hiding her smirk as Matt says with a straight face, “You can stay in our playhouse. It’ll be done today.”

I smile, loving this man so much. “Too kind, but y’all are busting at the seams here.”

He shrugs. “It’s home.”

And it is. The town of Thistlebrook is made up of lots of log homes, but after Matt and Sadie bought their home, it burned down a month later due to some faulty wiring.

Because it was so traumatic, Sadie demanded her home be rebuilt in brick.

While it still has the wood frame, it’s mostly constructed of brick and is absolutely stunning.

They went out to her great-uncle’s ranch to get a bunch of original brick that had been used on one of the old houses from the 1800s.

I was so jealous I didn’t get to help, but man, I love the look of their home.

The story. The timeless feel. The house is a ranch, with three bedrooms and two baths.

Their family is too big for the house, but Sadie won’t leave it.

Like Matt said, it’s home.

“I know,” I say softly, sending them a thankful smile. “I appreciate the offer. I may just have to deal with Nyle.”

“You could stay with me.”

Dean’s words smack the air right out of me. I turn quickly, almost knocking my laptop off the table. “Wha-wha-what?”

I gawk at him, and Dean shrugs like he didn’t just offer for me to come stay with him. Dean’s brows furrow more as he leans on the doorjamb of the back door. “What? I have a guest room you can have. No one is using it.”

I blink. I can’t stay with Dean.

I’d jump his ass for sure.

Unaware of my internal struggles, Sadie points to her brother with a nod. “He’s right, and he’s hardly there since the weeks he doesn’t have Skyye, he’s at the firehouse. And when he does work, Skyye can stay with you instead of being subjected to the kids.”

Matt makes a face. “Hey, she loves our kids.”

Dean nods. “She does, but Sae’s right.”

I blink again. Could I stay with him? Before I can even fully think it through, my phone rings. I look down, thinking it may be my boys, but I find it’s my lawyer. “One second.” I bring the phone to my ear. “Hello?”

“Hey, Kenleigh. This is Ryan Ritchmount. I wanted to reach out and confirm the delay in your divorce. It came across my desk just now, and I thought it was weird since you were pretty adamant about getting the papers drawn up.”

I swear I choke on my tongue, and then I screech. “What!”

Dean steps closer but doesn’t touch me. I don’t think he can hear my conversation, not that I think that’s the reason he moved next to me.

One thing is for sure; his presence is soothing.

I take a deep breath as Ryan says, “Yeah, I knew this was fishy. So, you didn’t sign a stay of divorce proceedings? ”

Through gritted teeth, I reply, “I am in Tennessee, been here for almost three weeks. I have signed nothing.”

Ryan lets out a little whistle. “I will get this fixed and proceed with the divorce. I’ll call you if I run into anything else.”

The line goes dead, and I just stare at my phone. “That motherfucker.”

“Kenni—” Sadie tries, but I hold up my hand as I unblock my fuckface of an ex and hit his number.

“Kenleigh, I’ve been trying to reach you for weeks.”

Stratford’s voice has me on edge. “And I blocked you because we have nothing else to say to each other, but you made sure that wasn’t the case, huh? Forging my name to delay our divorce? What is your problem?”

Matt’s eyes widen as Sadie’s face turns bright red, vowing to kill him dead. Dean only steps closer. Stratford lets out an exasperated breath like I’m the fucking problem. “Kenleigh, please, it’s one year. We don’t even have to speak. I’ll give you 65%.”

“No,” I say simply. “I don’t want or need your money.”

“So you’ll take this money from my children?”

I pause. Is he fucking serious right now? I know he’s not speaking of my boys because the money is going to them. “The children you wouldn’t even have if you were a faithful husband? Yeah, I think I will, and I’ll give it to the children who had to have you as a cheating fucking father.”

Sadie’s eyes widen, and Matt lets out a sound of contempt. Meanwhile, Dean stands beside me, his body radiating anger, but also comfort.

“Don’t do this.”

“I can’t even with you right now. I just got off the phone with my lawyer. He’s going to push it through. There is nothing else we need to say to each other.”

“You are making a mistake!” Stratford’s voice booms over the line .

“No, the mistake was made when I fell for the bullshit you were selling,” I bite out, my eyes burning with tears that I refuse to let fall.

“I will make you pay for this.”

I pause, my brows shooting up. “Are you threatening me?”

Then the phone is out of my hand and to Dean’s ear. “Stratford. Dean Moore. I will not give her back the phone, because you need to hear this. You threaten her again, you and I will have words. Understand? Lose her fucking number.”

Then he hangs up and hands the phone back to me. “Block him.”

My jaw is slack as I continue looking up at him in awe.

He’s so composed, so sure of himself, and I want nothing more than to devour him whole.

The only reason I know he’s pissed is by the twitch in his jaw and how tight his shoulders are.

The veins are popping, and any other time, I’d wish I could lick them, but right now, I’m floored. I blink. “I will.”

“Good. Fuck him,” he says simply before placing his hands on the table to look at me. “The offer of staying with me is open-ended.” Then he leans in, his eyes burning into mine in a way I don’t think I want Sadie seeing.

The room is totally silent, which is odd since her kids are always loud as hell.

Sadie should probably check on them, but I wonder if she’s as stunned as I am because Dean’s gaze is heated as he holds mine.

His blue eyes move to my lips, then back to my eyes before he says, “Now, I’m gonna make you laugh. ”

Everything fades away, and all that remains is him and me.

My lips quirk as he grins at me. His eyes are frisky, all the anger gone as he searches my gaze. “Are you a parking ticket?”

“Oh my God, stop,” Sadie snorts, and Matt guffaws. “Don’t do it, bub!”

But Dean is undeterred, and I’m lost in his eyes.

I love how blue they are. I have pretty awesome blue eyes, but there is something about Dean’s that I just adore.

They remind me of the sky after it rains.

So bright and so clear. Then he hits me with that little smirk of his, and my brain goes blank.

“Because you have fine written all over you.” The room erupts in laughter, but before I can cackle along with them, Dean leans in, his lips by my ear.

“And I’d still let you wreck me financially. ”

My breath catches as he steps back and winks before heading out of the room like he didn’t just blow my mind.

I know for a fact that he was flirting with me, but I don’t know if he was doing it to make me laugh or if he truly wants me.

I bite my bottom lip as I shake my head, laughter bubbling out of me.

He’s a goofball.

With one hell of an ass in those pants.

It isn’t until the door shuts behind Matt that I realize my ex is nowhere on my mind.