Page 26 of Starting Over with You (Beer League Belles #2)

CHAPTER

TWENTY-THREE

Kenni

Me

You’re absolutely sure?

Dean

Yes, KenniLeigh.

He’s always said my name like he’d capitalize the Leigh. He doesn’t run the syllables together like everyone else does. No, he says, Kenni. Leigh. But together. That doesn’t make sense. I don’t know, I just like that he capitalized the Leigh.

Fucking hell, what is this man doing to me?

Me

I’m packed.

Dean

I’m finishing some chores around the firehouse, then I’ll be on my way.

Me

I can drive over.

Dean

You could, but I’m on my way.

Now, I’m standing in the kitchen as I wait. Because what the hell do I say? No, I’ll do it, just drop off the key? It’s what I would have said to Stratford. So why aren’t I saying it to Dean?

Because you want him to be here for you.

Shut up, brain…or pussy .

All I know is I’m keeping a little bit of a tally in my head about my sister’s baby daddy and my best friend’s brother.

Days since I saw Dean on the side of the road in the mountains: 2

Times we’ve texted: 21

Times Missy asked me if I was sure I wanted to move in with him: 29

Times that Nyle has cried and asked, Is it my fault she’s leaving ? 75

Times I’ve thought of being between Dean’s thighs as I touched his lips, his little mustache tickling my fingers: Too many to count and so many that I had to change out the batteries in my vibrator.

Pathetic? Yes.

Do I care? Not even a bit.

What if I’m making a mistake? What if moving in with Dean is more like moving onto his dick and taking him for a ride?

I’d rather ride his mustache…

What. Is. Wrong. With. Me?

I’ve never thought about sex like this. Never. But then, I’ve never been under the gaze of a sexy-ass guy with a porn stache and booty-tight Carhartt jeans.

I shouldn’t move in with him.

Just as I think that, though, Dean pulls up in his truck.

“Dad’s here!” Skyye yells out before the screen door smacks into the wall and she’s running out to her daddy. The most stunning grin comes over his mouth and leaves me gripping the side of the kitchen counter. The way his mustache moves and his teeth appear in a wide grin just for his baby.

Yeah. That’s hot.

I put my cup in the sink and head to the front just as Missy does.

She has this pinched look on her face in her workout gear, and I know she’s not happy.

She has told me so at every turn. I don’t want to fight with her or put a strain between her and Nyle.

While he is a total idiot, he makes her happy and she loves him.

Even though he bitches, she doesn’t take it, and honestly, I don’t want to be the reason there is a rift.

I feel like living here is causing that.

Missy loops her arm through mine as we reach the door. “I wish you’d reconsider.”

“It’s cramped in here, Missy, and I don’t want to be the reason y’all fight.”

She waves me off, annoyed. “Still, I love having you here.”

How? We don’t even get to spend much time together because Nyle is always trying to crash our sister party.

“I’ll still come over, or you can come over to Dean’s when he’s working.”

“Ha! Nyle would have a fit,” she chuckles as she pushes the door open.

To my surprise, Dean has a bunch of my boxes already in the back of his truck.

When I drove down, I had vacuum-sealed a lot of my belongings so that I could transport them in less space.

Since being here, I’ve obviously unpacked, so it looks like I have more than I did.

I used a bunch of totes to package everything, which Dean is moving like they’re full of fluff instead of shoes and photo albums. I tilt my head to the side as I watch him move my stuff.

With each lift of a bin, his shoulders move, the muscles rippling under his thin green Fire Department shirt, his forearms flexing, and the vein in his neck throbbing.

“What are you two looking at?”

Is it bad that I think Nyle’s voice is as bad as nails on a chalkboard?

I look at Missy as she looks at me, and we both say, “Nothing.”

He doesn’t believe us. Hell, I don’t think anyone would.

“Liar,” I mutter as I head down the stairs with her.

She waggles her brows at me. “Listen, I know my baby daddy is fine as hell.”

Yes. He is.

We giggle together as we come up on where Nyle is trying to help Dean.

“I got it, bud.” Dean’s voice leaves no room for discussion, and Nyle backs off pretty quickly. When Dean’s blue eyes set on me, a flutter starts in my chest. “This everything, darlin’?”

God, it’s hot out here. I fan my face since I know it’s turning red. “Yeah, I’ve got the rest in my car.”

“Great,” he says, smacking his hands together. He hops down from the truck with ease and then wraps an arm around Skyye’s neck.

Nyle looks at me. “You sure about this, Kenni? We hate to see you go.”

He cuddles Missy into his side, and I raise a brow. Before I can say anything, Dean cuts in. “If that were the case, maybe you’d have made sure she felt welcome.”

Nyle’s gaze cuts to Dean. “I don’t know what you’ve been told?—”

“The truth,” Dean snaps, his eyes narrowing. “But don’t worry. I’ll make sure she’s very welcome at my place.”

Jesus, it’s getting really hard to breathe.

Nyle looks affronted by that, while Missy’s brows pinch. Skyye is beaming, but before anyone can say a word, the town sheriff’s SUV pulls up.

I groan inwardly as Nyle makes an excuse to head inside. Coward.

Dad gets out of his SUV and stretches before adjusting his gun belt. He looks at the lot of us. “Heard my baby has to move ’cause your shithead husband is obsessed with you.”

Missy lets out a groan as I hold back my laughter. “Shouldn’t he be obsessed, Daddy?”

“Yeah, but not while making my girl feel like she isn’t welcome in your home. I’ll let this slide, but if he makes my Sky baby feel any way like that, I’m coming back.”

The warning from my dad is no laughing matter. Especially when Dean nods in agreement. “Same.”

Dad looks at Dean, and Dean holds out his hand. “Sheriff.”

Now, Dad hates Nyle, but he despises Dean .

My dad sighs, and then he takes Dean’s hand. “Dean, thanks for taking in this hellion.”

I glare. “Daddy, really?”

He looks at me, confused. “What? You are.”

I jerk a thumb to Dean. “You’re really going to just call him Dean when he’s the fire chief of this town?” I lean in. “You taught us all to respect titles, but you won’t in front of not only him, but his very impressionable and malleable daughter? Who is also your granddaughter?”

Missy knocks her elbow into my ribs. “Abort. Abort. Abort.”

I feel even Skyye’s eyes burning into my face, but I ignore them both as my dad sets me with a glare.

He takes a deep breath, his lungs filling up along with his gut before he lets it out in a long whoosh.

“Fine.” He turns to Dean, still shaking his hand.

“Chief-got-arrested-with-my-baby-twice-and-knocked-up-my-other-daughter, how you doin’? ”

“Jesus Christ,” I mutter as I smack his arm. “Real mature.”

I look over at Dean as he covers his mouth to hide his laugh. “Just fine, sir.”

“Who’s watching the house?” Dad asks, meaning the firehouse.

“Wagner came in so I could get Kenni settled.”

Dad slaps him hard on the back. “Let’s try to get her settled in the house, not the back of a cop car.”

Everyone lets out a tense laugh except me. I glare. “Aren’t you the only one on duty, Daddy?”

“Yup,” he says, damn sure of himself.

“And you’d arrest me?”

“Not you, my baby,” he says, squeezing my wrist, but then he points to Dean. “But him, yup.”

“Grandpa!” Skyye complains, and he lets out a hearty laugh.

“Oh, Sky baby, I’m just joshin’. Right, Dean?”

“Yes, sir.” Dean doesn’t look sure.

“I’m leaving,” I say, shaking my head. “You’re insane, Dad.”

“Happened from raising you two.” He lets out another gut- blasting laugh, his eyes crinkling with mischief. “Good thing you’re like your daddy, Sky baby.”

“Yet, you’ll arrest him for—” I call over my shoulder, but my words cut off when I get to the car. Dean is there, reaching past me to open my door. I look into his face, and he flashes me a small grin before nodding toward the car. “What are you doing?”

“Making sure you’ve got everything.”

I blink. “I do.”

He fights back a grin, rubbing his forefinger and thumb along that naughty little stache of his. “Keys, purse?”

I arch a brow. “Yes, I’ve got it all.”

He chuckles softly. “Just making sure.”

“You know my daddy is right over there.”

That has him smirking, the tips of his ears turning red. “I know. And trust, I’m not trying to be your daddy.”

It should be illegal the way his voice dropped as he said daddy . Winded, I murmur, “Oh, good.”

“At least, not in the streets.”

My jaw actually drops. I blink up at him, and he eats it up. His chuckle is rough and dirty before it tapers off. He licks his lips before biting just on the edge of his bottom one. Dean’s eyes heat as I fall into my car like a real-life swooning heroine.

Shit, am I?

With the way he’s looking at me, I think I just might be.

“All right, darlin’. Let’s go on home.”

Home.

I’m moving in with Dean.

With his tight ass and slutty mustache.

He taps the top of my car, pulling me from my internal monologue, before pushing off and heading to his truck.

Do I watch his ass in my side mirror?

I absolutely do.

Then I wipe the corners of my mouth like a fucking lady.