Page 124 of Too Far

If this is as close as I can get, then I accept.

“I love you,” I whisper, tipping my head back and circling my arms around his waist. He’s so sturdy. Solid. Hard on the outside, but ooey-gooey where it counts. “I love you so much, K.”

He bites down on his plush bottom lip like he’s holding back his grin, but his eyes dance, giving him away. Two fingers catch under my chin and tilt my head further as he lowers to kiss me.

Our lips haven’t even touched before the sound of fake retching hits our ears.

“Gross,” Jade draws out.

“Get a room,” Emilia jabs.

“Hey!” Kendrick shouts, pulling up straight and pointing at his sisters. “Inappropriate. And most definitelynotthe way to convince me to let you go to a party tonight.”

Jade’s eyes go wide as she slaps her hand over her mouth.

Emilia skips over to us, squaring up with her brother like she isn’t intimidated by his six-two frame whatsoever.

“If we go to Kayla’s, you could kiss Jojo all night without us making a single peep.” She presses her lips together and smirks.

Kendrick glares at her for a beat, then another.

His deadpan expression cracks into an exasperated sigh as he scrubs a hand down his face.

“What am I going to do when you’re actually teenagers?” he bemoans.

“Jojo will have to step up,” Emilia declares, pulling her shoulders back.

The confirmation that my presence is a given in K’s future, that we’ll all be present for one another, warms my insides.

“Speaking of…”

Jade tentatively joins us now.

“Was that a no for nails?” Emilia asks me.

“Get going,” Kendrick snaps, pointing down the trail.

With a laugh, I shake my head. “I’m sorry. I was in a hurry to pack and didn’t think to bring any of my supplies. I’ll do your nails next week, once we’re back home.”

The girls take off again without complaint, instantly moving on, but a sense of dread trickles in as the promise I just made hangs in the air around me.

Home.

Where is home?

My boys are my home, yes, and we all share the same goal of sticking together from here on out. The where and how, though, are still in question.

My breath hitches on the inhale as panic ignites inside me, sending my heart rate skyrocketing.

K notices instantly.

“Not today,” he reminds me.

He smooths a hand down my spine in a move that’s both reverent and mollifying and rests his palm on my low back. He doesn’t let me stop. With that hand, he gently guides me down the path after the girls.

“Nothing to worry about today, Mama. You called a time-out. Honor that.”

I swallow past the worry and push down the panic.