Page 101 of Your Last First Kiss

She moves with grace, a peacefulness to her that I’ve never noticed before, and pure loving pride surges in my chest.

I watched her closely the first time she fell asleep in my bed. The calm that came after our coupling washed away my remaining fears. Fears of being enough. Of being able to give Penny and her boys everything that they need.

Now, whenever I look at them, all I see is a family—my family, if they’ll have me.

We’ll need to talk to her boys soon. After she came to me last week, I couldn’t leave her side. The boys think I’m sleeping on their sofa because of the construction set to start next week at the TAC, but truthfully, as soon as she moved Mari to Landon’s room, everything changed. The second Penny has settled for the night, I stalk the empty hallway until I’m at her door, climbing in beside her, and holding her until the sun comes up.

Yes, there was a night of panic when Gage woke from a bad dream. Luckily, I heard the door opening and rolled out of bed onto the floor and out of sight before he caught me.

I can’t help the grin that appears thinking about that now, but I don’t want to sneak around. And I don’t want Kai to think we’re lying to him, either. He’s old enough to feel that betrayal like another hit to his heart, and I promised to be honest with him.

“Dillon?” Eli’s no-nonsense tone cuts through my wayward thoughts.

“Huh?” It takes more effort than it should to tear my gaze away from Penny to Eli, but when I do, I find them all watching me with varying degrees of annoyance.

“Think you can give me your attention for a whole five minutes there, stud muffin?” Eli asks, and Penny drops a pan onto the stove.

I’m standing before Penny turns around, but then she flashes a startled look my way, and I freeze. “Sorry,” she mutters. “The handle was slippery.” She lowers her gaze quickly before I can read her expression, but that doesn’t stop the deep blush that instantly rises on her cheeks.

Penny has a little jealous streak in her.

I like it.

“Dillon,” Eli warns again from my right, so I give her my undivided attention. “Matt—”

“Miller,” he corrects. “Matt Miller, but everyone calls me Miller.”

Eli narrows her eyes, then carelessly blows air up her face to push a few stray strands of hair off her forehead. “As I was saying,” she begins again. “Matt—”

“Miller.”

“Matt,” she grinds out, and I raise a brow at Miller.

Eli doesn’t appear to be the type to back down. I wonder how far he’ll push her. When he doesn’t say anything, her lip curls a fraction, as if signaling victory.

“Matt Miller called the special town meeting for Thursday. That gives you three days to learn about everyone in town and what they like and dislike. Who they’re related to and how. What they do for work, and how we can exploit that for the TAC. Basically, you are going into that meeting like you’ve lived here your entire life.”

“But Miller actually has lived here. Wouldn’t it be better for him to take the lead on this?” I ask. Glancing around the room, I find Lochlan wearing an expression that asks the same thing.

“No,” Eli says with no room for negotiation as she rounds up another pile of papers from Penny’s table. “Everyone knows or will know that you’re the new owner. They need to see that you’re invested. It’s our job to introduce you as a valuable community member and show them what the expanded TAC can offer them. Miller will warm them up, but you have to be the one to close the deal.”

“Eli’s right,” Penny says, plucking on the elastic around her wrist. She’s leaning her ass against the kitchen sink, wearing black leggings and my old college T-shirt that falls to her knees, but it’s her posture that I can’t stop watching.

Penny is relaxed, and although the edges of worry creep in late at night after the kids are in bed, she isn’t drowning in fear anymore.

Is that because I’m here?

Because Eddy’s in jail?

Because Aster still hasn’t returned?

I want it to be me so fucking badly I can taste it.

Her lips curve into the gorgeous smile I saw underneath me last night, but then she hitches one eyebrow, and I realize she’s waiting for a response.

I zoned out. Again.

This isn’t a great look for me.