Sway (Landry Family 1)

“No,” she says, shaking her head. “I should’ve had faith in you. I should’ve been stronger. I told you to believe in yourself and then I didn’t. No, I did,” she rambles, “I just—”

I kiss her lips, effectively silencing her with a simple gesture that’s more to tell her it doesn’t matter than anything else. “I should’ve listened to you. I should’ve believed in me and just done things the way I knew they should be done before today.”

“Before today?”

“Well, yesterday,” I grin. “I fired Nolan. I heard what he said to you and a bunch of other stuff I don’t want to get into. Let’s just say Nolan is at the police department this morning answering some questions.”

“What?” she gasps.

I run my thumbs down her delicate jaw line. “I made a speech today where I said I will support the Land Bill and that you were the love of my life and that I kind of like your kid too.”

“You did?” she whispers, her lip quivering.

“I did. Because I want everyone to know it from my mouth, not from some angled statement from Nolan or Rose or PR. From me.”

She hugs me again and I squeeze her tight.

“I’m never letting you go,” I tell her. “You know that right? If you can’t handle me being overbearing and protecting you and Huxley, doing what I have to do to sleep at night, then you better just get over it.”

“One thing at a time. You have an election today.”

“The vote that means the most is yours,” I say, leading her in the house.

“I’m pretty sure you’ve sealed the deal on mine, Mayor.”

My brothers and father are in the kitchen when we enter. They see us and stop talking, waiting for the verdict.

Grinning, I go to her and pull her against my side. "Guys, meet Alison Baker. Ali, you know Graham and Lincoln." They exchange a small wave. "That's Ford, and my father, Harris."

"Nice to meet you," Ford says with a nod of his head.

My father extends his hand and smiles. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Alison."

"Likewise, Mr. Landry." She takes his hand and shakes it.

"Please. Call me Harris."

“Where’s Huxley?” I ask, looking around.

Lincoln laughs. “Where do you think? Getting my baseball stuff out of my car. Come on, Ford,” he says, “let’s go play some catch.”

“Sounds good.”

My youngest brothers head outside and my father and Graham head into the den, leaving Ali and I together.

“What happens now?” she asks, biting her lip.

“My sisters will be coming in today and . . .”

“Not with that, Barrett. With us.”

“Well,” I grin, trying to compensate for my nervousness, “I had a talk with Huxley last night.”

“What?” she exclaims.

I shrug. “He called me. We talked.”

Gasping she says, “I had no idea!”