“Tonight is the night,” he says to me, licking his lips as he stares down at his screen. “You should see this picture Sydney just sent me. She is going to be the death of me.”
“She will give in. A woman like Sydney wouldn’t send a pic of herself in a bra to a guy she doesn’t want to fuck.”
He shoves his phone into his pocket and leans down to grab his keys from the table, Roxie licking him in the process. This time he doesn’t even care that he has her slobber on his arm, too focused on getting the hell out of my house.
“She says Kennedy should be home any minute. I’m heading over to Sydney’s place…hopefully for the night.” He pulls his wallet from his pocket, checking for condoms and finding a few of them tucked inside. Letting out a sigh of relief, he slips it back into his pocket and pets Roxie one last time before he walks over to me and holds out his hand.
I stand, shaking his hand and pulling him into me in the process. “Good luck.”
He chuckles. “Thanks. I need it with Sydney. Who the hell knows what she has in mind after the torture she put me through last night.”
As I walk him out of the living room and into the hallway, the front door swings open with a very wet Kennedy standing in the entryway. Soaked in water, she stands there, rubbing her hands down her side to get the chill from her body. The weather has been warm, but the storms have been a nightmare the last few days with the heat wave that has rolled through the area.
Donovan says hello to Kennedy and leaves with a wave of his hand and a good-bye in passing as he closes the door behind him, in a rush to get over the bridge to see Sydney.
“My hair,” she says, sobbing, “it looked perfect when I left Sydney’s apartment…and now it’s ruined.”
“You look beautiful, baby, as always.” I take her in my arms, aware that her hair is now stuck to her head in clumps and her mascara is running down her cheeks, but she is still the most gorgeous woman I have ever met.
“Look at me,” she whines, which is so unlike her that I wonder why she’s so upset over her hair.
Holding her at an arm’s-length, I stare into her watery blue eyes. “Did something happen tonight with Sydney?
“No, we had an awesome time.” She frowns for a second and then perks up. “How could I not? It’s Sydney. I’m just pissed about my hair and makeup. I wanted you to see it before I hopped in the shower and the storm took care of that for me. Now, I look like a wet dog.”
“Oh, you answer to dog now,” I say to Roxie as she wags her tail, hitting me in the leg in the process.
“Apparently,” Kennedy says, laughing. She reac
hes down to pet Roxie on the head with a smile. “Did you miss me, baby dog?” Sinking down to the floor, Kennedy hugs Roxie, allowing her to lick her face as she kisses her on the head.
As I watch them in action, so many emotions race through me all at once. I spent years mourning the life I used to have, the life I wanted and could not hold onto, but everything has changed since I met Kennedy.
She has made my house a home, has become part of my family, and some day, I want to make her my wife. Just seeing how she treats Roxie, I know she will make a good mother and an excellent wife. I never thought I would find happiness again, and I sure as hell didn’t expect to fall in love.
Chapter Eighteen
KENNEDY
As per the usual, I am waiting on Sydney for our lunch date. No matter what the occasion, I never expect her to show up on time, so I thought ahead and brought my laptop with me. Pounding on the keys of my beat up Macbook, I peek at my notepad on the table next to me, stealing a few glances at the shorthand notes I had taken during my interview with the Sixers head coach.
I had asked Sydney to meet me at Broad Street Beans because I was in Philly this morning. It has been three days since I last saw Sydney for our spa date. Now that Tyler and I live together, the distance makes seeing Sydney a lot harder. While I am only a half hour drive away, on a good day and without traffic, I have become lazy, too used to working from the office Tyler had setup for me on the second floor of his house.
It still feels weird to call it our home. He insists that I make his house our home, act as though I have lived there my entire life. But after having my family’s fortune stripped away, I have a hard time settling down anywhere for long. His invitation to live with him came at the perfect time because I was running through my savings and close to living on Sydney’s couch if I didn’t score another big break.
It’s not as if I moved in with Tyler to help myself out of a shitty financial situation. Tyler was aware of the mess I had to deal with, and to him, me moving in was not only a step in the right direction for our relationship but also for me and the future of my paper. He offered to help with Sports Buzz, but I have to finish what I had started without his intervention.
While I have no doubt his connections could open up doors for me, the Lockwood name no longer held in high esteem with investors, I want to do this on my own. He may not understand my need to be independent, just as much father has a hard time grasping the concept, but he respects me enough to allow me to make whatever choices I deem necessary, regardless of the outcome.
By the time Sydney arrives, she’s already twenty minutes late. Of course, she looks gorgeous, as always, her silky black curls styled to perfection and framing her heart shaped face. She exudes so much confidence as she walks toward my table, waving at me. I raise my hand in acknowledgment, a wide grin plastered on my face.
Sydney sits across from me, draping her purse strap over the back of her chair, and gives me a toothy smile. Her eyes pop from the dark shade of blue she has coated on her lids, and combined with the long, dark lashes, she looks even more alluring.
“You look like crap, babe.” She flattens palms on the table, appraising me and taking in every detail of my face, as she leans forward. “Has Tyler been keeping you locked up in a dungeon over there?” Reaching across the table, she attempts to take a lock of my hair in her hand, but I back away from her before she can patronize me further.
I fold my arms across my chest, my leg crossed over the other, and shake my head. “You know you can be such a brat sometimes, Syd. Tyler is taking care of me in more ways than you can imagine. I am doing just fine. Maybe you’re the one who needs a man to tend to your needs.”
Her face grows serious for a second before she breaks our intense staring contest, the two of us fucking with the other.