Should’ve Known It’s You (Not You Again #7)

Chapter 44

CHAPTER 44

KENNEDY

I woke up in Austin’s bed. I’d slept there for the last two nights. Even before I opened my eyes, I felt a smile curving my lips. I loved starting my day with the heat of him by my side and the scent of him so close by.

Snuggling into him, I pressed a kiss to the side of his chest and breathed him in, but then I slowly rolled away, careful not to wake him but needing to check my phone. It was a habit I’d developed after Winrey had gotten pregnant, the thought of her on my mind as soon as I woke up in the morning to make sure there were no updates of things that might’ve occurred in the night.

As usual, there was no news of her or the baby, but I had plenty of other notifications. I rubbed my sleepy eyes, not sure I was seeing this correctly, but it looked like just about every publication in the city had a piece about the dinner.

My heart lurched in my chest and I was suddenly wide awake, shooting upright in bed and gently shoving Austin’s shoulder. “Austin? Baby, wake up. You have to see this.”

He groaned but blinked his eyes open, his brow adorably furrowed in a sleepy frown. “What is it? Are you ready to go again?”

“No, not yet, but the media is all over our dinner,” I said, my voice hushed. I scanned the headlines I’d received on my notifications before clicking into one of the articles. “It looks like it’s all positive.”

He pushed himself up on his elbow, also immediately looking more alert as he scanned the article with me. “Wait, are those interviews with the guests?”

I nodded slowly. “It looks like everyone they spoke to said that they want the hotel to become a business in their neighborhood.”

“What?” He sat up slowly, still waking up. “Let me see that.”

I handed over my phone, my eyes wide and my lips parted. I stared out the window of Slate’s master bedroom, watching white clouds drift by in the blue sky outside but not really seeing them. I was thrumming with electricity, excited energy building deep within as I contemplated what this might mean.

“This is great news, Kenny,” Austin finally said, a huge grin on his face as he pulled me to him. “All the other articles are the same. It looks like everyone who was there has spoken out on your behalf. They’ve squashed the rumors that you want to tear the place down or change it at all, and they’ve also made it very clear that it’s not going to be a boutique hotel only for the rich, but a place where they, as a community, want to be able to get together.”

I blinked a few times in rapid succession, trying to get my head wrapped around it. Then I threw my arms around his neck and pulled him to me, kissing him deeply again and again. Austin laughed into my kisses, sliding his arms around my waist and pushing me back down onto the mattress.

“How do you want to celebrate?” he murmured between playful nips and kisses.

I smiled against his lips. “Just like this, actually.”

I really couldn’t believe how strong our guests were coming out in their support of my business. Austin kissed me while the sun streamed in through the windows, and all I could do was be grateful—and kiss the man who had made it all possible.

Thankfully, I enjoyed kissing him. I loved it, even, and I hooked my legs around his hips, happy to keep doing just this until the cows came home. Unfortunately, today, when the literal cows at Merrick Meadows came home, we were expected to be there to spend the weekend with his family for our belated Merrick Thanksgiving.

I groaned when I realized how much we still had left to get done before then. Austin chuckled, pressing a final kiss to the tip of my nose and lifting his head to peer into my eyes. “You’ve just remembered, haven’t you?”

I nodded but kept my fingers entwined behind his neck. “Do you think we can rush through getting the house ready for Winrey and Benji to crash for the weekend, and keep doing this just a little bit longer instead?”

“Probably not, but we can always leave tomorrow. Firefly Grove isn’t going anywhere.”

I felt him hot and hard against my lower belly, our skins separated only by the thin sheet between us. My body begged for his. Something had been different about him since the night of the dinner. He was a lot more intense, but it made me feel precious and wanted, like he began and ended with me, and that made it really flipping difficult to actually stop.

My heart was hammering like crazy and it felt like I would disintegrate if I let him leave this room, but he wasn’t wrong.

“I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks now, and so have you. We can’t put it off just because we don’t want to get out of bed.”

His hips rocked slightly and I sucked in a sharp breath. He smirked. “Are you sure about that?”

“No, but we have to go.”

“Fine,” he said, smiling. “We’re making up for it later, though. Deal?”

“Deal.” I lay there panting for a moment after he climbed off me, trying to collect myself. I watched him don a pair of sweats and a shirt for the cleaning we had to do.

He glanced at me when he reached the door, the tent in his pants slowly receding. “I’ll put the coffee on. Come on, lazy bones. We need to get this done. Chop chop. The farm is waiting.”

I giggled, but I knew then I’d made the right call. While I also knew that he gladly would’ve stayed in bed with me all day, he was truly excited about getting home, and I wouldn’t get in the way of that. No matter how much I’d left us both hanging.

Finally getting up to join him, I grabbed a pair of pajamas, deciding I’d shower once we were done as well, and then I headed out of his bedroom, excited to get on with the day now that the burning chemistry between us had been put on pause.

I was slowly starting to learn that Austin and I would disappear into each other if we let ourselves. When we were alone together, and more especially when we were naked, nothing else seemed to matter, but real life did matter.

The outside world? His family waiting for us? It mattered, and we couldn’t get so lost in each other all the time that we forgot that.

Regardless of how much I might want to.

On the other hand, that was what nights were for, and I was really looking forward to spending another night with him.

After he fed our shared caffeine addiction, we set about getting the place ready for my sister and her boyfriend. We’d gone grocery shopping yesterday, buying snacks that would satisfy all of Winrey’s pregnancy cravings so far. We’d also grabbed some of the beer Benji liked and all their favorite foods.

Austin had followed through on hiring the caterer, Giacomo, from the dinner to come cook for them tonight, and he had even gone so far as to lower the temperature on the hot tub outside. He glanced at me as he turned the controls, his head cocking as if he wasn’t sure about something.

“It’s safe for pregnant woman to have warm baths, right? It just can’t be crazy hot?”

I nodded. “That’s it, yes. I specifically asked the doctor about it that day she was in the hospital, and he said it was fine as long as the water isn’t so hot that she has to lower herself into it bit by bit.”

“Alright. I think this should be fine then.” When he got up, he pretended to dust off his hands and grinned.

My heart tripped over itself at his care and thoughtfulness. I’d never met a man like him, and I might never meet another.

Austin was a special breed, and I was struggling to remember why I’d wanted to keep things with him professional in the first place. I never would have been able to pull off that dinner without him, but he’d also shown up every time I needed him. I felt completely safe with him. He made me laugh and he shared my sense of humor.

I watched him starting to set up a cozy movie-night spot for my pregnant sister, complete with blankets, snacks, and a note containing instructions on how to operate the entertainment system, and I wondered if perhaps it was time to tell him how I felt.

We were still expected in Firefly Grove this afternoon. Our arrival time was several hours closer now than it had been this morning. So I decided not to blurt it out right that minute. We didn’t have time to unpack our feelings. While he’d said he wanted more, I didn’t want to make the whole weekend awkward if his idea of more and mine didn’t quite align.

“Okay, I think that’s everything,” he said, glancing at the fancy, bulky black watch he always wore on his wrist. “If we shower now and pack our bags fast-ish, we should make it to Firefly Grove before sunset.”

“Terrific,” I squeaked, so caught up in my thoughts about what I really wanted to say to him that I was a little off when talking about practical arrangements. “Perfect. Let’s shower.”

He frowned at me. “Are you okay?”

“Yep. Yep, just excited. The articles. Merrick Meadows. Lots to think about.”

I raced upstairs and grabbed a shower in the guest room, using my time alone to wash off my weirdness. I centered myself, remembering that I didn’t have to blurt out my innermost feelings right away.

Things were going great between us and we had what promised to be an awesome, family-oriented weekend ahead. Those articles about the hotel and the dinner were out there now, and hopefully, by the time we got back, someone with money would want to throw it at me. For now, all I had to do was relax and take a well-deserved break.

As I stepped out of the shower, I saw that Austin’s thoughtfulness had struck again. He’d brought me the clothes I’d laid out last night for the day, and they were sitting in a neatly folded pile on the vanity. Once again, my heart melted into a puddle of goo and I shook my head at myself, but I still couldn’t stop smiling as I got dressed and collected my things to pack them into my bag.

Austin was ready to go by the time I was done. He wore light blue jeans and a white sweater and clutched the handle of a cabin-sized wheelie suitcase. “Are you ready?”

I nodded, patting the strap of the duffel bag that hung over my shoulder. “I’m clearly not as sophisticated and organized a traveler as you, but if you can look past that, then yes. I’m ready.”

He chuckled and came over to take the duffel from me. “Don’t worry. One day, you’ll be all grown up and you’ll have proper luggage too.”

I playfully shoved his arm and took off to race him to his car, diving in to connect my phone before he had the opportunity to connect his. When he finally climbed in behind the wheel, I beamed at him.

“Do you know what’s better than having proper luggage?”

He turned over the engine. “Tell me.”

“A carefully curated playlist that you get to listen to me sing along to all the way home.” I winked, buckling up.

He pulled out of Slate’s driveway, my music filling the car now that we were underway. To my surprise, he turned up the volume. As I kept my promise to sing along, he grinned like an idiot at me. It was a clear, sunny, crisp fall day, and the miles passed quickly as we made our way out of the city and onto the wide country roads. They would eventually get narrower the closer we got to Firefly Grove.

While he drove, I snapped pictures of him behind the wheel and selfies of me messing around beside him. I felt lighter, freer, and happier than I had in forever, having the best time doing basically nothing until we finally arrived.

It was late afternoon when we pulled up in front of the main farmhouse on Merrick Meadows, and I felt happy tears glistening in my eyes as I paused for a moment to take it all in. The porch had been beautifully decorated with fall garland and a massive wreath. Twinkle lights winked in the windows. The steps were full of pumpkins of all different colors.

“God, I love this,” I breathed before twisting to glance at him. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“Anytime.” He smiled and walked around the car to open the door for me, reaching in to offer his hand to me. “Welcome to the chaos of the Merrick family at any holiday.”

I chuckled, desperately overjoyed at being here. As I stepped out of the car, I dragged in a deep breath and immediately smelled farm. I grinned so wide my cheeks hurt. “Is there anything better than this?”

He laughed from where he was grabbing our bags from the trunk. “You’re asking the wrong person. Cow stink and hay aren’t exactly my favorite smells in the world.”

I giggled and rolled my eyes. “I forgot. You love bus exhaust and hot garbage on a summer sidewalk.”

“I’ll take them over this,” he said.

The front door of the house opened and Jess raced out, a big excited smile on her face and her hands on the cutest little belly ever that was just starting to show. “You’re here! What took you guys so long?”

I met her halfway, crushing her in a hug when she smacked into me—all of which happened gently enough that we wouldn’t hurt the baby. “The city didn’t want to let us go this morning. Trust me. I’m so excited to be here. How’s everyone doing here?”

“We’re great. Come on inside. It’s freaking freezing out here.” She looped her arm around my own, glancing at me with a knowing grin on her face as she tipped her head back at her brother. “You’re going to have to tell me all about that at some point, but for now, Mom’s almost got dinner ready.”

Jess pulled me into their house. The mouthwatering smells of Jeannie’s cooking instantly delighted my senses, and so did the jovial atmosphere in their house. It had been a really long time since I’d felt anything like it, and it was so intense that I almost burst into tears when Jess pressed a glass of wine into my hands in the kitchen. This felt like a real Thanksgiving to me, whereas dinner with my family had been nothing to be grateful for.

“Drink up and enjoy,” she instructed. “I’m living vicariously through you this weekend.”

I tossed my arm around her shoulders, laughing as I brought my head closer to hers. “Your wish is my command, oh pregnant one. Just promise me we won’t be tipping any cows or stealing any tractors while I’m here.”

A mischievous grin appeared on her lips and she shrugged as she accepted my hug. “I don’t make promises I can’t keep, Kenny.”